MOSCOW, Oct. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Saturday Moscow advocated considering Iran's nuclear dossier within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and opposed handing it over to other organizations.

    "We see no reasons to turn over the issue to other organizations," Lavrov said at a press conference after his meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

    The common position of Russia and the United States on Iran is that the regime of nonproliferation of mass destruction weapons must be maintained, Lavrov said.

    The current situation allowed us to work on the issue through the IAEA, whose inspectors are in Iran and report about progress to the board, he said.

    The talks between Lavrov and Rice were focused on Iran's nuclear issue and also the situation in the Middle East and Central Asia, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

    Rice, for her part, said the United States believed it's necessary to work together with Russia and European countries to find a solution to Iran's nuclear problem.

    She said the possibility of referring Iran's nuclear dossier tothe UN Security Council remained but there were also prospects to find solutions via talks.

    Rice said the United States had no objection to Russia's construction of the Bushehr nuclear plant, noting that Russia's proposals on the nuclear plant could be implemented provided that Iran return the spent fuel.

    However, the US secretary of state added that the United States thought there was no need for Iran to develop a civilian nuclear program. The nonproliferation regime implies not only rights, but also obligations, Rice said.

    According to Lavrov, Rice also confirmed with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the two countries have a common goal to prevent the emergence of new nuclear states in the world.

    The Russian foreign minister said during Rice's visit Moscow and Washington also agreed to draw up two reports on the Middle East settlement, relating to the situation in Lebanon and Syria.     

    Speaking on the situation in Central Asia, Rice confirmed to Putin that the United States will not set up new military bases in Central Asia, Lavrov told the press.

    "Russia and the United States have no disagreements on this issue. The United States does not pursue any other goals except for those we jointly set in Central Asia -- to fight terrorism anddrug trafficking, to facilitate the Central Asian countries' development and to restore peace in Afghanistan," Lavrov said. Enditem