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RANSAC Nuclear News, August 26, 2003 Compiled By: RANSAC Staff A. Plutonium Production Reactor Shutdown
 A. Plutonium Production Reactor Shutdown 1. U.S. Congress members given unprecedented access to Russian top-secret nuclear facility A U.S. congressional delegation was set to examine a production and storage site for Russian weapons-grade plutonium on Tuesday in an unprecedented visit to the top secret nuclear facility. U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon and four other lawmakers were to be the first members of Congress - and the first Americans - to set eyes on sections of the underground facility in the closed Siberian city of Zheleznogorsk, the highly secretive cradle of the Soviet Union's nuclear might. The visit is part of an initiative by Weldon to improve transparency at Russia's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons facilities, the Pennsylvania Republican's office said in a statement. "After the fall of the Soviet Union, the lack of security and accountability of Russia's vast weapons arsenal is generally regarded as one of the greatest threats of global nuclear proliferation," the statement said. Russia, which has shut down 10 other plutonium-producing plants, has continued operating plants at Zheleznogorsk, formerly known as Krasnoyarsk-26, and another site, Seversk, saying they are vital to the power supplies of the cities. With U.S. assistance, Russia has agreed to shut down the plutonium production reactors in Zheleznogorsk and Seversk, but only if two fossil-fuel power plants are built to replace the electricity now supplied by the reactors. The U.S. Energy Department has announced a contract for two American companies to oversee construction of the two coal-burning power plants. While some foreigners have had access to work on joint projects, the cities have been generally off limits to anyone but those working in nuclear program. An agreement was reached last month between the United States and Russia on Western access to Zheleznogorsk and Seversk. "By allowing the delegation access, the Russians have demonstrated a willingness toward openness and cooperation with the United States to fight the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction," Weldon's office said. The two facilities produce enough plutonium each week to make three nuclear warheads. They are considered among the most dangerous in the world because they are similar in design to the Chernobyl reactor that exploded in 1986, in the worst nuclear accident ever. Return to Menu B. Plutonium Disposition 1. SCC delegation negotiated MFFF design adaptation with the USA The delegation of Siberian Chemical Combine (SCC) headed by first deputy director general Valeri Mesheryakov visited Charlotte, N.C. to agree on practical issues of adaptation of MOX-Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF) construction project to be implemented in Seversk, as Nuclear.Ru was informed by SCC public relations office. According to Mesheryakov, �the work of the project adaptation is in high gear� in the USA, engaging over 600 experts. The American project is 60-70% complete already. A special consortium - DCS (Duke Power, Cogema, Stone&Webster) � has been created for this end and committed to deal with both projects since the main idea behind MFFFs creation in Russia and the USA is to work in parallel to disposition weapons plutonium. In Russia DCS counterparts with JSC TVEL. During the visit the SCC delegation reviewed technical and electrical parts of the projects, instrumentation and controls, main principles of the facility arrangements, organizational issues and design techniques. The US experts demonstrated a computer-aided design system and electronic document management system. The further adaptation process envisages the Russian experts� visit to the USA early next year. Also a project management office is to be set up in Moscow�s State Specialized Design Institute (GSPI), which is the designer general for the MOX-fuel fabrication facility in Seversk. In the past GSPI designed the chemical metallurgical plant at SCC and has vast experience in plutonium handling. The US team is also to work in the Moscow�s office. The Seversk-based facility will be built using G8 money. So far the work is funded from the US budget, which has allocated US$ 200 million for the project implementation. Results of the Russian delegation�s visit to the USA were put on record stipulating all necessary arrangements. In September-October 2003 GSPI jointly with the Tomsk geological survey team will start geologic surveys of the industrial site for MFFF. The facility foundation earthwork is to be completed in 2005. All necessary documentation for the construction official decision-making will be developed in parallel. Mesheryakov stressed that SCC would be keeping the public in touch with the project progress and guarantee transparency and compliance with all regulations and standards. The creation of MFFF would not degrade the environmental situation in Seversk, Tomsk and Tomsk Region, Mesheryakov said. �The construction of facility is one billion ruble investment to the regional economy, 1,500 jobs and after the facility is commissioned � taxes to Seversk budget,� Mesheryakov said adding that �the project is primarily political because the task of weapons plutonium elimination is a political task�. Return to Menu 2. US invests $200 mln in new plutonium recycling plant in Tomsk The U.S. has allocated U.S. $200 million in the construction of a weapons-grade plutonium processing plant in the Siberian town of Seversk, Valery Meshcheryakov, the first deputy general director of the Siberian Chemical Plant (SHK) told reporters Friday. SHK is Russia�s largest producer of weapons-grade plutonium. Seversk is a closed city in the Tomsk Region formerly known as Tomsk-7. SHK has �large� undisclosed stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium, according to Meshcheryakov. The plant will transform weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear power plants. The total cost of the processing plant in Seversk is estimated at about $1 billion. All the G8 nations are expected to channel investments into the plant�s construction. So far, only the U.S. has financed a part of the project. This international project is to be implemented as part of the Russia-United States program of recycling weapons-grade nuclear stocks. Within the program, Russia and the U.S. are expected to recycle 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium each. According to the program, all weapons-grade plutonium reactors at SHK are to be closed by 2008. The Siberian Chemical Plant has a total of five nuclear reactors. Only two are currently in service, providing the energy-deficient region with power and heat. Return to Menu C. Nuclear Terrorism 1. Nuclear Site Called a Terror Risk The U.S.