September 19, 2007 Compiled by Justin Reed. 1. U.S., China Urged to Stop Hindering Atom Test Ban Pact, Karin Strohecker, Reuters (9/18/2007)

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1 September 19, 2007 Compiled by Justin Reed A. Nuclear Cooperation and Threat Reduction 1. U.S., China Urged to Stop Hindering Atom Test Ban Pact, Karin Strohecker, Reuters (9/18/2007) 2. S Africa Holds Off on Atomic Initiative, Agence France-Presse (9/19/2007) 3. Russia to Create Low-Enriched Uranium Reserves in Siberia -1, RIA Novosti (9/18/2007) B. Iran 1. Rice Warns UN Arms Chief on Iran Offers, Anne Gearan, The Associated Press (9/18/2007) 2. Iran's Larijani, EU's Solana Discuss More Nuclear Talks, Agence France- Presse (9/19/2007) C. Russia-Iran 1. No Political Impediments to Completing Bushehr NPP - Russia-1, RIA Novosti (9/18/2007) D. DPRK 1. U.S. Prepared to Resume Talks Next Week Over North Korea, The Associated Press (9/18/2007) E. India 1. NSG to Meet to Discuss India's N-Demands, The Indian Express (9/19/2007) 1

2 2. India Can Become Manufacturing Hub for Nuke Energy: Kakodkar, Press Trust of India (9/19/2007) F. Nuclear Industry 1. Russia Vows Comprehensive Support to Nuke Innovative Technologies, Itar-Tass (9/18/2007) 2. Russia Plans Deployment of Small Reactors, World Nuclear News (9/14/2007) G. Official Statements 1. Briefing En Route Jerusalem, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, Shannon, Ireland (9/18/2007) 2. U.S. Removes Nine Metric Tons of Plutonium From Nuclear Weapons Stockpile, United States Department of Energy (9/17/2007) 3. Joint Statement by the United States and the Russian Federation on the 20th Anniversary of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers, The U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation (9/18/2007) H. Links of Interest 1. NGO Statement on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) for the Fifth Article XIV Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force (9/18/2007) 2. Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Additional Actions Needed to Ensure Adequate Testing of Next Generation Radiation Detection Equipment, Government Accountability Office (9/18/2007) A. Nuclear Cooperation and Threat Reduction 1. U.S., China Urged to Stop Hindering Atom Test Ban Pact Karin Strohecker Reuters September 18,

3 The United States and China should show leadership and ratify the decade-old Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty so it can take effect, the president of a CTBT review conference said on Tuesday. Some 100 treaty members at the meeting were expected later in the day to issue a declaration calling for ratification from 10 laggard signatories to transform the 1996 accord from an informal moratorium into a binding document. Backing from the United States and China, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, is urgent, said Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno of Costa Rica, which with Austria co-chaired the Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the CTBT. "We believe that (U.S.) leadership is necessary, much like we would also like to see leadership on behalf of China," Stagno told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of around 100 nations in Vienna -- home of the CTBT's administrative body. "A political binding moratorium is simply not sufficient, it does not give us sufficient confidence and trust," Stagno said. "When we look at North Korea and Iran, (and) developments in other areas, we need to ensure that there is mutual confidence and trust," he said, mentioning two CTBT signatories that have not ratified and are now seen as nuclear proliferation threats. The CTBT has so far been ratified by 140 states in all and lists in an annex 44 that have nuclear capabilities already. Of those, 34 have both signed and ratified the pact -- including nuclear weapons powers Russia, Britain and France. Both North Korea, which sparked global condemnation when it tested a nuclear bomb last year, and Iran, suspected by Western powers to be secretly developing nuclear weapons, are on the list of annex countries that have yet to ratify. India and Pakistan, both with nuclear arsenals, and Israel, an unconfirmed but widely assumed nuclear weapons power, also have not ratified the treaty. They are the only three nations that did not join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Some laggard countries, such as the U.S. and China, were concerned in the past that those not adhering the moratorium could not be adequately detected or deterred, others faced constitutional problems. While the U.S. supports a moratorium on nuclear tests, it does not support the treaty and has not sent any representatives to the conference. 2. 3

