09/02/2002
EDITORIAL NUMBER=0-10105

NON-PROLIFERATION COOPERATION

Forty-eight kilograms of highly enriched uranium -- enough to make at least two nuclear weapons -- was transferred August 22^nd from the Vinca [VIN-chah] Institute near Belgrade to a facility in Russia. The transfer was the result of cooperation among the United States, Serbia, Yugoslavia, Russia, and the International Atomic Energy Agency aimed at preventing terrorist groups or terrorist state sponsors, such as Iraq, from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The weapons-grade nuclear fuel at the aging Vinca research reactor had long been a concern. The reactor, built in 1958 and shut down in 1984, was one of two dozen research reactors built by the former Soviet Union around the world. Safety experts worried about accidental leaks of radioactive materials. But an even greater concern was efforts by terrorists or state sponsors of terrorism such as Iraq, Iran, and North Korea to acquire material that could be used to build nuclear weapons. As documents recovered in Afghanistan reveal, al-Qaida, the world's most dangerous terrorist group, has sought to acquire nuclear weapons. Moreover, since the enriched uranium at Vinca was "fresh," that is, not radioactive, it was a particularly attractive potential target for terrorist groups.

Transferring weapons-grade nuclear materials is difficult and expensive. It requires a high level of professional expertise and cooperation. The Russian, Yugoslavian, and Serbian governments gave not only their permission for the transfer, but their active cooperation in facilitating it. In particular, Yugoslavia should be commended. Russia’s Institute for the Safe Transport of Nuclear Materials and the Vinca Institute in Belgrade carried out the key steps of preparing the material and transporting it with great professionalism. The U.S. State Department’s Nonproliferation and Disarmament fund provided over two million dollars for the transfer and for preparing the fuel for downblending into non-weapons grade material at the Russian Scientific Research Institute of Atomic Reactors. The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a private foundation, provided five million-dollars to be used for spent fuel stabilization and other costs.

The U.S. has assisted in the safe recovery of nuclear materials from other reactors in the former Soviet Union. In 1994, nearly five-hundred kilograms of highly enriched uranium was transferred from Kazakhstan to the U.S., and nuclear fuel has been shipped from Georgia to Britain and from Iraq to Russia. The experience gained in the Vinca transfer will be valuable to the success of future efforts to keep nuclear materials from terrorists. The close collaboration among the U.S., Russia, and the host countries may prove a model for future projects. And the major contribution by a private foundation has opened the way to more partnerships for nonproliferation. Such efforts must continue. As President George W. Bush said, "terrorists and regimes who seek chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons must be stopped from threatening the United States and the world."