[Al Arabiya Latest] Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his American counterpart Barack Obama warned that time was running out for diplomacy to resolve a crisis over Iran's nuclear program.
The U.S. had been willing to give Iran time to decide whether to accept a U.N.-brokered deal meant to allay suspicions it is after atomic bombs but which has drawn Iranian objections, a U.S. diplomat said a week ago.
On Sunday Obama, speaking after talks with Medvedev on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific meeting in Singapore, suggested patience was running low.
"Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach," Obama said while seated next to Medvedev. "We are running out of time with respect to that approach."
But taking a softer tone against Iran Medvedev said: "We are prepared to work further" to ensure Iran's nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
"Thanks to joint efforts the process of (the Iran talks) has not stopped but we are not completely happy about its pace. If something does not work there are other means to move the process further," he said. |