-backed Mayak storage facility for plutonium and weapons-grade uranium, whose construction is to be finished this year, is vulnerable to terrorists and a successful attack could cause "a historically unprecedented catastrophe," according to a complaint filed with the Prosecutor General's Office. "Plans by international terrorists have revealed a conspiracy to exterminate strategic storages of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium in Russia," said the complaint, filed by Novosibirsk scientist and inventor Lev Maximov last week and accepted by Deputy Prosecutor General Vladimir Kolesnikov. It is unclear whether prosecutors will look into the complaint, one of some 2,000 that are filed every week. And the chief engineer of the Mayak project, Boris Gusakov, called the allegation "rubbish," saying the facility will be able to withstand any attack. The storage facility, which has received more than $400 million in UN funds, is being built on the grounds of Mayak, an enterprise in the Urals region of Chelyabinsk that processes radioactive waste from nuclear submarines. Its main purpose is to house weapons-grade materials from nuclear missiles that currently are stored at various vulnerable sites throughout the country. It is going up at the request of Russian authorities within the framework of the U.S. Nunn-Lugar initiative to reduce weapons of mass destruction. Maximov, who has worked in the nuclear sector for decades, estimates that more than 400 tons of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium -- much of Russia's entire nuclear reserves -- will end up being stored at the Mayak site. "Only about 10 kilograms of plutonium is needed for a medium-sized nuclear bomb that can erase a whole city. Can you imagine the explosion that would take place if the facility is attacked? The Urals would cease to exist, and Russia might disintegrate like the Soviet Union disintegrated after Chernobyl," Maximov said in an interview. According to the web site of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, co-headed by CNN founder Ted Turner and former Senator Sam Nunn of the Nunn-Lugar initiative, describes the storage facility as "an immense concrete fortress designed to withstand even artillery fire and armor-piercing bombs dropped from aircraft." It says material stored there will be "some of the most secure in all of Russia." Maximov questioned this in his complaint to the Prosecutor General's Office. Citing technical documentation for the site, he said in the interview that the main danger at the facility is a plan to store fissile materials 17 meters above the ground in a warehouse that can be clearly seen from the air. The materials, he said, will be kept in U.S.-built containers that Russians will not be allowed to open for inspection. That means explosives with timers could be placed inside the containers and no one would be the wiser, he said. The documentation says the area will be protected from an aircraft weighing up to 20 tons and can withstand the explosion of a bomb lying on its roof. Maximov said he obtained the documentation "from worried special services officers" in 2000. The officers, he said, got the documentation in Tomsk, where initial plans called for the facility to be built. The documentation is dated 1992. The Prosecutor General's Office refused to comment about the complaint. A U.S. Embassy threat-reduction specialist said the new facility meets international standards. "Mayak is a Russian-designed facility that has been vetted and approved by Minatom [the Nuclear Power Ministry]," the specialist, who asked not to be identified, said in a written response to questions. "The containers are loaded by the Russians and undergo stringent security inspections by the Russians to ensure they are safe prior to being loaded into the facility." Gusakov, the project's chief engineer, said the technical documentation was updated in 1995 and Maximov's information is outdated. He said nuclear materials will be stored more than 17 meters above the ground, but the facility will have three protective shields able to withstand any kind of attack. Surrounding the materials will be 2.5 meters of reinforced concrete followed by 3.5 meters of soil and another 2.5 meters of reinforced concrete. "All these allegations about the facility are dilettante. I would have advised these people to talk with us first," Gusakov said in an interview. Gusakov also denied that Russians would not be allowed to open the American containers. He said each container would be checked upon arrival to make sure its contents were in order. Maximov said he also is worried that the project has never been approved by Russia's nuclear safety watchdog, Gosatomnadzor -- only by the Defense Ministry's nuclear safety department. Vladimir Kuznetsov, a former Gosatomnadzor official who has seen Maximov's technical documentation, said the lack of Gosatomnadzor approval is the project's biggest problem. The deputy head of the State Duma's defense committee, Vladimir Volkov, expressed concern about the U.S. participation in the project, saying Russia and the United States might not always be on friendly terms. "The biggest international terrorist is America, and this facility is a monument to our stupidity. It should store no fissile materials whatsoever," he said in a telephone interview. He said he hopes the prosecutors "will conduct a proper investigation into the complaint," adding that the Duma will provide Maximov "all support it could." The complaint, in its appendix, includes a statement that echoes Volkov's concern from the Patriotic-Military Union of Russia, head by former senior Defense Department official Colonel General Leonid Ivashov. "Concentrating all reserves of weapons-grade uranium and plutonium in one place under the control of the Americans and in containers made in America creates good conditions for a terrorist operation worse than the Chernobyl tragedy," it says. The Nuclear Energy Ministry refused to comment on the complaint. Ministry spokesman Vitaly Nasonov said it and Volkov's support were part of the campaign for parliamentary elections in December. The full capacity of the storage facility will be 66 tons of plutonium and 536 tons of highly enriched uranium. Washington estimates that it might end up spending $1.3 billion on the project. Return to Menu D. US-Russia 1. U.S. arms proliferation official meets Russian nuclear chief A U.S. diplomat who specializes in arms control and proliferation issues met with Russia's nuclear energy minister Tuesday, discussing concerns about Iran and North Korea as well as Russian-American cooperation in arms control, officials said. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton met with Nuclear Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev before leaving Russia following a two-day visit, the U.S. Embassy said. Bolton met with Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak on Monday. Bolton's talks on North Korea came as the six-nation negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear programs were scheduled to begin in Beijing on Wednesday. Russia and the United State will participate in the talks. Nuclear Energy Ministry spokesman Valery Govorukhin said Bolton and Rumyantsev also discussed Iran's nuclear program and Russian-American cooperation in arms control and nonproliferation efforts, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The ministry saw Bolton's visit as an effort to compare the two country's positions on proliferation issues ahead of a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Association, or IAEA, and a planned U.S.