#2
US demands Russia end all nuclear cooperation with Iran
AFP
August 2, 2002

The United States demanded that Russia halt all nuclear cooperation with Iran, expressing "utmost concern" at Moscow's decision to deepen ties with a state Washington has branded part of an "axis of evil."

US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said he was holding delicate talks sparked by Russia's announcement that it plans to build a second Iranian nuclear power and broaden economic ties with Tehran in other spheres.

The top official stressed that Washington's recent diplomatic silence on Moscow's decision did not mean that it was either ignoring the issue or somehow softening its line on Russia's controversial Iranian ties.

"Iran is aggressively pursuing nuclear weapons as well as other weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles," Abraham told reporters Thursday, one day after holding closed-door talks with Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev.

"For that reason we consistently urge Russia to cease all nuclear cooperation with Iran including its assistance to the reactor at Bushehr," he added.

"No one should be under any impression that there is anything but the utmost concern on this question on our part and those concerns have been frankly and directly conveyed during our meetings."

Abraham's message was reaffirmed by John Bolton, the visiting US under secretary of state for arms control, who also met Rumyantsev and senior defense officials before leaving Moscow Wednesday without addressing the press.

Russia appeared to stun Washington with its announcement that it intended to strengthen ties with Tehran, after having emerged as one of the key US allies in the post-September 11 anti-terror campaign.

The new Moscow program was particularly surprising having come less than a month after agreeing to a confidence-building 20-billion-dollar aid package for dismantling Russia's weapons of mass destruction.

Yet Abraham noted that Washington was far too concerned about Russia's ability to safe-keep its vast nuclear and chemical weapon arsenal to let the Iranian dispute get in the way of the G8-brokered assistance deal.

"My assumption is that those dollars will be spent," Abraham said when asked about the G8 program for Russia, whose details have not yet been made public.

"These problems have to be addressed regardless of the circumstances and I expect this to be a successful program."

Together with Israel, the United States has voiced repeated fears over Russian-Iranian cooperation in the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, where only one reactor of four has been completed.

Abraham said the issue had been raised "at the highest levels," with US officials saying Washington was also anxious that Iran may be developing other weapons as well as long-range missiles with Russia's help.

"We do have concerns about assistance Iran is getting from Russia, as it concerns chemical and biological weapons, and transfers of advanced conventional weapons," said the US ambassador to Moscow, Alexander Vershbow.

Iran for its part welcomed Russia's decision to approve the 10-year nuclear program, denying that such cooperation could help the Islamic republic develop nuclear weapons, the official agency IRNA said.

Russian officials kept their silence over Abraham's tough message, although diplomatic sources said Moscow and Tehran had scheduled a round of consultations over non-proliferation issues for August 20-22.

Moscow would inform Tehran over its desire to tighten "control over the export of goods and dual-purpose technologies," one Russian source told the Interfax news agency.

The two sides have so far failed to finalize an agreement on returning spent nuclear fuel from Bushehr to Russia -- an issue that in part has prompted Israel to warn it may bomb the plant before it goes on stream within two years.

BACK TO THE TOP    #217 CONTENTS    NEXT ARTICLE