No Iran deal behind Moscow146;s back

8216;8216;We will discuss it in earnest at various levels, including the Foreign Minister level, if such a proposal for the meeting is made,8217;8217; he said.

Lavrov clarified that he had heard of 8216;8216;a document available on the Internet reportedly drafted by the chief of the British Foreign Office8217;s political directorate and addressed to his counterparts in Germany, France and the United States.8217;8217;

8216;8216;The document is said to contain the Western partners8217; strategy for Iran that has been kept secret from Russia. If that is really so, it will all look very strange, because over the past few months we have pressed for formulating a joint action strategy,8217;8217; Lavrov noted.

He denied that any formal proposal had been made to Russia to hold the P-5 Foreign Ministers8217; meeting on the Iranian nuclear problem. 8220;I am not aware of any official invitation to hold a ministerial meeting in any format on Iran,8221; he said, referring to the statement reportedly made by US ambassador to the UN John Bolton that P-5 Foreign Ministers should hold a meeting before the UN approved a final decision on Iran.

8216;8216;We have a rule that ambassadors make no decisions for their minister,8217;8217; he said emphatically.

Dadan Upadhyay