US, Russia To Continue Cooperation on Iran, North Korea, Despite Georgia Dispute | Voice of America - English
Senior U.S. and Russian officials say the two powers will continue cooperation on ending the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs despite their bitter disagreement over Russian intervention in Georgia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in New York Wednesday for their first face-to-face meeting since the Georgia crisis last month. VOA's David Gollust reports from our U.N.
Neither side appears to be giving ground onRussia's invasion of Georgia and recognition of two breakaway Georgianregions, which the United States calls a grave mistake. But U.S.officials describe the Rice-Lavrov meeting at New York'sWaldorf-Astoria hotel as polite and businesslike and say they agreed tocontinue working together in multilateral efforts to curb the Iranianand North Korean nuclear programs. A decision earlier this weekinitiated by Moscow to cancel a New York meeting on Iran by the fivepermanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany, the P5+1,gave rise to speculation the Georgia dispute has had broad spillovereffects on U.S.-Russian relations. However, briefing reportersafter the meeting between Rice and her Russian counterpart, AssistantSecretary of State for European Affairs Daniel Fried said thediscussion on Iran was constructive, and that they will continue atwo-track strategy of offering Tehran incentives to stop enrichinguranium, and imposing escalating sanctions if it refuses. "Theydiscussed the way ahead and the two-track approach, but also the needto send Iran a very clear signal that the P5+1 process is intact andthat the P5+1 stand by all of their work to date. And I think under thecircumstances that would be an important signal, and that's what theydiscussed," he said. Fried said the United States, Russiaand the other members of the group will continue discussions on Iran atthe political-director level, with the aim of holding a ministerialmeeting on a new U.N. sanctions resolutions at some future date. Hesaid Moscow also committed to making a similar signal of its continuingcommitment to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program inlight of the Rice-Lavrov meeting. Mr. Lavrov himself, in anappearance at New York's Council of Foreign Relations gave a similarassessment of the meeting, saying while the sides differ on Georgiathey agree on the need to be pragmatic and work cooperatively  onissues of common concern including Iran and North Korea. "Wewant to resolve peacefully both situations. We want to de-nuclearizethe Korean peninsula, and we want to establish that the Iranian nuclearprogram is entirely peaceful, through the offices of the IAEA. Thesegoals are unchanged, and it would be just irresponsible if because ofsome disagreements on the Caucasus, our countries should drop theseover-riding goals," he said. At the same time, Lavrov decriedwhat he called the very emotional reaction by western countries andespecially the United States to what he described as Russian action tostop Georgian aggression against South Ossetia. The Russianforeign minister said the intervention was firmly rooted in the rightof self-defense as enshrined in the U.N. Charter. ButAssistant Secretary Fried called the invasion and ensuing recognitionof South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia an attempt to change Georgia'sborders by force and a grave mistake on the part of Moscow. Fried, who took part in the Rice-Lavrov meeting, said they discussed Georgia in a completely professional manner. Hesaid he came away from the meeting with a somewhat higher degree ofconfidence that Russia will adhere to its commitment under aFrench-brokered cease-fire deal and remove checkpoints in Georgiabeyond the confines of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But he saidhe fears Russia will not abide by its truce obligation to reduce trooplevels in the two disputed regions to those that prevailed before thecrisis began August 7. Fried said Russia has publicly declared it willkeep much larger forces in the areas, and that this wouldinstitutionalize a cease-fire violation.