Russia: Gevena deal on Iran victory for all

The intensive Geneva talks on Iranian nuclear program have yielded an agreement which "means a victory for all," the Russian Foreign Ministry said Sunday. "The Geneva agreement is based on the principles of step-by-step approaches and mutual activities," the ministry said in a statement, adding its essence was "recognizing of Iran's unconditional right for development of a peaceful nuclear program, including the right to enrich uranium, if it is under strict international control." After days of negotiations, Iran and the six countries -- Britain, France, Russia, China, the United States and Germany (P5+1) have reached a first-step agreement on its nuclear program, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton announced early Sunday morning. According to the deal, the United States and its allies will afford Iran with sanctions relief equivalent to 7 billion U.S. dollars under the terms of the six-month nuclear deal. In exchange, Iran will halt uranium enrichment above 5 percent in purity. Russia hailed the lifting of anti-Iran sanction regime, which has been "affecting for a long time the social and economic situation in that country." Noting that the negotiations have been long and complicated, the ministry said "the common sense prevailed in the result." The ministry said the agreement would also favor the situation in the Middle East, "where we saw attempts to settle several crisis and conflict situations by use of force."