http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIP...07/ldt.01.html (Lou Dobbs show transcript) (from transcript) DOBBS: I suspect you’re not going to believe at the outset a startling new twist in Iran’s ambition to develop nuclear power and weaponry. Unbelievably, the U.S. government has been funding a Russian institute that is working with Iran on nuclear projects. Another clear failure of the American government to protect our national security and it’s absolutely another statement as to the incompetence of our State Department and our foreign policy. Kitty Pilgrim has our report. KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The U.S. Department of Energy is funding two Russian institutes with about $4 million and those institutes help Iran with their nuclear program in Bushehr. Evidence is found in Russian documents obtained by the General Accountability Office. Page after page shows various projects and one page reads “integration of plant-shared equipment at Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant is in progress”. An Energy Department official at the House Energy Committee hearing today had no answers. SAMUEL BODMAN, ENERGY SECRETARY: I have not had time to fully investigate but I have directed the principle deputy of the NNSA, Bill Ostendorf to look into those questions and to report back to me. PILGRIM: He also added Bushehr is a commercial nuclear power plant not military. REP. JOHN DINGELL (D), ENERGY & COMMERCE CHMN.: How, Mr. Secretary, do you then rhyme that statement with what the State Department said when they said this. Iran uses Bushehr as a cover and a protection for obtaining sensitive technology to advance its nuclear weapons program. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With respect to the Bushehr reactor, my understanding is that this is something we — that the president has spoken to President Putin about, that the proliferation issues have been discussed and that reactor remains under IAEA safeguards. PILGRIM: Nuclear nonproliferation experts say Russian help with Bushehr can be used in other projects. HENRY SOKOLSKI, NONPROLIFERATION POLICY ED. CTR.: What the Russians are actually helping to do is to bring a large reactor online which can make scores of bombs worth of plutonium per year and we’re hoping that the Iranians won’t divert any of this material. PILGRIM: The rationale for the Department of Energy program was to pay the salaries of Russian scientists who were left without incomes after the Cold War. The thinking was to keep them on the payroll so they wouldn’t peddle their nuclear expertise to rogue nations like Iran. (continues) <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
