China, Russia call for resolution of Iran nuke issue

BEIJING - China and Russia have called for a peaceful resolution to Iran's nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation, according to a joint statement released Wednesday.

The statement was issued during Russian President Vladimir Putin's three-day state visit to China, where he also attends the 12th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), being held in Beijing from Wednesday to Thursday.

China and Russia oppose the use of, or threats of using, force on the issue, said the statement, adding that they do not agree on exerting excessive pressure and imposing any unilateral sanctions against Iran, but advocate efforts to promote peace and facilitate talks on Iran's nuclear issue.

Efforts should be made to prevent the situation from escalating into confrontation, it said, adding that if such an escalation occurs, the countries in the region as well as the entire international community will be grimly affected against the backdrop of turmoil-affected Afghanistan, West Asia and North Africa.

On Tuesday night, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beijing to visit China and attend the Beijing summit of the SCO.

The SCO was founded in Shanghai on June 15, 2001, and currently has six full members -- China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Mongolia, Iran, Pakistan and India are four observer states, and its dialogue partners include Belarus and Sri Lanka.