Russian, Iranian diplomats discuss postponing conference on nuclear-free Mideast for next year

MOSCOW. Nov 30 (Interfax) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh met in Moscow on Thursday.

"There was a detailed exchange of opinions on the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program, the possibility of postponing for 2013 a conference on creating a zone free of nuclear arms or other weapons of mass destruction and delivery vehicles in the Middle East, and on problems related to the Chemical Weapons Convention," the Russian Foreign Ministry reports on its Web site.

"Some important regional and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed," the report says.