DEPUTY RUSSIAN PM DENIES MILITARY NUKE COOPERATION WITH IRAN

February 13, 1999 - 0:0
Meanwhile, Russia once again denied any form of cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in helping Iran acquire advanced nuclear technology for the production of weapons of mass destructions. Russian Deputy Premier Vladimir Bulgak told Interfax in Moscow Thursday that the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia are jointly cooperating in the construction of the nuclear power plant for peaceful use and has nothing to do with military applications.

No comparison can be made between the nuclear power plant in Bushehr and that of a military nuclear center, highlighted Bulgak. The deputy prime minister said that Russia believed in the concept of nuclear non-proliferation and that will decisively prevent any form of transfer and proliferation of any and all forms of advanced nuclear technology." The U.S. efforts to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear power plant is due to the fact that it wants Russia to be out of the market in supplying equipment and services to the nuclear power plants, Bulgak stated.

If Russia decides not to construct the nuclear power plant, others will definitely do so, the Russian official concluded. According to Interfax both Russia and Iran have entered into $800 million agreement for the construction of the nuclear power plant.