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RANSAC Nuclear News, November 10, 2003 Compiled By: Matthew Bouldin A. Plutonium Disposal
 A. Plutonium Disposal 1. RUSSIA SUSPENDS WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM DISPOSAL PROGRAMME Moscow, 6 November: Moscow has suspended the implementation of the Russia-US agreement on weapon-grade plutonium because of serious financial problems, an Atomic Energy Ministry spokesman has told Interfax. He said Atomic Energy Minister Aleksandr Rumyantsev had discussed the bilateral agreement on the disposal of 34 tonnes of weapon-grade plutonium during a visit to the United States. The visit is still under way. The project's cost for Russia is 2bn dollars, the source said. "The country will have to build a factory for the disposal of weapon-grade plutonium at a cost of nearly 400m dollars, modernize power units, and so on," the source said. The United States has assigned 200m dollars for the programme, and a similar allocation will be made in future, but the money is not enough to launch the project. It was planned to use the weapon-grade plutonium in the production of MOX fuel for nuclear power plants. "But Russia has no technologies for the industrial production of MOX fuel from weapon-grade plutonium," the source said. "It is now cheaper and simpler to produce nuclear fuel from uranium." Return to Menu B. Nuclear Fuel Return 1. A NEW WAY TO HANDLE NUCLEAR BUILDUP MOSCOW - The US and Russia have agreed to collaborate in returning weapons-grade uranium to Russia from vulnerable nuclear reactors throughout the former USSR. Analysts say the deal, signed Friday, could be the first step in a new multilateral strategy for handling the global spread of nuclear technology and material, and deterring terrorist threats. The plan to repatriate the highly enriched uranium (HEU) coincides with growing efforts to tighten the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), and better control access to nuclear technology. HEU is attractive to terrorists because it can be fashioned into a crude nuclear device with relative ease. "We need to rethink the entire role of nuclear technology cooperation," says Charles Curtis, president of the Nuclear Threat Initiative in Washington, which is heavily involved in nonproliferation efforts in the former USSR. "Russia is, on things nuclear, the essential partner.... They have to be part of the solution." US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham lauded the deal, which covers 20 research reactors in 17 countries, as a joint move to "reduce the threat of terrorism and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction." Moscow has proposed creating a long-term repository in western Siberia to help ease the global buildup of spent nuclear fuel. But standing in the way of this and some other US-Russia collaborative efforts is an $800 million reactor project in Bushehr, Iran. Washington has insisted that Russia stop building the reactor out of fear that the transfer of Russian know-how would boost what it believes is a clandestine Iranian weapons program. Some 80 percent of non-Russian nuclear fuel worldwide originated in the US. But while the US Department of Energy has helped Russia develop long-term storage plans for it, the dispute over Iran remains an obstacle. Russian environmentalists have also protested. Iran, meanwhile, is on the verge of signing a fuel services deal with Russia: Moscow would provide all nuclear material to Iran for the Bushehr reactor, and then return all spent fuel. The chief of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, met top Rus sian officials Sunday in Moscow to hammer out details. As a way of keeping control of fissile material - and enticing nations to forgo expensive, self-contained nuclear fuel cycles that can also be used to make weapons-grade material - the deal is being seen as a template for the future. Many experts and officials, including Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), want to take this a step further by creating international centers so that just a few nations would provide centralized fuel and waste services for all. "Many countries around the world think that having international centers could be beneficial, because they don't want to have to worry about the nuclear waste," says Rose Gottemoeller, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, who was in charge of nonproliferation policy at the Department of Energy from 1997 to 2000. "And they realize it is more economical for them to buy nuclear services." For countries like Iran, however, which have already invested heavily in their own enrichment plans - and might also have clandestine weapons ambitions - it might be a tough sell, she says. US State Department officials were quoted last week suggesting that Russia might halt the reactor project if Iran does not openly declare all its efforts and permit thorough inspections. On Saturday in Vienna, Mr. Rohani reassured Mr. ElBaradei that the IAEA would receive formal notification - possibly by Monday - that Iran will accept intrusive nuclear inspections, sign the Additional Protocol of the NPT, and suspend uranium-enrichment efforts. "We have been getting satisfactory cooperation from Iran," ElBaradei said. "I hope this is something that will continue." ElBaradei is to provide the IAEA with a fresh report on Iranian compliance soon. Iran has tried to satisfy an Oct. 31 deadline to rectify "failures" found by the IAEA in Iran's reporting of undeclared enrichment activities. The proliferation issues in Iran - as well as in North Korea - have spotlighted NPT weaknesses. Under the umbrella of the NPT, Pyongyang legally developed its own nuclear-fuel cycle - and then withdrew from the treaty when it decided to make its nuclear-weapons program public. The CIA assesses that North Korea has "produced one or two simple fission-type nuclear weapons." Analysts fear that Iran could do the same thing, as previously undeclared enrichment programs have come to light in recent months. Though Russia has close nuclear ties with Iran, analysts say the Kremlin was shocked at the extent of Tehran's undeclared efforts. Gottemoeller says that several top Rus- sian officials have told her privately of their embarrassment at finding out about Iran's undeclared centrifuge program at Natanz, and the heavy-water reactor at Arak. As information emerged that several European companies supplied the goods, according to a "shopping list" provided by Pakistan, she adds, the result has been a "sea change" in thinking in Moscow. "What has changed is that Russia is playing an important role in influencing Iran's cooperation with the IAEA," says NTI's Curtis, a former deputy secretary in the Department of Energy. ElBaradei has suggested a new security framework that restricts processing of weapon-usable material "exclusively to facilities under multinational control," and called for a similar approach to disposal of spent fuel. All countries should "turn off the tap" on producing new material for weapons under the new framework, he said. Rumyantsev echoed the IAEA leader, with a Russia proposal for several international centers to manage global nuclear fuel supply and