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Russia to press ahead with Iran nuclear plant
Index:
Russia to press ahead with Iran nuclear plant
France Moves Chemical Weapons to Nuclear Storage Site, AFP Says
Small Earth- Penetrating Nuclear Warhead - Lethal Side-Effects
Bush Energy Group Won't Discuss Deliberations, Wash Post Says
===========================================
Russia to press ahead with Iran nuclear plant
MOSCOW (Reuters) - New Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander
Rumyantsev committed Russia Monday to completing work on Iran's
Bushehr nuclear power station, but was noncommittal on plans to build
a second reactor there.
The United States, which opposes the sale of nuclear technology to
what it considers a "rogue state," had expressed alarm at suggestions
that Moscow could build more reactors for the Islamic republic.
Washington has slammed Russian sales of nuclear technology to Iran
and has cited potential nuclear proliferation to justify its desire
to build a $60 billion missile defense shield that has been strongly
denounced by Russia.
"If we are lagging behind schedule on the construction of the first
Bushehr nuclear power plant, then we will catch up," Rumyantsev, who
replaced Yevgeny Adamov late last month, told a news conference.
"We must fulfill our contractual obligations," he said. The minister
repeated Russia's view that the 1995 Bushehr contract did not violate
Moscow's international treaty undertakings as the nuclear cooperation
was of a strictly civilian nature.
Russian specialists were in talks on constructing a second reactor at
Bushehr, he said. But Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying, "No
documents have yet been signed."
Moscow analysts said Adamov had been fired for his "excessive
enthusiasm" in reaching deals with Iran, which only aggravated
Russia's ties with the United States.
Russia insists it is only providing technology with civil uses, but
the United States fears it will help Iran develop nuclear weapons.
Rumyantsev said he expected both sides to find a compromise on the
issue.
Washington has also sharply criticized Moscow's decision to ship
nuclear fuel to India's Tarapur reactor, but Rumyantsev said Russia
intended to build a nuclear power station on the subcontinent,
despite international concerns.
"India is our strategic partner. We want to ensure that there are no
reproaches (from the international community) in this regard," he
said.
----------------
France Moves Chemical Weapons to Nuclear Storage Site, AFP Says
Suippes, France, April 16 (Bloomberg) -- France transported 55 metric
tons of unstable chemical weapons from a World War I weapons dump in
northern France to an underground nuclear storage site 250 kilometers
(155 miles) away, Agence France-Presse said.
The volatile ammunition was moved without incident early this morning
from Arras to Suippes in eastern France, AFP reported, citing local
authorities.
The 4-kilometer long convey took five hours to transport some 16,000
shells containing mustard gas and phosgene, many with rusting casing,
the report said.
Police closed two motorways for the operation in which some 1,000
people took part. The ammunition will be refrigerated before being
treated by disposal experts, AFP said.
The 12,000 people living within a three-kilometer radius of the Vimy
depot near Arras won't be allowed to return to their homes until
Thursday at the earliest while experts treat the remaining 120 tonnes
of weapons, local police said yesterday.
World War I saw the first significant use of chemical weapons in
warfare, sparking the use of gas masks. Inhaling phosgene causes lung
injuries and burns skin and eyes. Mustard gas is a more virulent
blistering agent, causing internal and external bleeding and
blindness.
---------------
Scientists: 'Clean' Nuclear Weapon Isn't; Small Earth- Penetrating
Nuclear Warhead Would Have Lethal Side-Effects
WASHINGTON, April 16 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Low-yield earth-penetrating
nuclear weapons, intended to threaten deep bunkers without killing
the surrounding population, would release dangerous fallout,
according to an analysis by the Federation of American Scientists.
Some nuclear weapons developers have advocated developing and testing
new small nuclear weapons as a way to destroy deeply buried bunkers
containing enemy leaders or biological weapons. Delivered by a bomb
or missile that would strike the ground a high speed and penetrate
deeply before exploding, the weapon is intended to destroy the bunker
but leave nearby civilians unharmed because the earth over the
explosion would contain it.
But the study, performed by Princeton University physicist Robert
Nelson, finds this to be technologically impossible. "No earth-
burrowing missile can penetrate deep enough into the earth to contain
an explosion with a nuclear yield even as small as 1 percent of the
Hiroshima weapon. The explosion simply blows out a massive crater of
radioactive dirt, which rains down on the local region with
especially intense and deadly fallout," according to the study.
A 1-kiloton explosion, less than one tenth that of the Hiroshima
bomb, would need to be under 450 feet of earth to be fully contained.
But the U.S. B61-11 deep-penetrating bomb only penetrates about 20
feet. A tactical missile might possibly penetrate to 100 feet,
although it would be difficult for a nuclear warhead to function
after such an impact.
If an underground explosion is not contained, it becomes very
"dirty", in that the earth above it is made radioactive and thrown
over a large area. Thus, use of even a small earth-penetrating
warhead in a populated area would cause significant civilian
casualties, according to the study.
Scientists who built the first atomic bomb founded the Federation of
American Scientists in 1945. More than half of the current American
Nobel Laureates today serve on the FAS Board of Sponsors. FAS
conducts research, analysis, and advocacy on public policy issues
created by advances in science and technology (see www.fas.org).
---------------
Bush Energy Group Won't Discuss Deliberations, Wash Post Says
Washington, April 16 (Bloomberg) -- The Bush administration's task
force to develop a national energy policy won't discuss the group's
deliberations in an effort to limit criticism, the Washington Post
reported.
The commission, headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, is due to
release its recommendations this spring, the Post said. The
recommendations will include more oil, gas and coal production, the
Post reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the discussions.
With a focus on production, the panel's policy is likely to draw fire
from environmentalists and conservation groups, the newspaper said.
The task force is considering everything from more emphasis on
nuclear power to increased drilling in Alaska and the Rocky
Mountains, the Post reported, citing unnamed administration officials
familiar with its work.
``We didn't want to make it into a circus,'' an unnamed energy task
force member told the Post, explaining the emphasis on secrecy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandy Perle Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100
Director, Technical Extension 2306
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service Fax:(714) 668-3149
ICN Pharmaceuticals, Inc. E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net
ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Personal Website: http://sandyfl.nukeworker.net
ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com
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