Azerbaijan, Baku, 21 April / Trend corr I. Khalilova, S. Babayeva/ The reason why on 29 March Azerbaijani custom officials detained a road-train traveling to Iran loaded with Russian equipment to be used in the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power station was due to not obtaining the special preliminary documents required from the Azerbaijani Government to transport the cargo through the country, State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan reported on 21 April.
Special permission is normally given by the Cabinet of Ministers once the cargo list to be transported is approved. The State Customs Committee has already informed Russia of the impossibility of any transit cargo to Iran being carried out without the Cabinet's permission.
The road-train was detained at the Astara border check-point. Russia is assisting Iran to construct the Bushehr nuclear power station within the framework of the inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in peaceful use of nuclear power. According to recent reports, the station is expected to be put into operation not earlier than the end of 2008. Initially, it was planned for the construction to be completed in October 2007. The supply of Russian fuel to Bushehr was completed at the end of January 2008.
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