US Takes Step Toward Joining UN Nuclear Fuel Bank Project
Washington (AFP) Feb 07, 2007 The United States on Wednesday took a step toward joining a proposed UN-supervised international nuclear fuel bank aimed at deterring the spread of nuclear weapons. A leading Democratic lawmaker introduced a bill in Congress authorizing US participation in the nuclear fuel bank that drew immediate support from the Republican administration of President George W. Bush. "There is a lot that we can do with this idea," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in response to a question from Tom Lantos, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs. Lantos, a California Democrat, had just introduced a measure authorizing US financial and material support for establishing an international nuclear fuel bank under the auspices of the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "This bank will ensure that any state that keeps its nuclear nonproliferation commitments can get the fuel it needs without establishing its own fuel production facilities," he said. Rice called the proposal "a very positive idea" and said she looked forward to working with Lantos on the project. The top US diplomat was presenting to the House panel the proposed 2008 federal budget that was announced on Monday. Lantos expressed appreciation for the support of the Bush administration, calling Iran's insistence that its nuclear program is aimed at civilian, not military, purposes, "pure fiction." "If Iran's nuclear program is truly peaceful, Tehran should welcome an opportunity to ensure a stable supply of nuclear fuel from an internationally supported nuclear fuel bank located in a safe nation," the lawmaker said. "If Iran is instead building a nuclear weapon, its nefarious intentions will be quickly exposed should it refuse to participate in this important project," he said. IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei floated the idea of an international nuclear bank last September to prevent countries like Iran from trying to develop their own uranium enrichment programs, which could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
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Uranium Enrichment Centers To Dispose Of Nuclear Waste Moscow (RIA Novosti) Feb 07, 2007 International uranium enrichment centers will take responsibility for the disposal of nuclear waste, the Russian president said Thursday. "One of the main concerns of Russia and the United States relates to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons," Vladimir Putin told an annual news conference in the Kremlin. We are in a difficult situation where many countries want, and plan to, develop nuclear power. |
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