Iran, Russia talks founder
Islamic Republic offers Moscow more money to overcome construction delays at Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power station, but Russian official reports nothing resolved after days of talking
Iran offered Russia more money on Friday to overcome construction delays of an Iranian nuclear power station, but mere hours later talks between Russian and Iranian nuclear officials ended without apparent resolution.
During the talks, centered on delayed Iranian payments for nuclear fuel destined a Russian-built power plant, each side suggested the other was negotiating in bad faith.
A Russian official familiar with the negotiations between the countries said Iranian officials refused to sign a document promising the increased payments, and the official indicated Russia would not ship uranium fuel this month as expected.
The vice president of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammed Saeedi, said in remarks carried by state-run Vesti-24 television that his country was ready to provide more funds to enable the September launch of the Bushehr plant. He called on Russia to deliver the fuel this month, as earlier agreed.
“Right now (Russian state-owned) Atomstroiexport had a little bit of financial problems and Iran is ready to remove and eliminate all the problems for the Russian side,” said Saeedi. “We are ready to charge additional money to Atomstroiexport to build the nuclear power plant according to the schedule."
Saeedi's statement followed three days of talks in Moscow that failed to resolve the financial dispute over the plant's construction. Russia said last month that Iran in recent months had paid only a fraction of the required monthly payments of $25 million for construction work at the plant, and that the payment delays would push back both the reactor's launch and the uranium fuel deliveries.
Iranian officials rejected the Russian claims that they had failed to meet the payment schedule, and suggested Russia was caving in to international pressure amid the continued standoff over Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment activities that some governments say are part of an effort to develop nuclear weapons.
The United States has been pushing Russia to stop building the Bushehr plant in southwest Iran because it suspects Tehran will use the atomic know-how to make nuclear weapons.
The Russian contractor building the plant said Iran owed about $50 million in missed payments and construction would be delayed as a result. Russia had been due to deliver the first nuclear fuel this month.
'Business-like atmosphere'
Moscow and Tehran say the plant is to generate electricity only and complies with international nuclear safeguards.
Some analysts say Russia is deliberately dragging its feet over Bushehr because it is wary of the international criticism likely to follow if it delivers the fuel to Bushehr.
Iran has denied missing payments for the plant. Saeedi is heading an Iranian delegation holding a third day of talks in Moscow with Atomstroiexport. There was no immediate Russian response to the Iranian offer of more cash.
An Atomstroiexport spokeswoman said earlier talks over the first two days were held in a “business-like atmosphere” but failed to produce an agreement.