4 S Africa Holds Off on Atomic Initiative Agence France-Presse September 19, 2007 South Africa is holding off on joining a US-led initiative to spread atomic power because it does not want to give up its right to enrich uranium, a senior South African official said overnight. Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica said at a meeting of the UN atomic agency in Vienna that South Africa had received an invitation to join the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) but was worried it would conflict with national policy. The partnership seeks to help states get nuclear fuel, such as uranium, so they do not produce it themselves, and is an effort to spread atomic power but not the technology that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Uranium enrichment makes nuclear power reactor fuel but also atom bomb material. South Africa was not among the 11 countries which joined the project on Sunday in Vienna. New members Australia, Bulgaria, Ghana, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine joined the United States, China, France, Japan and Russia in signing a statement of principles for GNEP. Ms Sonjica said that under the GNEP, "fuel would be distributed" to countries but South Africa "has taken a decision to beneficiate its minerals... in other words to end-value the minerals in South Africa and that would include uranium". Exporting uranium only to get it back refined, instead of enriching it in South Africa, would be "in conflict with our national policy", she said. US official Will Tobey said that it was wrong to say the GNEP would stop nations from doing anything since "GNEP states voluntarily join for their benefit. No one is asking a state to give up its rights". But Mr Tobey, deputy administrator for defence nuclear non-proliferation at the national nuclear security administration, said "it wouldn't make sense to do both", that is to join GNEP and still develop an indigenous uranium enrichment program. Mr Tobey said there was no economic sense in building uranium enrichment facilities from scratch, as the process which uses thousands of centrifuges spinning rotors at supersonic speeds is very costly. "The enrichment business is a tough business" which requires "economies of scale". 4

5 "Most countries in the world do not enrich uranium because it does not make economic sense," Mr Tobey said. Ms Sonjica said that South Africa, which abandoned its nuclear weapons program in the 1990s, including uranium enrichment, is now set to expand its civilian atomic power program in order "to reduce the amount of CO2 our power plants emit". It is looking for international partners to develop uranium enrichment. Nuclear power is seen by many as crucial in a world where energy demand is booming since it makes electricity without adding to the greenhouse gases which cause global warming. The United States wants GNEP to organise countries that have secure, advanced nuclear capabilities to provide fuel to other nations which agree to use nuclear energy just for power generation. Their compliance would be monitored by the Vienna-based UN watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said on Monday that GNEP had no specific projects yet and that any concrete programs were years in the future. 3. Russia to Create Low-Enriched Uranium Reserves in Siberia -1 RIA Novosti September 18, 2007 Russia plans to create guaranteed reserves of low-enriched uranium worth up to $300 million at an international nuclear center in Angarsk, East Siberia, Russia's nuclear chief said Tuesday. "Russia intends to establish guaranteed reserves of up to two loads of nuclear fuel (lowenriched uranium) for a 1,000MW reactor," Sergei Kiriyenko told the 51st International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference. A fuel load of slightly more than 80 metric tons for a pressurized water reactor costs some $150 million. The Russian nuclear official said the international center would handle the storage of low-enriched uranium reserves to be supplied upon the IAEA's request. 5

6 The Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Complex is the regional economic mainstay and the main asset of the newly established international uranium enrichment center, which is completing its registration with the IAEA. Kiriyenko said the center had been established to supply enriched uranium to third countries planning to develop global nuclear energy and get access to uranium enrichment "with no political restrictions." "Our proposal to create guaranteed reserves of low-enriched uranium at the international center in Angarsk will be a step towards establishing the next-generation nuclear energy infrastructure," the Russian nuclear chief said. The latest reports said Russia's newly appointed Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov signed instructions earlier in the day to allocate 23 million rubles ($908,000) for the IAEA's extra-budgetary fund later this year. The sum will be contributed from the Russian Nuclear Energy Agency's federal funds, "with a view to assisting the implementation of an IAEA international project on innovation nuclear reactors and fuel cycles," the document reads. B. Iran 1. Rice Warns UN Arms Chief on Iran Offers Anne Gearan The Associated Press September 18, 2007 Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday warned the United Nations' chief nuclear inspector not to complicate the international ultimatum to Iran to shutter disputed atomic work, saying diplomacy is best left to diplomats. "It is not up to anybody to diminish or to begin to cut back on the obligations that the Iranians have been ordered to take" by the U.N. Security Council, Rice said. Although she did not mention U.N. nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei by name, Rice was referring to his plan, widely seen as an attempt to head off a third round of U.N. sanctions, to account for Iran's past nuclear behavior. ElBaradei said Monday that nations critical of his last-ditch effort should wait until the end of the year to see whether Iran answers outstanding questions before taking any other action. 6

