Nuclear Developments 15 NEWLY-INDEPENDENT ST ATES reactivated. The financing of the renova- Belarusian State Nuclear Industry Inspec- tion efforts at Metsamor has yet to be re- tion body and the new committee will fi- ARMENIA solved; Abaghian estimates that “some 100 nalize an agreement to create a physical se- million dollars are needed for reopening the curity system for nuclear materials in block [at Metsamor].” Belarus. Aragil Electronic News Bulletin (Yerevan), 6/5/94; Radio Minsk Network (Minsk), 9/23/94; in FBIS- in FBIS-SOV-94-109, 6/7/94, p. 66 (11634). Snark SOV-94-185, 9/23/94, p. 58 (11793). Transcaucasia Economic News (Yerevan), 6/5/94; INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS in FBIS-SOV-94-109, 6/7/94, p. 66 (11634). 9/22/94 BELARUS WITH UNITED STATES Armenia signs the International Convention on Nuclear Security. 7/7/94 Aragil Electronic News Bulletin (Yerevan), 9/30/ AZERBAIJAN It is reported that Belarus is receiving ap- 94; in FBIS-SOV-94-191, 10/3/94, p. 50 (11535). proximately $7 million from the U.S. un- der the Nunn-Lugar program for dismantle- ment of nuclear and other types of weap- ARMENIA WITH RUSSIA ons. AZERBAIJAN WITH TURKEY Radio Minsk Network (Minsk), 7/7/94; in FBIS- 6/94 SOV-94-130, 7/7/94, p. 54 (11525). A Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy del- Late 7/94 9/26/94 egation visits Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear Turkish police confiscate 22 pounds of ura- It is reported that, according to Secretary of power plant to inspect the facility before nium believed to have come from Defense William Perry, the U.S. has con- renovation efforts begin. Director of the Azerbaijan; five Turks are arrested. Police cluded 38 agreements with Belarus, Russian Institute of Nuclear Plants Use have not said whether the material was weap- Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia, raising Armen Abaghian, a member of the delega- ons-grade. U.S. aid to the region to over $900 million. tion, characterizes the state of the plant as Edith M. Lederer, Washington Times, 8/21/94, p. 9 (11814). Izvestiya (Moscow), 7/26/94, p. 3 (11642). Paul Mann, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 9/ “ready to [sic] reconstruction.” Another 26/94, p. 23 (11680). group of Russian specialists will arrive shortly and will remain until the plant is BELARUS ESTONIA The numbers listed in parenthesis following the bibliographic references refer to the identification number of the document in the Emerging Nuclear Suppliers Project Database, from which the news summaries BELARUS WITH JAPAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS are abstracted. Because of the rapidly 9/94 changing nature of the subject matter, The 8/26/94 Nonproliferation Review is unable to The Japanese Foreign Ministry sends a rep- Estonian police arrest an Estonian man who guarantee that the information reported resentative group to Belarus to consider is- was attempting to smuggle 3 kg of U238 to herein is complete or accurate, and sues for the Committee for Nuclear Non- Western Europe. Estonian authorities be- disclaims liability to any party for any loss proliferation, a joint committee created by lieve this is not an isolated incident and ex- or damage caused by errors or omissions. the two countries in 1993. At the conclu- press concern that Estonia is becoming a sion of the talks, it is expected that the 102 The Nonproliferation Review/Winter 1995 Nuclear Developments major transshipment point for illicit nuclear packed in 590 cylinders, 10 cm in length transferred to Russia by train. In order to material from Russia. and 8 cm in diameter. According to Juri prevent possible terrorist attack, the trans- Flemming Rose, Berlingske Tidende (Copenhagen), Pihl, the head of the security police, Rus- port date has not been publicized. Two 8/27/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-168, 8/30/94, p. 56 sian sources informed Estonia in 8/94 that hundred Russian servicemen are guarding (11567). “a certain amount of radioactive material had the reactor building during the process. been smuggled” into the country. The Es- Reuter (Tallinn), 9/20/94; in Executive News Ser- tonian citizen who then received the mate- vice, 9/21/94 (11730). ESTONIA WITH RUSSIA rial buried it in Polva, where he lives. Po- lice are concerned that the LEU was pro- 6/30/94 duced by the same Russian factories that Juri Tikk, Estonian administrator at the manufacture nuclear weapons. KAZAKHSTAN former Soviet submarine base in Paldiski, BNS (Tallinn), 8/25/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-166, 8/ states that dismantling of reactors at the base 26/94, p. 58 (11635). will proceed in three stages. First, the fuel will be removed and transferred to Russia. 