Russia to complete Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran : Losyukov

Moscow, May 16 (UNI) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov today said Russia had the '' political will and resolve'' to complete the construction of Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.

'' The situation around Bushehr worries the Iranian side very much. Tehran is especially worried by the matter of nuclear fuel deliveries for the future plant that are at present postponed for objective reasons,'' Mr Losyukov told Itar-Tass news agency referring to the dispute between Russian and Iranian sides over the payment issues.

He said the Iranians saw '' some political motives'' behind this delay, suspecting Russia was deliberately dragging the issue.

'' Answering this, we told them that why should we have struggled with our partners in UN Security Council defending this project and leading it from sanctions if we wanted to stop it later. This would look illogical,''Mr Losyukov said after his visit to Iran.

'' Russia does not abandon its obligations, and we tell this to our Iranian colleagues. We also say that the implementation of this project is only possible if the Iranians adhere to the principles of the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency and are ready to take spent nuclear fuel abroad,'' he added.

Mr Losyukov also said that there are '' prospects for further work on other phases of Bushehr, especially if the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme recedes into the background''.

Meanwhile, President Vladimir Putin's special envoy to the European Union Sergei Yastrzhembsky today said Russia and the European Union will explore extra measures that could be adopted to clear concerns regarding Iran's nuclear programme at their summit on May 17-18.

The participants in the summit "will exchange opinions and monitor the situation and the changes that have occurred in this situation of late and will discuss what else can be done to remove Russia's and the EU's concerns," Mr Yastrzhembsky said.

He added the participants will see how the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could be engaged in this context.

UNI