7 Rice said Iran may not be sincere in its agreement with ElBaradei's International Atomic Energy Agency to resolve technical questions about the origin, scope and purpose of its once-secret nuclear research. Iran claims the program is peaceful, but the United States and other nations suspect that Tehran is working to build a bomb. "The IAEA is not in the business of diplomacy," Rice said with undisguised irritation. "The IAEA is a technical agency" whose role is to inspect nuclear facilities and report on and enforce nuclear agreements, she said. In blunt language unusual among diplomats, Rice suggested that the IAEA's board and director are freelancing where they do not belong. "There are a lot of elements that the IAEA needs to be concerned with, and the one that they need to be concerned with Iran is... whether and when and if they are living up to the agreements that they have signed," Rice told reporters traveling with her to the Mideast. ElBaradei also said Iran's harshest critics should learn from the Iraq invasion and refrain from "hype" about a possible military attack, calling force an option of last resort. The Nobel laureate is an old Rice nemesis. They have differed publicly for years, including over the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Rice was President Bush's national security adviser. On Tuesday, Rice called the recent IAEA agreement with Iran over outstanding nuclear questions "a good thing." In the next breath she added: "But this wouldn't be the first time that the Iranians made an agreement only to break it." Rice said the United States and its partners will move forward with a request for a third round of Security Council sanctions. She said she will discuss sanctions this month with other members of the six-nation international bloc that has offered Iran economic incentives if it gives up uranium enrichment and other activities that worry the West. The Security Council is not expected to take up the issue before October. Iran has ignored the previous U.N. demands and associated mild sanctions. It is not clear whether the United States can win a third round. "We believe the diplomatic track can work, but it has to work both with a set of incentives and a set of teeth," Rice said. The Bush administration has pursued a cautious outreach to Iran despite internal divisions over how best to contain or counter Iran's growing regional ambitions and alleged nuclear weapons program. Rice declined comment on remarks over the weekend from her French counterpart warning of possible war with Iran. 7

8 French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Sunday said "we must prepare ourselves for the worst" if Iran obtains nuclear weapons, and he specified that could mean a war. He appeared to soften the warning a bit on Tuesday, emphasizing instead a need to "negotiate, negotiate, negotiate without respite." Kouchner is meeting Rice in Washington on Friday. 2. Iran's Larijani, EU's Solana Discuss More Nuclear Talks Agence France-Presse September 19, 2007 Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana have spoken about continuing their talks on Iran's nuclear standoff with the West, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Wednesday. "Ali Larijani and Javier Solana, in a telephone convsersation, talked about the continuation of discussions," a source in Larijani's supreme national security council told the agency. "They talked about an appropriate time to hold discussions and the final time will be determined at the beginning of October," he said. The two have held several rounds of talks in a bid to break the deadlock on Iran's nuclear programme, most recently in April in Ankara and Madrid in May, but have failed to reach any breakthrough. The bid to find a date for further discusssions comes after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned on Sunday that the world should brace for war against Tehran over its controversial nuclear programme. "Nowadays we are hearing unharmonius voices trying to destroy constructive actions and can be interpreted as blackmail," the source told IRNA. The United States accuses Iran of seeking an atomic weapon. That charge is vehemently denied by Tehran, which says its nuclear drive is aimed at providing electricity for a growing population whose fossil fuels will one day run out. 8

