Russia downplays nuclear plan with Iran

MOSCOW -- Russian officials tried Friday to smooth over the dispute with the United States over Moscow's nuclear cooperation with Iran, dismissing their own newly released plan to build additional civilian reactors there as merely a draft outlining theoretical possibilities.

Wrapping up several days of talks, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev assured visiting U.S. officials that Moscow was not helping Tehran develop nuclear weapons. ``No cooperation in the nuclear sphere is in place today'' other than construction of a single civilian reactor, Rumyantsev said in a statement afterward.

A 10-year blueprint for expanding economic, political and military cooperation signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov just last week described plans to build five additional nuclear reactors in Iran, infuriating U.S. officials on the eve of their scheduled visit here. But Rumyantsev downplayed the blueprint, saying it ``covers already existing technical opportunities only. Their implementation is contingent upon many factors, including political.''

U.S. officials, who said they raised what one called ``a real big stink'' with their Russian counterparts concerning Iran this week, welcomed Rumyantsev's statement and saw it as an attempt to back down from the blueprint. The officials said they threatened to cut off future joint initiatives with Russia if it builds additional reactors next to the one nearing completion at Bushehr, on the Persian Gulf.

U.S. officials said the Russians they met with expressed surprise at the blueprint. Everyone from Rumyantsev to top economic, industrial and foreign ministry officials insisted they knew nothing about it before it was released on July 26, according to the U.S. officials. If true, it could indicate a rift within the Russian government over Iran policy. Kasyanov left town before the U.S. delegation arrived.

The issue dominated talks involving Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Undersecretary of State John Bolton all week. Abraham canceled a Wednesday news conference with Rumyantsev intended to announce plans for joint ``advanced fuel cycle'' research on how to better reprocess nuclear spent fuel. Although the official explanation given was a schedule change, a top official said it was done to make a point about Iran. ``They need to understand this is serious and that's one way we underscored it,'' he said.

Thursday, Abraham made the point publicly at a separate conference on oil cooperation, saying he had ``insistently urged Russia to cease all nuclear cooperation with Iran.''

Abraham finished his meetings Friday without publicly discussing the agreement on spent fuel research, but Rumyantsev announced it anyway, calling it ``fruitful cooperation in the area of developing advanced nuclear technologies.''