The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday called for a mutually acceptable solution to the dispute over Tehran's payment for the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Russia and Iran were facing "several technical and procedural issues, which experts from both sides in charge of the plant's construction must settle," ministry spokesman Andrei Krivtsov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

The Russian contractor building the plant, Atomstroiexport, has warned of delaying the launch of the Bushehr plant, citing delayed payments and problems with equipment deliveries.

Three days of talks, which ended on Friday, between Russian and Iranian officials in Moscow produced no agreement.

"We hope all issues will be settled to mutual satisfaction," Krivtsov said.

Located in southwestern Iran, Bushehr is the country's first nuclear power station, but work at the plant has been long delayed.

Russia and Iran signed a 1-billion-U.S.-dollar contract for the construction of the plant in 1995. Under an agreement reached last September, Russia was to deliver nuclear fuel to Bushehr in March and the power station would begin working in September.

Source: Xinhua