DTN News: Russia, Ukraine Sign Agreement On Nuclear Fuel Plant Construction

DTN News: Russia, Ukraine Sign Agreement On Nuclear Fuel Plant Construction

Source: DTN News / Ria Novosti

(NSI News Source Info) KIEV, Ukraine - October 28, 2010: Russian fuel company TVEL and Ukrainian state concern Nuclear Fuel on Wednesday signed an agreement in Kiev on the construction of a nuclear fuel plant in Ukraine.

The agreement was signed during a committee meeting on economic cooperation of the Russian-Ukrainian intergovernmental commission.

"This is very important for us because it is a great step to the closed nuclear fuel cycle in our country," Ukrainian Fuel and Energy Minister Yuri Boyko said. "We have 15 nuclear reactors, and we should have our own nuclear fuel."

Ukraine's cabinet on September 22 approved TVEL as the winner of the tender to build a nuclear fuel plant in the country. The plant is to come online in 2014.

The deal would also help to determine the period during which Russia would supply nuclear fuel to Ukraine under the previously agreed contract.

The two neighbors signed a long-term deal to supply nuclear fuel to Ukraine this summer. The agreement contained a clause which directly linked the contract period with the results of the nuclear fuel plant construction tender.

"After the Ukrainian government decided on September 22 that TVEL won the contract to build a nuclear fuel production plant, the term of validity of the nuclear fuel supply contract was extended to the whole period while Russian-made reactors are operational in Ukraine, with an option to be renewed," said Alexander Lokshin, deputy head of Russia's state-run nuclear power corporation Rosatom.

Earlier the head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, Sergei Kiriyenko, said the prospects of integrating the Russian and Ukrainian nuclear power industries are real.

Moscow and Kiev intend to establish a Russia-based joint venture on uranium enrichment, similar to the one established by Russia and Kazakhstan in Angarsk in East Siberia, Kiriyenko said.

A delegation of Russian ministers led by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Ukraine on Wednesday to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues that included energy cooperation with Ukrainian top officials.

*THIS ARTICLE IS BEING POSTED FROM TORONTO, CANADA BY DTN NEWS ~ DEFENSE-TECHNOLOGY NEWS, CONTACT: DTNNEWS@YMAIL.COM

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DTN News: U.S. Military Strike Against Iran Unlikely

DTN News: U.S. Military Strike Against Iran Unlikely

Source: DTN News / Xinhua

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 7, 2010: U.S. President Barack Obama has indicated sanctions on Iran should remain in place but he has hope for a "pathway" to a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue with Tehran. Obama told reporters at the White House Thursday he is still open to talks with Iran if Tehran takes "confidence-building measures" to prove it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, the Washington Post reported. The remarks appeared to conflict with those by U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, who said Washington had a plan to use military measures to deny Iran nuclear weapons. Many analysts believe the current U.S. administration still prefers sanctions when it comes to the Iranian nuclear issue and a military strike would be its last resort. MILITARY STRIKE UNLIKELY Mullen said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that a military option against Iran had not been ruled out. "It's one of the options that the president has. Again, I hope we don't get to that, but it's an important option and it's one that's well understood." The prospects of an attack and of a nuclear-armed Iran were both very worrisome, he said, adding that he believed multilateral diplomacy and international economic sanctions remained the best means to force the Iranian government to abandon its nuclear program. Michael O'Hanlon, director of research of foreign policy at the Washington-based Brookings Institution, said the United States was unlikely to launch a military strike against Iran. "To say that an option is on the table is not the same thing as to say there is a detailed plan. Detailed plan implies real preparation and readiness to carry this out. It implies the almost potential imminence, whereas keeping this as an option is just that," he said. O'Hanlon cited Obama's policy against preemptive strikes. "Because, in the end, this will in many ways be a form of preemption. President Obama campaigned against the idea of preemption." The United States will more likely seek cooperation with other world powers -- China, France, Britain and Russia -- and try to put Iran under economic pressure, he said. Since June, the United Nations, the United States and the European Union have tightened sanctions on Iran over its refusal to return to international talks on its nuclear program, which the West fears is a cover to build an atomic bomb. Tehran denies the allegation, saying it is for the generation of electricity. The other reason a military strike was unlikely, O'Hanlon said, was that it would not be very effective. "It (a military strike) will probably set Iran back a couple of years. But Iran could relocate and build new facilities," he said, adding that Tehran would have much more determination and domestic support to carry out its nuclear program. Besides, "a lot of countries around the world, in the aftermath of the strike, may decide not to continue to apply sanctions, so we might lose ground on sanctions. On all the political and economic fronts, a military attack will set us back," he said. "If you add up the pros and cons, the equation looks fairly unfavorable for using force," the expert said.