9 C. Russia-Iran 1. No Political Impediments to Completing Bushehr NPP - Russia-1 RIA Novosti September 18, 2007 There are no political constraints to completing the Bushehr nuclear power project in Iran, the director of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency Sergei Kiriyenko said Tuesday. Speaking after a meeting with Iranian Vice President Gholam Reza Aghazadeh, Kiriyenko said, "I have discussed the construction of the Bushehr NPP with Aghazadeh. Taking into account the fact that Russia and Iran have signed an agreement according to which all fuel for the NPP will be produced in Russia, while spent nuclear fuel will be returned to Russia, the Bushehr NPP will pose no threat to the non-proliferation regime. There are no and should be no political impediments to completing the Bushehr NPP." The Iranian Vice President, who heads the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), arrived in Vienna Monday to participate in the 51st session of the General Conference of the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Kiriyenko also said they had discussed measures to ensure an early completion of Iran's first nuclear power plant. "I am satisfied with the outcome of the meeting," he added. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said earlier that nuclear fuel for the Bushehr NPP is ready and sealed by IAEA experts, but a Russian delegation source said the procedure had yet to be completed. Russian nuclear equipment export monopoly Atomstroyexport has been building Iran's first nuclear power plant despite opposition from Western countries and amid international concerns that the Islamic Republic is pursuing a covert nuclear weapons program. The plant's construction has faced repeated delays, with Russia accusing Iran of missing payment deadlines. Iran denies any funding problems, and has accused Russia of delaying tactics. Iran recently intensified cooperation with the IAEA, and invited weapons inspectors to visit a 40-MW heavy water reactor in Arak in late July. 9

10 Iran has defied three consecutive UN resolutions against its nuclear program since last year. The six countries negotiating the dispute - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany - have demanded that Tehran suspend all uranium enrichment before negotiating a solution to the dispute. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced in early April the start of uranium enrichment on an industrial scale. D. DPRK 1. U.S. Prepared to Resume Talks Next Week Over North Korea The Associated Press September 18, 2007 The U.S. said Tuesday that it would be prepared to resume the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program next week after an unexpected delay. The latest round in the four-year-old talks had tentatively been expected to begin midweek in Beijing, but South Korean and Japanese officials said Monday they would be postponed. It wasn't immediately clear why the talks have been delayed. "The Chinese have talked to us about the possibility of an envoys level meeting next week and we are ready to go next week if everybody else is ready to go," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. Mr. McCormack wouldn't comment on reports that the U.S. has intelligence that North Korea was helping Syria develop a nuclear program. But asked about speculation that China had delayed the meeting because it was concerned that the U.S. was preparing to confront North Korea about the intelligence, Mr. McCormack said that U.S. negotiators believe that nonproliferation was an appropriate topic for the talks. "Can you raise nonproliferation at these talks?" he said. "Absolutely, that is the case. We have done so and will continue to do so in the context of the six-party talks." The reports of North Korea's cooperation with Syria followed an Israeli air incursion over Syria this month. Details of the incursion remain unclear. U.S. officials have said Israeli warplanes struck a target. A senior U.S. nonproliferation official said last week that North Korean personnel were in Syria helping its nuclear program, raising speculation that the Israelis were targeting a nuclear installation. 10

11 Syria and North Korea denied Tuesday they are cooperating on a Syrian nuclear program, and they accused U.S. officials of spreading the allegations for political reasons. Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, said Syria may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment. He did not identify the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in Syria and that he could not exclude involvement by the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. Syria's nuclear program has long been considered minimal, and the country is known to have only a small research reactor. In Vienna, officials for the International Atomic Energy Agency declined comment. But a diplomat associated with the agency said the IAEA "didn't know anything about any nuclear facility in Syria, and if there is something there, we should know." E. India 1. NSG to Meet to Discuss India's N-Demands The Indian Express September 19 A special meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers Group is expected to be held in Vienna on Thursday to discuss India's demand for a "clean, unconditional" exemption in order to operationlise the Indo-US nuke agreement. Ahead of the meeting, Atomic Energy Commission chief Anil Kakodkar said India, not being a signatory to nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, expects the US to work out clean and unconditional exemption from NSG for India. It is expected that the NSG will hold a meeting in this regard at the Japanese centre. However, India has to wait for such a demanding waiver from NSG. Even as the Left's opposition to operationalisation of Indo-US nuclear deal mounted, Kakodkar said everyone in the nuclear community wants early negotiations between India and IAEA and the NSG to help implement the deal. Indian Ambassador to Austria Sheel Kant Sharma and other officials had a meeting with the NSG's Troika -- South Africa, Brazil and Germany (past, present and future leaders of the grouping) as a part of the outreach programme of the NSG. 11

