Iran, Russia say they're talking about proliferation as Stepashin prepares to meet Gore

MOSCOW -- Iran and Russia have started a formal discussion on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the first acknowledgement by Teheran that Moscow might be providing it with such technology.

The dialogue was announced one day before Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin was scheduled to meet Vice President Al Gore regarding Moscow's transfer of missile and nuclear technology to Teheran.

The Iranian state news agency said on Tuesday that Iranian Foreign Ministry official Mohammed Alborzi met his Russian counterpart Georgi Bordnikov on Monday. Both men are directors of their ministry's international affairs department.

The Iranian Embassy in Moscow issued an announcement that Iran and Russia stressed their determination to help promote the objectives of non-proliferation of ballistic and nuclear weapons and create a nuclear-free Middle East.

The announcement said the two sides reviewed the activities of a group established to set export controls. The group's main task is to "strengthen export supervision and controls to check the sales of banned gadgets and technology which could be used in the production of weapons of mass destruction and the transfer of missile devices."

The announcement was the first time the Islamic republic acknowledged that Russia might be selling Teheran missile and nonconventional weapons technology. Until now, Teheran has insisted that all of its missile programs are indigenous and denied nonconventional weapons programs.

Western diplomats said the Iranian announcement was issued at the urging of Russia, which is under U.S. pressure to stop the transfer of weapons technology to Iran. Last week, a leading analyst on Iran testified to Congress that Russia's space agency is a leading proliferator and is helping Teheran with a missile that can strike the United States.

The United States has sanctioned 10 Russian institutes and companies found to have helped Iran develop weapons of mass destruction. Russia has denied this.