Nuclear Developments 15 NEWLY-INDEPENDENT ST ATES 3/17/94 ARMENIA WITH THE FORMER A secondary agreement is signed in Mos- SOVIET UNION ARMENIA cow between Russian First Deputy Minis- ter Oleg Soskovets and Armenian Prime 4/4/94 Minister Grant Bagratyan regarding the The Romanian newspaper Romania Libera renovations and reactivation of the Metsamor publishes allegations that the former Soviet INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS nuclear power plant. The agreement will Union may have used a seismic weapon create an intergovernmental committee for called the Elipton to trigger a major earth- 2/94 the renovation project. Minatom and quake in Armenia. According to the article, Armenia’s Minister of Energy and Fuel Re- Gosatomnadzor will represent Russia on the U.S. military intelligence experts noted that sources Miron Sheshmanali reports that it committee, while the Armenian Energy the earthquake occurred at a time when the is essential for the rebuilding of Armenia’s Ministry and the Armenian State Director- Soviet authorities would have wanted to power generating industry to restart the ate for the Supervision of Nuclear Energy destroy Armenia's nuclear industry in or- nuclear power plant. will represent Armenia. Russia will pro- der to ensure the republic's continued de- Novosti, 5/2/94; in Russia & CIS Today, 5/2/94, vide nuclear fuel, engineering services, as- No. 0315, p. 9 (11154). pendence on the USSR. sistance in the development of a nuclear Oana Stanciulescu, Romania Libera (Bucharest), 4/ power management structure in Armenia, 4/94, p.1; in FBIS-SOV-94-068, 4/8/94, pp. 25-26 and technical servicing of the power station. (11409). ARMENIA WITH RUSSIA The committee will oversee site investiga- tions, safety renovations, preparation of the 2/17/94 reactors to operate at full power generating BELARUS Armenian Prime Minister Grant Bagratyan capacity, technical training and assistance, and Russian First Vice-President Oleg regulation, and exports of nuclear fuel from Soskovets sign a preliminary agreement on Russia to Armenia. Armenia also agrees to Russian technical aid and expertise for re- waive all export duties for the equipment BELARUS WITH JAPAN actor renovations at the Metsamor nuclear from Russia, and to provide free travel for power plant. 560 Russian experts and their families. Russia & Republics Nuclear Industry, 5/25/94, p. 1/24/94 18 (11398). Armenia will adopt Russia’s regulations on nuclear safety, and guarantee that none of The Japanese Foreign Ministry states that the materials used by or resulting from the by 3/94 Japan plans to complete the outline plant will be used for the production of agreement for an aid package to Belarus for nuclear weapons or other military hardware. the destruction of nuclear weapons previ- The numbers listed in parenthesis following Armenia will pay for the project, which ously owned by the USSR. Diplomats from the bibliographic references refer to the means part of the project could be financed Japan are discussing how much of the $100 identification number of the document in by a 40 billion ruble credit extended by Rus- million package, allotted to the CIS in 4/ the Emerging Nuclear Suppliers Project sia to Armenia. The Metsamor power plant 93, will go to Belarus. Database, from which the news summaries Itar-Tass (Moscow), 1/24/94; in JPRS-TND-94-005, will be monitored by the IAEA and will be 2/25/94, p. 51 (11156). are abstracted. Because of the rapidly brought on line only after the IAEA’s ap- changing nature of the subject matter, The proval. Nonproliferation Review is unable to Russia & Republics Nuclear Industry, 5/25/94, p. BELARUS WITH LITHUANIA guarantee that the information reported 18 (11398). Radio First Program Network herein is complete or accurate, and (Yerevan), 3/17/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-053, 3/18/94, p. 47 (11398). Sanobar Shermatova, Moskovskiye 3/94 disclaims liability to any party for any loss Novosti, 3/27-4/3/94, p. A10 (11339). During a conference in Vilnius, the or damage caused by errors or omissions. Lithuanian-European Institute proposes to The Nonproliferation Review/Fall 1994 153 Nuclear Developments add a third reactor to the Ignalina nuclear BELARUS WITH UNITED STATES ESTONIA WITH RUSSIA power plant in Lithuania. The director of special projects for the Swedish Nuclear 5/94 3/15/94 Power Inspectorate, Jan Nistad, estimates The head of the Belarusian Defense Estonian Environment Minister Andres that the new reactor would cost $2 billion. Ministry’s Scientific and Technical Commit- Tarand announces that Russia will begin The project could not be funded by tee, Vasil Puhachow, indicates that Belarus removing nuclear fuel on 4/6/94 from the Lithuania alone, Nistad said, but a coali- is counting on the U.S. to help fund its two reactors located at Paldiski, Estonia. tion of the Baltic states and Belarus could nuclear demobilization and environmental The Estonian government names its Rescue provide the money. cleanup. The U.S. has pledged $100 mil- Department, the Environment Ministry, the Nucleonics Week, 3/31/94, p. 14 (11406). lion in disarmament aid to Belarus. Estonian Railways, and the Economics Min- Valer Kalinowski, Zvyazda, 5/6/94, pp. 1-2; in FBIS- istry as those agencies responsible for safety SOV-94-003, 5/13/94, pp. 51-54 (11405). Reuter during the removal operation. (Minsk), 5/20/94 (11235). BELARUS WITH LITHUANIA AND SWEDEN BNS (Tallinn), 3/15/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-051, 3/ 16/94, p. 55 (11361). 