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Delay of atomic energy minister`s visit to Iran purely technical

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Moscow, Feb 14, Itar-Tass/ACSNA/IRNA -- The decision to postpone the 
Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev`s visit to Iran 
has no political background and the reasons for the decision are 
purely technical. 
"Documents related with the contract on the return of spent 
nuclear fuel to Russia from Iran`s Bushehr nuclear power plant have 
not been finalized yet," Rumyantsev said. 
"Originally it was expected that Russia`s TVEL corporation -- the 
monopoly producer and provider of nuclear fuel and Iran`s Atomic 
Energy Organization will draft a contract for the removal of spent 
nuclear fuel from the Bushehr nuclear plant by the middle of February.
However, the price to be charged for keeping spent nuclear fuel is 
still to be agreed on. The differences may be settled within two or 
three weeks," Rumyantsev said. 
The Russian Atomic Energy Minister`s visit to Tehran for talks on 
completing the construction of the first reactor at the Bushehr 
nuclear power plant, originally scheduled for the middle of February, 
has been postponed till early March. 
In the course of his talks in Tehran, Rumyantsev will meet with 
his Iranian counterpart to review progress in the construction of 
Bushehr`s first reactor. 
Russian Atomic Energy Ministry spokesman Nikolai Shingaryov has 
told Tass assembly and tune-up work is nearing completion on the 
premises at the first reactor. 
"The unit`s degree of completion is 90 percent," Shingaryov said. 
"The Russian company TVEL has produced fuel for the first reactor 
already and it will be delivered to Iran as soon as the spent nuclear 
fuel repatriation protocol has been signed." 
/AH/210 
End