Russia warns Iran over Bushehr payment delay

Moscow, Mar 10: Russia warned Iran today that the Bushehr nuclear plant could face further delays unless Tehran resolved a payment row after days of inconclusive talks.

Moscow and Tehran have been bickering publicly over what Russia says are tens of millions of dollars in delayed payments for its work on Bushehr, Iran's first nuclear power station.

Iran denies it has missed payments on the plant, a sensitive project as Tehran has come under pressure from the United States and the European Union for its nuclear ambitions.

A Russian nuclear official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters nothing had been resolved in three days of talks and lashed out at Iranian negotiators for making public statements they said were detrimental to the negotiations.

''The Iranian delegation discussed all the questions but no firm decisions were made to overcome the crisis,'' the official said. ''A further dragging out of these questions will worsen the existing delays to the timetable for building.'' Washington has pushed Russia to stop building because it fears Tehran will use the know-how to make nuclear weapons.

Moscow, keen to boost nuclear sales abroad, says Tehran lacks weapons-making capability. Iran says it has a right to develop its civilian nuclear sector and denies seeking arms.

Diplomats say some Kremlin factions fear helping Tehran's nuclear programme will lead to proliferation, while other factions are eager to boost nuclear and arms sales. That has led to mixed signals from Moscow, analysts say.

Problems

Moscow agreed last year to begin nuclear fuel deliveries in March, six months before the reactor's planned start up.

Russia has repeatedly postponed work, but Iranian negotiators, who held talks with the Russian state-owned firm building the plant, Atomstroiexport, said a deal had been reached to prevent further delays.

''There are some delays but the Russian company and the Iranian side have prepared a schedule which will decrease and compensate for this delay,'' Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's nuclear energy organisation, told Reuters by telephone.

''Atomstroiexport has financial problems and has asked Iran to pay part of the (funds) before what was said in the contract,'' said Saeedi, who headed an Iranian delegation at talks in Moscow.

But Atomstroiexport said in a statement the two sides had not agreed and unless Iran paid, Bushehr would fall further behind schedule. Talks will continue next week in Tehran.

A Russian nuclear official added Saeedi had ''flagrantly breached the negotiating process'' with statements contradicting the essence of the talks.

''It is possible that the top Iranian leaders are not sufficiently informed about the state of affairs at the site and therefore say there are no problems,'' the official said.

''But when we are told this across the negotiating table by someone who fully understands the real state of affairs, it provokes nothing but bewilderment.''

Reuters

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