waste. Up-to-date technologies and security would strengthen nonproliferation efforts, and help ease risks from 200,000 tons of material that has built up since the beginning of the nuclear industry, and expands by 10,000 tons a year. "That's where the Russia proposition has resonance," says a Western diplomat in Vienna close to the IAEA. The Russians "should get brownie points for moving toward this process," he says. Such efforts to centralize nuclear power "are better than the current situation," but will still need work, says Leonard Spector, deputy director of the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington. "There are some countries you wouldn't want to have" nuclear energy," Mr. Spector says. "Even if Russia supplies fuel from outside, should Syria have a nuclear power plant?" Return to Menu 2. INF RETURN SUSPENDED BECAUSE OF HIGHER PRICES FOR STORAGE The National Nuclear Power Generating Company of Ukraine (NNPC) Energoatom has suspended shipments of irradiated nuclear fuel (INF) to Russia due to increased costs of its transportation and storage. This was said, reportedly by web-resource ProUA, by Energoatom�s president Sergei Tulub. According to Tulub, the Ukrainian INF is not to be sent to Russia until the end of 2003 since in 2003 the cost of transportation, storage and processing of one kilogram of heavy metal has increased by 12.4% as compared to 2002, i.e. up to US$ 418 with the further increase up to 500 being planned for 2004. Tulub explained that Energoatom had decided to suspend INF shipments to Russia until the mechanisms of payment for the INF handling services become clear. �We have reviewed our technological capabilities. Today we can store somewhat more fuel assemblies for some time without shipping them�, Tulub said adding that in 2003 Energoatom shipped two railtrains with INF instead of four previously planned. Besides, Energoatom plans to build a storage facility for INF from three Ukranian nuclear power plants. The first phase of the storage facility is to accommodate 2,500 irradiated fuel assemblies of VVER-1000 and 1,080 IFA of VVER-440 reactors. Meanwhile Zaporozhie nuclear plant started already in summer 2002 the pilot industrial-scale operation of the INF storage facility and stopped shipping it to Russia. However, the information sources in Minatom of Russia say that as one option of settling the 2001-2002 accumulated debts for sending the Ukrainian INF to the Mining and Chemical Combine for processing Ukraine has proposed to divide the payments for storage and processing into several stages. The Ukranian side backs its proposal by the fact that the fuel processing, differently from transportation and placing for storage, will be done in 15-20 years. Therefore, as Kiev says, the payment for this INF handling stage could be done later. Such option contradicts to the current world practices presupposing an advance payment to the receiving party for the whole set of INF handling services. At this, the prices set by Russia for these services for Ukraine remain lower than the world prices. Return to Menu 3. RUSSIA PROPOSES CREATING INTERNATIONAL SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL CENTERS WASHINGTON � Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev Wednesday proposed a new international effort to help improve the security of spent nuclear fuel throughout the world, which could be attractive to terrorists seeking to build a �dirty bomb� (see related GSN story, today). In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly�s disarmament committee, Rumyantsev described the threat posed by ever-growing stockpiles of spent nuclear fuel created by civilian nuclear power plants and research reactors around the world. Citing data prepared by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rumyantsev said that more than 200,000 metric tons of spent fuel has been created since the beginning of the civilian nuclear power industry and that 10,000 metric tons are created every year. �It is for a number of years already that specialists have been paying attention to the need for ... a rational and safe way (or ways) of spent fuel management,� Rumyantsev said. �As of today, this objective, due to its scale and outstanding nature for virtually all regions, has passed to the rank of global priorities,� he added. Rumyantsev proposed the creation of several �big� international spent nuclear fuel management centers to be operated under IAEA oversight. Such facilities would be equipped with �state-of-the-art technologies and appropriate physical protection� to ensure spent fuel safety and to help strengthen the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, Rumyantsev said. Nonproliferation expert Rose Gottemoeller, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Global Security Newswire today that Rumyantsev�s proposal could help combat nuclear proliferation by providing a destination for spent fuel produced by nuclear programs in countries of concern, such as Iran and North Korea. The creation of spent fuel centers could also help to expand the use of civilian nuclear power by alleviating waste management concerns, she said. While saying that Moscow is �prepared� to cooperate with such a project, Rumyantsev did not say during his U.N. address whether he envisioned that one or more of the proposed spent fuel management centers would be built in Russia. The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry has long proposed that such centers be constructed in Russia, Gottemoeller said. She added that some experts believe that such an approach would be the most economical option in the near term. A major hurdle to basing a spent fuel center in Russia, however, is U.S. policy concerning spent fuel of U.S. origin, Gottemoeller said. Currently, the United States has the authority to determine the final disposition of such fuel, she said. The United States has opposed sending such material to any spent fuel centers to be based in Russia, according to Gottemoeller, in part because of concerns surrounding Moscow�s nuclear assistance to Iran. Rumyantsev�s proposal this week appeared to complement remarks made earlier this week by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, who suggested that the processing of weapon-grade materials and the production of new nuclear materials should be limited to facilities under multilateral control (see GSN, Nov. 4). In a separate tactic to improve spent fuel security, the IAEA has also called for more countries to join the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management, according to reports (see GSN, Nov. 5). To date, only 33 countries have joined the convention. Return to Menu C. Kazakh Uranium Refinement 1. NAC KAZATOMPROM COMMISSIONED REFINING PLANT The Central Mining Authority (CMA) of the National Atomic Company (NAC) Kazatomprom had commissioned a refining plant in the South Kazakhstan region, as Nuclear.Ru was informed by the Company�s press-service. The plant start-up and alignment operations will take one month, and the first batch of material will be produced by the end of 2003. The new facility was commissioned earlier than previously scheduled � the first quarter of 2004. The refining plant will be