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MOSCOW (Reuters) - A senior Russian diplomat warned the United States on Thursday that the threat from Pakistan if extremists came to power in Islamabad would be far greater than the potential danger from Iran.
Russia says there is no evidence that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons but says Pakistan, a U.S. ally with nuclear arms, is a more likely threat.
"If extremists were to come to power there, than there would be a real threat," said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity at a briefing on U.S.-Russian relations.
He said there had been no direct discussions between Washington and Moscow about the current crisis in Pakistan, which President George W. Bush's administration sees as a key ally in the battle against al Qaeda and the Taliban.
-- Russia's stormy ties with the United States dipped further this week when Russia's parliament voted to suspend a key arms treaty between the Cold War foes, after rows over Washington's missile defence plans.
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