-Russian summit in the United States this fall, ITAR-Tass reported. The United States fears Russia's US$800 million contract to build a nuclear reactor for a power plant in the Iranian city of Bushehr could help Tehran develop nuclear weapons. Russia dismisses the concern but says it is urging Iran to open itself up to broader IAEA inspections. Citing unnamed sources in the Nuclear Energy Ministry, ITAR-Tass reported that the ministry has presented Iran with feasibility studies on the possibility of building a second reactor at Bushehr, where Germany's Siemens abandoned construction of a nuclear power plant in the 1970s. The report said that Rumyantsev, who has said in the past that Russia would consider building more nuclear reactors in Iran, reached an agreement with Tehran on conducting the feasibility studies last December. Return to Menu 2. Bolton, Kislyak discuss Russia-U.S. Summit Preparations John Bolton, US Assistant Secretary of State, visited Moscow to meet Sergei Kislyak, Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the negotiation table. The agenda centred round the nearest bilateral summit due next autumn. The negotiators reviewed the entire range of related matters, Mr. Bolton said to the media after the conference. He is not yet sure whether Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, will visit Russia before the summit, he added. Developments around Iran and North Korea were also on the Moscow agenda as the negotiators debated arms control and non-proliferation of the weapons of mass destruction. The North Korean situation was discussed in the overall security and non-proliferation context, though there was no detailed conversation about forthcoming hexapartite negotiations on North Korea in Beijing. Developments round Iran also came up at the negotiations - in particular, in the context of an upcoming session of the IAEA Board of Governors, said the American diplomat. When asked whether the US Administration had shifted its stance on the Iranian issue, Mr. Bolton said the matter had no bearing on today's talks as the negotiators were discussing the issue in general. It was a mere opinion exchange, and debates on the problem will go on. Return to Menu 3. Russia, US begin talks on non-proliferation, strategic stability Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak began talks with U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton on Monday. Bolton will meet with Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev on Tuesday as part of the Russian-U.S. consultations on the non-proliferation regime and strategic stability. The talks will focus on ways of overcoming the crisis on the Korean peninsula. The talks in Moscow will become one of the stages of preparations for the six-way negotiations on North Korea's nuclear problem to open in Beijing on August 27-29. Bolton is expected to touch on a wide range of issues regarding the non-proliferation regime. During his previous visits to Moscow, the sides discussed the implementation of the Russia-U.S. Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, cooperation in air defence, nuclear programmes in North Korea, and Russia-Iran relations in nuclear power engineering. Return to Menu 4. US arms control chief in Moscow for North Korea, Iran talks The top US diplomat for arms control was due in Moscow on Monday for a brief visit focused on the nuclear crisis over North Korea and Russia's controversial atomic cooperation with Iran. US officials said John Bolton, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, would meet Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak, who is in charge of disarmament issues. Bolton was due to leave Moscow on Tuesday to continue a whirlwind European tour that is also taking him to Paris, Rome and London. Russian officials were tight-lipped about Bolton's visit, which comes only two days before key six-way talks to be held in Beijing on Washington's nuclear standoff with Pyongyang. Russia, along with the United States, China, South Korea and Japan, will be participating in the Beijing meeting, which is expected to last three days. But Moscow is entering the talks with low expectations, its chief negotiator Alexander Losyukov saying Monday upon his arrival in Beijing that "we have come here with cautious optimism. "Unfortunately, the chances of an agreement being reached at this stage in Beijing are very slim," the deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Interfax. Besides the prickly issue of North Korea, the United States has also long been pressing Russia to stop providing assistance to Iran's atomic energy program, which Washington insists is a cover for nuclear weapons development. Moscow has resisted Washington's appeals but US officials have begun to claim some success in that area with State Department spokesman Richard Boucher saying as recently as Thursday that Russia's position seems to have shifted. Senior US diplomats in Moscow have also said in private that atomic energy minister Rumyantsev has recently appeared to soften his position concerning Iran, expressing his own concern about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. However, Russia is pressing ahead with construction of Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr, with ITAR-TASS reporting that the reactor is now likely to go online next year. An atomic energy ministry spokesman told AFP that it was "very likely" that Russia and Iran would sign a separate protocol agreement next month in which Tehran would promise to return all spent nuclear fuel to Russia for reprocessing. The West had expressed concern that should Iran keep the spent fuel, it could be enriched to create low-grade nuclear weapons. Washington further believes that Russia has told Tehran it will not deliver atomic fuel for the Iranian program unless Iran signs up to tougher UN inspections, although Moscow has issued contradictory statements as to whether this is the case. US officials in Washington said Bolton would also be looking for Russia's thoughts on the so-called "Proliferation Security Initiative," a US-led program that 10 other nations have signed on to thus far. The initiative is aimed at preventing the export -- primarily by Iran and North Korea -- of weapons of mass destruction and missile delivery systems by seizing such materiel from ships and planes even if they are in international waters. The 11 participating nations are to hold their first naval exercise to practice boarding vessels and seizing their contents next month in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Australia. Return to Menu E. Russia-Iran 1. Russia presents feasibility studies on Bushehr`s 2nd reactor Russia has handed over to Iran feasibility studies on a second reactor that may be built at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, sources at the Atomic Energy Ministry said. Russian specialists believe that it will be more reasonable to