Iran says nuclear talks to resume on April 13

Tehran:  Long-stalled talks between Iran and world powers are to be revived on April 13 at a place yet to be agreed, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi announced on Wednesday.
"The date has been set, but the negotiations for the venue are still ongoing," Salehi told AFP.
"Turkey has announced its readiness to host the talks, and my personal priority is Istanbul," he added.
The talks carry hopes of defusing a tense international showdown over Iran's nuclear activities that has sent oil prices soaring.
Israel has brandished the threat of possible military action against Iran's nuclear sites, while the United States has put its energies into sanctions and diplomacy but has not ruled out the military option.
Salehi made his announcement as he welcomed Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Tehran for a two-day visit focusing on Iran's nuclear programme and bilateral ties.
On Erdogan's arrival, Salehi told the official Islamic Republic News Agency that the next round of the talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group comprising the United States, Russia, France, Britain, China and Germany would take place on April 13.
Speaking to AFP, Salehi said that a "suggestion" from the P5+1 for a venue had been received and was being studied, and that the location "will be announced soon."
He did not say what venue had been proposed by the world powers.
The last round, held in Istanbul in 2011, ended in failure. The round before that, in 2010, was in Geneva.
In Brussels, a European diplomat confirmed to AFP that the next round of negotiations would start on April 13 but that a location had not yet been agreed.
Turkey's ambassador to Tehran was quoted by Iran's Press TV as saying: "Turkey stands ready to host the talks between Iran and the P5+1 group, but everything depends on an agreement between Iran and the P5+1."
Erdogan arrived in Tehran from South Korea, where he had attended a nuclear security summit with other world leaders including US President Barack Obama.
Salehi did not directly respond to an AFP question about whether Erdogan was carrying any message from Obama to Iran's leaders, saying: "So far we've only talked about bilateral issues."
Obama on Monday warned in Seoul that "time is short" for a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Iran.
"Iran must act with the seriousness and sense of urgency that this moment demands," he said.
Erdogan, who was accompanied by several key ministers and intelligence and military officials, was to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his visit, Iranian officials said.
Turkey relies on Iran for 30 per cent of its oil imports, and has refused to go along with sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe, saying it will observe only UN-mandated restrictions on Iran.
However, Turkey is also a NATO member, and it has agreed to deploy parts of an anti-missile shield that could be used against Iran, a point that has generated friction in the past with its neighbour.
The two countries are heavyweight players in the Middle East.
They hold different positions on several issues, notably on Syria. Ankara wants to see Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down as part of a solution to the crisis there, while Tehran is giving Assad political and material support.
Salehi said Iran-Turkey trade currently amounted to $16 billion a year but could reach $30 billion by 2015.

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Kudankulam protests against nuclear plant: 10 big facts

Chennai:  The 13,000-crore nuclear plant at Kudankulam in coastal Tamil Nadu is now filled with engineers, scientists and other workers. They report to work everyday even as thousands of villagers protest against the nuclear project, which, when completed, will be India's largest nuclear power-generating complex. Here are 10 big developments in this story:

After the Tamil Nadu government gave its go-ahead to the Indo-Russian nuclear project on March 19, after which work at the plant is on in full swing,
1. The Madras High Court today has refused to order the government to lift its ban on public gatherings in and around Radapuram Taluk, where the Kudankulam plant is located. Section 144, which prevents large groups from meeting in an area, was imposed last week by the District Collector.
2. The region has been tense since March 19, when the Tamil Nadu government said operations at the nuclear plant could begin. Activists and thousands of villagers have been holding large camps in protest at Idinthakarai adjoining Kudankulam.
3. They say they are not convinced that the plant is safe. They are also worried about ecological damage by radioactivity which would affect the livelihood of thousands of fishermen.
4. The leader of the protests is Dr SP Udhayakumar, who heads the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE). He said today that there is no question of ending the protest but added that "we are ready for talks. If we are considered people of this country, and if our ahimsa protest is respected, the government should talk to us." He has been on an indefinite fast since March 12 along with 14 supporters.
5. He says that the government has failed to provide any sort of disaster training to the villagers staying in and around the plant site. "People within 30km radius of the Kudankulam plant have not been given any disaster training...Without doing this, they cannot load the nuclear fuel...the Central Government and the State Government would be held liable for this criminal activity if they decide to load the fuel rods without preparing the people," Mr Udhayakumar had said. The government says that's not the case.
6. Work at the plant was suspended in September last year when the Tamil Nadu cabinet asked the Prime Minister to halt all operations till residents in the area were reassured that they were safe.
7. The Prime Minister sent a senior minister, V Narayanasamy, to meet with villagers; atomic and technical experts also audited the plant and reported it safe.
8. Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa last week cleared the project, a day after a crucial election in the area.
9. The plant, being built with the help of the Russians, will see two reactors being commissioned within months of each other. When it's completed, six reactors will generate unprecedented power supply for the state.
10. There is heavy security, including Rapid Action Force personnel, guarding the plant.

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Women lead protests at Kudankulam nuclear power plant site

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Manmohan Singh arrives in Seoul for Nuclear Security Summit

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Jayalalithaa clears Kudankulam nuclear plant

Chennai:  Seeking to end the impasse over the Kudankulam nuclear plant issue, the Jayalalilthaa government in Tamil Nadu today gave the go ahead to the controversial project and announced a Rs 500 crore special development package for the area where it is located.

"In accordance with (today's) cabinet decision, immediate steps will be taken (to facilitate commissioning) of the plant," Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said in a statement, breaking her silence over the issue.

She also sought the cooperation of political parties and all concerned to immediately resume work at the plant in Tirunelveli district, stalled following protests since September 2011, spearheaded by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE).

The cabinet decided to allocate Rs 500 crore for locals to set up among others, a cold storage to store fish catch, construct houses, laying of roads and repairing mechanised fishing boats of local fishermen, she said.

The decision comes a day after completion of polling at Sankarankoil, which falls in the same district.

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