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Moscow, Washington Resolve Liability Dispute Over U.S.-Funded Nuclear Security Program
The liability dispute that has hindered a U.S.-funded nuclear materials security program in Russia has been settled, the Moscow Times reported today (see GSN, July 1). The agreement is expected to cover U.S.-sponsored plutonium disposal, said a senior U.S. official. U.S. and Russian officials for more than two years have disagreed on the level of protection U.S. officials and contractors should receive from lawsuits arising from their work in Russia to secure nuclear materials. The U.S. official said, without elaborating, that the agreement works under the principle of reciprocity. A Russian source, however, said yesterday the agreement had not yet been signed. Several Russian government agencies would have to approve the deal before it is formalized as an addendum to a 2000 pact on plutonium disposal. There was no immediate word on when the agreement might be signed. Undersecretary of State Robert Joseph arrived Monday in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Kislyak, Federal Atomic Energy Agency chief Alexander Rumyantsev and Security Council deputy head Nikolai Spassky, according to the Times. Resolution of the liability issue is expected to “facilitate the extension” of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which expires next year, a second U.S. official said. In addition, Russia has provided the United States with a list of nuclear facilities where U.S. inspectors would be welcome to check progress on U.S.-sponsored security improvements, the official said (Simon Sradzhyan, Moscow Times, July 20). U.S. Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) said the agreement is a significant step toward fulfilling the U.S.-Russian agreement to eliminate 34 metric tons of weapon-grade plutonium from each nation’s arsenal. Terms of the deal were reached during this month’s Group of Eight summit in Scotland, Domenici said yesterday in a press release. It must still be approved by Russian lawmakers, and then receive a Russian presidential decree and a formal signing by both nations.. “I’m very pleased that this agreement has been made because it will give us a sure-fire way to dispose of weapons-grade material while at the same time providing economic benefits,” Domenici said in the release. “I am hopeful Russia’s Duma will take quick action” (U.S. Senator Pete Domenici release, July 19).
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