Putin blames 'worn-out' equipment for Iran nuclear delay

CIVIL NUCLEAR

Russia Iran Reaffirm Commitment To Build Nuclear Plant On Time
Tehran, Iran (RIA Novosti) Oct 17 - Russia will complete Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr on schedule, the countries' presidents said in a statement on Tuesday, while pledging commitment to the non-proliferation regime. Reassurances on the Bushehr NPP come repeated delays to the completion of the plant, which Russia has attributed to payment arrears. Iran earlier in the year accused Moscow of yielding to Western pressure over the plant. Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said in their statement, released after bilateral talks in Tehran, that all disputes between Caspian littoral states should be resolved peacefully, and ruled out third countries' military presence in the Caspian region, reiterating a declaration adopted at a Caspian summit earlier on Tuesday. Putin's visit to Iran, the first by a Russian or Soviet leader since 1943, and statements come amid a standoff between Western states and the Islamic Republic, which is accused of developing nuclear weapons. Tehran has denied the charge. The United States has urged a new, tougher, set of sanctions on Iran, and has refused to rule out a military operation against the regime. During the talks, Putin invited his Iranian counterpart to visit Russia, saying the date of the visit was to be coordinated through diplomatic channels.

Russia backs Iran right to nuclear energy at summit
Russia on Tuesday joined the four other Caspian Sea littoral states in supporting Iran's right to nuclear energy, in a statement issued after a summit in Tehran. The statement from the five nations backed the right of a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to "research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful ends, without discrimination, within the framework of this treaty and the mechanisms of the UN nuclear watchdog". Russian President Vladimir Putin told a news conference afterwards that the countries had "expressed the idea that peaceful nuclear activities must be allowed". "Russia is the only country helping Iran to contruct a nuclear power station for peaceful ends," Putin added, referring to an ongoing project to build the facility in Bushehr.

by Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Oct 16, 2007
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed "old worn-out equipment" for the delays in completing Iran's Russian-built first nuclear power plant but insisted the project would still be completed.

Putin said Russian engineers working on the plant in the southern city of Bushehr were coping with equipment dating back to when the project was started by Germany's Siemens in the 1970s under the deposed shah.

"The equipment left from that time is worn-out, old and new equipment should be used. This is one of the problems preventing swift completion of the work in Bushehr," he said in an interview with state news agency IRNA.

"The delay is because of technical and legal issues," he added.

Until now, Russian officials had said late financial payments by Iran to the Russian contractor Atomstroiexport were the main reason for the delay, something Tehran has vehemently denied.

However Putin insisted that Russia would respect its commitment to finish the plant under a contract which was signed in 1994 but has been subject to numerous delays ever since.

"Russia has said it has the intention to finish the works at Bushehr and we do not intend to and will not renounce on these engagements," he said in the interview, which was also heard by Kremlin-accredited journalists.

"We are seriously working to finish the Bushehr power plant as soon as possible. But there are issues that should be resolved."

He said that Russian and Iranian experts were now discussing how to make the old equipment work with new technology.

Putin's comments came after talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which were also attended by the head of Iran's atomic energy organisation Gholam Reza Aghazadeh and Russian nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko.

According to a joint statement issued by Ahmadinejad and Putin after their talks and quoted by Russian media, the men vowed that the power plant would be completed and operational "in line with the scheduled calendar".

The most recent date given by the Russian side for the power plant to go online is at the end of 2008.

The Russian president had earlier attended a summit of Caspian Sea littoral states which backed Iran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Russia is also under contract to deliver nuclear fuel for the power plant, and Putin said this issue would be solved once the technical problems were sorted.

However he declined to give a firm commitment for the delivery of the fuel. "I only promised things to my mother when I was small," said Putin.

The project to build a nuclear power station at Bushehr, started under shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was shelved after the Islamic revolution in 1979 but renewed after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei became supreme leader in 1989.

Russia's involvement in the project has not been welcomed by the United States, which accuses Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian electricity programme.

Iran, however, insists that its nuclear programme is peaceful and Russia has said there is nothing to prove Western suspicions over its nature.

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CIVIL NUCLEAR

Nuclear Deal In Trouble India Warns US As Whitehouse Says Deal Not Dead

New Delhi (AFP) Oct 16, 2007
India's government has admitted to the United States it is having trouble pushing through a landmark nuclear accord, in a fresh sign it may have caved in to pressure from its left-wing allies.

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