MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian foreign minister said Thursday that the presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Iran is the only way to maintain a nuclear non-proliferation regime in the country.
"Russia is interested in the strongest consolidation of the regime of the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, above all nuclear weapons, and is convinced that further IAEA activities in Iran will help achieve this goal," Sergei Lavrov said after a meeting with IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
The minister also said the United States had no reason to decry construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran.
"The U.S. side can have no claims against the Russian-Iranian cooperation on the construction of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr that fully complies with Russia's and Iran's international obligations and is being controlled by the IAEA," Lavrov said, adding that the plant poses no threats to the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
The first power-generating unit of the plant in Bushehr is to be commissioned by the end of 2006. Russia will supply nuclear fuel to Bushehr and take back the nuclear waste.
