Moscow – Russia intends to help Indonesia in developing that country's nuclear power industry, in particular in the construction of nuclear power plants, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Viktor Mikhailov told a news conference in Moscow Thursday.

He said an understanding had been reached during a recent visit to Russia by Indonesian Science and Technology Minister Yusuf Habibi that a bilateral intergovernmental agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy be drafted before the end of 1997.

That agreement will cover the construction in Indonesia of power plants from 100 to 300 megawatts, Mikhailov said. Such plants will help Indonesia meet its increasing energy needs, he said.

French, Canadian and Japanese companies are the ministry's chief competitors, Mikhailov said. Russia can outdo them only by offering more, in particular in thermonuclear synthesis, nuclear fuel and personnel training, he said.

"In our relations with other countries we actively use such offers in a package with construction of nuclear power plants," Mikhailov said. Speaking on the toughening of the U.S. position on sales of two super-computers to Russia, he said: "What is certain is that the Americans did not offend the ministry and we will find a solution to the situation."

Occasional Western news reports which portray in military terms Russia's agreement with Iran to build a nuclear plant at Bushehr are slanderous, Mikhailov said. Iran is faithfully abiding by all the IAEA requirements and the assumption that a Russian nuclear reactor will enable Iran to develop nuclear technologies is unrealistic, he said.

He said the ministry would not seek nuclear cooperation with Israel in the coming years.