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Disarmament DocumentationDetails of US-Russian Non-Proliferation Working Groups, May 30'Abraham Announces Members of US-Russia Working Groups to Advance Nuclear Non-Proliferation Efforts', US Department of Energy Press Release No. PR-02-089, May 30. Following the agreement last week between President Bush and Russian President Putin to establish two new bilateral working groups focused on further nuclear non-proliferation activities, US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham today announced the US members of the working groups and emphasized that there is "no higher priority" at the Department than the success of the nuclear non-proliferation programs. Secretary Abraham and Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev have been tasked with overseeing the progress of the two working groups. Immediately after the announcement at the Russia summit, Secretary Abraham phoned Rumyantsev to discuss the next step in ongoing efforts to deal with nuclear non-proliferation issues and make plans for the establishment of the working groups. The focus of one of the working groups will be to examine ways to eliminate excess plutonium and highly enriched uranium - materials that can be used to make nuclear weapons. This group will work to identify initiatives that could lead to reductions in nuclear materials from weapons beyond the obligations stipulated in existing agreements and report its recommendations within six months. A second working group will be comprised of technical experts to recommend areas for collaborative research on advanced, proliferation-resistant nuclear reactor and fuel cycle technologies to reduce stocks of weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium as well as reduce waste produced by civilian reactors. This group will be required to present recommendations within 60 days. "Eliminating dangerous nuclear material, specifically highly enriched uranium and plutonium, is the ultimate safeguard against proliferation and nuclear terrorism and is an important step in dismantling the Cold War legacy," Secretary Abraham said. "It is a way we can carry out President Bush's pledge to keep the most dangerous materials and technologies on earth out of the hands of the most dangerous people on earth." Leading the team of participants for the US (whose names will be formally submitted to Minister Rumyantsev this week) will be General John Gordon, Administrator of the DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration and Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security, and Under Secretary of Energy for Science, Energy and Environmental Management Robert Card. General Gordon will lead the working group on nuclear material reduction and disposition and will be assisted by Ambassador Linton F. Brooks, chief of DOE's Defense Nuclear Non-proliferation Office. Under Secretary Card will lead the delegation discussing advanced nuclear technologies, and will be assisted by William Magwood, DOE's Director of Nuclear Energy. The joint working groups are tasked with exploring and identifying options and reporting the results to the Secretary and Minister as stipulated. The experts will examine all options of interest to both the United States and Russia and will consult with industry to ensure that these efforts will not adversely affect existing agreements or the commercial uranium market. These working groups are the latest step in an ongoing non-proliferation effort that has been a priority for the Bush Administration. Secretary Abraham and Minister Rumyantsev met in Moscow in November 2001 and agreed to expand and accelerate US-Russian efforts to secure nuclear material. Just last month, during Minister Rumyantsev's visit to Washington, the two agreed, among other things, to establish a joint task force to study the threat of "dirty bombs" and recommend appropriate responses. DOE's commitment to these non-proliferation programs is also reflected in the biggest budget in history for the Department's non-proliferation programs - topping more than $1.1 billion for FY'03. As a result of recent agreements and strong support from the US Congress, the task of improving security of weapons in Russia is expected to be completed two years ahead of schedule. On the goal of the working groups, Abraham said, "We look forward to working with our Russian partners to eliminate excess weapons material and safeguard against nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. There is no higher priority in my Department than the success of the nuclear non-proliferation programs. These working groups are the next logical step to help us achieve the goal of eliminating excess material from the nuclear stockpiles and reduce the threat of nuclear proliferation." © 2002 The Acronym Institute. |