Nuclear supply lands in Iran

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NUCLEAR POWERED: A Russian technician working at the Bushehr nuclear power plant. (AFP)

Russia delivered a fifth consignment of fuel for Iran's first nuclear power plant in the Gulf port of Bushehr on Tuesday, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

"The fifth load of nuclear fuel arrived at the Bushehr plant on Tuesday morning," said a statement from the Organisation for Production and Development of Nuclear Energy quoted by the news agency.

The delivery brings the nuclear fuel supplied by Russia so far to 55 tonnes or two-thirds of the total order of 82 tons, IRNA said.

Previous deliveries were made on December 17 and 28, and January 18 and 20. Three more consignments are due by February according to a timetable agreed by the two sides.

Late last month, foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the Bushehr reactor would be working at 50% capacity by this summer.

But the Russian constructors insist the 1,000-megawatt plant will not go on line until the end of the year.

After delivery of the first shipment of fuel, Russia said Iran no longer needed to pursue its own uranium enrichment, a message repeated by US president George W. Bush.

Tehran has defied successive UN Security Council ultimatums to suspend enrichment prompting two sets of UN sanctions.

The five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - plus Germany were due to meet in Berlin later on Tuesday to discuss US calls for a third round of sanctions.

The Western powers fear that Iran's nuclear programme is cover for a drive to develop a bomb, a charge Tehran strongly denies.

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