LOC22:25
19:25 GMT
MOSCOW, Sept 17 (KUNA) -- Russia said on Monday that a military strike
against Iran would lead to a "disaster" and would damage the already
deteriorating situation in the Middle East.
In a statement to the Russian Intefax news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign
Minister Alxendar Lusiukov, expressed believe that a military strike against
Iran would be of negative impact on the Islamic world and was "an extreme
diplomatic and political mistake".
He anticipated that no war would take place against Iran before October 16,
when the Caspian Sea overlooking countries summit begins.
The Russian official renewed calls on Iran to cooperate with the
International Atomic Energy Agency on the controversial Iranian nuclear file.
He did not rule out pull out of Russian experts working in the Iranian
Bushehr atomic energy plant.
The Russian company Atomstroiexport is building Iran's first nuclear power
plant in Bushehr.
The plant was scheduled to be launched in September 2007, but a range of
obstacles, including problems with Iran's funding of the project, have made
this impossible, and the new date has not yet been set, according to the
agency. (end)
as.bz.
KUNA 172225 Sep 07NNNN