Resolve Iran issue through talks: Pranab

India and Russia today said all possible means should be attempted to resolve the Iran issue through dialogue rather than by 8220;coercion8221; and 8220;use of force8221;.

India and Russia today said all possible means should be attempted to resolve the Iran issue through dialogue rather than by 8220;coercion8221; and 8220;use of force8221;.

8220;Coercion and application of force is not the answer to resolve the issue,8221; External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after a talk with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. 8220;We shared the view that all possible means to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner through dialogue and negotiations should be attempted,8221; he said.

Mukherjee, who met visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Thursday, said India believes that Iran has the right to pursue its nuclear programme for peaceful civilian purpose. He, however, added 8220;As a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has certain obligations to carry conviction with the international community and IAEA that it nuclear programme is being pursued for peaceful purposes,8221; he said.

Lavrov said the role of the UN Security Council should be to 8220;help but not replace8221; the IAEA in the negotiation process.

He said all efforts should be to help the IAEA to bring the matter to the negotiating table rather than put hurdles to block the process.

Their remarks came as the US and European powers seek to find agreement on a UN draft resolution that would impose sanctions on Iran over its 8220;failure8221; to suspend uranium enrichment.

8216;Won8217;t tolerate attack on Iran8217;s sovereignty8217;

NEW DELHI: Information 038; Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi on Friday said India will not tolerate any attack on the sovereignty of Iran. He was speaking at a seminar on 8220;Importance of Cultural and Religious Interaction between India and Iran8221; at the Indian Islamic Cultural Centre. The I038;B minister said India8217;s vote against Iran in the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA had not affected the bilateral relation. 8220;Our stand might differ on an issue, but it does not mean we have turned hostile,8221; he said. The Iranian Foreign Minister, who was present at the seminar, said he was holding talks with ministers and leaders on the gas pipeline. 8212; ENS