 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
2/6/12 |
 |
||||||||
|
 |
Home / Projects & Publications / News |
|
||||||||
|
|||||||||||
|
RANSAC Nuclear News, September 19, 2003 Compiled By: RANSAC Staff A. Nuclear Cities Initiative
 A. Nuclear Cities Initiative 1. Minatom of Russia and U.S. DOE to continue NCI cooperation The Minatom of Russia and the U.S. DOE are to continue 69 projects under the Nuclear Cities Initiative. It was stated in Moscow, September 19, by Alexander Rumyantsev and Spencer Abraham who attended the signing ceremony of a protocol between Igor Borovkov, First Deputy Minister of Minatom and Paul Longsworth, Deputy Administrator of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration. The government-to-government agreement that created the NCI was signed on September 22, 1998 for a five-year period comprising more than 200 projects. In July 2003, Secretary Abraham informed A. Rumyantsev that the U.S. would not be able to renew the NCI agreement until the Russian government approves legal provisions intended to provide the broad liability protection of American workers and companies working on projects in Russia. However, considering the positive experience of the cooperation under the NCI program, a Joint Steering Committee met in Moscow decided to continue existing work on 69 projects. Speaking at the protocol signing ceremony A. Rumyantsev noted: �We are summarizing here a very important work that has been done through 5 years. Nuclear cities cooperation is an extremely sensitive sphere. Still we managed to find a way to make it mutually profitable and showing good results.� Secretary Abraham reaffirmed his support to continue the NCI program and identify new fulfillment mechanisms. �I recognize that it serves a vital nonproliferation goal by assisting in the transition of Russian nuclear scientists and engineers to non-defense, commercial efforts,� he said. Spencer Abraham also stressed, among others, the tangible success of a joint partnership with Sarov on the establishment of a new company with over US$ 1.5 million in a outstanding sales. Another partnership is with the city of Zheleznogorsk where work moves toward completion of a workforce restructuring plan that will create jobs for up to 6,000 displaced weapons workers and scientists. Secretary Abraham announced funding for a new project, the creation of a US$ 9 million medical imaging centre in Snezhinsk. The project will be carried on with participation of VNIITF, Minatom of Russia, Chelyabinsk Regional Administration, Chelyabinsk region Oncology Centre, West Louisiana Biomedical Research Foundation and Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Return to Menu 2. Russia and US Continue Nuclear Cities Initiative The Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy are going to continue the implementation of 69 projects within the Nuclear Cities Initiative, heads of the two departments Alexander Rumiantsev and Spenser Abraham said at a joint press conference Friday. The inter-governmental agreement on the Nuclear Cities Initiative was signed in 1998 for five years and expired this year. Although it was decided not to prolong the agreement, the parties agreed to accomplish several projects that have already been launched. Among them is the establishment of a cancer diagnostics centre in Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk Region, the Urals) worth $9 million. According to Abraham, the U.S. is planning to continue assistance to Russia's closed nuclear cities. Under the 1998 agreement, the U.S. planned to allot $80 million for projects in those cities. Only $14 million has been spent so far, and projects worth $26 million are at the development stage. Return to Menu B. Chemical Weapons Destruction 1. Inadequate Funding Threatens Russian CW Destruction, Foreign Aid A Russian lawmaker cautioned today that inadequate domestic funding for destroying Russian chemical weapons would not only slow the program but would jeopardize the contributions of other nations. �The draft budget for 2004 allocates 5.36 billion rubles [$176 million] for implementing the presidential program of chemical weapons destruction in the Russian Federation, which is equal to this year�s allocations,� said Nikolai Bezborodov, deputy chairman of the Duma Defense Committee and a member of the state commission for chemical weapons destruction (see GSN, June 10). �This amounts to 46 percent of the 11.58 billion rubles [$381 million] supposed to be allocated for this sector under the program in 2004,� he added. �As a result, the U.S. will not resume the provision of $200 million for the construction of the chemical weapons destruction facility in the town of Shchuchye in Kurgan region. The U.S. is ready to resume the funding if Russia and donor countries allocate at least $50 million for Shchuchye,� Bezborodov said (see GSN, June 9; Interfax/BBC Monitoring, Sept. 19). Return to Menu 2. Russia not to Destroy Chemical Weapons and Submarines Before Deadline Russia will fail to destroy its chemical weapons and submarines before the deadline, Natalya Kalinina, aide to the Russian Premier said at a Friday international non-proliferation conference in Moscow. Russia has the largest stock of chemical weapons - over 40,000 tons - and "without international assistance it is impossible to do it before the deadline," she said. Before 2010 Russia has to destroy over 130 submarines. "It is a grave problem, and it is acute for our environment, and all countries, above all Western, should be interested in Russia's as soon as possible getting rid of this 'cold war' weight," Kalinina said. She stressed that Moscow views the problem of destruction of chemical weapons as "top-priority". Return to Menu C. Multilateral Threat Reduction 1. Russia Doesn't Think its Global Partnership with West is Effective Enough Russia does not think its global partnership with Western nations is effective enough at this point, Anatoly Antonov, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at an international conference on nuclear non-proliferation in Moscow Friday. In his words, "the results of the first year of global partnership leave one with a mixed impression. Cooperation within the G8 goes on, but no radical changes have occurred in Russia's relationships with Western nations and there are no signs of dramatic change any time soon." Western nations continue to assist Russia under some old programs, primarily ones related to weapons dismantling, yet they are reluctant to launch whatever few new projects are proposed, the Ambassador-at-Large lamented. He reminded his audience that at their Kananaskis summit in 2002, G8 leaders agreed on the need to allocate $20 bln for programs to dismantle Russia's Soviet-era arsenal. This is a stated sum while the actual amount is far smaller, Antonov said. He also noted that Western countries often offer aid on terms Russia finds unacceptable and that they may use an "unacceptable tone" at negotiations. "It would be wrong to assume that Russia's interest in broader global partnership implies its willingness to accept assistance from Western countries on any terms. We are willing and interested in meaningful cooperation, but attempts to speak to us in the language of ultimatums will produce no positive results," the Russian diplomat pointed out. Over 300 leading specialists from 36 countries are attending the non-proliferation conference now underway in Moscow. Return to Menu D. US-Russia 1. Putin, Bush to look for substance of partnership Official Washington has come to a conclusion that the partnership with Moscow should be filled with substance, an high-ranking official of the US administration said in an interview with Itar-Tass. Commenting on the upcoming meeting of the Russian and American