Russia upbeat but wants changes on Iran UN measure

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Russia praised a European draft U.N. resolution imposing sanctions on
Iran's nuclear materials but objected to a travel ban and wanted to ease a freeze on financial assets on Tehran officials.

"It should not take too long," Moscow's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters on Monday when asked about a possible vote by Christmas. But he quipped that the "Russian Christmas is on the 7th of January."

Britain and France presented the draft, a softer version of the original one, to the full 15-member Security Council in hopes of a vote by Christmas.

"The intent of the resolution (is) to stop any risk of proliferation of sensitive nuclear and missile technologies and at the same time to convince Iran (to) go back to negotiations," said Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry. "If Iran complies, the process stops. That much is clear."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061212/ts_nm/iran_nuclear_un_resolution_dc