Mullen's remarks elicited a furious response from Iran, whose media has carried criticism and vows of retaliation against Washington almost daily since. Commander of the Iranian Army's Ground Force, Brigadier General Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan, said on Wednesday the United States had no capability to start a war with the "powerful" Islamic Republic of Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported. Iranian forces were in full readiness to confront the enemy on the ground, in the air and on the sea, Pourdastan said, noting that any attack against the country would be faced with a crushing response. On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the attack threat against Tehran made by Mullen was "imprudent remarks" that were linked to the United States' anger and frustration following its repeated failures in the Middle East. Political deputy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)Yadollah Javani said Monday "the U.S. and the Zionist regime (Israel) will not dare to make a military attack against Iran," adding that Mullen's remarks were just "psychological tactics." They had made similar statements before and such threats were aimed at "exerting pressure on Iran in the nuclear talks and for winning concessions," Javani said. Analysts said that, for Iranians, who had been feeling years of pain from economic sanctions and hearing repeated reports about U.S. attack against their country, the nuclear issue is remote from everyday concerns. They did not pay much attention to the fresh U.S. threat, but people and media outside Iran were taking it more seriously, they said. IMPACT OF A POSSIBLE STRIKE Iran has consistently warned it would respond to any attack by targeting U.S. interests in the region and Israel, as well as closing the Strait of Hormuz, which separates Oman from Iran and is the gateway to the oil-rich Gulf. The IRGC's Javani warned Monday that any mistake by Washington. would endanger security in the entire region. "And as it was said before, the Persian Gulf would be safe either for all or for none ... The Persian Gulf is a strategic region. If its security is in danger, this will jeopardize their (Americans') interests too, and our response would be tough," the IRNA quoted him as saying. Amid rising tensions between Iran and the West, the Revolutionary Guards staged large scale war games in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz in late April in a bid to show its ability to control the crucial energy and economic waterway. With about 40 percent of the world's traded oil leaving the Gulf region through it, the Strait of Hormuz is particularly vulnerable because it is only 50 km wide at its widest point. The analysts warned that, once America launched an attack, security in the entire Gulf region would deteriorate, which would have an unthinkable impact on oil prices and the global economy. Meanwhile, an abrupt U.S.-Iran war would bear on the politics in Iran and the Middle East as well, they said. The U.S. State Department said in its annual "Country Reports on Terrorism" report that Iran remained the "most active" state sponsor of terrorism, providing financial, material and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories, as well as the Taliban in Afghanistan. Its actions had a "direct impact" on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy, said the report, released Thursday. If the U.S. went to war with Iran, the political pattern in the Middle East would change, as countries with interests there would adjust their policies in the region, the experts predicted. O'Hanlon said a military strike would complicate the U.S. ability to maintain a strong coalition because it might make the U.S. look like a unilateral power, raising concerns about a return to the Bush administration's policy.