presidents, Vladimir Putin and George Bush, in Camp David, he said American preparations for it proceeded just from this perspective. What positive there was in the relations between the US and Russia used to be understood only as the absence of negative. The sides have succeeded, at a cost of much efforts, to avoid serious and lasting differences on a range of acute issues from the US' leaving the Soviet-American Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 to NATO's enlargement to the American-led invasion of Iraq. It is time to proceed to another criterion - what can be done to mutual benefit of the United State and Russia, the specialist said. "The Camp-David meeting is the search for real positive substance of our relations," he stressed. The administration representative said the range of matters to be discussed by Putin and Bush was bound to include the developments in Iraq and the Middle East, the situation surrounding Iran and North Korea, cooperation in the global struggle against terrorism, international security and the US's plan of a national missile defence. Key tasks in bilateral relations include broader trade and economic contacts and the US's assistance to Russia's admission to the World Trade Organization. In the opinion of the specialist, a "perpetual issue" is free contacts between people, providing the most solid basis for any partnership. The White House believes positions of the US and Russia have been coming closer on all these matters. The Camp David meeting will be special in that it will be in fact the last opportunity for the presidents to talk thoroughly before the new elections both in Russia and the US, the administration official said. He explained that with the two presidents' engagement in the future elections, especially strong impetus was needed these days to the progress of bilateral relations, including between security agencies. Of note, the White House, prefers a pragmatic-sounding "working meeting of the presidents" to a "summit". The relations between Moscow and Washington were traditionally described as "games with zero result", where success of one side spelt failure of the other. This approach has long since sunk into oblivion. The administration representative said the While House was convinced that the logic of relations this day must be the pooling of efforts of both sides answering national interests of each. Return to Menu E. Missile Nonproliferation 1. Russian Diplomat: World Becomes Less Concerned about Non-Proliferation of Missile Weapons The Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the threat of terrorists getting hold of weapons of mass destruction and materials for their development remains. "Such a threat does exist, and this can lead to an awful tragedy," director of the arms control department of the Russian Federation Foreign Ministry Mikhail Lysenko stated in Moscow on Friday at an international conference on non-proliferation. Moscow believes that attention to missile non-proliferation has reduced in the world. It is necessary to create a corresponding treaty-legal basis and mechanisms of control in order to effectively prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and of their delivery vehicles, the diplomat stated. He also stressed that "it is impossible to decide the questions now existing in the world by means of simple recipes - military force or sanctions". By such methods the problem can only "be driven into the depths, made less perceptible but not be solved," the Russian Foreign Ministry representative stated. Return to Menu F. Russia-Iran 1. Defense Ministry: We don�t sell weapons to Iran Moscow is denying Washington�s allegations that Russian defense companies supply weapons to Iran. According to Mikhail Dmitriyev, Deputy Defense Minister of Russia and Chairman of the Committee for Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign Countries, these accusations are unfounded. He was commenting on the imposition of sanctions against the Tula-based Instrument Design Bureau (KBP) by the United States. The Americans accuse the company of selling military equipment to Iran. Mr. Dmitriyev stressed that Russian military defense companies would continue their military and technical cooperation with Iran. He said Russia would never go back on the obligations it had undertaken, and it would continue working within the framework of international law. �There are prospects, and we don�t see reasons to stop this cooperation,� the Deputy Defense Minister said. Russia sells $25m to $70m in weapons to Iran annually. During the years of Russia-Iran military cooperation, the two countries signed contracts for about $270m. According to Mr. Dmitriyev, Russia�s activities in Iran mainly focus on repair works and the modernization of military equipment from Russia. He added that a contract for the delivery of military helicopters was expected to be signed. The Deputy Defense Minister said there were permits for all weapons covered by the Russian-Iranian military cooperation, particularly defense systems. On August 25, 2003, the United States introduced sanctions against the Tula Instrument Design Bureau (KBP), which it accuses of selling military equipment to Iran. According to Washington, this company sold weapons to nations from the US State Department's list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Under the sanctions, the Tula Instrument Design Bureau is banned from dealing with the US government and obtaining export licenses for American defense products. Earlier this year, the US authorities accused the Tula Instrument Design Bureau of selling Kornet anti-tank missiles to Saddam Hussein�s regime. In September 2002, the United States imposed sanctions against three Russian defense companies � the Tula Instrument Design Bureau, NPO Bazalt and an aircraft building company in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Washington accused them of selling weapons to Libya, Sudan and Syria. RBC Daily quotes Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky as saying that the imposition of sanctions against the Tula Instrument Design Bureau is part of Washington�s well-planned strategy to force Russia out of the Middle East weapons market. �To accuse the Tula KBP of selling weapons to Iran, the sponsor of international terrorism, in the opinion of the US, is just baby talk,� he said. Meanwhile, according to the Tula Instrument Design Bureau�s officials, the sanctions will not have any negative economic consequences for the plant, as it has no contacts with American firms. So, this is rather a political than economic measure, experts say. Perhaps, the Americans are preparing the ground for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader George Bush, scheduled for September, where the American President will try to persuade his Russian counterpart that Russia should stop supplying weapons to Syria and Iran. Despite the assurances of the Tula KBP�s officials, both Vladimir Zhirinovsky and independent experts are convinced that Russia still sells weapons to Iran and Syria, the newspaper reports. However, according to Mr. Zhirinovsky, �we have normal partner relations with Iran, and, except weapons of mass destruction, we can sell whatever we want�. �Tula is a poor city, and Iran pays in cash. That is why it is profitable for us to cooperate with it, as the Indian and Chinese markets are insufficient for Russia,� Mr. Zhirinovsky added. In his opinion, Washington�s main goal is to drive Russia out of the Middle East weapons market, where, he believes, a �fourth world war� is breaking out, aimed at destroying the Islamic world and establishing �democracies a-la Iraq � in Iran, Syria and North Korea. In Mr. Zhirinovsky�s opinion, Russian weapons, �which still outdo American