MOSCOW, November 24, 11:59 /ITAR-TASS/. The deal between Tehran and the Sextet of international mediators on the Iranian nuclear programme is a clear diplomatic breakthrough, after which it will be timely to reiterate the topic of the Middle East free from mass destruction weapons, Head of the Federation Council’s international committee Mikhail Margelov said in an interview with Itar-Tass on Sunday.
He stressed the fact that after a decade-long negotiation process, the agreement’s signee was the country, which claims for the regional leading role.
“And suspicions about work on nuclear weapons aggravated the situation, including outside the uneasy Middle East, as the Iranian nuclear programme went along with the crisis of the non-proliferation regime, where a new member of the nuclear club could push the “edge” countries to making new nuclear arsenals,” the senator said. Thus, “signing of the agreement is a clear diplomatic breakthrough.”
Margelov said “the spirit and letter of the document are similar to Russia’s position, as Russia has always insisted on Iran’s right for peaceful use of the nuclear energy.” Under the deal, Iran refuses to install new centrifuges in Fordo or to use the old ones in Natanz, and besides, the IAEA inspectors will have daily access to those facilities. Besides, Iran will stop its works on the Arak nuclear reactor; the entire nuclear programme is suspended for six months, and the West is to ease the sanctions against Iran, which had been adopted outside the UN.
“Surely, there will be much work on control over fulfilment of the Geneva agreement,” he said, adding, “however, it is another story.”
“Now that the Geneva agreement is signed, it seems quite timely to reiterate the topic of the Middle East free from mass destruction weapons,” Margelov said.