*This article "U.S. Military Strike Against Iran Unlikely - Xinhua" & link to read in originality

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: Iran Informs IAEA Of Nuclear Fuel Exchange Agreement With Turkey, Brazil

DTN News: Iran Informs IAEA Of Nuclear Fuel Exchange Agreement With Turkey, Brazil

Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) VIENNA, Austria - May 25, 2010: Iran officially informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday that Iran has signed an agreement of enriching uranium abroad, with Turkey and Brazil on last Monday. Thereafter, a short meeting was held between representatives of Iran, Turkey and Brazil, as well as the IAEA chief Yukiya Amano. A letter from the Iranian government has been delivered to the IAEA. With the coordination of Brazil and Turkey, Iran agreed on last Monday to deposit 1,200 kg of its 3.5 percent (low-enriched) uranium (LEU) in Turkey, 120 kg of 20 percent uranium for the need of the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) will return to Iran within one year. However, Iran announced later that uranium enrichment will be continued within the country. Experts pointed that some details of the agreement are deserving attention, such as the incapability of Turkey to convert low-enriched uranium to high-enriched uranium, and the risk of processing uranium somewhere, once the low-enriched uranium is transported to Turkey. The intention of signing this agreement met with general discredits. Diplomatic sources said the uranium-exchange agreement was only a maneuver to buy time. Iran was intended to run away from the coming UN sanctions, by taking advantage of Turkey and Brazil being non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Diplomatic sources also believed that the U.S.-led western countries will not give up sanctions against Iran. As a matter of fact, the U.S. recently continues to urge the international community to execute sanctions against Iran. Due to Iran's refusal of stopping uranium activities, the United Nations Security council has made the resolution against Iran for three times. As reported, new resolution of sanctions against Iran will be made at the beginning of next month. The U.S. representative has made clear that the nuclear fuel exchange agreement was with the purpose of buying time. The western countries all along believed that Iran planned to have its own nuclear weapons, therefore strongly urged stopping any uranium enrichment works. Iran insists its rights of peaceful use of nuclear energy and control of nuclear technology, showing strong antagonist against the western countries. The mutually long-term hostility and suspicion is the major reason why the Iran issue hasn't been solved.

DTN News: Uranium Offer By Iran May Hinder Efforts On Sanctions

DTN News: Uranium Offer By Iran May Hinder Efforts On Sanctions

Source: DTN News / NYTimes.com By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

(NSI News Source Info) CAIRO, Egypt - May 18, 2010: Iran announced an agreement on Monday to ship some of its nuclear fuel to Turkey in a deal that could offer a short-term solution to its nuclear standoff with the West, or prove to be a tactic aimed at derailing efforts to bring new sanctions against Tehran.

