MOSCOW, December 11 (RIA Novosti) - The new draft of a UN Security Council resolution calls for sanctions against Iran but does not affect a Russian project to build the country's first nuclear power plant, Russia's foreign minister said Monday.
European powers have drawn up new proposals on sanctions against the Islamic Republic for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment, following objections from Russia and China, key economic partners of Tehran, who considered the previous draft to be excessively harsh.
"The new draft limits supplies of uranium enrichment, fuel reprocessing, heavy water reactor, and delivery technologies to Iran," Sergei Lavrov said.
He said the draft, written by Germany, France, and Great Britain, does not contain any provisions on the $1 billion Bushehr nuclear power plant that Russia is building in southern Iran.
"There is no question of any restrictions with respect to this project," he said.
Iran has been at the center of international concerns over its nuclear program, which some countries suspect is a covert program to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran has consistently denied the claims, and says it needs nuclear power for civilian purposes. Russia has consistently supported Tehran's right to nuclear power under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Russia's nuclear chief is now in Tehran for talks on finishing the construction of the Bushehr NPP, which is expected to go on line in late 2007.
Sergei Kiriyenko will lead Moscow's delegation at a meeting of the Russian-Iranian intergovernmental trade and economic commission later in the day. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki will head the Iranian delegation.
