Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has refused to reveal how Moscow will vote on a UN resolution recommending internationally supervised independence for Kosovo. Speaking after talks with Montenegrin Foreign Minister Milan Rocen in Moscow today, Lavrov said it is "too early to say who is going to vote, and how."
The UN Security Council is expected to debate the plan proposed by UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari next month.
Russia, which holds veto power in the Security Council, has firmly opposed the plan.
Separately, Lavrov said today that the latest UN resolution on Iran leaves the door open for a resumption of talks on its nuclear program:
"We hope the Iranian leadership will respond adequately to those signals contained in the resolution recently adopted by the Security Council," Lavrov said. "
The Security Council resolution is designed exactly to help resume negotiations. It is not an instrument for punishing Iran," he added
On March 24, Russia backed the new UN resolution, which passed unanimously in the Security Council. It imposes expanded sanctions against Iran for its failure to heed international demands to freeze uranium enrichment.
Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
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