Russia demands clear reply from Iran on nuclear offer

"Iran must give an unambiguous agreement or refusal to this offer so that all the worries in the international community are resolved," Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said at a press conference.

Ivanov's comments came as representatives of the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany readied to meet Thursday in Berlin to try to work out a way forward.

Several rounds of negotiations in recent weeks between Moscow and Tehran on a Russian proposal to undertake uranium enrichment on Iran's behalf have failed to yield any concrete results.

Russia has said the offer remains on the table but Ivanov appeared to echo growing frustration among Russian officials with Iran's negotiating tactics.

Iran earlier agreed "in principle" to the offer but then blamed the United States for holding back a deal.

The offer is aimed at reassuring Europe and the United States, which fear that if Iran is allowed to carry out the fuel cycle work itself, it will divert the technology for a weapons programme.

Tehran says its nuclear programme is part of a drive for peaceful civilian energy.

Iran appeared to blow cold water on Russia's offer, saying in a statement Tuesday that Tehran "cannot make itself dependent on international suppliers."

Nevertheless, it went on, "Iran welcomes the creation of an international centre for supplying nuclear fuel with the participation of other countries in the framework of an international consortium on its own territory."

Late Monday, negotiations between envoys from the five permanent Security Council countries -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- ended a first session of informal talks on the dossier without agreement on a draft statement demanding a halt to Iranian uranium enrichment activities.

In between the two rounds of talks in New York they also huddled informally with their colleagues from the 10 other non-pernament members.

The five ambassadors said late Monday that they would meet again Tuesday. There was no word on the substance of the discussions.

The Security Council has been trying in vain for the past two weeks to reach agreement on the Franco-British statement, backed by Washington, that calls on Iran to honour its international commitments.

Russia and China have opposed language in the proposed statement that would even hint at punitive measures against Iran, an ally and key trading partner.

But Ivanov on Tuesday sought to stress that Russia was in line with its Security Council partners.

"The Russian position is no different from the position of the rest of the international community. Russia is categorically against proliferation or the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons, and I absolutely agree that this menace exists," he said.

Beijing for its part said Tuesday that the upcoming six-nation meeting in Berlin was "an important part" of efforts to solve the standoff.

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