Clinton, Lavrov agree to delay sanctions against Iran Options

[ABLAT Staff]

Clinton, Lavrov agree to delay sanctions against Iran
13/10/200914:28

MOSCOW, October 13 (RIA Novosti) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said after talks with Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday that neither country is seeking to impose sanctions against Iran under the current circumstances.

Clinton said sanctions over Iran’s controversial uranium enrichment program would be premature, and that Russia was being “extremely cooperative in the work we have done together” on the issue.

Lavrov said Russia is “in principle very reserved on sanctions, as they rarely produce results.”

He said sanctions should only be used when all diplomatic means have been exhausted, and that “in the situation with Iran, this is far from the case.”

Lavrov also said the U.S. and Russia had identical positions on the issue.

“We are not asking anything of each other on Iran, because it would be ridiculous to make requests on an issue where our positions coincide,” he said.

However, Clinton said that sanctions over North Korea's nuclear program would remain in place.

"We have absolutely no intention of relaxing or offering to relax North Korean sanctions at this point whatsoever," she said.

Clinton will later meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Before her arrival in Russia as part of a European tour, Clinton had visited Switzerland, the U.K., and Ireland.
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20091013/156451209.html