weapons in terms of quality�, might spoil Washington�s game. Return to Menu 2. Iran to Continue its Peaceful Nuclear Programme Iran is not going to cease its peaceful nuclear programme, said Iranian diplomat Mahmad Hoseinim at the Moscow International Non-Proliferation Conference. "We say 'no' to creating nuclear and other mass destruction weapons and 'yes' to peaceful atomic technologies," Hoseinim quoted the Iranian position worded by president Khatami. The diplomat expressed his regret for the criticism of Iran that sounded during the press conference of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow. Hoseinim stressed that Russo-Iranian co-operation in the nuclear sphere "is confined to peaceful use of atomic energy and is always under the IAEA control." Return to Menu 3. No date seen for Russia-Iran spent nuclear fuel accord: minister Moscow and Tehran are far from reaching an agreement on repatriating spent nuclear fuel that would enable Russia to finalise the construction of a nuclear power station in Iran, a top Russian official said on Friday. "I cannot name a date" as to when the crucial agreement will be signed, Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev told AFP. "We have not agreed with Iran about anything yet." On Tuesday, attending a general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, the minister said Russia was set to resolve its dispute with Iran over the return of the spent fuel, a key condition for concluding its 800 million dollar (715 million euro) project at Bushehr, in western Iran. "There is nothing preventing us from agreeing.... We will agree," he said. However speaking on the sidelines of a meeting in Moscow with US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, Rumyantsev said the negotiating process with Iran was "taking a long time -- these are prolonged discussions." Russia has called on Iran to abide by the IAEA's deadline for Iran to prove by October 31 that it is not secretly developing atomic weapons. Iran's first nuclear power station in Bushehr is due to go online in 2005. Washington, which suspects Tehran of pursuing a nuclear weapons programme, has been pressing Russia strongly not to sign an accord. Abraham in in Moscow to sign the Nuclear Cities Initiative, a programme aimed at enhancing US and global security by supporting weapons reduction in Russian cities where nuclear weapons are stationed or nuclear sites are located. Return to Menu 4. Russia Soothes U.S. Fears on Iran Before Summit Russia said on Friday nuclear cooperation talks with Iran that have angered Washington could take a long time to finalize, news that will be music to American ears. The talks are about a bilateral deal that, once signed, will clear the way for shipments of Russian nuclear fuel to Iran to bring on stream its 1,000-megawatt Bushehr power plant. Washington says the Bushehr project masks secret Iranian plans to develop an atomic bomb. Moscow says there is no proof of Washington's suspicions. But, speaking to reporters, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev indicated there would be no quick deal with Iran, saying: "Our talks could last a long time." He denied pointedly that Russia was backpedalling on the deal to please the United States. But his comments, following months of pressure from Washington to abandon the $800-million Bushehr project, will help soothe a major irritant before presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush meet at Camp David on September 26 and 27. Washington, which brackets Iran as part of the "axis of evil" together with pre-war Iraq and North Korea, has told Russia it expects proof to emerge soon of an Iranian clandestine weapons program. That, U.S. officials say, would embarrass Moscow if it had already begun shipping nuclear fuel. Tehran denies Washington's accusations it is using Bushehr and other facilities as a cover for developing an atomic bomb. U.S. officials say it is an open secret that Moscow has stocks of nuclear fuel ready to be shipped to Tehran once the two sides have signed a bilateral protocol. The deal, however, has snagged over Iran's unusual demands that Russia pay for the spent reactor fuel that Tehran would return to Moscow for storing and reprocessing. Rumyantsev, speaking after talks with U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, said one option Russia was studying to solve the dispute with Tehran was to increase the price of the nuclear fuel it would ship to Iran to make the Bushehr reactor active. "Talks are going on and it is premature to talk about any financial scheme at the moment," he said. Asked pointedly by a reporter whether Russia was dragging its heels over the deal with Iran to please Washington on the eve of the Putin-Bush summit, Rumyantsev said: "This does not correspond to reality." U.S. officials say Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran is more a result of muddled policy than deliberate connivance with one of Washington's adversaries. But they also say maverick Russian scientists are helping Iran develop weapons under cover of the Bushehr project. Return to Menu 5. Russia's Defence Ministry to Continue Contacts with Iran As addressing a news conference in Moscow Friday, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Mikhail Dmitriyev said Russia would continue military contacts with Iran. Mr Dmitriyev heads a government committee on military-technological cooperation with other countries. He described as "obscure" the sanctions the United States had imposed against Russia's Tula-based arms producer. The US claims the Russian plant supplies banned weaponry to Iran. Russia only supplies authorised weaponry to Iran, insisted the deputy minister. Russia will continue military cooperation with Iran, emphasised Mr Dmitriyev. Russia's arms deliveries to Greece may total over $1 billion this year, said the deputy minister. The contract for the delivery of an air-cushioned landing ship is one of the most lucrative contracts, according to Mr Dmitriyev. "Among others, Russia maintains cooperation with some of the Middle East countries. They are Russia's long-established partners, cooperation with which is developing and has never been interrupted," said the Russian deputy defence minister. Return to Menu 6. United States Hopes Russia Would Suspend Nuclear Power Plant Construction in Iran Russia and the United States have a major role to play in strengthening the non-proliferation regimes world-wide, US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow said Friday speaking to the International Non-proliferation Conference in Moscow. He believes the two nations must become partners in this sphere. According to Vershbow, the United States expects Russia to help convince North Korea, that "everything will not remain as it is unless Pyongyang abandons its nuclear programmes." The US diplomat also expressed hope that Russia would suspend the construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant till Iran fulfils the IAEA requirements. Return to Menu 7. US sanctions against Tula plant not to affect contract with Greece The American sanctions, clamped down on the Tula Instrument-Making Design Bureau, will not affect the implementation of the contract to deliver Russian "Kornet" anti-tank systems to Greece, Russian Deputy Defence Minister and Chairman of the Committee on Military-Technological Cooperation with Foreign Countries Mikhail Dmitriev told a press-conference at Itar-Tass on Friday. The American sanctions, which came after Washington's allegations that the design bureau was delivering armaments to Iran, "will not tell on Russia's military-technological cooperation with NATO countries," the deputy minister stated. "The U.S. step "is not very clear to us, since Russia's military-technological