build two reactors from scratch than continue building the reactor Siemens abandoned many years ago under pressure from the United States. According to the ministry`s official the agreement to make the feasibility studies was achieved when Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev visited Tehran in December 2002. Rumyantsev has repeatedly said that Russia may participate in building a second reactor at the Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr. "Russian and Iranian specialists are about to complete the work to build the first reactor, which is scheduled to be launched in 2004," Atomic Energy Ministry sources said. Return to Menu 2. Russia, Iran to Sign Nuke Fuel Deal in Sept -Sourcer Russia and Iran, keen to ease U.S. concerns over their nuclear ties, will sign in September an agreement requiring Tehran to return nuclear waste to Moscow, a Russian Atomic Energy Ministry official said on Tuesday. Russia has pressed ahead with plans to build a nuclear plant at the southern port of Bushehr in Iran despite criticism from Washington, which accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian program. "The agreement will be signed very soon, perhaps by the end of September. Last week, the Russian government instructed our ministry to sign the protocol in the nearest future," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. As soon as the protocol is signed, Russia will ship fuel to Iran for the Bushehr reactor, which will then process it to generate power and send all spent nuclear material -- which can be converted to weapons grade material -- back to Russia. The official said the document would be signed during a regular visit by a ministry delegation to the Islamic Republic in coming weeks, but the precise date of the signing was yet to be decided. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, a key U.S. arms official, is in Moscow for what is seen as an attempt to persuade Russia to halt nuclear cooperation with Iran and bring the issue of Tehran's nuclear ambitions before the U.N. Security Council. Iran, which says it is ready to sign the agreement with Russia, has dismissed the U.S. charges, saying it wants to develop nuclear power to satisfy a booming demand for electricity and save its oil and gas reserves for export. Return to Menu 3. US fails to convince Russia on nuke cooperation with Iran The visiting top US diplomat for arms control made little progress in his efforts to convince Russia to end nuclear cooperation with Iran, a diplomatic source told the Interfax news agency Tuesday. John Bolton, the under-secretary of state for arms control and international security, met Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak behind closed doors Monday and also held a brief meeting Tuesday with Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev. "There were no new developments on the subject of Iran at Bolton's consultations at the foreign ministry," the unidentified source told Interfax. "The American side confirmed its concern about the Iranian nuclear program and the Russian side once again spoke of the complete transparency of its nuclear cooperation with Tehran," the Russian source said. The United States has long been pressing Russia to stop providing assistance to Iran's atomic energy program. Washington insists Tehran is using the program as a cover for nuclear weapons development. Moscow has resisted Washington's appeals but US officials have begun to claim some success in that area with State Department spokesman Richard Boucher saying as recently as Thursday that Russia's position seems to have shifted. Senior US diplomats in Moscow have also said in private that atomic energy minister Rumyantsev has recently appeared to soften his position concerning Iran, expressing his own concern about Tehran's nuclear ambitions. But that speculation appeared to have been dashed by Tuesday's Interfax report of Bolton's meetings in Moscow. Russia is pressing ahead with construction of Iran's first nuclear power station at Bushehr. ITAR-TASS reported Monday that the reactor is now likely to go online next year. And an atomic energy ministry spokesman told AFP that it was "very likely" that Russia and Iran would sign a key protocol agreement next month in which Tehran would promise to return all spent nuclear fuel to Russia for reprocessing. The West had expressed concern that should Iran keep the spent fuel it could be enriched to create low-grade nuclear weapons. Meanwhile the Russian media speculated Tuesday that the United States has lost all leverage over Moscow's cooperation with Tehran now that the fuel agreement is about to be signed. Next month's planned signature of the protocol "takes away the last trump card the US held for Moscow giving up support for Iran's nuclear program," the Kommersant business daily opined. "We cannot exclude that Bolton will try to present still new arguments during his meeting with Rumyantsev -- but these arguments will have to be fairly strong since Russia plans not only to complete the first reactor (at Bushehr) but also compete in the tender for construction of a second one," said the daily. Return to Menu 4. Russia, Iran to sign protocol on spent fuel return to Russia The additional protocol on the return of spent nuclear fuel from the Iranian nuclear power plant to Russia will be signed by late September, state secretary of the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy Valery Govorukhin told Tass on Monday. He believes the document will most probably be signed during a regular meeting of the Russo-Iranian interdepartmental commission in Tehran. It was stressed at the ministry that the exact date of the protocol`s signing would be agreed upon by the Russian and Iranian delegations during the bilateral meetings at the general assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna in mid-September. The deliveries of nuclear fuel assemblies for the experimental launching of the first power-generating set of the Iranian nuclear power plant would be started immediately upon the protocol`s signing, Govorukhin said. The reactor`s launching is scheduled for mid-2004. Govorukhin said that, according to the ministry`s information, "Tehran fully agrees with the protocol`s provisions and is ready to sign it." He recalled that the protocol had been drafted during the latest visit of Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev to Iran and to the construction site of the nuclear power plant at Bushehr in December 2002. The Russian government last Friday instructed the Ministry of Atomic Energy to sign the protocol. Return to Menu 5. Iran-Russia parliamentary ties to all-out bilateral links Head of the Parliamentary Commission for Budget and Planning Majid Ansari said on Saturday the improved parliamentary ties between Iran and Russia would tremendously contribute to grounds for the all-out bilateral relations. Speaking in an interview with IRNA, the MP termed as very positive the parliamentary links between the two neighbors and said the two ides have set up friendship parliamentary groups to bolster ties. He commented on the role played by the Iranian parliament and