Monday, Feb 28, 2005
Russia,Iran sign nuclear deal
By Vladimir Radyuhin
MOSCOW, FEB. 27. Russia and Iran signed a nuclear fuel repatriation agreement today paving the way to starting up Iran's first nuclear reactor at Bushehr.
The deal signed by Russia's nuclear energy chief, Alexander Rumyantsev, and the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, provides for the return of all spent nuclear fuel to Russia precluding any risk of Iran diverting the material to a weapons programme, which was the main U.S. objection to the construction by Russia of the $1-billion Bushehr reactor.
Within three months of today's signing, Russia will supply 90 tonnes of enriched uranium needed to launch the reactor early next year.
After about a decade of use, Iran will have to send the spent fuel back to a storage facility in Siberia. The fuel deal came three days after the U.S. and Russian Presidents, George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin, meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, agreed that Iran should not be allowed to build nuclear weapons.
Washington has recently toned down its criticism of the Bushehr reactor project satisfied that Russia will not give any fuel until Iran agrees to return all its spent fuel. A week ago Mr. Putin told the visiting head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rowhani, that Moscow was satisfied Iran had no intention to build nuclear arms and vowed to continue nuclear energy and defence cooperation with Teheran.
He also promised to visit Iran later this year. Russian officials said they were considering an Iranian proposal to build a second nuclear reactor at Bushehr.
Copyright © 2005, The Hindu.