Iran, Belarus talking nuclear power

By · August 20, 2008

Iran is ready to help Belarus advance its peaceful nuclear program.

“We are ready to discuss any Belarusian proposals” in this sphere, the Belarusian official news agency BELTA quoted the Iranian ambassador to Minsk, Abdolhamid Fekri, as saying.

Belarus is planning to build its first atomic power plant by 2016.

Officials of the former Soviet republic have been in discussions with the Russian company Rosatom and the French company Areva over the possibility of their participation in the project.

On Wednesday, Fekri met with the speaker of the upper chamber of the Belarusian parliament, Gennadii Novitsky. Belarus and Iran hold similar views on international issues, Novitsky said, thus enabling the two countries to cooperate.

Meanwhile, a Belarusian delegation headed by the deputy minister of foreign affairs is in Libya. Victor Gaisenok reportedly is discussing new bilateral relations with Libyan political official Abdul al-Ati al-Obeidi, notably the improvement of economic cooperation.

The trip wraps up Wednesday.

For the past several years, Belarus has courted improved ties with Arab states. Some Belarusian political experts say this could negatively influence the country’s desire to build closer relations with Israel.

Earlier this month, President Alexander Lukashenko declared that Belarus must improve cooperation in all spheres with Israel.