The deal, negotiated by Turkey and Brazil, calls for Iran to ship some 2,640 pounds of low-enriched uranium to Turkey, where it would be stored. In exchange, after one year, Iran would have the right to receive about 265 pounds of uranium enriched to 20 percent from Russia and France. The terms mirror a deal with the West last October that fell apart when Iran backtracked. But it is far from clear that the Obama administration will agree to it now. In October, the 2,640 pounds that Iran was supposed to ship out of the country represented about two-thirds of its stockpile of nuclear fuel — enough to ensure that it would not retain sufficient nuclear material to make a weapon. But because Iran has continued its enrichment efforts, that amount of fuel accounts for a smaller proportion of its declared stockpile. According to a Western diplomat who spoke in return for anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, the amount of low-enriched uranium that Iran was prepared to ship to Turkey may represent little more than half its current stockpile. “The situation has changed,” the diplomat said. The United States reacted cautiously. “Given Iran’s repeated failure to live up to its own commitments, and the need to address fundamental issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and international community continue to have serious concerns,” Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. “While it would be a positive step for Iran to transfer low-enriched uranium off of its soil as it agreed to do last October, Iran said today that it would continue its 20 percent enrichment, which is a direct violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and which the Iranian government originally justified by pointing to the need for fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor.” Mr. Gibbs made clear that the administration would continue to press forward with sanctions until Iran met its obligations. "The United States will continue to work with our international partners, and through the United Nations Security Council, to make it clear to the Iranian government that it must demonstrate through deeds — and not simply words — its willingness to live up to international obligations or face consequences, including sanctions," he said. The agreement could undermine the Obama administration’s chances of securing international approval for punitive measures against Iran. China and Russia, which have been highly reluctant to impose sanctions on a major trading partner, could use the announcement to end discussions about a fourth round of sanctions. Washington is seeking further sanctions because Iran has refused to halt further enrichment or to answer international inspectors’ questions about evidence suggesting research into possible weapons designs and similar experiments. The inspectors have also been blocked from visiting many locations they have asked to examine. Mr. Obama now faces a vexing choice. If he walks away from this deal, it will look like he is rejecting an agreement similar to one he was willing to sign eight months ago. But if he accepts, many of the urgent issues he wants resolved with Iran in coming months — mostly over suspected weapons work — will be put on hold for a year or more. Many American officials believe the delay is Iran’s most immediate goal. Iranian officials, however, applauded the deal as a breakthrough, with the president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying at a news conference that the agreement would be “to the benefit of all nations who want to live freely and independently.” Officials said on Iranian state television that the next step would be to agree to terms for the exchange with the so-called Vienna Group — Iran’s description of an informal association comprising the United States, France, Russia and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog based in Vienna. The Iranian officials said they would send a formal letter confirming the deal to the atomic agency within a week. “This shows that Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons but rather peaceful nuclear technology,” said Ramin Mehmanparast, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, in a televised news conference on Monday. “Such interactions must replace a confrontational approach.” Diplomats in Vienna said the I.A.E.A. had not been formally notified about the reported deal, but added that Tehran’s agreement to a swap outside its own territory was potentially significant. Though the agreement was regarded as a positive step by regional experts, there was also skepticism as to whether it was real or a tactic to transfer blame for the conflict to the West, while derailing the prospect of the United Nations Security Council imposing new sanctions, which appeared possible within weeks.

“Iran has a history of forging a deal and then going back on it,” said Emad Gad, an expert in international relations at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo. “It lets the situation get really tense and then reaches an agreement. This is a genuine characteristic of the nature of Iranian politics.”

As international pressure for new sanctions grows, Iran is preparing for the June 12 anniversary of last year’s disputed presidential election, which led to months of protests and conflict. Iran is also wrestling with a serious inflation problem, declining foreign investment and the prospect of lifting subsidies on commodities, which would mean higher prices and, perhaps, renewed social tensions. “With deals like this or announcements like this you have to be a bit skeptical, at least initially, because so many in the past have proved to be a virtual opportunity rather than a more substantial one,” said Michael Axworthy, the former British diplomat and Iran expert who lectures at the University of Exeter. There appear to be reasons to be skeptical. In Tehran, the Foreign Ministry spokesman told a person attending the news conference that Iran would not, for example, suspend its program to enrich uranium to 20 percent — which brings it closer to weapons grade. Iran has said that its nuclear program is peaceful while the West has charged it is aimed at building weapons. Those charges have been amplified as Iran has improved and tested its long-range missile capacity. The terms of this deal appear similar to the general terms of a deal negotiated in Geneva last year. That agreement fell apart when Iran appeared to backtrack from its commitment to send its fuel to a third country. Iran had initially insisted that any swap be conducted on its territory, a demand rejected by the West. Sending most of its fuel out of Iran would for a time at least delay its ability to build a nuclear weapon during which time more long-term negotiations could take place. The Geneva deal called for shipping 2,640 pounds of 3.5-percent enriched uranium to Russia where it would be more highly enriched, to 20 percent, and then to Paris, where it would be turned into fuel rods for Iran’s medical reactor. Part of what made that deal acceptable in Washington was that the amount was believed to be the majority of Iran’s stockpile. The Geneva agreement fell apart under intense political pressure in Iran when nearly every political faction criticized it as compromising Iran’s right to nuclear energy. Then and now, Iran’s negotiating team argued that the deal was in Iran’s interest because it effectively confirms Iran’s right to enrich uranium. “And with Iran’s support, today a statement has been issued which has officially recognized Iran’s right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, especially uranium enrichment,” Ali-Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s Nuclear Energy Organization, said on state television. The terms of the deal were agreed on in a meeting involving Mr. Ahmadinejad; the foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki; Saeed Jalili, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council; President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil; and the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the official IRNA news service reported. If successful, the agreement would enhance and underscore the continued rise of Turkey and Brazil as global forces. Turkey, in particular, has in recent months re-engaged in the Middle East, seeking to fill a vacuum in leadership there. Ferai Tinc, a political analyst writing in the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, said, “Ankara was neither a full supporter of Iran nor an advocate of violence and sanctions against it but stood strongly for promoting a diplomatic resolution.”