Russian state Duma and said they play a key part in promoting the democratic process and settling the drawbacks in the ways of mutual relationship. He turned to the nuke cooperation between Tehran and Moscow and said the cooperation is moving ahead in the best possible manner and the first unit of the Bushehr plant is ready to become operational. Iran plans to generate most of the energy it needs through the nuclear-fuelled power stations, he said adding that Iran`s nuclear activities are of peaceful nature. He reiterated that the Iranian nuclear program was exclusively peaceful and the country remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). He went on to say that the United States is making efforts to prevent Iran`s access to the technological know-how and high tech but added that Tehran is firmly determined to go ahead with its endeavors to get access to the nuclear knowledge to meet its domestic needs. Ansari noted that Iran`s population is increasingly developing and then the middle eastern country cannot remain dependent on the fossil fuel. His remarks came amid intense US diplomatic lobbying for pushing the world relevant bodies to pressure Iran over its nuke programs US claims is intended to make atomic bombs. On June 18, President Khatami strongly defended Iran`s right to acquire `advanced nuclear technology`, while he fended off politically-motivated and `groundless accusations and pressures` on the Islamic Republic. The president renewed Tehran`s readiness for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), but also the country`s demand that IAEA help Iran acquire the nuclear energy know-how. Washington claims that Iran intends to use its nuclear energy programs as a cover to build weapons of mass destruction. Iran says its nuclear program is transparent and peaceful, aimed at producing 7,000 megawatts of electricity in the next 20 years when the country`s oil and gas reserves become overstretched. Return to Menu 6. Iran ready to ink nuclear waste protocol with Russia Iran is ready to sign a protocol to return its nuclear waste from the Bushehr power plant to Russia, Iran`s Embassy said here Friday. "The Iranian government is ready to sign the protocol based on the previous stance declared in the meetings of the head of Iran`s Atomic Energy Organization and Russian officials in Moscow," it said. Vice-President and Head of Iran`s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) Gholam-Reza Aqazadeh arrived here in July on a four-day visit at the head of a delegation and explored different avenues with senior Russian officials for promoting nuclear cooperation between the two countries. During two rounds of talks between Aqazadeh and Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev, the two sides discussed technical issues of Tehran-Moscow cooperation including continuation of construction of Bushehr power plant, as well as supply of its needed fuel and other facilities. The IAEO head also held separate meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and Head of the country`s Security Council Vladimir Rushailo in which the two sides stressed the need for continuation and expansion of cooperation particularly in nuclear fields. Meanwhile, the Russian government has assigned the Ministry of Atomic Energy to hold negotiations with Iran over the issue. The Russian government has empowered the Atomic Energy Ministry to sign a protocol on amendments to the agreement with the Iranian government on the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, reported the Itar-Tass on Friday. Russian government sources said Friday that under the addendum the Iranian organizations shall present and Russian organizations accept spent nuclear fuel from the nuclear power plant for temporary technological storage and subsequent recycling. Return to Menu 7. U.S. Wants U.N. Security Council to Deal with Iran The United States, convinced Iran is deceiving the world about its nuclear ambitions, has launched a campaign to bring the issue before the U.N. Security Council, including a top official's trip next week to Moscow. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, the Bush administration's senior non-proliferation official, will urge Russia and other countries to lay the Iranian nuclear issues at the feet of the international community's premier body, U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday. One official said Russia, under U.S. pressure to halt cooperation on Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, has postponed delivery of critical reactor fuel until spring 2004. He dismissed a report by the official IRNA news agency on Friday that Iran was ready to sign a protocol to return nuclear waste to Russia. Such a move could undercut U.S. charges that Tehran is bent on producing nuclear weapons. "The Iranians have been 'ready' to sign a spent-fuel take-back agreement for over a year," he said. Bolton, a leading hard-liner, will be in Moscow when the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is expected to issue its second report on Iran's nuclear activities. His visit also coincides with the launch of six-party talks in Beijing on North Korea's nuclear program. While Bolton's Moscow discussions likely will include North Korea, Iran is the main focus. The IAEA governing board plans to meet in Vienna on Sept. 8 to consider next steps on Iran. Experts say Iran could be one to three years from having nuclear arms. COOPERATION LACKING In its first report last June, the IAEA rapped Tehran for failing to comply with nuclear safeguards. Since then, U.N. inspectors have found enriched uranium in environmental samples taken in Iran. This could mean Tehran has enriched uranium without telling the IAEA, heightening suspicions of nuclear arms activity despite Iran's denials. The second report is expected to "show a continuing lack of cooperation by Iran (with the IAEA) and shifting stories on what they did or didn't do," a U.S. official told Reuters. Iran has offered no proof of its claim that its nuclear activities support a civilian power program, he said. Also, Tehran still refuses to sign the "additional protocol" that would allow the IAEA to make more intrusive snap inspections. It told Britain, Germany and France in a recent letter that certain conditions were required first, he said. President Bush in June declared he "will not tolerate the construction of a nuclear weapon" in Iran. Although Iran let IAEA inspectors check various sites, U.S. officials insist cooperation has been very grudging. "It's a pattern of behavior and deception that is entirely consistent with the idea that they are trying to conceal a nuclear weapons program. That's why we think its time to move the issue from the IAEA board of governors to the Security Council," which could impose sanctions, a U.S. official said. Although Russia and key European allies increasingly have come to share U.S. concerns, U.S. officials said it is unclear if they are ready join Washington in elevating the Iran nuclear issue to the Security Council. "But we think the circumstances and the timing and the urgency of the matter are such that we are making a major effort," the U.S. official said. Despite pressuring Iran not to develop nuclear weapons, Russia continues to work on Bushehr and lay plans for possible future contracts to build other nuclear facilities for Iran. Earlier this year, Bolton queried the Russians on their intentions and was told "it was just a broad political decision -- there's not decision to sign anything." But in view of fresh reports of Russia-Iran dealmaking, Bolton is expected to raise the issue again when he is in Moscow, U.S. officials said. Return to Menu F. Russia-North Korea 1. Beijing Talks Essential for Korean Dialogue The establishment of normal relations between the two Koreas and the continuation of the Korean dialogue would be an "ideal move" towards settling the current problems of the Korean peninsula. The next step would be "working out a negotiating system to replace the current Korean peninsula truce agreement, and passing over to peace". Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, leading the Russian delegation at the six-party talks on the North Korea nuclear problem, said this to Russian journalists in Beijing on Tuesday. The talks with the participation of the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan will begin on Wednesday. If these talks provided an opportunity for reaching this decision, "this would guarantee normal existence and development for all countries in the region, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea", said Losyukov. At the same time, he sees it as a "far-off ideal goal". Today the Russian deputy foreign minister has had consultations with actually every, except North Korea, delegation participating in the negotiating process. So far, he has failed to meet with only the North Korean delegation, which arrived in Beijing later and sought to have a meeting with above all the Chinese organisers of the talks. Return to Menu 2. Moscow Expects Participants in Six-Party Talks on North Korea to Sign Joint Document Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov heading the Russian delegation at the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear problem opening in Beijing on Wednesday does not rule out the possibility of signing a joint document by the participants. "The six-party talks in Beijing can result in the signing of a joint document if the parties to the talks manage to co-ordinate it," Losyukov told journalists. He gave no details on the possible contents of the document. According to the Russian high-ranking diplomat, the participants in the meeting have to understand each other's positions, create favourable atmosphere to continue talks and outline measures for gradual settlement of the North Korean issue. "All the delegations believe that this process should not be delayed and another round of talks should be held before the end of the year for detailed consideration of the existing problems," the Russian deputy foreign minister said. Return to Menu 3. Russia Hopes Beijing Talks Will Reduce U.S.-North Korean Distrust Six countries are getting to the negotiation table in Beijing tomorrow on the North Korean issue. To take the edge off Pyongyang-Washington prejudice "at least a small bit" is among the main goals, Alexander Losyukov, Russian delegation head and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said to the media in the Chinese capital today. The US fully reciprocates North Korea's distrust. It is essential to reduce mutual prejudice to let the parties discuss burning issues. Russian and US delegates met for a consultation in Beijing today, added the diplomat. It is his impression that "Americans have come for a calm talk, as constructive as possible. That's a good token." Return to Menu 4. Russian, South Korean Delegations Discuss North Korean Nuclear Settlement The Russian Embassy in Beijing hosted a meeting between the Russian and South Korean delegations as part of preparations for the multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear problem opening in the Chinese capital on Wednesday. Representatives of the two countries exchanged opinions on the main principles of the North Korean nuclear settlement, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov heading the Russian delegation. According to him, Moscow and Seoul have no contradictions on general principles of the settlement however, the sides have their own understanding of "very many details". Nevertheless, the Russian diplomat expressed satisfaction with the consultations and expressed hope for "further productive contacts". According to him, both the South Korean and Russian delegations are "cautiously optimistic" about the tomorrow's multilateral talks. The Russian deputy foreign minister does not rule out that freezing of the North Korean nuclear programme can be at issue at the forthcoming talks. However, the achievement of an agreement on the main principles to continue the process of negotiations will be most important, Losyukov said. Return to Menu 5. Russian, US Delegations Discuss Prospects for Multilateral Talks on North Korea in Beijing The Russian and US delegations held consultations in Beijing on Tuesday as part of the Wednesday multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear problem. The delegations are headed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly. "We exchanged opinions on the prospects for forthcoming talks. The meeting has shown that the US delegation is disposed to serious talks," the Russian diplomat told journalists. According to him, the US side welcomed Russia's participation in the talks. Washington's representatives believe it can be constructive as Russia is the depository of the Treaty on Nuclear Non-proliferation, one of the main participants in this treaty and North Korea's neighbour, the Russian deputy foreign minister stressed. Return to Menu 6. Chances for reaching agreement at Beijing negotiations are slim - Russian diplomat Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov thinks that the chances of reaching an agreement at the Beijing negotiations on the North Korean nuclear problem in late August are "very slim." He stated this in Beijing on Monday before preliminary consultations began between the six participants in the negotiations. "We have come here with cautious optimism. Alas, the odds that we will reach an agreement at this round of negotiations in Beijing are very slim. It is hardly possible to achieve progress at the first round of the negotiations," Losyukov said. There are differences in the participants' attitudes toward the negotiations, and some of the attitudes are firm. "Cautious optimism can be the only reaction to that," he stressed. On Monday, Losyukov had consultations with Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "It is very important to build up the process of negotiations so that it goes on," Losyukov said. "The goal is to reduce manifold positions of participants in the negotiations to the common denominator," he noted. Return to Menu 7. Moscow, Beijing Share Approaches to North Korean Nuclear Problem Russia and China continue to share the principal approaches on the North Korean nuclear