By empty (10/8/2003 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The US and Russian presidents have called on Iran and North Korea to stop their suspected nuclear weapons programs. President Bush said the two leaders shared a common goal - \"to make sure that Iran doesn\'t have any nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapons programme\". Russia\'s President Putin said they wanted to send \"a clear but respectful signal to Iran\" to increase its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which oversees nuclear non-proliferation.
The US and Russian presidents have called on Iran and North Korea to stop their suspected nuclear weapons programs. President Bush said the two leaders shared a common goal - \"to make sure that Iran doesn\'t have any nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapons programme\". Russia\'s President Putin said they wanted to send \"a clear but respectful signal to Iran\" to increase its co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which oversees nuclear non-proliferation. Tehran has, meanwhile, announced that an IAEA team is to arrive in Iran on Thursday for further talks on the country\'s nuclear programme. At the two-day meeting at Camp David, near Washington, the presidents also discussed the ongoing conflict in Chechnya and described themselves as \"allies in the war on terror\". President Bush said \"old suspicions were giving way to new understanding and respect\". There was no suggestion that Russia had agreed to American requests to stop helping Iran\'s nuclear program. Russia is building Iran\'s first nuclear power station, at the southern port of Bushehr - including supplying uranium over a 10-year period from 2005. The IAEA, urged by Washington, has raised concerns about Iran\'s nuclear aims and given Tehran until the end of October to dispel fears that it is secretly developing nuclear arms. Iran has repeatedly been told by the US and European countries to allow snap inspections of its nuclear facilities. Tehran denies any plans to develop nuclear weapons. and says its program is aimed at producing energy. Officials in Tehran said talks with the IAEA would be about clearing up legal and technical questions. (BBC)