Russia resists G8 moves to refer Iran over arms

Top officials from the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan have failed to persuade Russia that Iran's nuclear…

Top officials from the United States, the European Union, Canada and Japan have failed to persuade Russia that Iran's nuclear programme should be reported to the UN Security Council, an EU diplomat said today.

The diplomat was summarising discussions on Iran at a meeting of foreign ministers from the so-called Group of Eight countries - the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy, Canada and Russia.

"Russia still sees room for diplomacy in Vienna," the EU diplomat said. He said Russia remained convinced that scrutiny of Tehran's nuclear programme, which Washington and the EU suspect is a front for developing atomic weapons, was a matter for the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and not the Security Council, which could impose economic sanctions.