cooperation with foreign countries is strictly in keeping with the existing international norms and agreements" and is being done only through "Rosoboronexport". "Just as several other countries, Russia is cooperating with Iran on purely defensive lines," the deputy minister noted. This cooperation is not very big, ranging from twenty-five to seventy million U.S. dollars a year. It added up to only 270 million U.S. dollars over the entire period of its existence. It is limited to the modernisation of the existing hardware and delivery of a small number of military-transport helicopters. The future plans also deal only with purely defensive matters." The "Kornet" is an anti-tank missile system of the third generation. It easily spots and hits targets protected by means of optic and infrared jamming. "Kornet" missiles are able to piece the armour of any modern tank and two of them can be fired simultaneously on particularly important and well-protected targets. Its aimed firing range in any weather or climate conditions reaches five kilometres in daytime and 3.5 kilometres at night. The "Kornet" can be used not only against tanks, but also against fortified structures, enemy manpower, and low-flying helicopters. The complex comes in self-propelled, trucked and portable modifications. It is easily to handle and service. The "Kornet" became particularly popular after the war in Iraq. Return to Menu 8. US Secretary of Energy meets with Russian Energy Minister Disputes between Russia and the USA regarding the implementation of the nuclear energy program in Iran will not hamper cooperation between the two countries in the energy field, US Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham stated to journalists after meeting with his Russian counterpart Igor Yusufov. He specified that disputes about the construction of the nuclear plant in Bushehr (Iran) had emerged "before Russia and the USA started their energy cooperation"; however, the two countries "could plan and start efficient work" in the energy field. Russia and the USA are discussing an increase in Russian gas supplies to the US market. Return to Menu 9. USA Will Make Every Effort to Preserve Iran as NPT Member The United States intends to make every effort to prevent Iran from renouncing the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), said Alexander Vershbow, US Ambassador to the Russia Federation who spoke at the International Non-proliferation Conference in Moscow Friday. He noted that the deadline for Iran to provide evidence that it never developed nuclear weapons is October 31. It has produced none so far, the Ambassador added. "If Iran is indeed implementing a peaceful nuclear program, why does it not allow inspections of its nuclear installations?" the Ambassador wondered. He emphasised that Iran's eventual development of nuclear weapons "would deal a serious blow to the non-proliferation of nuclear technologies." Return to Menu 10. Iranian power project generates tension between US and Russia With its 50 metre penthouse swimming pool, French marble-clad exterior, Grecian pillars and fountain, one of Moscow's first modern office buildings looks as though it should have been built for a private oil magnate rather than a branch of Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy. The $40m (&euro35.6m, �25m) headquarters, completed in 1996 for Konverse Bank, a bank controlled until recently by "MinAtom", is testament to the financial flows of a nuclear industry spun out of the Soviet Union's military machine. Today it generates export revenues of more than $3bn a year. MinAtom's sales of nuclear expertise - notably to Iran - are an important source of export earnings. But they are also a problem for Moscow's fledgling partnership with the US and they will be on the agenda of John Bolton, US deputy secretary of state, who arrived in Moscow yesterday for a conference on proliferation. For the past decade, after western suppliers withdrew from the construction of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station, MinAtom has taken up the slack. The deal, worth about $1bn, should lead to Bushehr's launch in 2005, but has triggered fears of its misuse. "Iran is not a stable country politically, and you don't know who will be in charge in three or five years. Stopping the programme would help global security," says Vladimir Slivyak from Ecodefence, a Russian anti- nuclear lobby group. The US has long pushed Moscow to stop its co-operation on Bushehr, as well as on a broader series of arms and technology deals. It has even imposed sanctions on Russian research institutes and companies involved in exports to Iran. The pressure may be working: a senior US official told the FT that Russia had decided to put off the first shipment of nuclear fuel to Bushehr to next spring. The delivery had been scheduled for late this year. Earlier this month, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, passed a resolution giving Iran until October 31 to give full details of its nuclear programme. The direct danger from Bushehr is still under debate. "Neither Iran nor Russia has violated any agreement, and we are in line with the guidelines of the IAEA," says Alexander Rumyantsev, head of MinAtom. He stresses that as a condition for completion of the power station, Iran must first finalise a contract committing it to return all spent nuclear fuel to Russia for reprocessing and storage, further limiting any prospect for proliferation. While the IAEA has been pushing for Iran to sign an "additional protocol" to provide for supplementary nuclear inspections, Mohammed ElBaradei, the head of the agency, himself says he sees no risks of proliferation from Bushehr itself. However, the US argues that it could be used as a cover for a military nuclear programme, if only through training specialists. "The Russians have too much faith in their nuclear skills and don't believe the Iranians are capable of replicating them," says one senior US diplomat. The recent discovery of undisclosed fuel enrichment facilities in Iran, despite continued official assurances that it has no interest in helping a military nuclear programme, has sparked fresh concern in Russia as well as the US and the EU. President Vladimir Putin's own statements and actions in recent months indicate a change in tack on nuclear co-operation, suggesting a shift away from a purely commercial logic. He replaced Sergei Adamov, the former head of MinAtom accused of corruption, with Mr Rumyantsev, and installed others from his own circle in key positions. "Before, the position on Iran depended not just on the president but on the atomic industry. Now the managers listen to the political orders and obey," says Mr Slivyak, who argues that there has been a significant increase in Russian caution towards Tehran in the past six months. Mr Putin and other senior officials have stepped up their calls for Iran to comply with the IAEA's additional protocol, even while refusing to make it a condition for Bushehr's completion. The result, combined with the US's preoccupation with Iraq, seems set to ensure that Bushehr will not be a "relationship-breaker" with Moscow. While its refusal to complete the power station could put additional pressure on Tehran to comply with the IAEA, Alexander Pikaev, an academic from the Carnegie Moscow Centre, argues that going ahead could be wiser: Russia supplying its own fuel on condition it is returned afterwards would be safer than pushing Iran to develop its own supplies, which would be far more difficult to track. Russia may be hoping that continued "technical delays" in signing its own long-delayed contract for the return of spent fuel with Iran at Bushehr will win it time for the US and others to persuade Tehran to comply with the IAEA's additional protocol. Mr Putin could then be seen to have supported Iran and not given in to international pressure. Return to Menu 11. U.S. Still Hopes to Talk Russia Round on Iran Nukes The United States is confident proof will soon emerge of a clandestine Iranian nuclear arms program that will force Russia to drop plans to help Tehran build a nuclear reactor, a top U.S. official said on Thursday. Speaking in Moscow on condition of anonymity, the senior administration official said Russia would not ship fuel to enable the 1,000-megawatt Bushehr reactor to become active until early next year, giving Washington time to dissuade it: "Each day that goes by that that has not happened gives more time to see if we can't bring the Russians into closer alignment with our analysis of the threat posed by the Iranian program." Tehran denies Washington's accusation it is using Bushehr and other facilities as a front for developing an atomic bomb. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak on Wednesday in a new bid to get Moscow to abandon the $800-million Bushehr project, an irritant in relations that will figure prominently when presidents Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush meet at Camp David next week. Russian officials share concerns at stopping the spread of nuclear arms but say U.S. suspicions against Iran lack proof. Kislyak, in an interview with the newspaper Vremya Novostei, appeared to confirm Moscow was still moving ahead on the Bushehr plans, saying work was being completed with Iran on a bilateral protocol for the return of spent reactor fuel to Moscow. The United States is hoping confirmation of its suspicions will emerge from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). That, the U.S. official said, would let Washington raise the issue at the U.N. Security Council, sure at last of support from Russia and others that still doubt Tehran is developing weapons. "Once it becomes clear that they (the Iranians) have a nuclear weapons program, Russia will not have civil nuclear cooperation with Iran," the official said. The IAEA has given Iran until October 31 to enable it to check whether it has an illicit atomic arms program. U.S. officials, keen to maintain good personal relations between Putin and Bush, are quick to say that Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran is more a matter of muddled policy than deliberate connivance with one of Washington's adversaries. But the official said U.S. intelligence was convinced maverick Russian scientists were helping Iran develop weapons. Return to Menu 12. Russia will continue the Bushehr N-plant construction, minister said Russia will start to supply nuclear fuel for the Bushehr N-plant as soon as the addendum to the bilateral agreement regarding the INF (irradiated nuclear fuel) return is signed, the minister RF for atomic energy Alexander Rumyantsev said reportedly by ITAR-TASS. The official talked to reporters outside the IAEA General Conference, September 16, after his meeting with Iranian Vice-President, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Reza Aghazadeh. �There is no impediment for this, the text and signing procedures alignment is under way,� he said. According to Mr. Rumyantsev, two Iranian Vice-President�s counselors are to visit Moscow to communicate Tehran�s position regarding who and where is going to sign the addendum. �Respective powers might be delegated to the Iranian Ambassador in Moscow, or an official delegation might go there,� he said. Russian representatives can go to Iran for this purpose as well, he added. The minister also informed that Russia will go on to go with the Bushehr power unit construction despite the tough resolution passed by the IAEA board of governors. �While working on the resolution, U. S. officials tried to give us a cue: leave Iran. �Tell us why�, we asked. No comprehensible reply was given�, Mr. Rumyantsev said. Based on this, he added, �Russia sees no reason to drop its cooperation with Tehran in nuclear sphere for it is in compliance with the international legislation,� he stressed. Commenting on Washington�s strong stand the minister noted that it would be �incorrect to invoke NPT breaches, what we deal with in case of Iran is just haziness,� he said. Nevertheless, Moscow urges Tehran to sign immediately and without any conditions the Additional Protocol to the IAEA safeguard agreement, he stressed. Mr. Rumyantsev shrugged off concerns as to the possibility of using Bushehr-oriented Russian equipment and nuclear fuel to develop atomic weapons. �Building a nuclear power plant can bring Iran closer to having its own nuclear weapons as much as a higher educational level enhance the a country�s defense capacities�, he said. The minister explained that nuclear physics, chemistry or biology research may apply for peaceful uses or for military technologies. He also reminded that Tehran has the U.S. made reactor that could be used for �slow neutrons uranium enrichment studies�. He also noted that previous inspections haven�t find in Iran �signs of technologies similar to what is necessary to produce an atomic bomb�. Mr. Rumyantsev claimed that there was no Russian technical or expert support in building up the heavy water plant at the Arak site. Still, Russia knew about the project, he added. �As far as we know, CANDU reactor technology was involved there, capable to produce heavy water�, he stressed. According to the minister, Iran has asked Russia to carry on a technical assessment of the project to be fulfilled with Canadian help. �However, there was no further development, and no assessment was done,� he said. Return to Menu G. Russian Nuclear Forces 1. Russia suspends bomber flights after crash Russia suspended flights by its top-of-the-range strategic bomber after one crashed on a training exercise on Thursday, killing the four-member crew, the airforce chief of staff was reported as saying. The TU-160 supersonic plane, known in the West by its NATO codename of Blackjack, came down in the Volga region after a mystery blaze broke out in one of its four engines, defence officials said. Russia is believed by Western defence analysts to have 15 of the nuclear-capable planes, which first came into service 22 years ago. A mainstay of the strategic bomber fleet that is often compared to the U.S. B-1, the TU-160 has an operational range of 14,000 km (8,750 miles) and a top speed of 2,000 km (1,250 miles) per hour. "The TU-160 flights have been suspended until we find out the reasons why the plane crashed," General Boris Cheltsov, airforce commander-in-chief, was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. The plane, which was on a routine exercise, came down in the Saratov region south of Moscow after the crew contacted ground control to say a fire had broken out. The aircraft subsequently dropped off radar screens. A series of military accidents has prompted Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov to bitterly criticise the armed forces for carelessness and lack of discipline. Vladimir Demidov, a civil defence official in the Saratov region, said the cause of the fire was unclear. "Investigations will determine the cause. The search for the black boxes is continuing," Demidov said by telephone, referring to the flight recorders. "One Tupolev to my knowledge out of the 15 is a test aircraft," said Chris Langton, head of defence analysis at the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. "Obviously, they are still testing certain onboard elements of this aircraft and it possible that something has gone wrong which has alerted them that there may be a problem in all the others," Langton added by telephone. Return to Menu H. Nuclear Industry 1. Contract signed to put Armenian NPP under Russian administration