producing uranium oxide (U3O8) directly at CMA with the product to be exported for further processing stages. The original plant�s production capacity is 1,700 tons of uranium annually. In future it is planned to increase it up to 2,000. The plant investments were US$ 4.5 million and taken from the inner funds of NAC Kazatomprom. The MCA refining plant will reprocess a half of Kazakhstan�s uranium with the rest being dealt with by the Ulbinsk Metallurgical Plant. According to the Company�s strategy to increase uranium output using underground leaching technique the plans are to build one more refining plant on the site of Mining Authority # 6 in Kyzylorda region. At present the feasibility study is underway to justify the construction. In 2002 NAC Kazatomprom mined and exported 2,800 tons of uranium; the 2003 plans � 3,100 tons with 3,700 tons to be mined in 2005. Return to Menu D. Nuclear Contamination 1. RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR FISH THREAT Stephen Khan Sunday November 9, 2003 The Observer Atomic salmon from a filthy Russian sea have arrived in Scottish rivers, sparking fears that they will pollute the food chain and pose a further threat to already beleaguered wild fish stocks. The Kola Fjord in north-west Russia is the world's largest rubbish dump for military nuclear waste. It is also home to Oncorhynchus gorbusha, a species of salmon native to the Pacific but taken west to be farmed. And where there are fish farms there are escapes. Now the Pacific salmon have turned up on our shores. Last August one was caught in the River Leven, the stream that drains Loch Lomond. A dead fish has also been found on the banks of Prince Charles's favourite Atlantic salmon stream, the River Naver in North Sutherland. For years ghost ships carrying hundreds of spent nuclear fuel assemblies from the reactors of icebreakers and the nuclear-powered submarines have sat in the White Sea Kola areas. Nuclear waste was jammed in vessels and ditched on shore, because there were no permanent storage facilities. In 2001 Western experts discovered radioactive waste stored in rusting tanks and containers on the ground, with no roof to protect against the elements or to prevent rain and snow from washing radioactive liquids into a bay. Bruce Sandison represents the Salmon Farm Monitor, a group which campaigns for the restriction of salmon farming. He said yesterday that the arrival of atomic Pacific pinks could finish off the Salmo Salar, the wild Atlantic salmon, in Scotland. He pointed out that wild salmon numbers were already in steep decline in Scotland and warned that more escaped farm animals were now being caught than genuinely wild ones. Disease from farms and the dilution of the gene pool by spawning escapees already threatened the Atlantic salmon's future. A recent estimate suggested there were only 500,000 wild Atlantic salmon left. Many of these, said Sandison are likely to have been genetically contaminated already. Citing Scottish Executive figures, he said: 'Since 1998 77 incidents have been reported involving the escape of more than one million farm salmon and trout from their cages.' Researchers found that wild salmon were vulnerable to extinction because of genetic and competitive pressures from farmed fish. Experiments with wild and farmed salmon hybrids in fresh and marine water showed that the offspring of fish that had interbred had a much lower survival rate - some 70 per cent of the fish died in the first few weeks of life. Overall, farmed salmon were much less successful at surviving in the wild than native salmon and were unlikely to return to rivers to spawn. However, they grew quicker than wild salmon and the ones that did survive displaced many of their wild cousins from the rivers. The team, led by Dr Philip McGinnity of Ireland's national agency, the Marine Institute, and Professor Andy Ferguson of Queen's University Belfast, warned that accidental and deliberate introductions of farmed salmon could lead to extinction of vulnerable wild populations of Atlantic salmon. Dr Paulo Prodohl, a co-researcher on the study, said wild salmon were the product of thousands of years of evolution, which had 'fine-tuned' their genes to survive in the natural environment. The introduction of new genes from fish that had been bred in captivity could wreak havoc on local gene pools. Now, those wild creatures that evade domestic farmed escapees face the prospect of coming into contact with the atomic Russian stock. 'We are extremely worried about this latest development. This distinctive, humped back fish has now entered Scottish waters. Only time will tell what impact it will have on the environment.' Anglers and fish farmers have already had to deal with the presence of British radioactive waste entering the food chain. In July the Food Standards confirmed the presence of Technetium 99 in salmon on sale in supermarkets. However, it was deemed to be of such a low level that it presented no threat to human health.' But nuclear waste was being summarily dumped in north-west of Russia until 1994. Return to Menu E. Biological Weapons Conference 1. MEETING ON BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS CONVENTION IN GENEVA GENEVA, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - The annual meeting of the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention signatories, which opened here on Monday, is discussing the national measures to control the implementation of this document. The forum, which is to last until November 14, will also focus its attention on the promotion of biological safety in general. Roving Ambassador of the Russian Foreign Ministry Anatoly Antonov heads the Russian delegation to the forum. This is the first of the three annual meetings, which the fifth convention review conference of November 2002, decided to hold. The conference was crowned by a compromise: the countries concerned agreed to continue their work at annual meetings. In the meantime, work on a legally binding control mechanism, which lasted from 1995 to 2001, was actually frozen for an indefinite period. The United States objected to such a control and refused to permit international inspections on its biotechnological enterprises. 