MOSCOW, 18 September 2003 — Russia warned the United States yesterday not to pressure it over its nuclear links with Iran as the top US arms control official arrived in Moscow for talks on non-proliferation and an upcoming Russia-US summit.
“I think our American colleagues understand very well that it is pointless to put pressure on us,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said in an interview published yesterday in the Vremya Novostei daily.
“We have our points of view. To the extent that they coincide with that of the Americans, we are ready to work and we are working together to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” he added.
The Russian official’s comments came ahead of his meeting yesterday with John Bolton, the under-secretary of state for arms control and international security.
On Tuesday Washington, which has repeatedly urged Moscow to halt its construction of Iran’s first nuclear reactor at Bushehr, accused it of delivering arms to Iran, although it waived sanctions against Russia in the US national interest.
At the same time, the State Department imposed penalties on Tula KBP, a Russian government-owned arms manufacturer that it said had sold laser-guided artillery shells to Iran, a nation Washington considers a “state sponsor of terrorism.”
The United States has made similar charges against Russia in the past and has expressed deep and growing concerns about Russian cooperation with Iran’s nuclear program, which Washington believes is a cover for atomic weapons development.
The Russian government and the companies have repeatedly denied the charges.
Iran and other proliferation issues were expected to top Bolton’s agenda during his two-day visit to Russia.
“He is here to discuss non-proliferation issues with Russian officials,” a US embassy spokesman told AFP.
As always with Bolton’s visits to Moscow, US and Russian officials issued few details of the content of his talks.
Officials in Washington said Bolton’s trip was not expected to deal with the new sanctions on Tula KBP but is rather intended to focus on a new US initiative to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and missiles by boarding and seizing such cargo from freighters on the high seas.
Bolton “will be seeking support for this initiative from Russian officials,” they said.
The US envoy is also expected to discuss preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the United States in a week’s time.
Moscow has recently hardened its non-proliferation stance with regard to Iran, endorsing an Oct. 31 deadline by the UN nuclear watchdog for Tehran to address concerns about its atomic program.
But Russia’s powerful nuclear industry lobby is determined to press ahead with the $800-million construction of Bushehr, regardless of concerns that Tehran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
The US official said Bolton would also be looking for Russia’s support on the so-called “Proliferation Security Initiative,” a US-led program that 10 other nations have signed on to thus far.
The initiative is aimed at preventing the export — primarily by Iran and North Korea — of weapons of mass destruction and missile delivery systems by seizing such materiel from ships and planes even if they are in international waters.
