Udomlya (Tver Region), 25 October: Russia is ready to cooperate with the leading EU states in the implementation of Iran's nuclear energy programme, Aleksandr Rumyantsev, head of the Russian atomic energy agency, told an ITAR-TASS correspondent during his visit to the Kalinin nuclear power plant today.

In his words, "at present, Russia, within the framework of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and together with its western partners in possession of nuclear technology, is propagating the idea of the creation of an international fuel cycle to assist those countries that are building or want to build nuclear power stations". Cooperation with the UK, France and Germany in the sphere of Iran's nuclear programme "fits into this idea very well", Rumyantsev said.

The head of Russian atomic energy agency pointed out that, at the moment, "our specialists are working on five nuclear power generating sets: two in China, two in India and one in Iran".

"Our potential in Iran and level of cooperation between our two countries in the sphere of nuclear technology is quite high," he said. Russia, in accordance with the bilateral intergovernmental treaty, "will complete the construction of the first power generating set of Iran's nuclear power plant Bushehr in 2005. At the moment, Russia is also considering the construction of the second energy generating set of the same power station. Iran's authorities plan to build 10 energy generating sets within the next 20 years," Rumyantsev pointed out.

He stressed that member states of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, including Iran, "undoubtedly have the right to develop their peaceful nuclear energy and for the construction of nuclear power plants". For the implementation of large-scale nuclear programmes such as Iran's, Russia is ready, together with its western partners and under the control of the IAEA, "to build nuclear power stations, guarantee their fuel supplies and take back spent nuclear fuel for disposal and recycling", Rumyantsev said.

He pointed out that "nuclear energy markets in India and Iran are so vast that there will be enough work for all the countries in possession of nuclear technology for many years to come in this century".