Russia: Bushehr plant due in August

Source: PressTV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=127086§ionid=351020104


Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, which is being built by Russia, is scheduled to begin operating in August regardless of any new sanctions against Tehran.

"We are counting on the nuclear power station launching in August, if everything goes as planned," Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's federal atomic energy agency, was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

The remarks come two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the Group of Six world powers, which includes Russia, had reached an agreement on a "strong draft resolution" for new sanctions against Iran.

Kiriyenko further said, "The resolution now being prepared on Iran will not in any way affect this."

The P5+1 comprises of the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- plus Germany.

The draft resolution came only a day after Iran announced it had reached an agreement with Turkey to send 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for 120 kg of higher-enriched uranium it requires for producing medical isotopes in Tehran's Research Reactor.

The shipping of Iran's low-enriched uranium to a foreign country was the US and its Western allies' main demand in talks with Tehran on nuclear fuel swap.

In 1995, Russia signed an agreement with Iran to build the plant. Under the deal, the plant was originally scheduled to become operational by 1999 but the completion of the $1 billion project has been frequently delayed.