'We are proceeding from the premise that the current and subsequent annual meetings should again stress the need of joint efforts by all countries to strengthen the convention," Antonov told Itar-Tass. "We believe the emotions should be cooled down after the dramatic events, which occurred at the 2002 review conference, and ways to strengthen the convention should be considered," he added. "Everything happening here is very useful and necessary, but this in no way substitutes the process of negotiations and the work of all the countries on the elaboration of a verification mechanism. We still believe the most optimal version of strengthening the convention today is to elaborate such a mechanism," the leader of the Russian delegation stressed. Return to Menu F. Chemical Weapons Destruction 1. TEST ALERT TO BE PRACTICED AT FACILITY FOR CHEMICAL AGENT DESTRUCTION IN VOLGA AREA SARATOV, November 9 /RIA Novosti correspondent Alexander Lyogky/. The facility for the destruction of chemical agents in the settlement of Gorny in the Saratov Region (Volga Area) will practice a test alert. As the regional department of the Ministry for Emergency Situations reports, the exercises at the facility for the destruction of chemical agents will be held in the coming days. The facility's command has requested the people residing in the zone of sanitary and protective measures to treat the exercises seriously. The exercises will also check the facility's readiness for tight sealing in the event of a non-nominal situation at the facility and the subsequent evacuation. Return to Menu 2. THE NETHERLANDS TO ALLOCATE 4 MILLION EUROS TO RUSSIA FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS DESTRUCTION THE HAGUE, November 9 /RIA Novosti correspondent Alexander Dobrovolsky/ - The Dutch government intends to allocate 4 million euros to Russia for the destruction of chemical weapons, a spokesman of the Dutch Foreign Ministry has told RIA Novosti this Sunday. These funds will be used to modernize the generating station that supplies electricity to the facility for the destruction of chemical weapons in Kambarka (Udmurtia). Apart from the Netherlands, Germany and the European Union are participating in the project of building and equipping the Kambarka facility, which is due to be commissioned in 2005. In 2002 the Netherlands participated in the construction of the facility for the destruction of chemical weapons at Gorny (Saratov Region), having allocated 2 million euros for these purposes. Since the time the facility was put into operation, over 600 tons of chemical agents have been destroyed there. Russia plans to destroy all its stocks of chemical agents by 2012. Return to Menu G. Sub Dismantlement/Repair 1. AMURSK SHIPYARD STARTED REPAIRING N-SUBS Return to Menu H. Cooperative Threat Reduction 1. RUSSIA AND USA ENSURED PROTECTION OF 78 PERCENT OF RUSSIAN NAVY'S NUCLEAR FACILITIES FROM TERRORIST THREAT IN FRAMEWORK OF JOINT SECURITY PROGRAM WASHINGTON, November 8, 2003. /RIA Novosti correspondent Arkady Orlov/ -- Russia and the United States ensured the security of 78 percent of Russian Navy's nuclear facilities and 20 percent of the RF Strategic Missile Command's warheads in the framework of a joint program on protection, monitoring and control over nuclear materials, announced US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham in Washington. Mr. Abraham stated that both sides also ensured security of approximately a half of all weapon-grade nuclear materials on 55 nuclear facilities in Russia and some other CIS countries. In addition, the United States has helped to employ 13,000 nuclear scientists from 180 research institutes on the territory of the former Soviet Union. They have been assigned research tasks in the sphere of non-military projects, Mr. Abraham reported. At present, Russia, with the help of the United States, is finishing the work on closing the last three plutonium-producing reactors. They will be substituted with regular thermoelectric power stations, announced the American Secretary of Energy. Return to Menu 2. US PRESIDENT CALLS FOR CONTINUATION OF RUSSIAN-US COOPERATION IN THE SPHERE OF NUCLEAR SECURITY WASHINGTON, November 8, 2003. /RIA Novosti correspondent Arkady Orlov/ -- US President George Bush called for continuation of Russian-US programs in the sphere of nuclear materials security. According to RF Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev, the US President made this statement during a brief meeting with Mr. Rumyantsev and US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham in the White House last Thursday. The RF Atomic Energy minister stated that the programs referred to at the meeting are aimed at stopping terrorists from acquiring nuclear materials and these programs are "one of the examples of a productive cooperation" between the two countries. During Mr. Rumyantsev's visit to the United States, the sides confirmed that Moscow and Washington would sign an inter-governmental agreement on the shipment of spent nuclear fuel from research reactors in the former Soviet republics and Eastern European countries by the end of this year. "In the global context, we do not have any disagreements on such issues as non-proliferation, monitoring and control over nuclear materials, and the fight against terrorism. We can continue successful cooperation on other programs because we have similar positions on major issues, on major challenges of the modern world," underlined the RF Atomic Energy minister. In his opinion, his meetings with the US leadership confirmed that Russian-US cooperation in the sphere of non-proliferation and security of nuclear materials has a potential for further expansion. "Our ties will grow closer and closer. We are working for a common cause," stated the Russian minister. Return to Menu I. Multilateral Threat Reduction 1. U.S. REVIEWING FMCT POLICY The United States has long pushed for a treaty to end the production of the two key building blocks of nuclear weapons, but the Bush administration may change that policy. Even as the U.S. commitment to other arms control agreements has lagged in recent years, U.S. officials have continued to champion a fissile material cutoff treaty (FMCT), which would prohibit the production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU) for nuclear weapons purposes. Yet, J. Sherwood McGinnis, deputy representative of the U.S. delegation to the Conference on Disarmament (CD), said Oct. 27 that Washington is �reviewing specific elements� of its policy toward such a treaty. Speaking at the United Nations, McGinnis further added that U.S. support for a resolution that day urging the start of FMCT negotiations by the 66-member CD �is without prejudice to the outcome of that review.� The diplomatic language means that Washington is reserving the right to change its position, although it does not suggest that the United States will necessarily do so. McGinnis provided no details about the review. Department of State officials in Washington withheld any comment pending the review�s conclusion. An FMCT has topped Washington�s negotiating priorities at the CD for a half-dozen years, but formal talks had been blocked by other countries� insistence that the treaty be negotiated in parallel with other agreements on nuclear disarmament or outer space. In August, however, China dropped its demand or U.S.-opposed outer space negotiations, removing what had been seen as the central obstacle to opening talks. (See ACT, October 2003.) Completion of an FMCT by 2005 was one of 13 steps to which nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty states-parties, including the United States, committed themselves in May 2000. Yet, since taking office, the Bush administration has acted contrary to several of those steps, such as refusing to support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty�s entry into force and withdrawing from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which barred Moscow and Washington from building nationwide defenses against strategic ballistic missiles. The United States, as well as France, Russia, and the United Kingdom, have declared that they no longer produce fissile materials for weapons purposes. China is also understood to have stopped. In addition to codifying these actions, an FMCT would be aimed at blocking India, Israel, and Pakistan from any future production of plutonium or HEU for weapons. Return to Menu J. U.S.