West need Russia's help to resolve Iranian nuclear prog: Putin

New York, Aug 30 (PTI) Russia has said the Western powers
would need its cooperation to resolve controversial Iranian
nuclear programme which the United States and its allies say
is geared towards preparing atomic weapons but Tehran asserts
it is purely for generation of power.

Asked whether Moscow would withdraw its cooperation in
reining in the Iranian nuclear programme if the Western powers
impose sanctions, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin told
CNN that "if no one wants to talk to us about these problems,
the cooperation with Russia become unnecessary, God bless, do
this work yourself."

Russia, he said, has been working "very consistently and
in good faith" with its partners to resolve all problems.

"We do so not because someone asks us and we want to look
good to them. We are doing it because this is consistent with
our national interests, because in these areas, our national
interests coincide with those of many European countries and
the United States," he said.

Asked whether Russia will use gas and oil to pressurise
the Europeans who are dependent on it, Putin said that Moscow
never politicises economic relations and is "quite astonished"
at the position of the US officials who are travelling to the
European capitals trying to persuade them not to buy Russian
products, including natural gas.

It is a "truly amazing effort to politicise the economic
sphere. In fact, it's "quite pernicious," he added.

Asserting that Russia had never use oil for political
ends, Putin said: "Construction of the first gas pipeline
system was started during the 1960s, at the height of the Cold
War, and for all those years, from the 1960s until this day,
Russia has been fulfilling its contract obligations in a very
consistent and reliable way, regardless of the political
situation."