Iran Paper - US Putting Pressure on Russia Ahead of Putin's Tehran Visit

Oct 15, 09:41 AM

Current Headlines: Text of report by Nilufar Mansurian of the Political Desk headlined: America's pressure on Russia published by Iranian newspaper E'temad website on 14 October

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has been the host of his French and American counterparts in the Security Council of the United Nations for the last few days. Barely a few hours after the plane carrying Nicholas Sarkozy, the president of France, had left Russia, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, accompanied by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, set foot on the soil of Russia to hold talks with President Putin, who is scheduled to visit Tehran within the next two days [16 October].

Although the French and American leaders, in their meetings with the Russian president, held talks on a number of issues and topics, Iran was the principal topic of Putin's talks with Sarkozy and later with Rice and Gates.

Russia, France and America are three influential and important members of the Security Council of the United Nations who are scheduled to meet in Berlin within the next few days and consult each other on Iran's nuclear dossier. Therefore, the talks involving the heads of three countries before Putin's visit to Iran to attend the meeting of heads of states of the Caspian Sea littoral states are deemed to be very important.

Accordingly, the visit by two high-ranking American officials to Russia [implicitly] entails other messages for Tehran and, of course, Moscow because Vladimir Putin is on the verge of paying a visit to Iran, and his talks with America's secretary of state and the defence secretary, as the officials of a country which heads the list of critics of Iran's nuclear activities, cannot be without a decisive message for the Iranian authorities.

On the other hand, in view of the moderate line adopted by Moscow towards Iran, America is seeking to obtain Russia's support for future sanctions [being considered] by the Security Council and for stepping up international pressures against Tehran. Hence, the visit of Condoleezza Rice accompanied by the American defence secretary to Russia, coupled with the remarks expressed about Tehran's stance on Iran's nuclear activities during her talks with President Putin, are noteworthy.

America's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in the course of this visit, once again accused Iran of lying about the aim and purpose of its nuclear programme. Reiterating her previous allegations, she said that there was no doubt that Tehran was seeking the necessary capability for producing nuclear weapons and that Iran had deceived the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] about its intention.

According to ISNA [Iranian Students News Agency] and the Associated Press news agency, Condoleezza Rice spoke to journalists and said that Iran had a history of not responding to important questions about [its nuclear activities], and that there was no doubt that Iran was seeking to gain access to nuclear technology, which would enable it to produce nuclear materials used in the production of nuclear weapons.

But the issue of Iran's nuclear activities was not the only topic that was discussed and examined during Putin's talks with Rice and Gates. The deployment of a missile defence system in Europe by America was another important pivotal issue discussed by the two sides which was once again linked to Iran. America contends that one of its objectives in seeking to deploy a missile defence system in Europe is to counter what it describes as potential threats from Iran and North Korea. But Moscow's response has been that America should abandon such a move, and it has warned America not to proceed with the deployment.

This fact has caused experts to express concern over the [possible] resurgence of the Cold War between Washington and Moscow because it seems that Putin, in the last remaining months in the Kremlin as the president of Russia, is seeking to revive the influence which Moscow lost after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and he has frequently emphasized that America wants to extend its domination over the world as the only remaining superpower. In this way, the deployment of a missile defence shield by America in Europe has in some way also dragged the name of Iran into the equation.

Originally published by E'temad website, Tehran, in Persian 14 Oct 07.

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