Ahead of a crucial vote on referring Iran's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council, India on Friday advocated "the widest possible consensus" to avoid a confrontation over Tehran's alleged nuclear defiance.
In a diplomatic tightrope walk, New Delhi supported "Iran's right to develop peaceful uses of nuclear energy for its development consistent with its international obligations and commitments" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
India also backed a Russian proposal, under which Iran will ship uranium ore to Russia for enrichment into fuel for its civilian power plants, thus breaking the impasse over its nuclear programme.
The External Affairs ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said: "India welcomes all initiatives, including from Russia, which could enable a consensus to be reached on this issue and urges further intensive efforts in that direction.
"All concerned countries should avoid confrontation and work in the spirit of seeking a mutually acceptable solution," Sarna stressed.
The Russian plan is designed to allay US and European anxieties that Iran is secretly enriching uranium for nuclear weapons.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will meet in Vienna on February 2 to decide whether Iran's nuclear programme should be referred to the UN Security Council and the West has stepped up pressure on India to back the move.
{{/usCountry}}The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will meet in Vienna on February 2 to decide whether Iran's nuclear programme should be referred to the UN Security Council and the West has stepped up pressure on India to back the move.
{{/usCountry}}Clearly, India is banking on the Russian proposal to resolve the matter. China too has backed the proposal and the US is said to be sympathetic to the idea.
UN nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei said in Davos on Thursday that he was hopeful the Russian proposal could help avoid aggravating the crisis further.
India's renewed advocacy of diplomacy and its advice to international players to avoid confrontation came a couple of days after US envoy David Mulford sought to link New Delhi's stance on Tehran's nuclear programme with the India-US civil nuclear cooperation pact.
The government -- which is under tremendous pressure from its Left allies who have warned it not to vote against Iran -- has been treading cautiously and trying to engage, especially for the past two weeks, key players in "active consultations" to resolve the issue within the IAEA.
"Iran's willingness to work together with the IAEA to remove any outstanding issues about its nuclear programme should be welcomed," Sarna said, stressing that the IAEA should be allowed to submit a detailed report on the issue.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has expressed his country's willingness to give the Russian proposal a try.
"The Russian suggestion is a useful one, but it needs to be discussed more," Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in Beijing.