Reporting was contributed by William Yong from Tehran; Mona El-Naggar from Cairo; Alexei Barrionuevo from São Paulo, Brazil; Sebnem Arsu from Istanbul; David E. Sanger and Peter Baker from Washington; and Alan Cowell from London. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: May 17, 2010 Earlier versions of this article misidentified the newspaper running an article by the Turkish analyst Ferai Tinc. The newspaper should be Hurriyet, not Millyet.

DTN News: Iran TODAY May 16, 2010 ~ Iran Discusses Nuclear Fuel Swap

DTN News: Iran TODAY May 16, 2010 ~ Iran Discusses Nuclear Fuel Swap

Source: DTN News / Int'l Media

(NSI News Source Info) TEHERAN, Iran - May 16, 2010: IRAN said on Saturday it was willing to discuss a venue to swap uranium that needs to be enriched for a nuclear research reactor if it obtains 'concrete guarantees,' Al-Alam television reported. The Arabic-language channel quoted foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast as saying that Teheran struck a deal on the amount of uranium to be exchanged and the modality of the swap - simultaneously or in batches. 'There is an agreement on the time and the volume of the fuel to be exchanged,' Mehmanparast said according to Al-Alam, without elaborating on the deal or with whom it was reached. 'But there is still the venue (to be decided) and if there are concrete guarantees, Iran is willing to discuss the location,' he added. The remarks came as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was due to arrive in Teheran for a nuclear summit that major powers have said might prove to be Iran's last chance to avoid tough new UN sanctions. Lula, who is expected to land at midnight (1930 GMT or 3.30am Sunday S'pore time), told reporters in Moscow on Friday he was 'optimistic' and hoped to be able to persuade Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to reach an agreement with the West. The International Atomic Energy Agency proposed in October a plan whereby Iran would hand over its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to Russia for enrichment to the required level of 20 per cent. The material would then be processed by France into the necessary fuel rods for the Teheran reactor, which makes radioisotopes for medical purposes such as the treatment of cancer. Citing a 'lack of confidence,' Teheran rejected the proposal and offered an exchange of fuel simultaneously and in smaller quantities within the borders of country, but the West rejected its counter-offer.