3/25/94 In response to rumors that Sweden’s aid to 3/22/94 the Ignalina nuclear power plant will be The Estonian Cabinet permits a group of stopped because of problems in securing ESTONIA Russia military advisors to enter Estonia in third-party liability agreements from order to participate in the dismantling of Belarus, the Swedish Embassy in Vilnius two nuclear reactors at the Paldiski naval issues a statement that technical aid will base. The Russian troops at Paldiski are continue. Only one of the projects planned expected to leave Estonia by 8/31/95, after INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS by Sweden for the Ignalina plant will affect which the dismantling process is expected Belarus, while nineteen others can be imple- to be completed. mented without the liability agreements. 2/17/94 BNS (Tallinn), 3/23/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-056, 3/ The Swedish Environment & Natural Re- Raul Luks, the newly appointed governor 23/94, p. 52 (11318). Foreign Report, 3/31/94 (11318). sources Department has requested approxi- of the former nuclear training base at Paldiski, says that there is no secret under- mately $7 million for nuclear assistance 4/94 projects in the Baltics, most of which would water submarine port within the facility. ETA News Release (Tallinn), 2/17/94; in FBIS-SOV- General Director of the Estonian Police go to the Ignalina plant. 94-035, 2/22/94, p. 55 (10329). Yuriy Pikul accuses unit commanders and Radio Vilnius Network (Vilnius), 3/25/94; in FBIS- SOV-94-059, 3/28/94, p. 73 (11404). Ariane Sains, senior officers of Russia’s Northern Group Nucleonics Week, 2/3/94, p. 12 (11404). 4/94 of Forces stationed in Estonia of selling ra- The Baltic Fleet press center denies the va- dioactive materials to the West, citing the lidity of the reports that the Baltic Fleet’s sale of “at least five highly radioactive ar- BELARUS WITH RUSSIA Tallinn base illegally sold several out-of- ticles made of metal.” Pikul says several service hover landing craft which housed radioactive turbine sections of two air-cush- 5/10/94 radioactive substances. ion vessels, whose metal was scrapped and The Ministry of Energy in Belarus and the Mayak Radio Network (Moscow), 4/9/94; in FBIS- sold to Finland by Tallinn commanders, have SOV-94-069, 4/11/94, p. 14 (11234). Smolensk Electric Power Station in Russia disappeared without a trace. sign a five-year nuclear technology and ex- Russian Television and Dubl Networks (Moscow), 4/6/94 4/3/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-064, 4/4/94, p. 69 (11248). pertise exchange agreement. Estonia’s parliament, the Riigikogu, adopts Viktor Artemenko, Pravda (Moscow), 5/11/94, p. 1 (11328). a law which will regulate the export and 4/8/94 transit of strategic weapons. Andres Tarand, Estonia puts forward a new timetable for 5/20/94 Estonia’s Environment Minister, says that the removal of nuclear fuel from the Paldiski Belarus makes its first shipment of strategic the new export control law regulates the naval base, setting 6/94 as the final date for nuclear missiles to Russia under the START- export and transit of chemical, biological, the removal of fuel. Dismantlement of the I accord. Belarus is scheduled to transfer and nuclear weapons, and that it will en- reactors as well as removal of radwaste are half of its 72 SS-25 missiles during 1994, able other countries to sell missiles or other to be done shortly after the 6/94 deadline. and the other half during 1995. weapons through Estonian ports. Russia has yet to comment on the proposal. Reuter (Minsk), 5/20/94 (11235). ETA (Tallinn), 4/6/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-67, 4/7/ BNS (Tallinn), 4/8/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-070, 4/12/ 94, p. 67 (11227). 94, p. 65 (11316). 154 The Nonproliferation Review/Fall 1994 Nuclear Developments 4/14/94 pany KATEP, states that the recent deal to Special representative of the Estonian Gov- use the Canadian firms Cameco and Uranerz ernment in Paldiski Juri Tikk says that GEORGIA as agents for distribution of Kazakhstan’s Russia’s removal of nuclear fuel rods from uranium was designed to give Kazakhstan its reactors at the Paldiski naval base has access to the world market.