8/17/94 Second, Russian specialists will remove “se- Juri Tikk, Estonian administrator at the cret military objects” from the reactors. And Paldiski submarine base, announces that the INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS third, reactor components and radwaste will equipment for dismantling one of the base’s be transported back to Russia. reactors has arrived at Paldiski, along with 5/94 ETA (Tallinn), 6/30/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-126, 6/ 25 Russian specialists needed for the pro- Viktor P. Zhelnov, chief geologist for 30/94, p. 69 (11730). cess. Tikk says that containers for trans- Kazakhstan’s National Stock Company porting the fuel will not be brought to KATEP, details the status of Kazakhstan’s 7/26/94 Paldiski until the actual removal date. uranium mining and processing, as well as Russia and Estonia sign agreements on the BNS (Tallinn), 8/17/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-160, 8/ its total mined and untouched uranium re- withdrawal of Russian troops from the 18/94, p. 42 (11730). serves. There are five entities which cur- Paldiski submarine base and on the status rently mine and refine uranium in of retired Russian soldiers and KGB per- 8/24/94 Kazakhstan: the KASTOR stock company sonnel remaining in Estonia. However, an Russia begins work on dismantlement of the in western Kazakhstan, the Tselinny Min- agreement on dismantling reactors at the first reactor at the Paldiski submarine base. ing and Chemical Combine (CMCC) in the base is still not finalized. The entire dismantlement process is ex- north, and the Central, Stepnoye, and Num- Aleksandr Krylovich and Valeriy Sevryukov, Itar- pected to take about three months which ber Six mining companies in southern Tass (Moscow), 8/2/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-149, 8/3/ Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yuri 94, p. 11 (11733). Interfax (Moscow), 7/28/94; in Kazakhstan. Of these, only KASTOR and FBIS-SOV-94-146, 7/29/94, p. 43 (11733). Luikka estimates will cost $10 million. The CMCC conduct the full uranium mining and West has guaranteed $5 million in aid. A refining cycle; the other three companies 7/30/94 committee of international experts will su- explore uranium deposits and mine and pro- In Moscow, Russia and Estonia sign an pervise the process. duce partially finished product (a solution agreement on dismantling the reactors at the Novosti (Moscow), 8/24/94; in Russia & CIS To- with a 25-30 percent uranium content, or day, 8/24/94, p. 10 (11673). Izvestiya, 7/23/94, p. Paldiski submarine base. The dismantle- 3 (11673). N. Ostilovskaya, Novosti (Moscow), 7/ yellowcake with a 50 percent uranium con- ment process will involve 210 Russian spe- 30/94; in Russia & CIS Today, 8/1/94, p. 35 (11673). tent). Mining is done using in-situ leach- cialists. All Russian troops — except for the E. Sosipatrova, Novosti (Moscow), 8/24/94; in ing (ISL), open-pit and underground meth- nuclear specialists — are supposed to leave Russia & CIS Today, 8/25/94, p. 26 (11673). K. ods. Zhelnov estimates that the total ura- Kozlova, Segodnya (TV Moscow), 8/26/94; in Rus- Paldiski by 8/31/94; the reactors must be sia & CIS Today, 8/29/94, p. 22 (11673). nium reserves of Kazakhstan, both proven completely dismantled by 9/30/95. and estimated, equal 1,168,000 tons. Of Aleksandr Krylovich and Valeriy Sevryukov, Itar- 9/8/94 these reserves, 888,600 tons have a “forward Tass (Moscow), 8/2/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-149, 8/3/ cost” below $80 per kilogram. 94, p. 11 (11733). BNS (Tallinn), 8/3/94; in FBIS- All the fuel from the first Paldiski reactor Nukem, 5/94, pp. 9-13 (11772). SOV-94-151, 8/5/94, p. 9 (11733). Reuter (Tallinn), has now been transferred from Estonia to 9/20/94; in Executive News Service, 9/21/94 Russia. (11730). ETA (Tallinn), 9/8/94; in FBIS-SOV-94-175, 9/9/ 8/94 94, p. 74 (11730). It is reported that the BN-350 fast breeder Early 8/94 reactor in Shevchenko has been forced to Estonian security police arrest an Estonian 9/20/94 close down due to lack of funds to purchase citizen in the possession of 2.95 kg of low- Dismantlement of the second reactor at the nuclear fuel and to pay transport charges, enriched uranium (LEU), which was given Paldiski base begins. The fuel rods will be customs duties, and staff salaries. The to him by two Russians who brought the removed, packed in special containers, then reactor’s management says that, due to lack material to Estonia in 1/94. The LEU was The Nonproliferation Review/Winter 1995 103 Nuclear Developments of wages, one-fourth of the staff has not guards on uranium exports and nuclear fuel before 9/19/94. worked at the BN-350 since 4/94. pellet production. Interfax (Moscow), 8/25/94; in JPRS-TEN-94-021, Nuclear News, 8/94, p.