[Unofficial translation from Russian]

. . .

Question: A meeting of the Six will be held next week to decide on the fate of Iran. Now the position of China and Russia interests everybody, since they have always been against the imposition of sanctions. What is our position at this stage?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: You know, the talk is really about the fact that the Six in its time made an offer to Iran providing for cooperation in the context of the settlement of all the questions that have accumulated regarding the Iranian nuclear program. The talk is not about the fate of Iran. The fate of Iran lies in the hands of the Iranian people. What's really at issue is that we want to secure the inviolability of the nuclear nonproliferation regime with simultaneous respect for and the safeguarding of the rights of each country which is an honest NPT party to peaceful nuclear energy development.

The six countries are continuing their consultations. We are studying the report which the IAEA has submitted to the UN Security Council. Based on these discussions, which are continuing among the six, we will take decisions which, I repeat, must seek observance of the nonproliferation regime and the ensuring of the lawful right of all states to peaceful nuclear energy development with the observance of their international commitments. That's what it is all about. By what methods to achieve these goals is a question which is now being discussed. We assume that there may be a different pallete of means, but such which would advance us towards the goal I have indicated, not close the road leading to it.