U.S. Global Threat Reduction Initiative Targets Nuclear Materials

VIENNA, Austria, May 28, 2004 (ENS) - U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham has announced a global initiative to intensify and accelerate efforts aimed at preventing high risk nuclear and radiological materials from falling into the hands of terrorists or rogue states.

Making the announcement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria, at a meeting with IAEA senior officials, Abraham said that the program is designed to address the threat posed by the entire range of nuclear materials.

The new program, called the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, aims to minimize as quickly as possible the amount of nuclear material available that could be used for nuclear weapons. It will seek to put into place mechanisms to ensure that nuclear and radiological materials and related equipment, wherever they may be in the world, are not used for malicious purposes.

"We will do this by the securing, removing, relocating or disposing of these materials and equipment - whatever the most appropriate circumstance may be - as quickly and expeditiously as possible," Abraham said.

U.S. Ambassador Kenneth Brill, left, U.S. Secretary Spencer Abraham, center, and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei brief reporters in Vienna. (Photo by D. Calma courtesy IAEA)

"We are forced to assume that rogue states and terrorists, in concert with for-profit proliferators, will act vigorously to achieve their ends," he said.

At a press conference, IAEA chief Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei said security issues have become a global priority in the past several years, with nuclear weapons related know-how spreading extensively. He said this makes the control of nuclear material that could be used for nuclear weapons extremely critical, and welcomed the proposal on the part of Secretary Abraham and the United States.

"The proposal is a continuation and extension of initiatives that the IAEA, the USA and others have been working on for many years, and with renewed intensity in the past couple of years, to address nuclear security around the world," Dr. ElBaradei said.

The Global Threat Reduction Initiative includes accelerating the ongoing repatriation of Russian origin, high-enriched uranium fuel and spent nuclear fuel of both Russian and U.S. origin.

"We will first work in partnership with Russia to repatriate all Russian-origin fresh HEU fuel by the end of next year," Abraham said. "We will also work with Russia to accelerate and complete the repatriation of all Russian-origin spent fuel by 2010. We will do this on a priority basis according to security threat, so that we remove or secure the most dangerous materials first."

The program will retrieve high-enriched uranium sent by Moscow to 20 reactors in 17 countries and ship it back to Russia for storage at the Dmitrovgrad All-Russia Institute for Atomic Reactors east of Moscow.

“I am pleased to see the Secretary join the chorus of voices that have called for more urgent action on this front," said Kenneth Luongo, executive director of the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council, an independent, nongovernmental research organization which advises both the Russian and U.S. governments on nuclear policy.

“This was the right decision at a time when terrorist threats against the U.S. are intensifying. We’ve delayed too long and we need to move out rapidly on this mission," Luongo said.

The cores of civilian research reactors that use high-enriched uranium will be converted to use low-enriched uranium that cannot be used to make nuclear weapons.

Equipment not covered by existing threat reduction efforts will be identified and secured.

Abraham said that despite progress made by the United States and Russia in improving the security of nuclear materials, more comprehensive and urgent efforts are needed to respond to emerging and evolving threats.

Sweden’s R-2 Reactor was converted to low-enrichment uranium fuel. (Photo courtesy Argonne National Laboratory)

Abraham said that more money and international cooperation will be required to meet this challenge and complete the job.

The United States will establish a single organization within the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration to focus exclusively on these efforts. It plans to dedicate more than $450 million to them.

International and global cooperation will be an integral part of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. Secretary Abrahams proposed that the IAEA and international community join in holding a Global Threat Reduction Initiative Partners' Conference.

This conference would examine how to address material collection and security in places where a broader international effort is required. It would also focus on material collection and security of other proliferation materials, such as those located at conversion facilities, reprocessing plants, and industrial sites, as well as the funding of such work.

Nonproliferation experts have noted that important questions about the new initiative remain unanswered, the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council warned. They want details on the types of incentives that will be necessary to convince countries to relinquish their highly-enriched uranium (HEU) and convert reactors utilizing this material.

The Council questions whether the U.S. will assist with the shutdown of other older HEU-fueled reactors, wonders how the United States intends to recover almost two-thirds of the HEU it has supplied to foreign reactors that is not encompassed by the current U.S. spent fuel take-back program.

In Vienna, Secretary Abraham expressed appreciation for the efforts of the staff of the United Nations nuclear agency, who are tasked with monitoring safety of all nuclear installations around the world and compliance with international treaties.

"Believe me when I say that you labor on the frontlines of the 21st century's greatest conflict - a conflict between the civilized nations of the Earth, and the terrorists and terrorist states that would use devastating technologies to destroy them."

Tens of millions of people in New York, Rome, Geneva, Tokyo, Sydney, London, and other spots all over the globe will sleep soundly tonight because people like you and others who work on these challenges are tireless in their efforts," Abraham said.

"My government takes your mission very seriously. It is our mission as well. We thank you, and we pledge our determination and resources to help you go about the business of making the world a safer place."