Posted on 08/01/2002 4:53:18 PM PDT by Pokey78
AMERICA and Russia clashed yesterday over new Russian plans to build five more nuclear reactors in Iran, which Washington claims will be used by the Islamic republic to develop nuclear weapons. Spencer Abraham, the US Energy Secretary, speaking on an official visit to Moscow, said that America’s objections had been raised at the “highest levels”, indicating that President Bush had taken the matter directly to the Kremlin. Until yesterday’s comments from Mr Abraham, top US officials had been silent on the plans, which were quietly announced on the Russian Government’s official website last week. Diplomatic sources say that the US had probably been too stunned to comment. Mr Abraham, however, indicated that behind the scenes a full-scale row was now taking place. “No one should be under any impression that we treat this as anything except of the utmost concern and those concerns have been frankly directed during our meetings here. We are in the middle of sensitive discussions on this matter,” he said. Mr Bush accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism and earlier this year listed Iran with Iraq and North Korea as members of an “axis of evil” that threatened US national security. In May, he warned Moscow that its project to build a nuclear reactor at the Bushehr facility on the Gulf coast would be used by the Iranians to develop weapons of mass destruction; the Russians and Iranians refuted the claim. The new plans envisage three more reactors at the Bushehr site and another two at a new power station at Akhvaz, about 65 miles from the Iraqi border. The new plans for expanded nuclear co-operation with Iran have soured the atmosphere, between the two states, the more so because the US thought it had received assurances that Russia’s nuclear relationship with Iran was coming to an end. Earlier in the year, Russia’s Atomic Energy Minister said that nuclear co-operation with Iran would probably conclude with the Bushehr project and as recently as July 9, Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, said that the US and Russia were making progress on the Iran-Russia nuclear issue. American fears have been seconded by Israel, which in 1981 sent bombers to destroy a nuclear reactor near Baghdad. Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, predicted recently that Iran would be a nuclear power by 2005. A commentary in Tuesday’s Tehran Times said that Iran would retaliate against any attack on its civil nuclear facilities. Russian and Iranian officials are to sign off on the plans at a meeting in Iran in September. Mr Abraham said that the Bush Administration was in no doubt that Iran’s real purpose in expanding its civil nuclear capabilities was to procure technology for nuclear weapons, particularly since Iran’s vast natural energy reserves vitiated the need for nuclear power stations. “We’ve long been concerned that Iran’s only interest in nuclear civil power given its vast mass of domestic energy resources is to support its nuclear weapons programme. For that reason we have consistently urged Russia to cease all nuclear co-operation with Iran including its assistance to the reactor in Bushehr.”
This could get ugly.
Naive, gullible American officialdom actually trusted the Russians to take American interests to heart. It seems they have to learn the hard way that Russia cannot to be trusted. Russia has always had ambitions for world power and influence and they show no inclination to change that. The first place they start is Central Asia -- their own back yard.
I don't think there's much of a way Russia is going to play power politics on this..is strictly a cash deal.
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