IAEA chief Mohamed ELBaradei said Iran has suspended all ura nium enrichment activities after the country's agreement to include 20 disputed centrifuges to the freeze. The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) decided Monday not to refer Iran's nuclear issue to the UN Security Council. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

MOSCOW, Nov. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia welcomed Tuesday the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) resolution not to refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council for a decision on Iran's nuclear program, the Interfax news agency cited a seniorRussian official as saying.

    The IAEA's Board of Governors arrived at the decision Monday after Iran announced earlier it was suspending all uranium enrichment activities.

    "The resolution sums up the results of one more stage in the work to ensure the Iranian nuclear program's transparency and we view it as a balanced document reflecting the actual situation," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said.

    Russia, always favoring broader cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, also hailed Iran's decision to freeze all uranium-enrichment programs, the minister said.

    "This is a voluntary, trust-building measure. We hope this decision will be reliably fulfilled," he added.

    The United States, which accuses Iran of secretly pursuing nuclear weapons, said Monday that it reserved the right to take Iran's nuclear issue to the Security Council.

    Reacting to Washington's statement, Kislyak said: "We think theproblem of the Iranian nuclear program will be solved by the IAEA."

    He noted that the existing agreements and mechanisms are "sufficient to settle all of the remaining issues."

    On Nov. 7, Iran reached agreement with France, Germany and Britain to suspend all uranium enrichment-related activities as ofNov. 22, including making uranium gas and building centrifuges.

    Highly enriched uranium can produce either low grade fuel for nuclear reactors or the raw material for atomic weapons.

    Iran, which insists its program is for peaceful purposes, said the suspension will be brief, voluntary, and contingent on what Europe does next. Enditem