DTN News: Iran Welcomes Turkish, Brazilian Nuclear Fuel Ideas

DTN News: Iran Welcomes Turkish, Brazilian Nuclear Fuel Ideas Source: DTN News / Int'l Media by Fredrik Dahl; editing by Matthew Jones (NSI News Source Info) NEW YORK, U.S. - May 8, 2010: Iran gave an upbeat assessment of Turkish and Brazilian mediation efforts in its nuclear dispute with the West, welcoming "in principle" ideas aimed at reviving a stalled U.N.-backed atom fuel swap deal with major powers. "New formulas have been raised about the exchange of fuel ... I think we can arrive at practical agreements on these formulas," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said in remarks published by the Iran daily on Saturday. "That is why we welcomed the proposals in principle ... and left the details for more examination." He did not elaborate on the content of the proposals. His comments appeared part of an Iranian attempt to avert a possible new round of U.N. sanctions on the Islamic state over a nuclear programme the West fears is designed to develop bombs. Turkey and Brazil are currently non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Analysts say Iran may be trying to buy time and to split the six world powers -- the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- which are discussing additional punitive measures against the Islamic Republic. Iran, the world's fifth-largest crude exporter, says it only seeks to generate electricity and has repeatedly refused to bow to international demands to halt sensitive atomic activity. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier this week agreed "in principle" to Brazilian mediation on the proposed fuel swap exchange, Iranian media reported. The powers see the plan as a way to remove much of Iran's low-enriched uranium stockpile to minimise the risk of this being used for atomic bombs, while Iran would get specially processed fuel to keep its nuclear medicine programme running. But the proposal broke down over Iran's insistence on doing the swap only on its territory, rather than shipping its LEU abroad in advance, and in smaller, phased amounts, meaning no meaningful cut in a stockpile which grows day by day. "ULTIMATELY POSITIVE" Turkey and Brazil have been trying to revive the fuel deal in a bid to stave off further sanctions. Iran has also put forward a counterproposal, dismissed by Western officials. The United States is lobbying U.N. Security Council members to back sanctions including proposed measures targeting Iranian banks, shipping and the country's all-important energy sector. But Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim told Reuters on Friday his country saw a window of opportunity and a willingness by Iran to reach a negotiated solution over its nuclear programme. He met Ahmadinejad in Tehran last week. Russia and China, veto-wielding members of the Security Council which have significant commercial links with Iran, have said they are willing to give Turkey and Brazil more time to resuscitate the fuel proposal. Brazil favours a mooted compromise in which Iran could export its uranium to another country in return for higher-enriched fuel for a Tehran research reactor. Iran has so far insisted the exchange must take place on its territory. "The framework set out by the countries (Turkey and Brazil), alongside our own country's recent proposal, has the potential from the perspective of Iran for arriving at a final common point and becoming operational," Mehmanparast said. "At any rate, we believe the efforts being undertaken by friendly countries, such as Turkey and Brazil, can ultimately be positive," he added.

DTN News: Kazakhstan, Iran Deny Uranium Deal

DTN News: Kazakhstan, Iran Deny Uranium Deal *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) ASTANA, Kazakhstan - January 03, 2010: Kazakhstan angrily denied on Wednesday that it planned to sell purified uranium ore to Iran, calling media reports to this effect "groundless insinuations." The story was also denied by Tehran, which called it "utterly fabricated and baseless." Kazakhstan "categorically repudiates certain news media reports alleging Kazakhstan's connection to a possible deal to supply uranium to the Islamic Republic of Iran," the country's foreign ministry said. The government "considers them groundless insinuations damaging the reputation of our country." In Tehran, the foreign ministry said "the news circulating in some media that Iran is on the threshold of inking a covert deal to import 1,350 tonnes of purified uranium ore from Kazakhstan is utterly fabricated and baseless." "This propaganda is one of the links in the chain that serves the political intentions of the oppressive powers," a statement added. The denials by both countries came a day after the United States, reacting to media reports that a deal was close to being sealed, warned that such a transfer was prohibited under UN sanctions on Iran. "The transfer of uranium to Iran is prohibited, unless the uranium in question is low enriched and the uranium is incorporated in assembled nuclear fuel elements for use in light water reactors (LWRs)," US State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. Concern over Iran's nuclear plans is again rising. On Tuesday, Washington warned Tehran that December was "a very real deadline" to accept a UN-drafted deal to swap enriched uranium for nuclear fuel or face further sanctions. The United States and some other Western countries suspect Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear power programme. Tehran adamantly denies this, saying its nuclear programme is strictly for the production of energy. Kazakhstan, which on January 1 becomes the first ex-Soviet republic to take the helm of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), stressed that it is committed to international nuclear non-proliferation rules. "Kazakhstan is firmly committed to the principles of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and tough control over the turnover of dual-use materials," the foreign ministry statement said. It noted that Kazakhstan had renounced the world's fourth-largest nuclear and missile arsenal -- a stockpile it inherited from the days it was part of the Soviet Union -- and had shut down its Soviet-era nuclear test site. The Central Asian state also called on the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to weigh in publicly on the reports saying Kazakhstan was to ship uranium to Iran. "Kazakhstan expects the IAEA to give an appropriate assessment of the information being disseminated by the news media," the statement said. It said all operations involving nuclear materials, "including our cooperation regarding peaceful use of atomic energy with foreign countries, are subject to IAEA comprehensive safeguards." Separately, Kazakhstan said it had become the world's largest producer of uranium, overtaking Canada, after it increased production by 63 percent in 2009. Kazatomprom said it had mined 13,500 tonnes of the radioactive metal as of December 21 and will have mined at least another 400 tonnes by year's end. Citing the Ux Consulting Company, a US nuclear consulting firm, the statement said Canada was expected to produce 9,934 tonnes of uranium and Australia 8,022 tonnes this year. Kazakhstan plans to increase production to 18,000 tonnes in 2010, Nurlan Ryspanov, Kazatomprom vice-president said in a statement. "The republic will gain the leading position in uranium mining at the time of maximum demand for it," Ryspanov said.

