Russia To Resume Building Iran Nuke Plant

Cash Dispute Resolved; Moscow To Continue As Planned With Controversial Bushehr Plant

(CBS/AP)  Russia and Iran reached an agreement Thursday on a schedule for finishing construction of the Bushehr nuclear plant, which plays a central role in the international tensions over Iran's nuclear program, Russian news agencies reported.

The reports cited the head of plant contractor Atomstroiexport, Sergei Shmatko, as saying details of the timetable would be released later this month.

The United States and other critics have long protested construction of the $1 billion plant, saying it would give Iran cover for developing a nuclear weapons program.

Construction at the plant has been sporadically delayed amid disputes between Iran and Russia over payment, fuel delivery and other issues. But Russia has remained opposed to a U.S.-led push for international sanctions against Iran for allegedly seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

"The difficulties with the Iranian contracts have been settled," Shmatko was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. He did not give details of the completion plans, but said that fuel would be delivered to Iran about half a year before it is needed to operate the plant, according to Interfax.

Shmatko's announcement came about an hour before Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was to meet in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Although Russia has resisted drives to impose sanctions on Iran, it also repeatedly has urged Tehran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve concerns over the nuclear program.

Shmatko on Thursday raised the prospect of creating a Russian-Iranian joint venture "to ensure security" at the Bushehr plant, according to the RIA-Novosti agency.

That could indicate Russian interest in ensuring that enriched uranium at the plant is not stolen or diverted. Depleted fuel rods also could be reprocessed into plutonium.

Also Thursday, Iran said talks with the IAEA on investigating traces of weapons-grade uranium found at a Tehran university were constructive, state media reported.

Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the country's envoy to the U.N. agency, said Iran "answered and explained" all questions from investigators.

"Technical talks about the source of contamination were held in a constructive atmosphere," Soltanieh was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying. "Another step was taken in the direction of settling the remaining problems surrounding Iran's nuclear issue."

He provided no details but said more talks could follow after IAEA reviews the case.

The talks with the IAEA team, which began Monday in the Iranian capital, focused on the discovery of traces of weapons-grade uranium at a technological faculty of a Tehran university. It's believed this was the first time the incident was discussed.

It is not clear how or when the find of the uranium traces was made.

The university contamination case comes in the wake of a U.S. intelligence report last week that concluded Iran had stopped its nuclear weapons program in late 2003 and had not resumed it since. Tehran says it never had a weapons program, insisting its nuclear activities aim only to generate electricity.

The U.S. is pushing for a new, third round of U.N. sanctions over Tehran's refusal to stop enrichment. Iran maintains it would never give up its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear fuel.

U.N. diplomats said Wednesday the Security Council will not take up new sanctions against Iran until early next year because of serious differences between the U.S. and key European nations who want tough measures and Russia and China who don't.

The delay in the council's consideration of a third sanctions resolution followed a 90-minute telephone discussion Tuesday of political directors from the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany that highlighted the divide among the key players.

"I think it unlikely, unfortunately, that we will be able to make progress during 2007," Britain's U.N. Ambassador John Sauers told reporters. "We will come back to this issue in 2008."

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported Thursday that police had killed 12 people suspected of terrorist activities in a shootout.

Reports say they also detained five others in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.

The TV report says police were pursuing a group of "counterrevolutionaries," clashed with them and killed their leader and 11 others near the town of Iranshahr, about 994 miles southeast of Tehran.

The report says police also confiscated explosive materials, bombs and weaponry at the clash site.

Gen. Mohammad Ghaffari, the province's police chief, told national TV the suspects were members of Jundallah, or God's Brigade, a group active in the area.

[yongamerica]

"I''''ve been on here a LONG time and YOU are a LIAR." - MCVet

Sounds like a case of self denial, and the truth has you wiggling in a corner because you can''t stand it. Facts don''t lie until you start leaving some out.

[tbweb]

Funny how nobody asks the key question: why does a country that is awash with oil and natural gas, a country that produces fifty times more oil that it even needs for domestic use, ...

Posted by jackie0428 at 11:41 PM : Dec 13, 2007,,,

Many already have, this was a part of the discussion many Moons ago, way back in the beginning and never successfully answered, I was one who raised the question! The real problem here is Russia and the real issue here is revenge! Russia is not interested in right of wrong, Russia is interested in revenge! Russia blames the U.S. for the collapse of the Soviet Union, if the Russian agenda against the U.S. is examined closely, it will be easy to see Russia would like to get revenge against the U.S. by making it collapse in return! Russia is on nothing more than a revenge mission. Many Moons ago I also proposed removing or boycotting those Russian Lukoil gas stations across the U.S. financing their military resurgence, no matter how painful.

[harp1963]

Who cares? If Iran ever uses nukes against any other nation, especially Israel, we turn them into a glass parking lot.

[jackie0428]

Funny how nobody asks the key question: why does a country that is awash with oil and natural gas, a country that produces fifty times more oil that it even needs for domestic use, want to spend billions of dollars on nuclear energy? Why waste the money? Why not re-invest that money in your country, your people, your infrastructure? It''s like a well-fed fat guy who gets free meals from his parents deciding to spend 1/2 his salary on Twinkies, just to throw them in the street and stomp on them. Why all the trouble and money? Unless, this is not an energy program. And if not an nuclear energy program, what else are nuclear facilities for, except to make nuclear fuel for weapons? Why doesn''t anyone seem to ask these questions?

[zootallures2]

zootallures2,

Is that lyrics from a top HIp Hop song in the MidEast?

Posted by mcv57 at 09:29 PM : Dec 13, 2007


It''s just satire, not us vs. them....more of you equal them or worse. Like if I were to move to North Korea, not much would be different. I wouldn''t think much of people being thrown out, tasered, or arrested for free speech and Ron Paul t-shirts.

[stevenga777]

Maybe Bush will want to invade Russia later this year for arming" terrorists...I mean Iran.

[tbweb]

"The true beginning of our end."

--William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night''s Dream

[mcvet]

For so long you stated the US intelligence has been deceitful and telling lies. Now it reports something you want to hear this same intelligence is taken without doubt.

It''''s your logic I find so hard to grasp because it only follows some, but not all, of the facts.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by yongamerica at 06:09 PM : Dec 13, 2007
+ report abuse

Why do you fascist twist facts and other peoples positions. I''ve been on here a LONG time and YOU are a LIAR. What he and so many of the rest of us said was that BUSH/CHENEY COOKED the intel to attack Iraq. They''d have done the same thing with Iran, IF the Fascist had retained Contol of the Congress and they thought they could get away with it. Sieg Heil Bush!!

[mcv57]

zootallures2,

Is that lyrics from a top HIp Hop song in the MidEast?

[zootallures2]

Bomb bomb bomb bomb ameriKKKa!
Bomb the USA!
They are so gay!
And kiss Ashkenzi arse every day!
And give them half their pay!
And fight in Iraq.
With their head up a CEO''s crack!

Their rotten and stupid,
With a EMO cupid

So Bomb Bomb Bomb Bombs away!