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WASHINGTON : US President Barack Obama spoke with his Russian and French counterparts Saturday, rallying support for a deal to end the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, as they urged Tehran to accept the offer.
Obama made Saturday-morning calls to Russia's Dmitry Medvedev and France's Nicolas Sarkozy during which all three men "affirmed their full support" for a recently offered deal, the White House said.
Under the plan Russia and France would produce enriched uranium for Tehran in exchange for assurances the Islamic Republic will not seek a nuclear weapon.
The three leaders also "discussed the importance of all parties accepting the proposal so that implementation can begin as soon as possible," Washington said.
The conversations came a day after Iran ignored a Friday deadline to respond to the offer, saying it would make its decision in the next week.
Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said Tehran was "examining different dimensions" of the offer "about the provisional supply of fuel for the Tehran research reactor."
Uranium enrichment lies at the heart of Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
The enrichment process produces fuel for civilian reactors, but at higher levels of enrichment can be used to make the fissile core of an atomic bomb.
Despite the lack of public details about the plan, and the absence of an Iranian response, elements were already being picked apart.
Iran has said it does not want Russia to subcontract part of the enrichment process to France, which has taken a tough line against Tehran's program.
Amid the delays, Obama on Saturday sought to hold together the position of Russia and France, two key members of the group of six nations who have been negotiating with Iran.
During a series of revelations that Iran had been operating clandestine enrichment facilities the group has often seemed at odds about the need for sanctions.
But in recent weeks the positions of Russia and the United States have appeared to be closer, as Moscow publicly acknowledged that sanctions are sometimes necessary.
On September 21 Iran disclosed it had been operating a clandestine enrichment plan triggered widespread global outrage, with US President Barack Obama warning Iran would face "increased pressure" if it does not come clean on its nuclear activities.
UN inspectors were to enter the controversial second enrichment plant near the holy city of Qom for a three days of inspections on Sunday.
After Saturday's call with Medvedev the White House said "both Presidents also underscored the need to maintain Russian and American unity in pursuing our mutual concerns about Iran's nuclear program."
Meanwhile Obama and Sarkozy expressed "US-French unity on Iran, and agreed to continue their close consultations in the weeks ahead."
- AFP /ls
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