Putin arrives in Iran for historic visit
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
TEHRAN, Oct 16 (AP): Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tehran Tuesday for a historic visit to hold talks on Iran's nuclear programme and attend a Caspian sea summit.
The visit, the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, is taking place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid hopes that a round of personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to an international standoff on Iran's nuclear programme.
Putin's trip was thrown into doubt when the Kremlin said Sunday that he had been informed by Russian special services that suicide attackers might try to kill him in Tehran, but he shrugged off the warning Monday during a visit to Germany.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini dismissed reports about the purported assassination plot as disinformation spread by adversaries hoping to spoil good relations between Russia and Iran.
Putin has warned the US and other nations against trying to coerce Iran into reining in its nuclear programme and insists peaceful dialogue is the only way to deal with Tehran's defiance of a UN Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment.
"Threatening someone, in this case the Iranian leadership and Iranian people, will lead nowhere," Putin said in Germany. "They are not afraid, believe me."
The Russian president underlined his disagreements with Washington last week, saying he saw no "objective data" to prove Western claims that Iran is trying to construct nuclear weapons.
Russia, which is building Iran's first nuclear power plant, has resisted the push by the US and its allies for stronger UN sanctions against Tehran and strongly warned Washington against using force.
"Putin's trip to Tehran is a show of Russia's independence in global affairs. Putin, who approaches the end of his term, wants to demonstrate that he wouldn't cave in to the US pressure," said Alexander Pikayev, an expert on Iran with Russia's Institute for World Economy and International Relations.
Putin emphasized Monday that he would negotiate in Tehran on behalf of the five permanent UN Security Council members - United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - and Germany, a group that has led efforts to resolve the stalemate with Tehran.
He said the group "can and must be patient" in dealing with the Iranian leadership.
"If we have a chance to maintain such direct contact, we will do it expecting a positive and, I will stress, joint result," Putin said.
While the Kremlin has shielded Tehran from a US push for a third round of UN sanctions, Iran has voiced annoyance about Moscow's foot-dragging in building a nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr under a $1 billion contract.
Russia warned early this year that the plant wouldn't be launched this fall as planned because Iran was slow in making payments.
The visit, the first by a Kremlin leader since World War II, is taking place despite warnings of a possible assassination plot and amid hopes that a round of personal diplomacy could help offer a solution to an international standoff on Iran's nuclear programme.
Putin's trip was thrown into doubt when the Kremlin said Sunday that he had been informed by Russian special services that suicide attackers might try to kill him in Tehran, but he shrugged off the warning Monday during a visit to Germany.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini dismissed reports about the purported assassination plot as disinformation spread by adversaries hoping to spoil good relations between Russia and Iran.
Putin has warned the US and other nations against trying to coerce Iran into reining in its nuclear programme and insists peaceful dialogue is the only way to deal with Tehran's defiance of a UN Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment.
"Threatening someone, in this case the Iranian leadership and Iranian people, will lead nowhere," Putin said in Germany. "They are not afraid, believe me."
The Russian president underlined his disagreements with Washington last week, saying he saw no "objective data" to prove Western claims that Iran is trying to construct nuclear weapons.
Russia, which is building Iran's first nuclear power plant, has resisted the push by the US and its allies for stronger UN sanctions against Tehran and strongly warned Washington against using force.
"Putin's trip to Tehran is a show of Russia's independence in global affairs. Putin, who approaches the end of his term, wants to demonstrate that he wouldn't cave in to the US pressure," said Alexander Pikayev, an expert on Iran with Russia's Institute for World Economy and International Relations.
Putin emphasized Monday that he would negotiate in Tehran on behalf of the five permanent UN Security Council members - United States, Russia, China, Britain and France - and Germany, a group that has led efforts to resolve the stalemate with Tehran.
He said the group "can and must be patient" in dealing with the Iranian leadership.
"If we have a chance to maintain such direct contact, we will do it expecting a positive and, I will stress, joint result," Putin said.
While the Kremlin has shielded Tehran from a US push for a third round of UN sanctions, Iran has voiced annoyance about Moscow's foot-dragging in building a nuclear power plant in the southern port of Bushehr under a $1 billion contract.
Russia warned early this year that the plant wouldn't be launched this fall as planned because Iran was slow in making payments.