Iran, Russia reaffirm strategic ties
Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
NICOSIA [MENL] -- Iran and Russia have reaffirmed their strategic ties and
pledged to continue military programs that Western intelligence sources
assert include the development of intermediate-range missiles and nuclear
weapons.
Moscow and Teheran will continue to expand their strategic ties, Iranian
officials said. They rejected that the military programs would violate any
arms control treaties signed by Teheran.
On Monday, Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Mehdi Safari, said Teheran
regards its ties with Russia as strategic. He told a Moscow conference that
marked 40 years of diplomatic relations that Iran regards as a priority its
relations with Russia.
The ambassador said the two countries coordinate on policy in the Gulf
as well as in Central Asia. This includes cooperation in peace efforts in
Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The two countries are also coordinating on
energy projects in the Caspian sea.
Safari stressed the joint Iranian-Russian cooperation in the
construction of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr. He said he expected
the work to be completed by 2002.
In response to criticism of Iranian-Russian ties, Safari said Teheran
will honor its international agreements on the non-proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction. Western intelligence sources said Russia has made
significant progress in developing Iran's capability in intermediate- and
long-range missiles.
Russia is also the prime contractor in construction of the Bushehr
nuclear reactor. The reactor is meant to be under inspection of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
But Western intelligence sources said Bushehr is a cover for a secret
Iranian nuclear weapons program aided by Russia. They said Iran has managed
to conceal its nuclear weapons program from international inspection and
could achieve nuclear capability by 2005.
Leon Fuerth, national security adviser to Vice President Al Gore, who
heads a U.S. committee to discuss proliferation issues with Moscow, said the
United States has launched an intensive effort to stop the Russian transfer
of missile and nuclear technology. "Russia is opposed to the proliferation
of weapons of mass destruction," Fuerth said. "It is the execution that is
the problem. Now, we have worked with them persistently. We have a degree of
progress in the area of ballistic missile technology with things left to be
done. We have ongoing and serious concerns on the nuclear side. And these
are matters that [National Security Adviser] Sandy [Berger] was pursuing in
Moscow, and that the president will pursue when he sees President Putin."
Fuerth told the Washington Institute for Near East Policy on Friday that
Russia has bet its safety on the premise that "they could buy long-term
Iranian friendship, and that Iran would not make trouble for Russia in the
vulnerable parts of its former range; and that in places like Chechnya Iran
would back off; and that they also had common concerns with the Iranians
about the Taliban and so on upon which they could concert action. For that,
if you want to call it strategic reason, I think they have had an interest
in making sure that the Iranians felt that Russia would be sympathetic to
their requirements."
Wednesday, May 24, 2000
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