-Russia 1. RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN POSITIONS ON CONSTRUCTION OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN IRAN START GETTING CLOSER WASHINGTON, November 8 2003. /RIA Novosti correspondent Arkady Orlov/ -- Moscow and Washington are starting to bring their positions on Russia's construction of a nuclear power plant in Iran closer together, announced RF Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev in an interview with RIA Novosti correspondent in Washington. According to Mr. Rumyantsev, Americans "are starting to realize that the nuclear power plant does not pose any threat by itself." The danger is in the possibility of the enrichment of nuclear fuel used at the power plant, explained the Russian minister. "We must be extremely careful and attentive in that respect," Mr. Rumyantsev stated. In his opinion, the IAEA must play the role of "a major guarantor and inspector" in this case. During his visit to the United States, the RF Atomic Energy minister conducted talks with US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham, US National Security Adviser Condolleezza Rice and US Undersecretary of State John Bolton. He also had a short meeting with US President George Bush. In Philadelphia, Mr. Rumyantsev attended the opening ceremony of the first exhibition of advanced conversion technologies with participation of Russian defense companies. In New York, he made a speech at the meeting of the UN General Assembly's First Committee on disarmament. Return to Menu 2. US SECRETARY OF ENERGY: RUSSIA AND USA EXPAND COOPERATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM WASHINGTON, November 8 2003. /RIA Novosti correspondent Arkady Orlov/ -- In the near future, Russia and the United States will finish preparation of an inter-governmental agreement on shipment of enriched uranium from Soviet-made research reactors from former Soviet republics and Eastern European states to Russia. A joint statement regarding this issue was signed on Friday in Washington by Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev and US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham. The document covers 20 reactors in 17 countries. Explaining the significance of such an agreement, the Russian minister underlined that the majority of reactors employ nuclear fuel, which can be used by terrorists to conduct large-scale terrorist acts. "We want to eliminate such a possibility from the very beginning," RF Atomic Energy minister stressed. According to Mr. Rumyantsev, the sides might sign the inter-governmental agreement as early as at the end of November - beginning of December this year. Enriched uranium from the reactors will be processed in Russia for later use as nuclear fuel for nuclear power plants. Radioactive waste will be vitrified and kept in nuclear waste storage facilities, Mr. Rumyantsev said. In his turn, US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham underlined that the new agreement is being prepared in the context of "great efforts aimed at reducing global stockpiles of nuclear materials, which can be used for manufacturing nuclear weapons." The US energy secretary called this program "an example of expansion of Russian-American partnership in the prevention of the terrorist threat." Return to Menu K. Russia-Iran 1. RUSSIA MIGHT BUILD 2ND NUKE PLANT AFTER BUSHEHR-IRAN Russia will finish building the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran and then possibly construct a second atomic plant, a top Iranian official said on Monday. "The Russian leadership is telling us that the atmosphere of boosting nuclear ties between us is better than ever. They are telling us that they will finish construction of the Bushehr reactor and we will start negotiations on building a second," Hassan Rohani, head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. "They are telling us that they will finish construction of the Bushehr reactor and we will start negotiations on building a second." Earlier Rohani, on a visit to Moscow, told President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin Iran had halted its uranium enrichment programme and had promised to sign a treaty allowing more intrusive, short-notice inspections of its nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has demanded that Iran prove its atomic programme is not aimed at making nuclear weapons as Washington says. Rohani said Monday's announcements would have satisfied the nuclear watchdog. Iran has long said its nuclear ambitions are purely peaceful. "Iran has kept all its promises (to the IAEA) and today the ball is in the IAEA's court and they should be able to give us a friendly answer," he said. Return to Menu 2. DOES IRAN HAVE NO NUCLEAR AMBITIONS? MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 10, (RIA Novosti correspondent) - Iran has no ambition to create nuclear weapons, said Hasan Rohani, Secretary of that country's Supreme Council of National Security, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin here today. As he assured the Russian president, "Tehran has no such plans in mind." "The nuclear weapons issue is NOT on our military doctrine," he added. "We have decided to lay out all of our former activities in front of the international community, and therefore have answered all of the questions put by IAEA," Rohani added. "Iran is making efforts to remove all the fears and concerns regarding its nuclear program," he stressed. Rohani noted that Tehran's goal is to "pave the way for the development of a full-scale cooperation with friendly nations." Return to Menu 3. IRAN SUSPENDS URANIUM ENRICHMENT SINCE MONDAY MOSCOW, November 10, 2003 (RIA Novosti) - Late on Monday, Iran is going to hand over a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency announcing the intention to sign its Additional Protocol. Hassan Rouhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, made a statement to this effect after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Moscow. The letter will be handed over by the Iranian ambassador to the IAEA in Vienna, said Mr Rouhani. Russia hails this decision of the Iranian leaders, something that was emphasised during Mr Rouhani's Moscow meetings, according to the Russian minister. Return to Menu 4. IRAN TO SEND WASTE NUCLEAR FUEL TO RUSSIA? MOSCOW, November 10, 2003 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has met Hassan Rouhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Council, to discuss the prospective signing of an agreement envisaging the return of spent nuclear fuel from the nuclear power station now under construction in Busher, southern Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has said this to reporters. "This question was discussed among other issues pertaining to our countries' co-operation in the nuclear sphere," he said. The agreement is one of the conditions of Russia's nuclear fuel supplies to the station, recalled the minister. "Iran confirmed it was ready to