Decision on Iran must wait till end-April - Russia

[cal04]

Russia said on Wednesday it would not be rushed into agreeing action against Iran over its nuclear programme after international talks in Moscow frustrated U.S. efforts to win wide backing for sanctions. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a meeting of major powers in Moscow late on Tuesday had ended without consensus on sanctions because some -- including Russia -- wanted to wait until the United Nations atomic watchdog files a report on Iran.

"No final documents were worked out as we are convinced of the need to wait for the IAEA report due at the end of the month," Lavrov told reporters. "We all agreed that Iran needs to take urgent and constructive steps in response to the decisions of the (International Atomic Energy Agency) board," he said.

The U.N. Security Council has asked the IAEA to report by April 28 on Iran's compliance with a council demand that it halt uranium enrichment and answer the agency's outstanding questions on its nuclear programme. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy also said discussion of sanctions should await the IAEA report.

"For the moment we're not there yet. Let's wait for April 28," he told France's RMC radio, adding that using military force against Iran was "absolutely not a question today". Washington believes Iran is trying to build bombs but Tehran says it is only developing nuclear energy. The stand-off grew more tense after Iran declared last week that it had enriched uranium -- which the United States and Europe say could be diverted for use in a bomb -- and that it was aiming for industrial-scale production.

%E2%88%A9

[yourout]

1. That ought to raise Boltons blood pressure by about 10 points.....

[cliss]

2. I love this: Russia tells the U.S.

If Russia tells the US anything, that's news. Bad news for Bush.

The premier of china is in Washington today. Mr. Hu will probably tell Bush the same thing. They'll stall, because they don't want to risk a confrontation with Mr. Hothead. They'll just string him along, oh let's wait and see...give them some more time......

They know that time is the one thing Bush does not have. So the longer they can stall, the better it is for them.