Posted on 12/24/2005 3:26:38 PM PST by presidio9
Moscow told Iran on Saturday it remained ready to build a joint venture plant to enrich uranium in Russia, just days after an EU diplomat said Tehran had dismissed the compromise plan at talks in Vienna.
The plan, which would allow Tehran to establish a civilian nuclear energy programme but transfer enrichment to Russia, is aimed at ending a stalemate between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear programmes.
"The Russian embassy in Tehran gave to the Iranian side an official note saying that the previous Russian proposal of the creation ... of a joint Russian-Iranian company to enrich uranium remains in force," the Foreign Ministry said.
"The proposal is Russia's input in looking for a mutually acceptable decision to settle the problem of the Iranian nuclear pogramme via political and diplomatic methods," it said on its Web site www.mid.ru.
The West suspects Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian programme. Iran denies that, saying it wants only to generate electricity and that it has the right to carry out enrichment on its own soil.
European powers Britain, Germany and France last Wednesday reopened talks with Iran in Vienna and said the dialogue would resume in January, halting a spiral into confrontation.
Iranian delegate Mohammad Mehdi Akhonzadeh said his side urged the EU3 to "act on the proposition that enrichment will be conducted inside" the Islamic republic. Any other option, he said, was "unacceptable" and "an insult" to Iranian sovereignty.
An EU diplomat, indicating the idea was all but dead, said after the talks that Tehran had again dismissed the Russian compromise plan.
Russia is already building Iran's first nuclear power plant at Bushehr in southern Iran, a lucrative $1 billion business.
The United States fears that weapons grade plutonium could be extracted from the Bushehr reactor once it goes on line.
Moscow has said it saw no evidence Iran is bent on assembling nuclear arms and has generally supported Tehran's nuclear plan.
But it condemned Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for expressing doubts about the Holocaust -- the killing of 6 million Jews by the Nazis in World War Two.
For two years EU powers have been offering Iran trade incentives if it gave up enrichment work. But they froze talks in August when Iran resumed uranium-ore processing, which it had shelved after U.N. sleuths found an 18-year-old, covert nuclear programme.
The EU wants to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council, but Russia and China, which also has energy and weapons interests in Iran, blocked the decision.
The U.S. should extend the same offer to Chechnya. Watch the fur fly.
The Russians seem to becoming more and more suicidal. Maybe they are just trying to trigger a nuclear war so that they will have an excuse to wipe out the entire Muslim world. Seems like a pretty damn foolish way to do it though.
Yes. This and the fact that they are providing the Chinese with state of the art Submarines and other vessels. I guess in their narrow view it's easier to arm your potential enemies than actually concentrate on domestic infrastructure and economic development.
They have the strategy feed the alligator and hope you are eaten last. Oh well glad we have nukes if the sh!t hits the fan and we get destroyed china,russia, and iran will cease to exist as well.
Go ahead, make my day.
-America
We are still fighting a proxy war with the Russians. How about we offer Chechnya, Ukraine and some others on the near abroad with their nuclear program. Maybe if Reagan were still alive and President we'd introduce some Pershing missles into those countries as a counter-balance.
This is simply about who controls the pawns. Russia let us have Iraq but they will be sure to keep Iran for themselves.
We should recall the Russians view agreements as paper to burn.
Hmmmm. I'd guess that if Russia and Iran proceed, that the better way forward for the U.S. would be to start building similarly "controlled" nuclear power stations all over eastern Iraq. MAybe have them copy the old Chernobyl design? I bet the Armenians might like one or two of them? Georgia? Afghanistan kicked their ass even without nukes... so they might need a couple to power Kabul? Every one of the Gulf States should have at least a couple. Think of all the petrol saved by converting the oil fields to nuke powered electricity? I mean, if they're going to be stupid about it, we might as well be stupid ENOUGH about it to REALLY make the point?
Actually, this proposal (a joint venture plant to enrich uranium in Russia) is acceptable. It goes further than earlier proposals that suggested enrichment in Russia, but I doubt that Tehran will say yes.
Any venture assisting the current Iranian Islamic dictatorship in not in the interest of the free world.
When it comes to the Mullah's Iran, the older the Chernobyl design - the better :)
The purpose is to defuse the situation, and remove the nuclear problem.
The only feasible way to defuse the problem is the removal of the current Islamic tyrants ruling Iran.
Coalition troops serving in Iraq & Afghanistan will also be benefit once the jihadist exporting régime collapses.
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