12 "India has made its position very clear that it expects clean, unconditional exemption after recognising it as a unique country," Kakodkar told a select group of Indian reporters. The 123 Agreement has made provision for sustained supply of fuel for the imported reactors and the NSG guidelines would have to be consistent with it. "That is why we are emphasizing on clean, unconditional exemption," Kakodkar said. India has to reach a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) soon and the NSG has to change its guidelines to allow international nuclear trade with India to operationalise the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, he said. He said these things have to be done in a correct manner fully protecting Indian interests. Kakodkar, who met US Energy Secretary Samuel W Bodman earlier this week, said the US also expects India to pursue the safeguards issue with the IAEA. "Everyone in the nuclear community wants this to be carried out -- sooner the better," he said. Kakodkar said getting the exemption from the 45-member NSG was the responsibility of US negotiators. IAEA sources said Kakodkar is expected to meet IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei during the week. The AEC chief had meetings with his counterparts from the US, Russia, France, Vietnam, Bangladesh and South Africa on cooperation programmes. Kakodkar in his briefing also said as far as the world framework, which is emerging on nuclear renaissance is concerned, there is a lot of thinking going on. He said since the energy demands are increasing, nuclear energy option is inevitable. "Of course, additional risks in terms of safety, security and proliferation are there once the programme is expanded to large number of countries and, therefore, India has to actively participate in evolving framework with other member states of IAEA." Several ideas are being floated and IAEA is also examining many of them, he said. When pointed out that his idea of "inclusive" partnership, spent fuel reprocessing (closed fuel cycle) and thorium utilisation was welcomed by the international community at the scientific forum on Tuesday, he said, "welcoming the idea and adopting are two different things." "We have to go with less of politics and take ideas of people with lot of experience to have a good impact on the furthering of global nuclear renaissance," Kakodkar added. 12

13 Kakodkar refused to directly comment on meeting ElBaradei. He said every year, they meet during the General Conference of the IAEA. 2. India Can Become Manufacturing Hub for Nuke Energy: Kakodkar Press Trust of India September 19, 2007 India on Wednesday said it looked forward to opening up of international civil nuclear cooperation that is sustainable, free from interruption and consistent with its national policy. Addressing the 51st General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), India's top nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar said India also has the potential of becoming a manufacturing hub for the global nuclear industry. "India is looking forward to the possibility of opening up of international civil nuclear cooperation. We expect such cooperation to be sustainable, free from interruptions and consistent with our national policy of closed fuel cycle," said Kakodkar, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). He noted that an AEC panel has evaluated several coastal sites in the country for setting up of imported reactors. Kakodkar said reactor imports were an additionality to the ongoing indigenous nuclear programme to significantly augment nuclear power generation capacity in the near term. He said the civil nuclear deal with the US also opens up the possibility of export of reactors and services. "India today is the only country to have technologies, design and infrastructure for small Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors with a unit capacity of 220 MW, which have a great potential for export, particularly to countries with small grids, wishing to enter nuclear power generation with relatively modest investment and infrastructure," he said. "With India's large infrastructure base and relatively low manufacturing cost, there is also potential for India becoming a manufacturing hub for equipment and components for the global nuclear industry," he said. 13

