| The US Permanent Representative to the UN and the current Chairman of the UN Security Council, John Bolton, handed over to his Security Council colleagues on Tuesday an IAEA information package on Iran's nuclear program. There is no talk of any sanctions against Iran yet. On February 24, the head of Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko, will go to Tehran. Yesterday he noted that the international community has “no questions” about the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which is being built by Russian specialists. On February 16, Deputy Head of the Iranian Security Council Javad Vaidi will arrive in Moscow. He will discuss Russia's proposal to create a joint venture on its territory to enrich uranium for Iran's nuclear power industry. This proposal, according to the general opinion of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union, can become the basis for resolving the conflict. According to Mr. Kiriyenko, Iran “can become a co-founder of the joint venture, but will not gain access to nuclear technologies.” Tehran has already asked the IAEA to remove controls from several of its facilities that are not under supervision under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by mid-February.
US Vice President Dick Cheney believes, however, that in fact the Iranians do not like Moscow’s initiative on the fuel joint venture, since “they want to enrich uranium on their own” and thus achieve the creation of nuclear weapons. Therefore, Cheney does not rule out “any course of action” to resolve the crisis. Alexander SAMOKHOTKIN | |
