Iran Nuclear Issue Sours U.S.-Russian Talks on Energy
By STEVEN LEE MYERS and SABRINA TAVERNISE
MOSCOW, Aug. 1 — American anger over Russia's construction of a nuclear power plant in Iran and its plans to build as many as five more soured two days of talks between senior American and Russian officials that were intended to highlight new cooperation in securing the world's energy supply.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said today that Iran was "aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons" and that Russia's construction of a civilian nuclear plant at Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf, supported Iran's efforts.
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"We have long been concerned that Iran's only interest in nuclear civil power, given its vast domestic energy resources, is to support its nuclear weapons program," Mr. Abraham said at a news conference here. "For that reason, we have insistently urged Russia to cease all nuclear cooperation with Iran, including its assistance to the reactor in Bushehr."
On the eve of Mr. Abraham's visit, the Russian government released a document outlining plans not only to complete the $800-million reactor under construction at Bushehr, but also to build three more there and two others at Ahwaz.
The announcement angered officials in Washington, worsening one of the most contentious disputes between the United States and Russia even as the two nations made progress toward cementing programs previously promised by President Bush and President Vladimir V. Putin.
For instance, Mr. Abraham presented a plan today to finance a study of energy deposits in eastern Siberia, off Russia's northern and eastern coasts. It is the most concrete result so far of the agreement signed by Mr. Bush and Mr. Putin in May to enhance cooperation on energy. The announcement came amid concerns that oil supplies could be disrupted by any American attack on Iraq.
"We see Russia playing a great role in terms of global energy security," Mr. Abraham said. "By assisting Russia in exploring their energy resources, we improve global energy supplies."
In broader terms, the Arctic and Pacific offshore regions, which are thought to contain up to 70 percent of Russia's current energy reserves, offer "some of the least studied and potentially most significant geological basins in the world," he said. Exploration costs, however, will be high, as the area is ice-covered for most of the year.
Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, chief executive of the Yukos Oil Company, Russia's second-largest oil company, welcomed the announcement, saying the survey would allow long-term planning.
"Our geologists are absolutely sure there are significant reserves of oil and gas there," he said in an interview.
Despite the agreement on oil exploration, the two sides made no progress on the question of Russia's nuclear assistance to Iran. Mr. Abraham, along with John R. Bolton, the under secretary of state for arms control, had previously planned to be in Moscow this week, but last week's announcement on Iran significantly altered the agenda.
The subject dominated many meetings with senior Russian military and energy officials, including the nuclear energy minister, Aleksandr Y. Rumyantsev, an administration official said today.
"We told them how unhappy we were about the announcement," the official said. "We felt blindsided and angry."
American and Russian officials said more talks on the matter would be held later this month or next, focusing on tightening Russia's controls over the export of equipment or expertise that could be used in a nuclear weapons program.
During the meetings, Mr. Bolton also raised concerns about Russia's assistance in Iranian chemical and biological programs, as well as sales of advanced conventional weapons, like surface-to-air missiles.
The administration official said some Russian officials seemed to have been surprised by the announcement of expanded nuclear cooperation with Iran, suggesting divisions in the government here.
"The public line is that Russia opposes the proliferation of nuclear weapons and that they are not cooperating with Iran in building them," the official said. "The problem is that Russian entities, with or without cooperation of the government, are working with the Iranians."
Russia signed an agreement to build the Bushehr reactor in 1995, completing construction that a subsidiary of the German company Siemens A.G. suspended after Iran's revolution in 1979. More than 1,000 Russian engineers and technicians are now at work on the project. The installation of the reactor's main turbine is expected to begin as soon as this month.
Russia has defended the project, saying the reactor is subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
But the United States has warned that Russian expertise in a civilian project could easily leak into secret weapons programs, which Iran denies having.
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