14 F. Nuclear Industry 1. Russia Vows Comprehensive Support to Nuke Innovative Technologies Itar-Tass September 18, 2007 Russia will give comprehensive support, including that financial, to the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Federal Atomic Energy Agency Director Sergei Kiriyenko said at the 51st session of IAEA General Conference in Vienna on Tuesday. Russia has suggested the IAEA study of infrastructural, legal, institutional and other aspects of the atomic energy industry, such as fuel supplies conditioned on the return of spent fuel and the use of movable reactors, he said. Russia will complete the accession to another project, Generation IV, by the end of this year. The entry into that international forum was announced last July. Also, Russia is ready to fund the formation of a nuclear fuel reserve at the Angarsk International Uranium Enrichment Center in reply to the IAEA initiative, he said. It is the question of up to two sets of nuclear fuel for a 1,000-megawatt reactor, he said. The IAEA may control the reserve. We think that the reserve may be shipped with the IAEA consent to a country, which implements a peaceful atomic energy program and abides by the non-proliferation regime, but encounters a political decision of a uranium enriching country and the market to cease the supplies, he said. The Russian suggestion will test the new mechanism of guaranteed supplies and promote the development of an international atomic energy infrastructure, Kiriyenko said. Last Sunday he said that Russia s initiative of forming an international uranium enrichment center in Angarsk and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) suggested by the United States supplement each other; these projects are not rivals. The only implemented international initiative of safe atomic energy uses is the Angarsk center, Kiriyenko said. Russia, which enriches 45% of uranium in the world, is a recognized leader. Our [uranium enrichment] technology is one of the most progressive. We can ensure guaranteed access to enrichment services without breaching technology non-proliferation principles, he said. 14

15 The International Uranium Enrichment Center has been established, and related documents are being signed. Russia has a 90% stake in the project, while Kazakhstan has 10%. Russia does not need such a large stake, and it may transfer some of the stock to other countries, he said. An increasing number of countries decide to build nuclear power plants on their territories against the background of the fuel deficit. Yet, the fuel delivery question immediately arises. They are trying to create national uranium enrichment facilities, like Iran, but the international community shows concern and says that such facilities can be used not only for making nuclear fuel but also for producing war-grade uranium, he said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested a different way. He said that countries, which already have uranium enrichment facilities, should guarantee an access of our countries to nuclear fuel. Russia made an unprecedented decision and excluded from the list of restricted areas the Angarsk Chemical Plants for opening an international uranium enrichment center on its premises under the IAEA control. This center will guarantee an access to uranium enrichment services for all states. At the same time, the center will not install new centrifuges but use the equipment available at the Angarsk Chemical Plant. Each country may acquire a stake in the center, receive uranium enrichment services and certain revenues, Kiriyenko said. The only thing they won t get will be the Russian uranium enrichment technology. Kiriyenko thinks that such limits are founded, as this technology has dual use. The Angarsk International Uranium Enrichment Center will promote safe development of the atomic industry and ensure non-proliferation of sensitive technologies, the official said. Uranium enrichment is a necessary technological process in the production of fuel for nuclear power plants. It is also the weakest link in the nuclear fuel cycle from the proliferation point of view, he said. The Angarsk center will guarantee the access to uranium enrichment facilities and the owners of nuclear power plants won t have to create their own nuclear fuel cycle, which is rather time-consuming and costly, Kiriyenko said. The center a joint venture between Russia and Kazakhstan is functioning on market terms. Apart from fully meeting the domestic demand, the partners will receive dividends, Kiriyenko said. The center is open to third countries without any political pre-conditions. It has been added to the list of nuclear fuel cycle sites, which may use IAEA guarantees, he said. 15

16 2. Russia Plans Deployment of Small Reactors World Nuclear News September 14, 2007 The deputy head of Russia's AtomEnergoProm has outlined the new giant's plans for building and funding new nuclear power plants. Petr Schedrovitsky made his comments at the World Nuclear Association's Annual Symposium. He explained that a Federal Task Program would see funding made available for seventeen 1200 MWe reactors to come on line between 2013 and 2020 at a wide range of sites. Construction has already started on Novovoronezh Phase-II units 1 and 2. Next would be two units at Leningrad Phase-II units 1 and 2, where site preparation is underway. Following those would come Volgodonsk 3 and 4. New nuclear power plant sites would be started at Tverskaya, 400 km northwest of Moscow; Severskaya near Tomsk; Nizhegorod, 325 km to the east of Moscow; and South Urals. These will be AES-2006-design VVER pressurized water reactors, which output 1200 MWe and are developed from today's proven V-320 units. Still more new reactors are proposed, but as yet unfunded, at the above sites and also at and Tsentralnaya near Vladivostok in Russia's far east. A significant part of AtomEnergoProm's plan is to deploy six of the new VK-300 boiling water reactors (BWRs). These are slated to operate around at Kola Phase-II in the Arctic west and Primoskaya in the far east. These were given in the as-yet-unfunded category. Supplying around 300 MWe, the units will be unique. They would be the smallest lightwater reactors available in the next decade, positioned between South Africa's and China's high-temperature gas-cooled reactors of 165 MWe and 200 MWe respectively and mainstream light-water reactors in the range MWe. The small BWRs should be of interest to countries and regions with smaller electricity supply requirements and grids of around MWe Areva and Mitsubishi have also identified a need for intermediate-sized units and have formed the Atmea joint venture to design and build MWe pressurized water 16

