MOSCOW Ñ Russian nuclear experts here warned that Iran's Russian-made Bushehr
nuclear reactor could be used for the production of nuclear weapons regardless of
international monitoring.
They also said that that the training in nuclear technology now being given by Moscow to hundreds of Iranian engineers provides a major strategic boost to Teheran's nuclear weapons development program.
President Bush signed a pact with Russian leader Vladimir Putin here on Friday to slash their nuclear warheads, but warned Moscow it risked turning "terrorist sponsor" Iran into a nuclear-armed state. Putin disagreed.
"Cooperation between Russia and Iran is not of a character that would undermine the process of non-proliferation," he told a news conference.
Maxim Shingarkin, a leading Russian nuclear expert, told a Moscow
seminar on May 20 that Iran has been sold a Russian nuclear reactor that can
be used to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Iran has bought the VVR-1000
nuclear reactor for the Bushehr facility in an $800 million deal and
operations are expected to begin by 2005, Middle East Newsline reported..
"The reactor is a source of neutrons," Shingarkin said. "I tell you that
any VVR-1000 reactor can be used to produce Ñ without authorization and
without the IAEA specialists knowing it Ñ weapons-grade plutonium. There
are no engineering or technical complexities and the task is realistic."
Shingarkin was referring to the planned inspections of Bushehr by the
International Atomic Energy Agency. He said Iran could use the Bushehr
reactor to complete its nuclear weapons program without proceeding with
plans to purchase another three Russian nuclear facilities.
"They will return to us all the spent nuclear fuel and will produce
plutonium," Shingarkin said, "and Russia will get in its southern underbelly
yet another state with nuclear weapons and Islamic fundamentalism and it
will be a big problem for the Russian Federation. This is the actual
position."
The experts said Russia has not held its allies to agreements for the
return of spent nuclear fuel produced by reactors sold by Moscow. They
pointed to Finland and Slovakia, which have retained spent nuclear fuel
despite a commitment to the IAEA.
"You understand that all programs of countries that now have nuclear
arms started with some nuclear research assembly or from a nuclear research
reactor or with a block of atomic plants," Vladimir Kuznetsov, director of
the nuclear and radiation safety program of
the Russian Green Cross, told the seminar. "Israel has not a single atomic
plant of its own. It was similar, this country had and has its own nuclear
explosive devices. There are neither IAEA safeguards or safeguards of some
other organizations."
"So far there is no sense in talking about IAEA's other guarantees with
regard to certain plants because most of them carry out both civilian and
military research but considering that they also are employed in military
programs, they are not under the safeguards," Kuznetsov said.
Kuznetsov said Teheran will obtain the greatest benefit from the Bushehr
deal through Russia's training of Iranian nuclear personnel. Western
intelligence sources said more than 700 Iranian engineers are being trained
by Moscow in nuclear technology.
"It is through trained personnel and transfer of nuclear technologies to
it that some countries sooner or later will possess nuclear explosive
devices," he said.
Kuznetsov cited the Israeli bombing of the Osirak reactor in 1981. He
said after the Israeli attack Russian experts quickly dismantled Iraqi
nuclear facilities and returned spent nuclear fuel to Moscow.
A Russian parliamentarian, Sergei Mitrokhin, said his Yabloko faction
has maintained its opposition to the Bushehr deal. Mitrokhin said the
nuclear sale does not provide any advantages to Russia.
"As regards Iran, it is not acceptable, in our view, to keep any fuel
there at all. But we are opposed to the very project to build an atomic
station in Iran," the Duma member said. "It is because in our opinion the
project simply means a loss for Russia and will not give any advantages to
it."
