Russia would not give up the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran while looking forward to the report of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on June 16, Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev said on Monday.
The minister anticipated that the IAEA Board of Governors would submit a "clear-cut review" on Iran's nuclear program, but saying that there would "be hardly anything new" in the report on this subject, Itar-Tass news agency reported.
Rumyantsev also said that the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, while under the control of the IAEA, had not violated "any international agreements" by "adhering to all the IAEA recommendations".
Russia would reportedly spend one billion US dollars on the construction of the Bushehr project which is scheduled to be installed one generating unit with a light-water reactor of the VVER-1000 type upon its completion by mid-2005.
The United States has been accusing Tehran of developing nuclear weapons with the Bushehr power plant, calling Russia to halt its cooperation with Iran.
(Xinhua News Agency June 10, 2003)
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