Swiss President Says Concerned With US Plan to Supply Nuclear Fuel to Ukraine

Forum Contacts RSS		RUSSIAN

RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED 05.09.2014

Swiss President and Chairperson-in-Office of the OSCE Didier Burkhalter shared Russia's concern over nuclear security due to US intention to supply nuclear fuel to Ukraine and urged Moscow to address the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"We share your opinion regarding the nuclear security problem. Nuclear security represents a key problem for the Swiss nuclear policy," Burkhalter wrote in a letter to Vladimir Gutenev, first deputy chairman of Russia's State Duma committee on industry.

In June, Gutenev sent Burkhalter a letter, warning him about the potential threat to the security of European countries in the case of man-made disasters at Ukraine’s nuclear power plants in light of the intention of the current Kiev authorities to sign an agreement on fuel supply from the United States.

The IAEA plans a diplomatic conference at the beginning of next year. The Swiss president reminded that his country had proposed to introduce changes to The Convention on Nuclear Safety and said he would welcome Russia's help in the preparation of the conference of the IAEA, the keeper of the Convention.

He said, however, the specific issue of US supplies to Ukraine needed to be addressed by the Ukraine's national security first.

Burkhalter added that the nuclear security was out of the authority of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, but could be reviewed by the IAEA board.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Wednesday that Moscow must be informed of every attempt by Ukraine to use Western nuclear fuel in Soviet- and Russian-made reactors, referring to US company Westinghouse seeking to seize more contracts in Europe, including Ukraine.

Topics: East Europe, Ukraine, Westinghouse

Other news:

Russia and Algeria have signed an agreement concerning the cooperation in the peaceful uses of atomic energy

The Agreement was signed on September 3, 2014 in Algeria.

Rosatom Says Has Enough Uranium for a Century

Rosatom is in the second place by Uranium reserves in the world.

Ex-TEPCO Executives to Face Criminal Charges Over Fukushima Disaster

The decision of the 11-member public panel concerns Tsunehisa Katsumata, chairman of TEPCO at the time of the disaster, and two former vice presidents – Sakae Muto and Ichiro Takekuro.

Hero of the day

The ISTC Responsible Science Program and Subprogram Culture of Nuclear Nonproliferation

The dual-use nature of nuclear technology consisting in the potential for its application equally in peaceful and military sphere is the basic contradiction for the existing nuclear nonproliferation regime and comprehensive development of the nuclear power and nuclear fuel cycle.

INTERVIEW

Jerry Hopwood
We are currently working with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on this approach, which was submitted in response to their February 2012 call for alternative proposals. We appreciate that the UK is in the early stages of their policy development activities and are pleased to be involved in such important work.

OPINION

Joint Plan of Action
The goal for these negotiations is to reach a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iran's nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful. Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek or develop any nuclear weapons.