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M. Continuo

Putin reportedly promises Iran continuity in relations


    MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has told Iran's president that there will be continuity in Russia's relations with Tehran, RIA news agency quoted a senior Russian official as saying on Wednesday.

    "An oral message from Russian President Vladimir Putin wasconveyed to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at ameeting," RIA quoted Valentin Sobolev, acting secretary ofRussia's National Security Council, as saying in Tehran.

    "The substance of it is that Russia confirms the principlesof mutual relations (with Iran) and her policy will not dependon who is in power," he said. Putin's successor Dmitry Medvedevwill be sworn in as president next month.

    Sobolev, who heads a high-level Russian delegation visitingTehran for discussions on Iran's nuclear programme, had talkswith Ahmadinejad on Wednesday and said the Iranian presidenthad sent his greetings to both Putin and Medvedev.

    Iran has set out a series of proposals to Sobolev that areaimed at ending deadlock over Tehran's disputed nuclearprogramme, RIA said, without giving any details about theproposals.

    The United States and European states accuse the IslamicRepublic of mastering technology to make nuclear weapons undercover of a civilian programme.

    Iran says it has a right to a peaceful nuclear programme.Russia says there is no evidence that Iran is trying to makeatomic weapons but has pushed Tehran to be more open about itsnuclear programme.

    (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, editing by Christian Lowe)