September 18, Russia�s �InterRAO EES� signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy of Armenia to provide trust administration services to operate the Armenian (Metsamor) N-plant, ITAR-TASS reported. By the terms of the agreement, the Russian company will manage the productions and financial activities of the plant during the next five years. The Armenian government remains the asset owner while the power over the plant stocks will be temporally assigned to the Russian company. �InterRAO EES� will also control the payments between the Armenian NPP and the local electricity consumers. The company has already paid off the plant�s US$ 40 mln dept to the nuclear fuel suppliers. US$ 25 mln were reimbursed through the transfer of the Sevan-Razdan hydropower station. The remaining US$ 15 mln will be paid within two years, with resort to the revenue from electricity sales and the accounts receivable. The Armenian NPP located 40 km from Yerevan, the capital, generates about 40 per cent of the energy produced in the country. It was commissioned in 1979 and shut down in 1989 following a destructive earthquake. In 1996 the plant�s second power unit was removed from the guaranteed shutdown and put into service, with participation of Russian specialists. Nuclear experts believe that the plant can be operational for 5 to 6 years more provided the present safety levels are maintained. Return to Menu 2. Russian firm to run Armenian nuclear power station for 5 years The Armenian government has transferred the management of the Armenian nuclear power station to the Russian "InterRAO UES" holdings. the production and financial activities of the Armenian nuclear power station in the next five years. Under the deal with the Armenian government, which remain the station's owner, the "InterRAO UES" will run the station's production and financial activities in the next five years. The Armenian government has transferred all its rights to the station's shares to the Russian company, Armenia's Energy Minister Armen Movsisyan said on Thursday. The Armenian Nuclear Power Station is located 40 kilometers off Yerevan and produces approximately 40 percent of all electric energy in Armenia. It began operation in 1979 but stopped after a destructive earthquake in Armenia in 1989. Russian experts helped Armenia to re-activate the nuclear power station and to resume the industrial operation of its second power unit in 1996. In the meanwhile, the European Union insists that Armenia shut down the station as early as possible. However, the Armenian government believes that the nuclear power station should continue functioning until the country is not fully supplied with alternative energy sources. Andrei Rappoport, the deputy executive chief of the RAO UES Russia holdings who has arrived in Yerevan says that the European Union's demands to close down the Armenian nuclear power station are a bit too "high". The nuclear power station's security experts believe that with its current level of security, the station will be able to run for the next five or six years. Return to Menu 3. Russian Nuclear Power Industry Set to Defend its Interests Will Russia be able to make independent decisions concerning the exportation of its nuclear power-industry technologies and equipment in the future? Many of our current and prospective clients are trying to answer this question, as they analyze the situation around Iranian nuclear programs. It should be mentioned in this connection that Russia is now building the Bushehr nuclear power plant (NPP) in Iran. Moscow is also implementing some large-scale nuclear power-industry projects in China and India alike; however, these projects don't give rise to heated international debates, as the Iranian program does. Among other things, the 47-th IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) general conference, which opened in Vienna September 15, focused on the Iranian nuclear program. IAEA inspectors have so far failed to obtain any evidence of the fact that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Nonetheless, US and British delegates are sure that any Iranian nuclear programs had military implications from the very outset. This seems to be a rather serious problem because the afore-said approach doesn't apply the presumption of innocence to specific countries. Moreover, one gets the impression that US logic rules out any non-military Third World nuclear programs, not to speak of axis-of-evil countries. In other words, the world's countries can implement nuclear power-industry programs only if they boast the right political systems. This concerns the Bushehr NPP's power unit now being constructed with Russian assistance; when completed, that power unit will be running on Russian nuclear fuel. Despite positive IAEA expert checks and the Iranian Government's pledge to return all nuclear waste to Russia, Washington openly accuses Teheran of trying to develop nuclear weapons. Besides, the US Administration accuses Moscow of encouraging the Iranian nuclear program. Russian and US approaches are obviously quite different. The US side has its own criteria for allowing any specific nuclear programs; well, such openly political criteria are a far cry from IAEA criteria. Washington is trying to convince other countries to abide by US criteria alone. For its own part, Russia observes existing international-law norms; in other words, Moscow's decisions solely hinge on IAEA conclusions and recommendations. Moscow prefers to cooperate with those particular countries, in case the IAEA doesn't object to their nuclear programs, and if such countries (unlike North Korea) still cooperate with the IAEA. It goes without saying that Russia wants to export nuclear technologies on an increasingly greater scale. Iran and NPP-s are not the only thing that matters; add to this Russian technological advantages in adjacent spheres. Vast South-East Asian, Central Asian, African and Central American territories will be relying heavily on NPP-s soon enough. Russia, which is a global power-industry leader, maintains long-standing relations with many regional countries. Moscow perceives such relations as quite valuable. Lack of drinking water is an even more serious problem than future power shortages just because nuclear water-purification facilities can provide the world with enough drinking water. Russia has already mastered production of these systems, what with Russian exporters regarding this as a highly promising market. Japan hosted a world forum in March 2003, with experts discussing drinking-water problems. In their words, drinking-water demand tends to outpace population-growth rates. As of 2000, 20 percent of all mankind experienced drinking-water shortages; this share will total 30 percent by the year 2015 in 50 countries of the world. About 50 percent of the Third World's population are now suffering from health problems, which are directly or indirectly caused by bad water. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) estimates that an additional $14-30 billion are needed each year in order to provide this planet's population with enough drinking water. Meanwhile the world's countries are already spending $30 billion per year for these purposes. The water-purifier market is now valued at $3 billion, eventually expanding to $12 billion by 2015 as a result of fresh-water shortages. Still these estimates are based on existing technologies. In the meantime Russian-made nuclear water-purification systems make it possible to cut present purification costs ($1-3 per one cubic meter of fresh water) several times over. Russia is now busy implementing an entirely new nuclear power-industry program. In a nutshell, this country has started developing floating NPP-s. Each floating NPP is, in fact, a barge, which displaces 20,000 tons, and which is fitted with two turbine generators, as well as two KLT-40-S nuclear reactors, Grigory Vengerovich, technical director of the Floating NPP-s project, noted. One 77-mWt unit can supply fresh water to a city of one million during four consecutive years, without reloading fuel, as it produces 200,000-400,000 cubic meters of water every 24 hours. Incidentally, the client can convert this unit into a power generator; moreover, it can heat up water, also serving as a water purifier. Russian scientists have built a prototype water purifier within the framework of the Energy-Effective Economy federal target program. Experts working with the Russian Nuclear Energy Ministry believe that a full-fledged NPP will be commissioned in Severodvinsk, northern Russia, over the 2008 period. (Russia builds its nuclear-powered submarines in Severodvinsk - Ed.) The entire facility will require an estimated $150 million to complete five years from now, paying back over a 10-year period. China is quite interested in the Severodvinsk project, with Li Bin, president of the Chinese state corporation for machinery imports and exports noting in the summer of 2003 that Beijing was ready to subsidize construction of a pilot floating NPP near Severodvinsk. China hopes to jointly promote this project on the global nuclear-energy market in case of success. Comprehensive-safety models for any specific facility must be analyzed during the exportation of all nuclear technologies. For example, environmentalist Alexei Yablokov, full-time member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, is sure that the sale of floating NPP-s to other countries would increase the risk of international terrorism, also threatening the environmental safety of various regions. So, what can developers say to this? Russian legislation states expressly that a floating nuclear power operating in foreign coastal waters shall continue to be owned by Russia. Power, heat and water, etc. alone can be sold to prospective clients. At the same time, the Russian side undertakes to ensure the safety of floating reactors. Russian nuclear experts believe that safety measures must be drafted and implemented at every facility, be it nuclear facilities or bread bakeries. The world's nuclear power industry is renowned for its particularly tough safety standards. These standards must be applied in the future, as well. By the way, such measures ruled out any terrorist acts whatsoever during the transportation of French and British nuclear fuel by sea. For its own part, Russia, which abides by IAEA recommendations, implements comprehensive-safety programs at its nuclear facilities. For instance, Russia's Ros-Energo-Atom concern and the mission of donor countries completed the delivery of special equipment and materials worth $28 million to Russia in 2000 for the sake of protecting local nuclear reactors and ensuring their safe operation. A similar $28-million program was implemented with the help of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This bank set aside nearly $40 million for the Russian nuclear-safety program in 2000. Mind you, many of these technologies, which were developed in Russia, can also be applied during export-oriented energy programs. Return to Menu I. Official Statements 1. Secretary Abraham Extends Commitment to Continue Defense Conversion Projects in Russian Closed Cities - Announces U.S. Funding For New Medical Imaging Project In a Joint Steering Committee Meeting in Moscow, U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham reaffirmed his support to continue existing projects through to completion even though the government-to-government agreement that created the Nuclear Cities Initiative (NCI) program expires on September 22, 2003. The Nuclear Cities Initiative, a component of the Department of Energy's nonproliferation program, transforms former Russian nuclear weapons facilities to commercial, non-defense uses. To demonstrate his commitment to the long-term objectives of the program, Secretary Abraham announced funding for a new project under the NCI program, the creation of a $9 million medical imaging center that will provide capability for cancer diagnostics in the closed Russian city of Snezhinsk. "I am proud of NCI's accomplishments and recognize that it serves a vital nonproliferation goal by assisting in the transition of Russian nuclear scientists and engineers to non-defense, commercial efforts," Secretary Abraham told representatives of the closed nuclear cites and Russian government officials. In July 2003, Secretary Abraham informed Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexandr Rumyantsev that the United States would not be able to renew the NCI agreement until the Russian government approves legal provisions intended to provide the broad liability protection of American workers and companies working on projects in Russia. However, he informed the Minister that existing projects would be fully implemented. Over its 5-year tenure, the Nuclear Cities Initiative has formed lasting partnerships and enjoyed tangible successes. Foremost among them is a joint partnership with Sarov on the development of an award winning road repair vehicle and the establishment of a new company with over $1.5 million in a outstanding sales. Another partnership is with the city of Zheleznogorsk where work moves toward completion of a workforce-restructuring plan that will create jobs for up to 6,000 displaced weapons workers and scientists. At the same meeting, Secretary Abraham and Minister Rumyantsev also witnessed the signing of a protocol between Paul Longsworth, Deputy Administrator of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation of the National Nuclear Security Administration and Igor Borvkov, First Deputy Minister of Minatom. The protocol developed a set of recommendations so that existing projects can continue under a provision in the expiring agreement. Return to Menu 2. Speech by Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Losyukov at the Russian-Japanese Forum on Russian-Japanese Relations in the AP Region in the Conditions of Globalization, Organized by the Center of Strategic Developments (Russia) and the National Comprehensive Research Institute (Japan) (Irkutsk, September 12-13) (excerpted) [�] Russia and Japan play an important role in the contemporary world, they are members of the Group of Eight leading industrially developed states and exert substantial influence on the state of affairs in the region and in the world as a whole. The elaboration of new approaches of the international community towards solving the most urgent problems largely depends on the level of their cooperation. All this determines the need for our states to meet the wishes of each other. I shall note with satisfaction that that approach is gradually becoming dominant in the political, scientific and public circles of the two countries. In addition, the importance of Russian-Japanese rapprochement is also determined by a whole array of objective factors of a global character. The most important of them is the necessity to expand bilateral cooperation in the search of answers to the common challenges of our time: international terrorism in all its manifestations, the complexity of the solution of such tasks as the maintenance of strategic stability in the world, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and the settlement of international conflicts. Efforts being made by states to deal with these questions independently or on a bilateral basis, unfortunately, do not always lead to the desired results. All these events with each passing year make themselves ever more acutely felt. Nor is our common home - the Asia-Pacific region - an exception. [�] Return to Menu 3. Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Kislyak Interview with the Newspaper Vremya Novostei, Published on September 17, 2003, under the Heading "American Colleagues Are Perfectly Aware that to Lean on Us Is Not Worthwhile" (excerpted) [�] Question: While preparing the summit meeting, you repeatedly met with US Under Secretary of State John Bolton. Were Iran and the DPRK mentioned? The Americans are still operating with the notion "axis of evil"? Answer: Of late the Americans are not often returning to this terminology. Anyway in the conversations with us. Generally the ideologized accretions and labels not so much help to solve problems, as hinder that. Take North Korea. One can't solve this problem by political pressure. A serious discussion is required; it is necessary to consider the interests of the interlocutors. The sides need to think how to untie this tight knot of problems, contradictions and mutual distrust, which for decades has been forming and ossifying on the Korean Peninsula. It is important that the US is not accentuating the "axes" now, but readiness for discussion. Question: Is the transfer of the Korean issue to the UN likely? Answer: All are interested in seeing it dealt with in the framework of the "six-way format," and I think this negotiating mechanism is the key to solving the problem now. Question: How do you appraise the situation around Iran's nuclear program? Was the resolution of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) really adopted on September 12 without a vote? Answer: The IAEA has such a form of voting. A decision is passed if nobody objects. We did not object to the adoption of the resolution. It contains a number of factological provisions based on the report of the agency's director general. There are neither charges, nor ultimatums, there is the expression of concern over the lack of proper transparency and a call upon Iran to remove all the existing questions in cooperation with the agency. Professionally and correctly it formulates the steps Iran should take in this context. Question: Did Russia introduce any amendments to the draft resolution? Answer: Yes. And a number of them were taken into account. Of course, if we had written the resolution alone, certain points would have been made in a subtler way, but this is a compromise between many positions. Question: And we had questions to Iran? Answer: We all have a multilateral mechanism - the IAEA. This is the organization which we have empowered in the name of all to ask questions and exercise control in the area of nuclear nonproliferation. That's why we rely upon the potential of the IAEA in tackling tasks of this kind. Question: And what holds back the signing of a protocol on the return of Russian-supplied spent nuclear fuel (SNF) by Iran? Answer: Talks are in an advanced stage, but not all the details have yet been solved. I think the treaty will be signed fairly soon. In our practice of helping other countries with nuclear power plant construction, return of SNF has been a normal thing. Even since the times of the USSR. Question: Did Washington lean on us in respect of contacts with Iran and the DPRK? Answer: I think the American colleagues are perfectly aware that to lean on us is not worthwhile. We have our own views. To the extent that they coincide with the Americans' we are ready to work and do work together on the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons. Question: What is behind the capacious terms "strategic stability," "complex of disarmament problems" and "nonproliferation of WMD" in the context of your talks with the Americans? Answer: The Treaty on Strategic Offensive Reductions (SOR) was signed and ratified in May. Now the process of the treaty's implementation is beginning. The treaty provides for setting up a bilateral implementation commission. Additional measures of transparence and predictability should later be worked out. It is these questions that we are working on with the US colleagues. Strategic stability and arms control, which we discussed with John Bolton, are a part of these problems. Question: The tip of an iceberg? Answer: A very important part of the iceberg. It is about a drastic, unique reduction of strategic arms. In parallel there will continue the implementation of START-1 (the Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms between the USSR and the USA - Ed.). Reductions will proceed until December 31, 2012 (the ceiling of reduction of strategic nuclear warheads is 1700-2200 units - Ed.). I have been working in the field of arms control all my diplomatic life. Ten years back or so we, disarmament experts, at the MFA did not even think of the possibility of such deep reductions. Now, in contrast, there is the agreement, it is legally confirmed. The US and Russia are getting down to its implementation. Question: What is expected of the upcoming meeting between the Russian and US Presidents? Answer: The previous meetings of the Presidents have laid a solid foundation for the construction of the new relationship between our countries. Now it is necessary to erect this edifice. Question: And how many floors will there be? Answer: I would rather speak of "blocks." The block of military-political issues - this is, in particular, the SOR Treaty. Another is the struggle against terrorism, where serious cooperation is under way. The interagency group is effectively operating. One more block - economics. Without this element, it is difficult to imagine the development of bilateral relations. There is movement here, but it is not all smooth sailing. [�] Return to Menu 4. Transcript of Russian First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Trubnikov Interview with Russian and Indian Media, Moscow, September 12, 2003 (excerpted) [�] Question: What joint steps can Russia and India take to prevent nuclear weapons from getting into terrorist hands? First Deputy Minister Trubnikov: The danger of nuclear weapons getting into terrorist hands today isn't theoretical, considering that fairly strong extremist groups are active on the territory of Pakistan. That menace does exist. It has to be fought in a broad context. The United Nations, the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee, exists for this purpose. We must proceed from the assumption that not only nuclear, but also other types of weapons of mass destruction might be used by terrorists. It is not without meaning that Russia has submitted to the UN its draft convention on the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism. Here we must work together with India to get its adoption. In the same way as Russia, too, supports the draft of the Indian comprehensive convention against terrorism. This is a kind of cooperation that is aimed at ensuring that nuclear weapons do not get into terrorist hands. I can say that within the Russian-American working group there exists a special subgroup which is concerned with counteraction against terrorism using WMD. From our side it is headed by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoliy Safonov. [�] Return to Menu J. Links of Interest 1. Remarks By William H. Timbers Delivered at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Second International Non-Proliferation Conference Return to Menu 2. Transcript of Energy Secretary Abraham's Remarks Before Second Annual Carnegie Nonproliferation Conference in Moscow Return to Menu 3. Statement by Ambassador Arne Walther, Norwegian Delegation, to the Forty-seventh Regular Session of the General Conference of the IAEA Return to Menu 4. Lugar Trip Report 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 |
|
|
|
© 2007 Partnership for Global Security. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement.