VOA标准英语2009-Russia Announces Delay of Controversial Iran

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
16 November 2009

Russia says the controversial Bushehr nuclear power plant it is helping¹ build in Iran will not go into service by the end of the year as planned. The announcement comes a day after President Dmitri Medvedev said his country is not completely satisfied with the pace of Iran's international dialogue about its nuclear program.

 
The reactor² building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran (File)
Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko told reporters in Moscow his country expects serious results at Bushehr by the end of 2009, but the launch itself will not take place. He said the decision is driven by technical considerations, not politics.

Shmatko had just returned from Singapore, where he accompanied President Medvedev on this weekend's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. Mr. Medvedev discussed the Iranian nuclear program there in a separate meeting Sunday with U.S. President Barack Obama. Mr. Obama urged Tehran to agree to a U.N. proposal to ship its uranium abroad for processing, adding that time for diplomacy³ on the issue is running out. The Russian leader said the purpose of the negotiating process with Iran is to obtain clear guarantees about the transparency of its nuclear program.

Mr. Medvedev says Moscow is not completely satisfied with the pace of the negotiating process. He says Russia counts on reaching agreements resulting from the process discussed earlier, and also on a peaceful Iranian nuclear program that will not raise so many questions with Russia and the international community.

Iran has not given a clear response to a U.N. proposal to send uranium to Russia and France for enrichment. The proposal is aimed at preventing Iran from diverting nuclear fuel to build nuclear weapons. Russia has helped Iran construct the 1,000 megawatt Bushehr plant.

The United States and other Western nations accuse Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. Tehran says its nuclear program is designed to produce electricity.

Alexander Pasechnik, research director at Russia's National Energy Security Fund, told VOA the Bushehr facility is nearly complete. He says the launch delay at this late stage appears political rather than technical, since it comes just a day after Presidents Obama and Medvedev discussed the issue in Singapore.

Pasechnik says there are political [risks] of continuing instability involving the enrichment question. He adds that Russia is seeking to balance American interests with its own commercial interests in Iran.

During her visit to Moscow in October, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States and Russia agree on the importance of pursuing diplomacy toward Iran. Clinton said it was not yet time for additional sanctions against that country, noting the United States continues to believe they might be needed if diplomacy fails. Russia has been reluctant to impose sanctions.

1 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

2 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。