17 reactors for markets in developing countries. Both companies are marketing newgeneration nuclear units of MWe. From 2016 older Russian nuclear power rectors will start to be retired. The smaller Novovronezh 3 and 4 would close in and Kola 1 and 2 in , but also the large Leningrad 1 and 2 units in 2018 and G. Official Statements 1. Briefing En Route Jerusalem, Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State Shannon, Ireland September 18, 2007 [ ] QUESTION: I wonder if you can tell us whether you plan to raise with the Israelis the issue of North Korea and Syria, specifically about sharing information that you and Israelis have. And how is the reporting that we ve seen in the past several days going to affect any dealings within the six-party talks and the capabilities that actually Syria might have in the nuclear field? SECRETARY RICE: Well, I ve seen the reports that many of you have written. But let me just say something about the proliferation issue. It s obviously been at the top of the President s agenda since he became President, and most especially since September 11th. We take the proliferation issue very seriously. Obviously, we don t have any illusions about the North Korean regime. And one of the reasons that it is very important to shut down the North Korean program in all of its aspects is, of course, associated with the prospect of proliferation. And we ve been very clear about that. In fact, in the six-party talks it has been and it will be continue to be an aspect of what we discuss in the sixparty talks. We ve also, of course, on the proliferation front used the Proliferation Security Initiative to try and ward off and to halt any activities that may be related to states transferring or being involved in proliferation activities. And of course, bringing down the A.Q. Khan network, which we believe was associated with North Korea, has been a major victory for the proliferation issue. So this is an issue that we are going to continue to follow, we re going to continue to watch and we re going to continue to work on. But the six-party talks, having as that forum does all of the really relevant states with the right set of incentives and the right set of disincentives to deal with shutting down the North Korean program, denuclearizing 17

18 the North Korean the Korean Peninsula and dealing with all aspects of the North Korean program is the right place to deal with those issues. QUESTION: (Off-mike.) SECRETARY RICE: If anything, I would think that it would be a reason anything that relates to North Korean proliferation is an issue that makes us even more intent on the importance of the six-party talks. QUESTION: Madame Secretary, (inaudible). Several officials on the Israeli and the U.S. side, including one of your own deputy assistant secretaries, have alluded to the fact that Syria is cooperating on a nuclear program with North Korea. Are you concerned that Syria is developing a nuclear program? Deputy Assistant Secretary Semmes said that there were North Koreans possibly dealing with secret nuclear suppliers. Are you going to talk to the Israelis about this? And also on the North Korean front, does this give you pause that the North Koreans are not making that strategic choice? The deal is already on the table for them and they re already in the process of implementing it, you hope, so does this give you pause that they re very serious about implementing this deal? Thank you. SECRETARY RICE: Well, let me repeat, Elise, we don t have any illusions about the nature of the North Korean regime and we ve been concerned about proliferation from the very beginning. Proliferation is an issue in the six-party talks. Proliferation was an issue for Proliferation was an issue in bringing down the A.Q. Khan network. Proliferation is an issue in the PSI. So it is not as if we haven t long been concerned about North Korean proliferation activities. And it is, again, a very important reason to concentrate on shutting down as rapidly as possible the North Korean nuclear program in all of its aspects. And the six-party framework is by far the best framework in which to do that because it is not the United States that simply has concerns about this issue. It s South Korea, it s China, it s Russia, it s Japan. And I think one reason that you see the entire international community so supportive of the six-party talks is that they recognize that this is the right group of states to incent North Korea to shut down that program. And I mean in all of its aspects. QUESTION: (Off-mike) SECRETARY RICE: I m not going to comment on reports that have been in the newspaper about all of this. You know that we ve also had concerns about Syria, that we watch very carefully activities concerning Syria. But again, the President has a very active and aggressive policy concerning proliferation wherever it might be occurring, and that policy has given rise not just to policy statements. It has given rise to real tools to deal with proliferation activities, including the Proliferation Security Initiative, including the and including the activities that we undertook to shut down the A.Q. Khan network, which we know was a major source of proliferation. 18

