• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

DATE=11/25/98
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-242144
TITLE=RUSSIA / IRAN / NUCLEAR (L ONLY)
BYLINE=GIL BUTLER
 DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO:  RUSSIA'S MINISTER OF NUCLEAR ENERGY HAS GIVEN MORE  
DETAILS OF HIS COUNTRY'S CONTRACT TO BUILD NUCLEAR POWER  
STATIONS FOR IRAN -- DESPITE OBJECTIONS OF THE UNITED STATES AND 
ISRAEL.  V-O-A'S GIL BUTLER REPORTS FROM MOSCOW.
TEXT:  NUCLEAR ENERGY MINISTER YEGENY ADAMOV TOLD A MOSCOW NEWS 
CONFERENCE THAT IRAN HAS ASKED RUSSIA TO PREPARE A FEASIBILITY 
STUDY  FOR THREE MORE NUCLEAR REACTORS AT BUSHEHR.  RUSSIAN 
WORKERS ARE NOW CONSTRUCTING A SINGLE ONE-THOUSAND MEGAWATT 
REACTOR AT THE GULF PORT FOR ABOUT 800-MILLION DOLLARS.
MR. ADAMOV SAYS IRAN BELIEVES THE WORK ON THE FIRST REACTOR WILL 
BE COMPLETED AND, HE SAYS, THEIR PROPOSAL FOR THREE MORE, PROVES 
THEY ARE SERIOUS.
HE SAYS THE THREE ADDITIONAL REACTORS WOULD COST BETWEEN THREE 
AND FOUR-BILLION DOLLARS.
THE UNITED STATES HAS LONG ARGUED AGAINST GIVING IRAN NUCLEAR  
TECHNOLOGY THAT MIGHT BE USED TO DEVELOP WEAPONS.  BUT THE  
RUSSIAN MINISTER INSISTS THE STATION IS ONLY FOR PEACEFUL 
GENERATION OF ELECTRICITY.  HE COMPARED IT TO THE PLANNED LIGHT 
WATER NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS THE UNITED STATES AND OTHERS ARE TO 
SUPPLY NORTH KOREA IF IT ABANDONS NUCLEAR WEAPONS AMBITIONS.
         ///  ADAMOV ACT - IN RUSSIAN - FADE UNDER  ///
MR. ADAMOV SAYS THE BUILDING OF THE NUCLEAR STATION DOES  NOT  
INCREASE IRAN'S NUCLEAR POTENTIAL.. THAT IS ABSOLUTELY OBVIOUS HE
SAYS, AND THE UNITED STATES THEMSELVES, WHILE WISHING TO CHECK 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR POTENTIAL, SUGGESTED 
BUILDING THERE NEW PLANTS -- OF THE SAME TYPE THAT RUSSIA IS 
BUILDING IN IRAN.
LATER, MR. ADAMOV'S DEPUTY, VIKTOR MIKHAILOV, TOLD REPORTERS THAT
EVEN  IF IRAN DECIDED TO START A NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM, IT 
WOULD TAKE -- IN HIS WORDS -- 10, 15, OR 20 YEARS TO DEVELOP 
NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
MR. ADAMOV SAID WORK ON THE FIRST REACTOR IS GOING FULL SPEED  
AFTER BEING STALLED UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF THIS YEAR.  BOTH IRAN  
AND RUSSIA HAVE SAID THEY EXPECT THE BUSHEHR PLANT TO BE 
COMMISSIONED NEXT YEAR.  (SIGNED)
NEB/MGB/JWH
25-Nov-98 11:03 AM EST (1603 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.