Russia Drops Iran Proposal

Guy Dinmore, The Financial Times:

Russia indicated on Tuesday it had dropped its proposed compromise over Iran’s nuclear programme, after coming under sustained pressure from the US and the European Union. Nevertheless, a two-day visit to Washington by Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, could not disguise serious strains in the US-Russia relationship over a range of issues – including Iran, the newly elected Palestinian government led by Hamas, bilateral trade issues and energy security.

Mr Lavrov deftly dropped Moscow’s new initiative even before dinner on Monday night with Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, and Tuesday’s unusual White House meeting, in protocol terms, with President George W. Bush.

Under the interim compromise proposal “floated” by Russia this week, Iran would have been allowed to enrich an extremely small amount of uranium in a research plant – too little to make a bomb – while Russia provided Iran with industrial quantities for its sole electricity generating reactor.

The US and EU loudly protested, saying Iran should not be allowed to develop any uranium enrichment capability of its own, at least for several years. Ms Rice called Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who was in Vienna chairing a board meeting that was expected to deliver the Iran issue to the UN Security Council, perhaps within a week.

But on Tuesday the very existence of the Russian idea was denied. “There is no compromise, new Russian proposal,” Mr Lavrov said.

Ms Rice declared: “The Russians did not tell us of any new proposal that they have made to the Iranians.” READ MORE

Despite the restoration of surface calm, forestalling an open rift with the US and EU, it was clear that Russia’s support of the US went only so far.

Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, warned Iran yesterday that the international community was “prepared to impose meaningful consequences” if it continued “to defy the world” with its nuclear ambitions.

But Mr Lavrov insisted that discussions on the next steps had yet to take place. Sanctions were a “hypothetical question”, he said after meeting Mr Bush.

Ms Rice made a point of saying that the US and Russia “continue to enjoy good relations”. Mr Lavrov pointedly did not, although he did refer to “our partnership”.

While Ms Rice used the podium to raise concerns over “domestic developments” in Russia, Mr Lavrov berated the US for being the only country not to sign the protocol on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation. Ms Rice declined to give a US commitment to sign this year.

Russia’s invitation to Hamas for talks in Moscow, which dismayed the White House, was also defended by Mr Lavrov. “Somebody” had to communicate the demands of the international community, he said.

The two sides did agree, however, to continue co-operation over energy security ahead of the G8 summit to be hosted by Russia.

Russia’s growing assertiveness is worrying the Bush administration.

“Realists” in Washington fear that a US agenda driven by what they see as a utopian pursuit of democracy and freedom will lead to new ruptures in the relationship with Russia just when the US needs maximum co- operation on various fronts. But others, including Republicans and Democrats, accuse Mr Bush of coddling the Kremlin.

But others, including Republicans and Democrats, accuse Mr Bush of coddling the Kremlin.

“George Bush has been too soft on Vladimir Putin. It appears to be the result of his personal relationship with him,” said John Edwards, the former Democrat senator who co-led a report on Russia commissioned by the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank.

US-Russia relations were “clearly headed in the wrong direction” and “the very idea of a ‘strategic partnership no longer seems realistic,” the report concluded.