Russia reitrates its Iran stand for setting up joint venture

Moscow, Oct 4 (UNI) Russia's top nuclear official Sergei Kiriyenko today reiterated that his country is still ready to set up a joint venture on Russian soil to enrich uranium for Iranian nuclear power plants.

''If Iran is unable to enrich uranium on its territory, then Russia is ready to offer its territory for setting up such a joint venture,'' Mr Kiriyenko said, who heads the Federal Nuclear Power Agency (Rosatom).

He added the joint venture could be set up under the control of the IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, stressing that the proposal should be considered as a part of all the proposals on resolving the situation around Iran's controversial nuclear programmes.

''This proposal will not work alone because it works only as a part of the portfolio,'' Mr Kiriyenko told RIA Novosti.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin had proposed to set up a joint venture in Russia to enrich uranium for Iran to allay the West's concerns over enrichment in Iran.

Mr Kiriyenko said Russia had no commercial interest in the joint venture and the proposal should be seen as part of efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem.

''We have no need to set up such a joint venture. We have 40 per cent of world's enrichment capacities and we do not need investment in our enrichment industry, he said.

''Our proposals are our contribution to the possible resolution of the situation around Iranian nuclear problem,'' he noted.

Meanwhile, Mr Putin after his talks with Kazakh President Nursultan Nazabayev in Uralsk, yesterday said Kazakhstan will participate in setting up a nuclear centre in Russia.

''President Nursultan Nazarbayev made a decision to plug Kazakhstan into the Russian initiative for creating an international nuclear centre in Russia to provide nuclear fuel cycle services, including uranium enrichment,'' Mr Putin said at a joint press conference.

He stressed that the centre will be able to provide non-discriminatory access to nuclear power for other countries and the compliance with the non-proliferation regime.

Last week, Rosatom launched the practical implementation of a project to create an international uranium enrichment centre in Angarsk (Siberia).

UNI XC KD KN2005