China, Russia opt for diplomacy over Iran

Amid US concerted efforts for fresh tough sanctions against Iran, China and Russia reiterate that diplomacy is still the best possible means of resolving the Iranian nuclear issue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang said Thursday that "diplomatic efforts" could still work over the case.

"We've been making diplomatic efforts and we believe they have not been exhausted, and we will continue to work with other parties to push for a settlement to this issue," Qin said.

He added that China would continue to work toward the resumption of talks on the issue and "make constructive efforts for a proper resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations."

Russian ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Grigory Berdennikov, also said Wednesday that there was no alternative better than negotiations to the Iranian nuclear issue.

"We'd like to stress the absence of alternatives to the diplomatic resolution of the issue and the remaining outstanding questions that concern the Iranian nuclear program so that the IAEA would have an opportunity to make sure undeclared nuclear materials and prohibited activities are not found on the Iranian territory," Berdennikov said.

China and Russia are both among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto-wielding power.

The US has been lobbying officials in Beijing and Moscow to consent to more punitive measures against Iran.

As part of the US plan to rally support against Iran, Clinton is now touring Latin American countries to convince them to turn their back on Tehran.

In Brazil, the former first lady failed to persuade the South American country into joining the US front against Iran.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that the international community should not "push Iran into a corner over its nuclear energy program."

The Islamic Republic enjoys growing relations with Latin American countries including Brazil, which has repeatedly supported the Iranian right to pursue its nuclear energy program.

Despite the IAEA reports reaffirming that it continues to verify the non-diversion of Iran's nuclear work toward any military purposes, the US and its allies accuse Tehran of having military objective in its nuclear work.

Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), rejects the allegations as politically motivated and says its nuclear work is totally peaceful and within the framework of the NPT.


/Press TV/