"Proposals are being prepared by Rostekhnadzor and the Rosatom atomic energy agency for such a centre," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Pulikovski as saying.

"Plans for creating an international centre such as this on their territory have been undertaken by several major countries, including the United States," he said.

The scheme has been on Russian drawing boards for years. In 2001 the government adopted legislation authorising the importation of nuclear waste from other countries.

But the project has been stalled by opposition from Washington and the competition the plant would face from existing treatment centres in France, the world leader in nuclear power generation.

The Moscow conference also considered an international licensing scheme to ensure surveillance of nuclear power stations built in developing countries.

Often a number of countries contributed to the construction of new plants that after completion ended up being monitored solely by national agencies, Pulikovski said.

Russia, which is building Iran's nuclear power plant near Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, has led diplomatic efforts to convince Tehran to surrender its controversial nuclear research program which the West fears could be diverted from electricity generation to making nuclear weapons.

But Tehran has been cool on Moscow's offer to enrich uranium on its behalf, giving it the fuel for nuclear power but not the technology for a bomb.

The IAEA board is due to meet in Vienna on Monday in a session that could trigger United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran.

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