sign the agreement," said Mr Ivanov. Return to Menu 5. IRANIAN EMISSARY TO DISCUSS NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGIES IN MOSCOW TEHRAN, NOVEMBER 10 (RIA NOVOSTI CORRESPONDENT NIKOLAI TEREKHOV) - Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, who arrived in Russia on Sunday, is going to discuss the problems of nuclear technologies and an atomic power plant Russian specialists are building in Bushehr on the Iranian coast of the Persian Gulf. A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry told a press conference that Rouhani does not plan to hold negotiations about the return of the spent nuclear fuel but rather to meet with high-placed Russian officials and discuss with them the problems of nuclear technologies and the Bushehr atomic power plant. We believe that relations between Moscow and Tehran are close and attach serious attention to cooperation with our neighbor. We have many problems to discuss, said the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman. Return to Menu 6. IVANOV HAILS IRAN DECISION TO SIGN NON-PROLIFERATION PROTOCOL MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov has called important Iran's decision to sign an additional protocol to the treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The chairman of Iran's Supreme Council of National Security, Hasan Rouhani, said during his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Monday that his country would notify about its decision the International Atomic Energy Agency. He said the move was to eliminate concerns of the international community about Iran's nuclear programme. Ivanov said "Russia has been consistently seeking the fulfilment of this condition, we have been carrying out a permanent dialogue", and Russia is satisfied that Iran had declared just in Moscow its readiness to sigh the additional protocol. This is a result of cooperation of Russia and Iran, Ivanov said. He said the "fulfilment of all conditions and obligations" has opened additional possibilities for cooperation of Iran not only with Russia, but also with other countries, including in the nuclear field". Ivanov called Rouhani's statement in Moscow an indication of a high level of the two countries' cooperation and of Iran's "trust in Russia and Russian policy". Return to Menu 7. IVANOV SAYS NO ONE SHOULD CRITICIZE RUSSIA FOR ITS COOPERATION WITH IRAN IN NUCLEAR AREA YEREVAN. Nov 10 (Interfax) - Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that no one has the right to criticize Russia for its cooperation with Iran in the nuclear area. "I do not think that today anyone can accuse Russia of spreading weapons of mass destruction because of its cooperation with Iran in the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant," Ivanov told journalists upon his arrival in Yerevan. "The positions of Russia and the European Union on Iran's nuclear program are effectively identical. Now, the issue of Russian-Iranian cooperation in peaceful nuclear programs can be considered closed," the defense minister said. He said that "Tehran has announced that it has stopped any uranium- enrichment efforts and that inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can check it." "Iran is ready to join the additional protocol, which, among other issues, envisions the return of spent nuclear fuel from the Bushehr nuclear power plant to Russia. In addition, Tehran is ready to provide IAEA inspectors with access to all its nuclear facilities without any restrictions," Ivanov said. "Even in theory, there is no possibility now of suspecting Tehran of any dishonest behavior concerning the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction," the defense minister said. Return to Menu 8. MOSCOW SHARES TEHRAN'S POSITION ON PEACEFUL USE OF ATOMIC ENERGY MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 10, (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin does not see any reasons for Russia not to cooperate with Iran in peaceful uses of atomic energy, as he said at his meting with the Secretary of Iran's Supreme Council of National Security, Hasan Rohani. "I agree that international law regulating uranium enrichment allows Iran to engage in this type of activity, but we are satisfied to see that Iran is imposing self-limitations," the Russian president emphasized. "I had in mind three key nuclear issues to discuss with you - the opening of all Iran's nuclear programs for IAEA inspections, the signing of the Additional IAEA Protocol and the suspension of the uranium enrichment process," Putin told his high guest. "But you have brought up all of them on your own initiative, that is, Iran's response to them is positive." According to Putin, "as a full-fledged international community member, Iran is entitled to develop its peaceful nuclear programs." Return to Menu 9. ROWHANI DISCUSSES TEHRAN-MOSCOW TIES WITH HIS RUSSIAN COUNTERPART Moscow, Nov 10, IRNA -- Secretary of Iran`s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Hassan Rowhani in a meeting with the Secretary of the Russian National Security Council Vladimir Rushailo here on Monday discussed expansion of bilateral ties in various fields. Turning to Russia as a neighboring and friendly country, Rowhani stressed the importance of mutual relations as one of the priorities of Iran`s foreign policy. He underlined the need for multilateral cooperation among Tehran, Moscow, Caucasus and the Central Asian states to strengthen regional stability, security and convergence. The official pointed to Bushehr nuclear power plant as a symbol ofadvanced industrial and technical cooperation between the two states and added that under the current conditions, favorable grounds have been provided for bolstering ties in various fields including development of the technology for peaceful nuclear activities. Turning to his recent talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) authorities, he noted that the agency declared its full satisfaction over Iran`s cooperation on its nuclear program and that given that everything has been clarified, there is no more doubt on the peaceful nature of Iran`s nuclear activities. For his part, Rushailo referred to Iran`s decision on signing the Additional Protocol as a significant step in Iran`s foreign policy. He added that the adherence to the protocol and temporary suspension of uranium enrichment process by Iran as factors contributing to elimination of obstacles and problems facing the nuclear cooperation between Iran and Russia. The Russian official lauded Iran for its serious attempts in campaign with Al-Qaeda and said that the disarmament of the Middle East region from weapons of mass destruction is the main issue of discussion between Iran and Russia. Return to Menu 10. RUSSIA, IRAN NEGOTIATE DEAL ON BUSHEHR NUCLEAR REACTOR MOSCOW, November 10 (Itar-Tass) - Russia, Iran have been making another attempt to set the date and place for signing a supplementary protocol on the return of Russian used-up nuclear fuel from a nuclear power station in Bushehr, sources from the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry said on Monday. The problem might be settled during a visit to Moscow by Secretary of the Iranian High Security Council