Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran to start work on schedule

[Kshasty]

The Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran will go into operation by the end of the summer, the head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (Rosatom) said on Wednesday.

"The preparation of the Bushehr nuclear power plant for its launch is going according to plan. The launch has been set for the end of the summer, and we are on schedule," Sergei Kiriyenko said.
Speaking at a news conference, he also said Russia could build a nuclear power plant in Syria.

The launch date for Bushehr has been postponed many times for financial and technical reasons. Iranian officials have claimed that Russia was reluctant to finish the facility due to UN sanctions and concerns voiced by world powers that the plant is part of a covert nuclear weapons program.

The United States and other Western countries suspect Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program and are seeking new sanctions following Iran's move to enrich uranium to 20%.

Russia has consistently said the dispute should be resolved through diplomatic means, but has increasingly expressed a willingness to consider sanctions.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20100512/158986437.html