MOSCOW - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived here Tuesday for talks with President Vladimir Putin and other officials as a newspaper reported she would caution Russia that its support of Iran's budding and controversial nuclear program could come at a high price.
"Ms. Rice's task is to persuade Moscow that, at present, cooperating too closely with Iran could have many setbacks instead of benefits," the respected liberal business daily Kommersant said. "Rice has many arguments to use."
Few details on Rice's agenda during her meetings Tuesday and Wednesday were released, though she told reporters before leaving Washington that the United States would keep up the pressure on Russia to pursue democratic reform.
But while the official purpose of the trip -- the first to Russia by Rice as secretary of state -- was to prepare a meeting next month between Putin and US President George W. Bush, Kommersant said Iran would figure prominently in her discussions.
Western democracies are working furiously to ensure that Iran does not adapt a civilian nuclear power program, currently under construction with heavy assistance from Russia, to the purpose of making nuclear weapons.
The United States has recently deferred to efforts led by three European Union (EU) countries -- Britain, Germany and France -- to persuade Iran through diplomatic means not to undertake any effort to enrich uranium.
But Washington was thought likely to begin ratcheting up the pressure on Tehran again after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, according to The New York Times, told Bush in private talks last week that Iran was near "a point of no return" in learning how to make an atomic bomb.
Rice "will try to persuade Russia not to hinder US moves" should tensions with Iran again begin to rise, Kommersant said, adding that "Rice has several arguments to use in criticism of the Kremli."
Russia has unique leverage with Tehran on nuclear matters because of its role as chief contractor in construction and launch of the Islamic republic's first atomic power plant at Bushehr and has obtained a pledge from Iran to return to Russia all spent nuclear fuel used in the plant.
Rice was scheduled to have a private dinner with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov Tuesday evening followed by a lunch meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a session with Putin at the Kremlin.
She was scheduled to fly on to Lithuania on Wednesday to attend a NATO meeting.
04/19/2005 12:45 GMT