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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jacob Snyder who wrote (156987)	2/18/2005 10:20:36 PM
From: Sam Citron	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 281500

Hearing Russia is to help Iran complete Bushehr nuclear reactor with spent fuel to be shipped back to Russia. US believes "Iran doesn't need nuclear power and the facility is part of plans to produce nuclear weapons". Just because Iran has lots of oil and gas does not suggest that it is unwise for a nation to have a diversified energy portfolio. And since the reactor is almost complete already, it is perfectly understandable, at least to me, that the Iranians would want to finish it. I understand US and Israeli paranoia also, but it remains plausable to me that Iran does not plan to produce nukes. Just wondered what others thought about this. Here's the article describing the latest Russian deal: Russia to Cooperate With Iran in Nuclear Energy (Update1) Feb. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Russia said it will cooperate with Iran in the nuclear energy field, even after U.S. and European Union concerns over Iran's possible plans to produce nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iran's Hassan Rouhani, secretary at Iran's Supreme Security Council, that Russia will continue cooperation with Iran in nuclear energy, security and economic projects, Putin's press service said in a statement on the Kremlin Web site. Putin met Rouhani in Moscow today, it said. ``Iran's recent actions convince us that Iran doesn't intend to produce nuclear weapons,'' Putin said, according to the statement. ``In accordance with this, we will continue cooperation with Iran in all spheres, including nuclear energy and military equipment.'' The U.S. has been urging Russia to pull out of the contract on helping to build an $800 million nuclear reactor in Iran's city of Bushehr saying Iran, the Middle East's second-biggest oil producer, doesn't need nuclear power and the facility is part of plans to produce nuclear weapons. Russia took over the contract after Ukraine pulled out of the agreement to supply turbines for that plant in 1998 because of pressure from the U.S. and Israel. Putin said he plans to visit Iran, his press service said. Iranian President Mohammad Khatami expects Putin to go to Tehran in the near future, Rouhani said, according to the Kremlin's press service. Russia and Iran have many joint interests in the Caspian region, the press service said, citing Putin. `Deeply Convinced' ``We are deeply convinced that nuclear arms proliferation on the planet doesn't help to strengthen security in the region and the entire world,'' Putin said, according to the statement. Russia ``hopes, of course that Iran will strictly stick to all of its obligations,'' including international agreements and agreements with Russia. Russia and Iran plan to sign an accord on Feb. 26 on the mandatory return of spent nuclear fuel supplied to Iran by Russia, Interfax reported yesterday, citing Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia's Nuclear Energy Agency. Rumyantsev is to visit Iran later this month. The reactor is expected to begin operations by end-2006. ``Today, no one has a doubt that our activity in the nuclear field is exceptionally peaceful,'' Rouhani said at the meeting with Putin, according to the Kremlin press service. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the United Nations agency hasn't found anything within the last six months to substantiate claims that Iran is building a nuclear bomb, the Washington Post reported on Feb. 16, citing an interview with him. bloomberg.com