problem, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, head of the Russian delegation at the hexalateral talks in Beijing Alexander Losyukov told RIA Novosti. He said this after consultations with the head of the Chinese delegation, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Wang Yi. At the consultations, the two delegation leaders "checked their positions ahead the start of the negotiations," that open on August 27th, Losyukov said. On the whole the two countries share certain optimism that the forthcoming discussions will be useful "not only for solving some problems, but also for exchanging information and understanding the principles the parties are ready to be guided by at further negotiations", he emphasized. "If there is no consent on principal issues, further talks will be useless," the deputy minister pointed out. "So the task of the current round of talks is to find out such common principal approaches," he said. During the consultations with Wang Yi the parties agreed "to further co-ordinate their positions and maintain a permanent contact", Losyukov announced. By August 27th, when the first round of talks on the North Korean nuclear problem opens in Beijing, the Russian delegation is expected to hold meetings with delegations of North Korea, the USA, South Korea and Japan. Return to Menu 8. Russia does not expect major progress from Korea talks Russia does not expect major progress to be made at six-nation talks next week that are aimed to ease tension over North Korea's nuclear ambitions, the Interfax news agency reported Friday, citing an unidentified diplomatic source. The diplomat said the talks, scheduled to start in Beijing on Wednesday, are just the first step toward resolving the confrontation and no breakthrough should be expected, Interfax reported. The diplomat said it will take time to resolve the situation. He said that it took a year and a half for U.S.-North Korean talks to yield a 1994 agreement not to pursue nuclear weapons, which the United States now accuses the North of violating, and that the negotiations process starting next week will likely take at least that long, particularly since six nations are involved. North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan are set to take part in next week's talks. The Russian Foreign Ministry often uses statements by anonymous officials to Russian news agencies to convey its position. The diplomat's comments were strikingly similar to those of a senior official in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, who said Friday that the United States has no expectation of an early breakthrough in the six-nation talks. Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed the upcoming talks in a telephone conversation Friday, the ministry said. It said they also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian situation and Iraq, in the context of this week's bombing attacks in Baghdad and Jerusalem. Russia has called for security guarantees for North Korea in exchange for disarmament pledges. The U.S. official reiterated that the United States is not prepared to offer pre-emptive concessions to the North in advance of the "complete and verifiable dismantling" of its nuclear program." Return to Menu G. Russia-Indonesia 1. Atomic energy ministry to sign framework agt with Indonesia Russian Atomic Energy Ministry and Foreign Ministry have been instructed to hold talks with Indonesia with the aim of concluding a framework agreement on the Russian government's behalf on cooperation in using nuclear power, Atomic Energy Ministry official Valery Govorukhin told Tass. "There have been no cooperation in the field of nuclear power between our two countries so far," he said. "Such an agreement may be signed by the end of this year. It will be merely the starting point. When the legal basis has been created, the framework agreement will be complemented with special documents on a number of specific issues of nuclear power cooperation of interest to both countries." The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry says the two countries plan to cooperate in the development, designing, construction and operation of research reactors and nuclear power plants. Jakarta has also taken interest in low-capacity reactors of Russian manufacture, including floating nuclear power plants. Govorukhin speculated bilateral cooperation might eventually begin in the field of high temperature gas-cooled reactors generating electricity and thermal power for industrial purposes and in using nuclear power for desalination of sea and artesian water. Return to Menu H. Russian Nuclear Forces 1. Analysts Offer Mixed Reaction Fleet Admiral Kuroedov's statements seem to be at odds with the essential provisions of the Naval Doctrine that Russia adopted in 2001 (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 30 July 2001), Center for Strategy and Technology Analysis Deputy Director Konstantin Makienko told Ekho Moskvy on 25 August. Makienko noted that Indian, Chinese, and U.S. admirals continue to view aircraft carriers and huge strategic nuclear submarines as the heart of their navies. TV-Tsentr on 25 August commented that Kuroedov's statement, which must have been approved by President Vladimir Putin, was likely considered an "unpatriotic act" by many navy officers. However, this view is too simplistic, the station continued. The shift means that Russia is developing its own strategy and does not view the world's major navies as its adversaries, as the Soviet leadership did. The future navy will nevertheless be sufficient to protect the country's coastlines and to protect its interests overseas, TV-Tsentr concluded. Return to Menu 2. Foreign Submarines Spotted During Russian Pacific Naval Exercises The Russian Navy has detected foreign submarines keeping a lookout during the exercises of the Russian Pacific Fleet, Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy, said. "We spotted foreign submarines watching our exercises on Saturday in the Primorye (Maritime) Territory near Nakhodka, and today we detected them near Kamchatka," he told reporters. He did not rule out that the submarines could be American. Since the U.S. Navy had refused to sent its official observers for the exercises, the admiral believes that the submarines are a kind of "unofficial observers." "We took no actions against the submarines, for they did not enter Russia's territorial waters," Kuroyedov said. