MOSCOW. Nov 8 (Interfax-AVN) - A prominent Russian lawmaker refuted on Thursday the claims that Russia and Iran were violating international rules of nuclear cooperation.
Andrei Nikolayev, defense committee chairman in the State Duma lower house of parliament, spoke to reporters after a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Russia Gholamreza Shafei in Moscow.
In accordance with the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, the nations declaring rejection from development of their own nuclear weapons and their placement on their territory, must be granted access to peaceful nuclear technologies by other nations, Nikolayev recalled. Russia and Iran are acting in line with this provision.
"Accusers" should look at themselves, as the U.S. Export Control Bureau's 1999 financial year report indicates numerous violations of nuclear non-proliferation regimes by American companies, the lawmaker said. The chairman of a corresponding committee in the U.S. House of Representatives also confirmed the drain of U.S. secret technologies abroad, he stressed.
Shafei backed Nikolayev's position saying that U.S. actions against development of peaceful nuclear technologies in Iran have two aims - to impede progress in Ran and to prevent the country's closer relations with Russia. Besides, the United States obviously does not want strengthening of Russia's positions in the region which is expected to become the world's main source of energy resources by 2010 to 2020, the ambassador said.