Law maker congratulates Iran on Bushehr plant opening

A Pakistani law maker and former minister on Tuesday congratulated Iran on preliminary commissioning of Bushehr nuclear power plant. Speaking to IRNA, Senator Lt. Gen (R) Javed Ashraf Qazi of Pakistan Muslim League-Q said that it is democratic right of Iran to acquire peaceful nuclear technology. The Bushehr nuclear power plant joined the national power grid with a capacity of around 60 megawatts at 11:29 p.m. (1859 GMT) Saturday. Iran signed a deal with Russia in 1995, under which the plant was originally scheduled to be completed in 1999, but the completion of the project was delayed. Bushehr operates under the full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has already announced that the facility is quake-proof. Qazi referred to the event as a very positive development in Iran’s nuclear activities. “Technological advancement is right of any country in the world”, he added. The law maker described the pressure on Iran’s nuclear program as unjustified and regretted that the West is against nuclear programs of Muslim countries. Javed Ashraf said that Iran has been assuring the world that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes and it would not be channeled towards nuclear weapons. He said that Iran is a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and has a right to develop peaceful nuclear energy. Former minister said that Iran is the only country that is challenging US hegemony and monopoly. Iran is fully cooperating with the IAEA, he said, adding, “West should respect Iran’s nuclear right”. The senator opined that the world nuclear powers “want to monopolize” technology for their own gain.