Bushehr plant opening delayed

An Iranian lawmaker saysthe country's first nuclear power plant in southern port of Bushehr faces more delays because of money demands from Russia. Asgar Jalalian, a member ofthe Iranian parliament's special committee on the plant said Monday Iran has already paid at least twice the expected costs for the 1,000 megawatt plant. He said the committee doubts the plant will come on line by August, as promised. Russia's Rosatom is building the facility Moscow and Tehran signed a US$1 billion contract to start building Bushehr in 1995. Its 1999 completion date has been repeatedly pushed back. In June, Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said theplant was finished and could begin generating electricity in August. The Bushehr plant has faced repeated delays, angering Tehran and fuelling speculation that Moscow has used it as a lever in diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program, which the United States and others say they fear is afront for weapons development.