XIANG-GANG (Hong Kong), April 5 (RIA Novosti) - Several countries have shown interest in a Russian proposal to open international centers to enrich uranium on its territory, a source with the country's nuclear-technology exporter said Wednesday.
"I can say that more than one country, including Asian nations, said they were interested," said the source in Techsnabexport, the state-controlled uranium supplier and provider of uranium enrichment services.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready to open international uranium enrichment centers after Iran said it would resume uranium enrichment in January. The Russian leaders said the offer would be open on a non-discriminatory basis, under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN's nuclear watchdog.
Uranium enrichment is part of a nuclear cycle that can be used for generating energy and for creating bomb-grade material.
The source said foreign companies were willing to agree to Russia's main requirement to open the uranium enrichment centers on Russian territory.
"The countries concerned said they were ready to accept Russia's condition, which is part of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations assumed in the Group of Eight," the source said.
Russia holds the presidency of the club of the world's most industrialized nations this year and has made energy security one of the main points of the agenda.
However, the Techsnabexport official said consultations were only beginning, and commercial negotiations were still a long way off.
"Proposals to set up bilateral joint ventures are progressing faster than plans to open multilateral international centers under the control of the IAEA," he concluded.
