Russia on Thursday praised talks aimed at defusing the standoff on Iran's nuclear programme as civilized but cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions on the extent of progress.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko said that the talks "testify that we can resolve in a civilized and mutually respectful manner the questions that are a matter of interest for the participants."
"Consultations are still continuing. Let's wait for their end and an announcement of concrete results," Nesterenko said.
Diplomats say the UN atomic watchdog drew up a draft agreement on Wednesday for Russia to process Iranian low-enriched uranium to the 20 percent required by a research reactor in Tehran and for France to turn it into fuel form.
The draft deal was brokered after talks between Iran, Russia, the United States and France, Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Wednesday.
ElBaradei said that the tentative deadline for approval of the draft agreement was Friday.
ElBaradei declined to reveal any details about the draft document, but diplomats said it included demands that Iran ship out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium for further processing by another country.
{{/usCountry}}ElBaradei declined to reveal any details about the draft document, but diplomats said it included demands that Iran ship out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium for further processing by another country.
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