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier that Russia had invited military observers from all the neighbouring countries. In his view, the observers could see for themselves that Russia had no aggressive intentions. Return to Menu 3. Russia navy to protect country's interests in World Ocean Russia's navy must protect the country's interests in any zone of the world ocean, Admiral of the Fleet Vladimir Kuroyedov, the commander-in-chief of the Russian navy, told reporters on Monday. Regarding the course of the army reform, Kuroyedov said that what Russia needs is neither the coastal fleet nor the oceanic fleet but the combined fleet to protect Russia's interests on the coasts and in any zone of the World Ocean. He believes the development of the fleet of aircraft carriers in the years ahead in Russia is inexpedient. He said the service life of the ships inherited from the ex-USSR is 15-20 years. Regarding the policy of the construction of submarines for the Russian navy, Kuroyedov said that submarines with the displacement of several tens of thousands tonnes, similar to the Kursk submarine, will no longer be built. The maximum displacement of submarines must be 12,000 tonnes, and diesel submarines will have the displacement within 1,000 tonnes, Kuroyedov said. Return to Menu 4. Russia's new nuclear submarines to be smaller than Soviet-era predecessors Russia's next-generation nuclear submarines will be smaller than their huge Soviet-era predecessors, the navy chief said Monday. Adm. Vladimir Kuroyedov said that the new nuclear submarines will have a displacement of no more than 12,000 metric tons (13,200 tons). "We won't build giant submarines any more," he said, according to the Interfax-Military News Agency. The first nuclear submarine of the new Borei type, called the Yuri Dolgoruky, is set to be commissioned in 2006, with others to follow. Its Soviet-built predecessor, the Typhoon-type submarine, remains the world's largest with the displacement of about 25,000 metric tons (27,500 tons). The ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Kuroyedov as saying that the navy must have 12-15 nuclear submarines armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles and about 50 general-purpose attack submarines. Kuroyedov also said that the navy wasn't planning to build new aircraft carriers in addition to the Soviet-built Admiral Kuznetsov. Kuroyedov spoke as he attended large-scale maneuvers of the Russian Pacific Fleet. He claimed that the Russian navy had spotted two U.S. submarines shadowing the exercise from out of Russia's waters, the Interfax-Military News Agency reported. "They haven't entered Russia's territorial waters, so we didn't have to expel them," he said. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted by Russia's Channel One television as saying Monday that the navy exercise, which also involved air force and other branches of the military, was the largest since the 1991 Soviet collapse. Return to Menu 5. Russian Strategic Aircraft Participate in Pacific Exercises Russian Navy commander-in-chief, admiral of the fleet Vladimir Kuroyedov told journalists that the strategic aircraft participate in the Pacific exercises. According to him, the bombers will practise in the Pacific exercises the tasks of helping to determine the exact location of a vessel in distress, and of parachuting it the rescue equipment and food. The strategic bombers will take part in operations for discovering and cutting short the actions of poachers and for delivering a training blow in the Kamchatka region. Russian defence minister Sergei Ivanov arrived in the area of the exercises on August 23 on board the Tu-160 strategic bomber. Two such planes are taking part in the exercises. Return to Menu 6. Russian TU-160 Strategic Bombers Appear Above Pacific The large-scale military exercise of the Pacific Fleet continue off the east coast of Russia. On Monday it involved long-range aviation. For the first time in the country's history such aircraft were used in military exercises, and the experience "proved successful", Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov announced. Four squadrons took part in the exercise, comprising Tu-22 and Tu-95MS airplanes and Tu-160 strategic bombers. They carried out tasks on a very large area, from the Arctic Ocean to the Japanese Sea, the minister said. According to the scenario, the Tu-160 strategic bombers flew to the specified area of the Pacific Ocean, where space reconnaissance had discovered "a suspicious vessel". The planes identified the ship. Later, depending on why the ship had found its way to Russian territorial waters, the airplanes could be set a new task, whether to destroy the violator or to direct Pacific Fleet vessels to it, Ivanov explained. "All tasks were carried out and we saw that the use of these planes was rather efficient," he said. Return to Menu 7. Russian defense minister flying to Far East aboard strategic bomber Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov is aboard one of the two strategic Tu-160 bombers that departed for Vladivostok from the Engels airbase in the Saratov region at 5:50 p.m. Moscow time on Friday to join the command post exercises of the Pacific Fleet, spokesman for the Russian Air Force Col. Alexander Drobyshevsky has told Interfax. "During a ten-hour flight, the Tu-160 bombers will carry out an anti-fighter maneuver, midair refueling and a tactical missile launch and will fly at supersonic speed and then at an extremely low altitude at high speed," Drobyshevsky said. The defense minister is flying on board the Alexander Molodchi. Return to Menu I. Official Statements 1. On Consultations Between Representatives of States Parties to the Collective Security Treaty (CST) on UN Problems Consultations took place at the Russian MFA on August 22 between the representatives of the states parties to the CST - Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan - on United Nations problems. During the consultations the similarity or identity of the sides' positions on the main topics of the UN agenda was stated. The sides exchanged views on key issues before the 58th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opening on September 6, emphasized the importance of deepening the coordination of the foreign policy activities of the CST member countries within the UN system, and agreed on concrete moves in this field. During the consultations special attention was paid to the questions of cooperation in the field of counteraction against new challenges and threats, including the combating of international terrorism, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the traffic in drugs. Topical regional security problems were also examined from a common standpoint, including the situation around Iraq, in the Middle East and in Afghanistan. The CST's interest in building up cooperation with the United Nations and, in particular, with the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee was reaffirmed. The sides spoke in favor of continued active participation in traditional conferences of senior officials of the UN Secretariat and regional organizations. The participants of the consultations also spoke in favor of further deepening practical cooperation and coordination by the CST member states in the UN, including in the framework of the 58th General Assembly session. Questions were also discussed relating to preparations for the upcoming 2005 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference. Return to Menu J. Links of Interest 1. Bellona Demands Declassification of Accidents Aboard Soviet Submarines Return to Menu 2. What to Expect from the Six-Party Talks on the Korean Nuclear Crisis Return to Menu 3. The Proliferation Security Initiative: An Interdiction Strategy 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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