19 So this isn t something that comes new to us. This is something for which this kind of concern has been out there. But I m not going to comment on specific reports. [ ] 2. U.S. Removes Nine Metric Tons of Plutonium From Nuclear Weapons Stockpile United States Department of Energy September 17, 2007 Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman today announced that the Department of Energy s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will remove nine metric tons of plutonium from further use as fissile material in U.S. nuclear weapons, signifying the Bush Administration s ongoing commitment to nonproliferation. Nine metric tons of plutonium is enough material to make over 1,000 nuclear weapons. The Secretary made today s announcement while speaking before the International Atomic Energy Agency s annual general conference. The United States is leading by example and furthering our commitment to nonproliferation and the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty by safely reducing the amount of weapons-usable nuclear material in the world, Secretary Bodman said. As the United States continues to reduce the size of its nuclear weapons stockpile, we will be able to dispose of even more nuclear material while increasing energy and national security. The excess plutonium will be removed in the coming decades from retired, dismantled nuclear weapons. It will be eliminated by fabrication into mixed-oxide fuel that can be burned in commercial nuclear reactors to produce electricity. In 2004, President Bush directed that the size of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile be reduced by almost half from its size in 2001 when he entered office. This direction is consistent with the President s commitment to maintaining the lowest number of nuclear weapons while providing for national security. By 2012, the U.S. nuclear arsenal will be at its lowest level since the Eisenhower administration in the 1950s. Today s plutonium announcement follows Secretary Bodman s 2005 announcement to remove from further use as fissile material in U.S. nuclear weapons up to 200 metric tons of highly enriched uranium from retired nuclear warheads. 19

20 3. Joint Statement by the United States and the Russian Federation on the 20th Anniversary of the Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers The U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation September 18, 2007 The U.S. Department of State and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation are pleased to announce that September 15, 2007, marked the twentieth anniversary of the Agreement on the Establishment of Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers (NRRCs). Signed on September 15, 1987, the Agreement created NRRCs in the United States and the Soviet Union (the latter inherited by the Russian Federation). These NRRCs became operational in time to begin implementation of the major arms control agreements of the late 1980s and early 1990s (the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty). Envisioned as a transparency and confidence-building measure, the NRRCs proved to be key entities in disarmament and effective arms control, helping in efforts to decrease and to, eventually, eliminate the threat of nuclear war between our nations. Their activities in the last two decades have made a solid contribution toward ending the Cold War and strengthening U.S.-Russian relations on the basis of mutual confidence and strategic partnership. The Nuclear Risk Reduction Centers continue to function, and are responsible for exchanging vital time-sensitive notifications required by roughly a dozen international arms control and military confidence-building treaties and measures. Watch Officers staff their Centers around the clock, receiving, translating and disseminating these notifications, which can be in English, French, German, Italian, Russian or Spanish. With the advent of these additional treaties and measures, their respective participating states successfully established operating verification bodies similar to the NRRCs. H. Links of Interest 1. NGO Statement on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) for the Fifth Article XIV Conference on Facilitating Entry into Force September 18, statement.pdf 20

21 2. Combating Nuclear Smuggling: Additional Actions Needed to Ensure Adequate Testing of Next Generation Radiation Detection Equipment Government Accountability Office September 18, DISCLAIMER: Nuclear News is presented for informational purposes only. Readers are encouraged to visit the websites from which the source material originates. Views presented in any given article are those of the individual author or source and not of PGS. PGS takes no responsibility for the accuracy of information contained in any article presented in Nuclear News. 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 21