Iran has deal with Russia on nuclear plant-report

TEHRAN, Sept 6 (Reuters) Iran and Russia have agreed a timetable for the delivery of fuel to the Islamic state's first nuclear power plant, a project caught up in a row over Tehran's atomic programme, Iran's state broadcaster reported today.

''For the inauguration of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, we have reached good agreements with Russia,'' Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by the Web site of state broadcaster IRIB.

''In these agreements, the timetable for the on-time provision of nuclear fuel and the inauguration of this plant has been specified,'' Larijani said, without giving details.

Under a previously announced schedule the plant in southwest Iran was supposed to start up in September 2007 but a Russian sub-contractor has said there is no chance of it happening before autumn 2008.

Last week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he believed Russia was committed to finishing work as planned on the Bushehr nuclear power station.

Russian officials say delays in the plant's construction are due to missed payments worth millions of dollars from Tehran and not political issues. Tehran says it has made the proper payments and that Moscow is under pressure from the West.

REUTERS JK PM1515