Hasan Rowhani, the ministry sources said. The document was drafted a year ago and coordinated with the interested sides in Russia, including the Russian government, At present, the two sides have been negotiating commercial issues related to the supply of new fuel to Iran and its return to Russia for subsequent processing and storage, the Russian ministry said. Iran insists that the fuel needed to feed the nuclear reactor in Bushehr and its work for a few years since the reactor is commissioned be delivered to Bushehr within a month since the protocol document is signed. Russia objects to this demand as untimely because the period of the construction of the first nuclear reactor was lengthened. Besides, the two sides failed to agree on the price of the nuclear fuel yet. Russia might send the fuel on the following day after the protocol is signed, provided the commercial problems are settled, sources from the Russian ministry said. At the Russo- Iranian talks held in Moscow at the end of October the Atomic Energy Ministry accepted a proposal made by Iran to tighten state control over the construction of the first nuclear reactor in Bushehr. Russia understands the concern of the Iranian authorities because the Iranian side is interested in shortening the period of the nuclear reactor's construction, that is in a final stage now, the Russian ministry said, The Iranian side has been studying a proposal made by experts of the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry who suggested that the first nuclear reactor in Bushehr is to be physically commissioned and loaded with fuel as a pilot project in the first half of 2005, and be officially put into operation and connected to the Iranian electric power grid in the second half of 2006. Return to Menu 11. TEHERAN HAS DISARMED MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti). The latest actions of Iran should allay all concerns about its nuclear programme, says Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov. He welcomed the Iranian intention to deliver to the IAEA a letter on Teheran's agreement to sign the additional protocol on IAEA safeguards today and halt its uranium-enrichment project. "This is a decision of fundamental significance on the part of the Iranian leadership," Ivanov told journalists. "It should allay all concerns about Iran's nuclear programme." In addition, these actions of Teheran should confirm that its nuclear programme has exclusively peaceful goals. The minister said Russia had been pressing energetically for the fulfilment of these conditions. "We have been negotiating [the problem] with the Iranian leadership and we are satisfied that the decision was made public in Moscow. This is proof of the high standards of co-operation between our countries and of trust for Russia's policy." "Even such difficult problems can be solved through dialogue and constructive negotiations," Igor Ivanov pointed out. He is confident that "the fulfilment of all these conditions and obligations will give not only Russia but also all other countries a new possibility for nuclear co-operation with Iran in the framework of international obligations on the issue." Return to Menu L. Russia-India 1. INDIA, RUSSIA TO SIGN 10 PACTS DURING PM'S VISIT TO MOSCOW Carrying forward their strategic partnership to new heights, India and Russia will sign ten agreements and a joint statement in Moscow during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's three-day visit starting Tuesday. The two sides will also ink a Declaration on Global Challenges to deal with issues relating to security and stability, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal told a press conference in New Delhi. Vajpayee, who heads to Moscow for the annual summit on the first leg of his three-nation week-long tour that will also take him to Tajikistan and Syria, would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the fourth time in the last one year, reflecting the 'new dimension' the close bilateral relations have acquired. Observing that the Indo-Russia defence cooperation have transcended from a buyer-seller relationship, Sibal said the defence ties between the two countries would be reviewed at the highest level. Asked whether the deal for purchasing aircraft carrier 'Admiral Gorshkov' would be finalised during the visit, Sibal parried the question, saying the defence ministry would make an announcement 'at the appropriate time.' Sibal said the accords to be signed covered cooperation in science and technology, space, industry, establishment of an Indo-Russian centre for earthquake research, joint publication of bilateral archival documents and inter-banking arrangements. External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and senior officials will accompany the prime minister. Vajpayee had met Putin in December in New Delhi, in May this year at St Petersburg and again on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session in New York in September. On the issue of civilian nuclear cooperation in the field of energy, he said both sides were interested in stepping up ties in this hi-tech area. India is interested in acquiring more Russian nuclear power reactors, Sibal said but added that the problem that persisted was Moscow's international obligations under the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an issue similar to the one confronting France. "It is a problem to which we have not found any solution,"?he said. Vajpayee will have a one-to-one dinner meeting with Putin on Tuesday before getting into delegation-level talks the next day. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov will call on the prime minister during his stay in the Russian capital. Return to Menu M. Russian Nuclear Industry 1. RUSSIA TO HAVE FLOATING NUCLEAR POWER PLANT? MOSCOW, November 10, 2003. (RIA Novosti) - The Russian State Chief Expert Commission supported and recommended for approval a design for building a floating nuclear power plant in the White Sea near the city of Severodvinsk in the Arkhangelsk region. The floating nuclear power plant will settle the problem of electricity supply to large localities along the Northern Sea Route and enhance their social and economic situation, the Rosenergoatom nuclear energy committee says in a communique. For instance, the cost of heat energy from the floating nuclear power plant is at least twice less than from a thermal plant firing imported organic fuel. The floating plant costs about $150 mln and the pay-back period is 13 years. As of now, the protocol of intentions to build two floating nuclear power plants (in the Kamchatka region and the Chukotski peninsula in the extreme north-east of Asian Russia) have been signed. To be successful the project will need further investment as the legislative basis permits state investments for implementations of projects of small-scale nuclear power. Return to Menu N. Official Statements 1. INTRODUCTORY WORDS AT MEETING WITH HASSAN ROHANI, SECRETARY OF THE SUPREME NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL OF IRAN President Vladimir Putin: Mr Secretary of the Higher Council, colleagues, Allow me to wish you a warm welcome to Moscow. We highly value these direct contacts