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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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 Sun Feb 27, 2005 9:48 pm Iran Signs Nuclear Fuel Deal With Russia |
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| Quote: | Iran Signs Nuclear Fuel Deal With Russia
Monday February 28, 2005 1:46 AM
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer
BUSHEHR, Iran (AP) - Iran and Russia ignored U.S. objections and signed a nuclear fuel agreement Sunday that is key to bringing Tehran's first reactor online by mid-2006.
The long-delayed deal, signed at the heavily guarded Bushehr nuclear facility in southern Iran, dramatized President Bush's failure to persuade the Russians to curtail support for the Iranian nuclear program during his summit with Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Slovakia.
Under the deal, Russia will provide nuclear fuel to Iran, then take back the spent fuel, a step meant as a safeguard to ensure it cannot be diverted into a weapons program. Iran has also agreed to allow the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to monitor Bushehr and the fuel deliveries.
Iranian Vice President Gholamreza Aghazadeh and Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency chief Alexander Rumyantsev signed the agreement. The signing, which was delayed by a day, came after the two senior officials toured the $800 million complex.
``Today, a very important development occurred, and that was the protocol on returning nuclear fuel, which we signed together. In the next few weeks many Russian technicians will arrive in Bushehr'' to finish the plant, Rumyantsev said.
Both officials refused to discuss the details of shipping the nuclear fuel to Iran and the spent fuel back to Russia, but they insisted that the agreement conforms to international nuclear regulations.
``Iran observes all the regulations on the prohibition of the spread of nuclear weapons,'' Rumyantsev said.
The White House declined comment, as did the State Department.
Washington accuses Tehran of covertly trying to build a nuclear bomb, which Iran denies. Thursday's summit between Bush and Putin in Bratislava, Slovakia, had touched on American concerns over Russian support for Iran's nuclear program.
Putin has said he is sure Iran's intentions are merely to generate energy, not create weapons, and that Russian cooperation with Tehran would continue.
Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said the Bush-Putin talks did not affect the agreement.
``Our talks (with the Russians) have been successful,'' Saeedi said.
Although Russia agreed to provide the fuel needed to run the Bushehr plant, it wanted the spent fuel back to prevent any possibility Tehran would extract plutonium from it - which could be used to make an atomic bomb. Experts have estimated the plant could produce enough plutonium for 30 rudimentary atomic bombs a year.
Aghazadeh, the Iranian nuclear agency chief, said in the next 10 months, more experts and technicians would complete work on installation and assembly operations.
``Three months after that, there will be a test of the power plant and within six months after that, the 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant will produce electricity,'' he said, meaning the plant would be operating next year.
Russia will deliver the fuel when the Bushehr plant ``is ready for work and loading,'' Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko told the Interfax news agency Sunday.
Ahead of the signing, Aghazadeh showed Rumyantsev the nuclear fuel storage house as well as the main part of the plant and the reactor.
``What I saw was much better and more than I had expected. Assembling operations in the past three to four months have been expedited,'' Rumyantsev said. ``I can't say the situation is excellent, but it's very good.''
The Bushehr plant, accessible only by a private road, overlooks the Persian Gulf, and its cream-colored dome is visible miles away. Soldiers maintain a 24-hour watch on roads leading up to the plant, manning anti-aircraft guns and supported by radar stations.
Iranian efforts to enrich uranium so it can produce enough of its own fuel to generate power have been a bigger concern in the international community than buying fuel from abroad because the enrichment process can be taken further to be used for warheads.
Britain, France and Germany are trying to secure an Iranian commitment to scrap enrichment plans in exchange for economic aid, technical support and backing for Tehran's efforts to join mainstream international organizations. Iran has suspended enrichment-related activities during the talks with the Europeans, which both sides have said were difficult, but insists the freeze will be brief.
Bush has expressed support for the European efforts. But documents being circulated among IAEA board members in Vienna, Austria, ahead of Monday's board meeting indicated Washington would try to increase pressure on Tehran by the next agency board meeting in June should the European talks fail. Those documents were seen by The Associated Press.
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 |
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sun Feb 27, 2005 9:51 pm |
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This is horrible. And it frightens me. I am now threatening a boycott of Russia as well.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Zeke Zabertini
Captain
Joined: 13 Sep 2002
Posts: 4832
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| Sun Feb 27, 2005 11:13 pm |
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How do you boycott a country?
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borgslayer
Rear Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2003
Posts: 2646
Location: Las Vegas
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| Sun Feb 27, 2005 11:15 pm |
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| Republican_Man wrote: | | This is horrible. And it frightens me. I am now threatening a boycott of Russia as well. |
Go ahead don't buy Russian products, and shout out anti Russian slogans on the street. 
I think the whole notion of boycotting a country because you don't like them is just insane.
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Sun Feb 27, 2005 11:31 pm |
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| borgslayer wrote: | | Republican_Man wrote: | | This is horrible. And it frightens me. I am now threatening a boycott of Russia as well. |
Go ahead don't buy Russian products, and shout out anti Russian slogans on the street.
I think the whole notion of boycotting a country because you don't like them is just insane. |
It's not that. It's policies that could harm the US. France did things anti-US and I am convinced that Chirac is a hostile leader and his government is as well, and with Russia doing such a thing as this, which could lead to a horrific war and lead us even closer to the End of Times...This scares me.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Founder
Dominion Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2004
Posts: 12755
Location: Gamma Quadrant
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| Mon Feb 28, 2005 2:21 am |
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Our wonderful "allies" strike again. Thanks for taking the first step towards peace with us Russia. 
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lionhead
Rear Admiral
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 4020
Location: The Delta Quadrant (or not...)
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| Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:05 am |
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| Republican_Man wrote: |
It's not that. It's policies that could harm the US. France did things anti-US and I am convinced that Chirac is a hostile leader and his government is as well, and with Russia doing such a thing as this, which could lead to a horrific war and lead us even closer to the End of Times...This scares me. |
End of times? they are oging too use the Nuclear fuel for their power plant. Thats it. You guys in the USA use it all the time in all those Nuclear plants you have their.
we in the Netherlands have only 2..... 1 for research. We use nuclear fuel too. i don't nkow from woh we buy the Uranium but we process it ourselves.
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Jeremy
J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002
Posts: 7823
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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| Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:59 am |
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I think it is the belief that they won't use it for power plants, but rather arms.
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webtaz99
Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003
Posts: 1229
Location: The Other Side
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| Mon Feb 28, 2005 8:33 am |
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Anybody remember what happened to Saddam's nuke plant? I'll give you a hint: the same thing that happened to the Egyptian air force in '67. 
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Tue Mar 01, 2005 10:16 am |
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| lionhead wrote: | | Republican_Man wrote: |
It's not that. It's policies that could harm the US. France did things anti-US and I am convinced that Chirac is a hostile leader and his government is as well, and with Russia doing such a thing as this, which could lead to a horrific war and lead us even closer to the End of Times...This scares me. |
End of times? they are oging too use the Nuclear fuel for their power plant. Thats it. You guys in the USA use it all the time in all those Nuclear plants you have their.
we in the Netherlands have only 2..... 1 for research. We use nuclear fuel too. i don't nkow from woh we buy the Uranium but we process it ourselves. |
Um, you are REALLY going to TRUST this country, which SUPPORTS terrorism and TRULY has wanted to gain WMDs? My gosh...
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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