Duma ratifies Russian-US agt on weapons grade plutonium disposition

MOSCOW, May 21 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's State Duma on Friday ratified
an agreement between the governments of Russia and the United States on
the disposition of plutonium that is no longer necessary for the needs of
defense.
The intergovernmental agreements signed in Moscow on August 29, 2000
and in Washington on September 1, 2000, are aimed at reducing the
stockpiles of weapons-grade plutonium from the nuclear weapons programs of
Russia and the U.S.. The plutonium is to be disposed of through its
irradiation in the form of mixed oxide uranium-plutonium fuel (MOX fuel)
in the nuclear reactors of either party. Measures for monitoring and
inspections in Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis and in a
symmetrical manner were established.
The agreement provides for parity in the total amount of
weapons-grade plutonium to be disposed of (34 metric tonnes on either
side) and the amounts of plutonium to be disposed of in the form of pure
metal (25 metric tonnes) extracted from nuclear warheads. The funding of
the entire program for recycling Russian weapons-grade plutonium will be
provided from external sources. Storage and preparations will be carried
out as part of the state defense contract.
Alongside this, the lower house on Friday ratified two protocols to
the agreement. The documents create a legal standard of responsibility for
damage under the Russian-American cooperation in the Global Partnership
and specify provisions for the disposal of excessive weapons-grade
plutonium in the BN-800 fast reactor. It is stipulated that the creation
of a unit for the production of MOX fuel for this reactor will be started
by the corporation Rosatom in 2011 under the federal program Nuclear Power
Technologies of the Next Generation for 2010 - 2015 and up to 2020.
As Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, the agreement and
protocols thereto "do not envisage any concessions to the Americans on the
part of Russia."
"The ratification of these documents, on the contrary, would be an
important contribution to the development of civilian nuclear energy in
Russia," he said. According Ryabkov, Russia is not going to provide its
plutonium for reprocessing abroad.
"The plutonium will be disposed of by diluting the uranium component
of uranium-plutonium MOX fuel, to be used in a new reactor, due to be
commissioned in 2014," he explained.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister also assured that the ratification of
the agreement meets the interests of Russia and does not undermine
national defense capability.