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Iran blames Russians for N-plant delays
That's it, bite the hand that feeds you.
TEHERAN - A senior Iranian nuclear official on Monday blamed Russian contractors for delays in building Iran’s first nuclear power plant, saying they lacked the required “technical capabilities”, a news agency reported.

But hours later in Moscow, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, made clear that despite his grievances, nuclear cooperation with Moscow would continue and possibly expand.
"Please don't cut us off!"
The Bushehr power plant in southwest Iran was supposed to start up in early 2006 but has faced several delays. Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia’s atomic energy agency, said this month that it was now likely to start up in September 2007.

“I believe the current contractor lacks the necessary technical capabilities,” Aghazadeh was quoted by students news agency ISNA as saying shortly before leaving for Moscow. “It was clear from the beginning that it (the contractor) was incapable, but we had to sign with the Russian contractor because we had no other alternative,” he said, adding that construction could be completed in six months.
Russian nuclear engineering, from the people who brought you Chernobyl and the Tupolev.
Critics say that the $1 billion Bushehr project and Russia’s hopes of taking part in tenders for several more similar power plants, has been a major incentive for Moscow to support Teheran.

“Relations between Russia and Iran are very important for us,” Aghazadeh told Kiriyenko at the start of their meeting in Moscow. “We will focus on the completion of the Bushehr plant and also on cooperation in the nuclear power sector,” he added.
Posted by: Steve White 2006-09-26
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=166869