Russia's Federal Agency of Atomic Energy chief Sergei Kiriyenko
met with Iran's Atomic Energy Organization chief Gholamreza
Aghazadeh in Moscow on Monday to discuss the building of a nuclear
power plant in Iran, Russian news agencies reported.
Aghazadeh, also Iran's vice president, said at the start of the
meeting that the negotiations "will largely address issues related
to the completion of the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power
plant."
Other matters on the agenda of Russian-Iranian cooperation would
be discussed as well, he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as
saying.
Earlier, Kiriyenko had said that under the effective schedule,
the Bushehr nuclear power plant would be commissioned to Iran in
September 2007 and would start supplying electricity to the power
grid in November 2007.
"The construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant has nothing
to do with the Iranian nuclear program under consideration," the
Itar-Tass news agency quoted Kiriyenko as saying.
"The Bushehr is being built in keeping with the schedule and
under IAEA control. There are no enrichment risks on the nuclear
power plant premises or the use of nuclear materials for
non-peaceful purposes," he said.
"It is obvious to all professionals and experts that Russian
specialists are building a peaceful atomic energy facility in
Bushehr," Kiriyenko added.
The Bushehr plant in Iran is being constructed by the Russian
company Atomstroiexport under a 1995 contract. The construction of
the plant was started by Germany's Siemens in the 1970s, but the
project was suspended. Russia is due to make the first delivery of
nuclear fuel for the station early next year, provisionally
scheduled for March.
(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2006)
