TEHRAN, May 16 (RIA Novosti) - Iran said on Friday it has submitted to the Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministries a package of proposals on nuclear non-proliferation and other international security issues.
A spokesman for the Iranian Supreme National Security Council said: "These countries have promised to closely study the package of proposals and to announce their opinion regarding our initiatives."
Tehran has already submitted to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana "an array of its own proposals" on the resolution of outstanding international problems, including the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear program.
The spokesman said the goal of Iran's proposals is to reach international agreements, without preconditions, on "long-term cooperation aimed at strengthening peace, and international and regional security on a just basis."
Russia and China, which have strong trade links with Iran, have so far prevented harsh sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, using their vetoes on the United Nations Security Council.
Russia has consistently supported Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy, and has almost completed the country's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday Moscow hopes that the six countries mediating Iran's nuclear problem will meet in Tehran soon and put forward new proposals.
"We expect that Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki will soon be able to receive in Tehran EU Foreign and Security Policy Representative Javier Solana and Iran Six deputy foreign ministers who will hand the Iranian side a revised package of proposals for negotiations with Tehran that was approved by the Iran Six foreign ministers on May 2 in London," the ministry said.
Speaking on Friday at a RIA Novosti news conference, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Gholamreza Ansari said Iran is ready for discussions on its nuclear program, and confirmed that the package includes proposals on this issue.
"Iran's position is that the issue should be resolved on equal basis. We need equal dialogue with all countries," he said.
The diplomat said Iran enjoys special relations with Russia and China, and that these countries "could play a major role in the dialogue between Iran and other countries on this issue."
The ambassador reiterated that the Islamic Republic is ready to closely cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
"We enjoy very active and constructive cooperation with the IAEA. The agency's inspectors have visited Iranian nuclear facilities three times in recent weeks. We intend to continue cooperating with the IAEA in the future."
Earlier the Islamic Republic refused to continue talks with the Iran Six, and has said it will negotiate only with the IAEA.
Iran has defied three rounds of relatively mild Security Council sanctions imposed over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, which many countries say is being used by Tehran as a cover for nuclear weapons development.
The six nations negotiating with Iran on its controversial nuclear program comprise the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France - and Germany.
Iranian authorities have yet to give specific details on their new proposals, but have said they will be made public soon.
