Iran to Manufacture N. Reactor in 8 Years

19 Dec 2007

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8609270622

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Saeedi here Tuesday said his country will be able to manufacture nuclear reactors and medium-size power plants in 8 years.

"If you intend to have nuclear power plants, there need to be a combination of importing the technology from other countries and building other power plants domestically, and this is an established model in the world," Saeedi said during a television interview with Channel 2 of Iran's state-run TV.

"We will join the countries which manufacture nuclear reactors and medium-size power plants within the next 8 years and this achievement will be gained through a practice of the said international model, that is purchasing and building," he added.

The remarks by the nuclear official followed some recent statements calling for a suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment activities due to nuclear fuel imports from Russia.

Saeedi viewed delivery of the nuclear fuel as a "success" for the Iranian nation, but meantime underlined that the issue has nothing to do with Iran's uranium enrichment activities.

He stressed that efforts by the West to halt Iran's nuclear progress through a prevention of Tehran's uranium enrichment activities are based on an "out-dated analysis", stressing that the Islamic Republic would continue with nuclear fuel production at home.

The official also reminded that Iran's previous nuclear cooperation contracts with the western world, including Germany and France, were not respected by the other side, saying that Europeans halted cooperation since the onset of the Islamic Revolution and refrained from even returning the money of the Iranian nation.

He also reminded that while Iran is a shareholder of a nuclear fuel production complex in France, Paris has always refrained from delivering fuel to Iran, concluding that Iran needs to produce its own nuclear fuel in a bid to secure continued operation of its power plants, otherwise exporters can lay pressure on Iran and threaten to stop deliveries in a bid to get whatever concessions they desire.

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