IRAN: LARIJANI WILL TRAVEL TO MOSCOW FOR TALKS

IRAN NUCLEAR: LARIJANI TO TRAVEL TO MOSCOW

Tehran, 9 Nov. (AKI) - Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will travel to Moscow in the next two days just as the UN Security Council prepares to discuss punitive measures against Tehran over its atomic programme, the semi-official Iranian news agency Mehr reports. "In the next two days I will go to Moscow to talk about the regional matters and also to find a solution for the nuclear case," Larijani told Mehr.

A previously scheduled visit of Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki to Moscow on Thursday was cancelled.

The Security Council is scheduled to discuss sanctions against Iran after the country ignored a 31 August UN deadline demanding that it halt sensitive nuclear work the international community fears is aimed at building nuclear weapons. Russia and China, close commercial allies of Iran and veto-holding members of the Council, however oppose sanctions.

Tehran has refused to halt uranium enrichment work, which can be used to produce fissile material for nuclear weapons, claiming its programme is solely for civilian use.

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