Iranian and Russian engineers began loading fuel on Saturday into Irans first nuclear power plant,which Moscow has pledged to safeguard to prevent material at the site from being used in any potential weapons production. After years of delays,the fueling of the Bushehr plant in southern Iran marks the startup of a facility for energy production that the US once hoped to block as a way to pressure the country to stop separate nuclear activities of far greater concern. Even as Irans nuclear chief said the plant demonstrated the countrys peaceful aims,he celebrated it as a defiant symbol of Iranian resistance and patience in the face of Western pressure. Despite all pressure,sanctions and hardships imposed by Western nations,we are now witnessing the startup of the largest symbol of Irans peaceful nuclear activities, Ali Akbar Salehi said. Russia,which helped finish building Bushehr,has pledged to prevent spent nuclear fuel at the site from being shifted to a possible weapons programme. Moscow says it believes the Bushehr project is essential for persuading Iran to cooperate with international efforts to ensure Iran does not develop the bomb. On Saturday,a first truckload of fuel was taken from a storage site to a fuel pool inside the reactor building under the watch of monitors from the UNs International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA said that it is taking the appropriate verification measures in line with its established safeguards procedures. Over the next two weeks,163 fuel assemblies equal to 80 tonnes of fuel will be moved inside the building and then into the reactor core. It will be another two months before the 1,000-MW light-water reactor is pumping electricity to Iranian cities. Of greater concern to the West,however,are Irans stated plans to build 10 new uranium enrichment sites inside protected mountain strongholds. Iran said recently it will begin construction on the first one in March. I thank the Russian government. which cooperated with the great Iranian nation and registered their name in Islamic Irans golden history, Salehi said. Today is a historic day and will be remembered in history. He spoke at a news conference with the head of Russias state-run nuclear corporation,Sergei Kiriyenko. The countdown to the Bushehr nuclear power plant has started, Kiriyenko said. Congratulations.