that have developed between the Russian and Iranian authorities. Iran is our neighbour � it is a good neighbour and our relations are developing in a positive way. We both have common issues to discuss. I recall all our meetings with President Khatami, the meetings we had as part of the discussions on the Caspian, and also just recently in Malaysia. Our economic ties are developing quite well and there are good prospects here. We have always cooperated actively with Iran in normalising the situation in the region. I would like to note the positive role Iran has played in resolving issues concerning Afghanistan and the high level of cooperation between Russia and Iran in this area. We are all very concerned by the situation in the Middle East. I think that today we will have the opportunity to exchange views with you on this subject. Finally, there is also the much discussed and sensitive subject of our nuclear cooperation and Iran�s nuclear program. As a full participant in the international community, Iran has the right to develop its nuclear programs in accordance with international rules and regulations. We welcome the latest agreements reached between Iran and our European colleagues who recently visited Teheran � I am referring to the visit to Iran by the foreign ministers of four European countries. We are very happy to see you here and we are sure that your visit will make a significant contribution to developing our bilateral relations. Return to Menu 2. JOINT STATEMENT/SIGNING CEREMONY WITH RUSSIAN ATOMIC ENERGY MINISTER RUMYANTSEV Washington, DC Remarks by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham I am extremely pleased to be here today with my colleague and friend, Minister Rumyantsev, as we take another important step forward in our cooperative efforts to reduce global stockpiles of weapons-usable nuclear materials. The Joint Statement that we are signing today reaffirms our commitment to the common objective of reducing, and to the extent possible, ultimately eliminating the use of Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) in civil nuclear activity by returning to Russia all of the Russian origin HEU scattered throughout the countries of the Former Soviet Union. This Joint Statement commits us to develop a schedule by the end of the year for the completion of this program. Our two countries began developing this new program with the International Atomic Energy Agency in December 1999, when we first planned for the transfer of fresh and irradiated HEU currently stored at foreign research reactors back to the Russian Federation, where it originated. We are focusing our efforts on repatriating Russian-supplied fuel from more than 20 research reactors in 17 countries. Moreover, we plan to convert these targeted research reactors so that they use low-enriched uranium fuel instead of HEU. Our efforts are well under way. Just recently, in September 2003, Russia accepted approximately 14 kilograms of fresh Russian-origin HEU from Romania. The HEU was airlifted from the Vinca reactor in Serbia Montenegro to Russia where it will be down-blended and used for nuclear power plant fuel fabrication. This was the first effort of this kind to repatriate Russian-origin spent fuel back to Russia. We have nearly completed preparations for the next shipment of fresh HEU fuel from another country, as well as for our first shipment of spent HEU fuel from Uzbekistan to Russia. Our governments have completed negotiations on a bilateral agreement under which more then a dozen other countries will become eligible to ship their fresh and spent research reactor fuel to Russia for safe and secure disposition. I am delighted to report that this agreement will soon be finalized and signed. Furthermore, our governments intend to conduct bilateral consultations between MinAtom of Russia and the Department of Energy to develop a schedule for all remaining potential shipments of fresh and irradiated HEU fuel. The goal of minimizing international commerce in HEU has long been a pillar of U.S. nonproliferation policy. This program exemplifies the strength of the U.S-Russian Federation partnership to reduce the threat of terrorism and prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, this program inaugurates an important initiative to close a major gap in previous efforts to consolidate HEU dispersed around the world. This latest advance in our efforts is the result of years of broad cooperation on a number of fronts to improve and accelerate our program to reduce global stockpiles of weapons-usable nuclear materials. I would like to highlight just a few of the key accomplishments of our cooperative effort. We have accelerated the timeline for completing the security upgrades for protecting weapons usable nuclear material in Russia from 2010 to 2008. We have already secured nearly half this material, located at over 55 sites in Russia and the Newly Independent States. We have secured 78 percent of the Russian Navy sites and we are also securing at-risk warheads at 20 percent of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces sites. We have employed 13,000 former weapons scientists at 180 institutes across the former Soviet Union in non-military, commercial pursuits. The projects attracted $125M in private-sector matching contributions and $96M in venture capital. We are shutting down Russia�s last three reactors still producing plutonium, replacing those reactors with fossil fuel plants. We called for and co-chaired a major international conference in Vienna earlier this year on improving the security of high-risk, undersecured radioactive sources throughout the world that could be usable in radiological dispersion devices (RDDs). The conference, attended by 140 nations, resulted in recommendations to secure these materials which are already underway. We worked with G-8 members to establish the Global Partnership, proposed by President Bush,that is making available $20 billion for cooperative nonproliferation work with Russia. We have downblended more than 200 metric tons of HEU from Russia�s dismantled nuclear weapons for use in U.S. nuclear power plants - enough material for approximately 8,000 nuclear weapons. I look forward to our continued joint work on these important endeavors. It is clear that we are building momentum for these cooperative programs to eliminate the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction on many fronts. The agreement we are about to sign represents Return to Menu O. Links 1. CURBING NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION: An Interview with Mohamed ElBaradei Return to Menu DISCLAIMER: Nuclear News is presented for informational purposes only. Views presented in any given article are those of the individual author or source and not of RANSAC. RANSAC takes no responsibility for the technical accuracy of information contained in any article presented in Nuclear News. RANSAC's Nuclear News is compiled two to three times weekly. To be automatically removed from our mailing list, click on the following link: Remove Me From The List If you have questions/comments/concerns, please reply to news@216.119.87.134 |
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