Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Iran sanctions must exclude force: Russia

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - Any economic sanctions adopted against Iran over its nuclear program must rule out the use of force, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday.

Lavrov, speaking to reporters on a visit to South Africa, said any sanctions would be governed by the United Nations charter which "states unequivocally that economic measures exclude the use of force


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Economic pressure on Iran must be commensurate with threat - Lavrov

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"We'll decide whether or not to make use of these measures in a complex way, but guided by just one goal - to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. We are also aware that economic pressure should be commensurate with the real threat to peace and security," Lavrov told journalists in Cape Town on Wednesday.

The UN Security Council's latest resolution on Iran has a provision which reads that if Iran does not cooperate with the Security Council, the Security Council could weigh further measures, including measures stipulated in Article 41 of the United Nations' Charter.

"This article spells out measures, including economic ones, to be applied to a country that is not cooperating with the UN," he said.

The article "says in clear terms," Lavrov emphasized, "that economic sanctions exclude the use of force."

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