DTN News: Iran TODAY October 28, 2009 ~ Iran Reportedly To Seek To Alter Nuclear Plan

DTN News: Iran TODAY October 28, 2009 ~ Iran Reportedly To Seek To Alter Nuclear Plan *Tehran will ask this week for 'important adjustments' to the proposal by the West that Iran send most of its uranium stockpile abroad for enrichment and eventual return, state-owned TV says. *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) BEIRUT, Lebanon - October 28, 2009: Iran will seek to amend a proposed deal it reached with the U.S. and other major powers to ship the bulk of its nuclear material overseas, state television reported Tuesday.An undated handout picture provided by the Iran Atomic Organization shows the Iranian research reactor located in Tehran. (Iran Atomic Organization / Handout, EPA / October 21, 2009) Tehran will respond by Thursday to the plan for it to transfer most of its nuclear stockpile to Russia and France to be turned into fuel for an Iranian medical reactor, but its counteroffer will include "important adjustments," said Iran's state-controlled Al Alam, citing unnamed sources. The Arabic-language television news channel often broadcasts official news or floats trial balloons before other state-controlled networks. The U.S., Russia, France and the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, last week signed off on the proposal to transport the bulk of Iran's enriched uranium to Russia and France to be further refined and shaped into fuel plates for the medical reactor, which produces isotopes for cancer diagnoses and treatment. While the proposed deal would not fully allay international concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, it would temporarily reduce the country's stockpile and dampen fears that Tehran could suddenly break out of treaty obligations and make a quick sprint toward developing a nuclear weapon. And diplomats said the deal could also lay the groundwork for broader negotiations. But Iran watchers said they expected Tehran to try to negotiate hard over the quantity of enriched uranium sent abroad and the shipments' timing in order to gain maximum advantage and ease hard-liners' mistrustful of any deal with the West. "My experience in dealing with a lot of these guys is they won't give up anything until they absolutely have to," said Mark Fowler, a former CIA Iran expert now working as an analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton in Washington. "They will hold a very hard line. They won't give anything up, at least not upfront." U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. was waiting until Iran submitted an official response to the proposal before weighing in. But at least one American ally expressed impatience with Tehran. "Iran is wasting time because it is now that we need to talk. One day it will be too late," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on the sidelines of a meeting with European counterparts in Luxembourg, according to Agence France-Presse. "The Americans, through Mr. Obama's determination, have injected fresh vigor into this need for dialogue, but this will not last forever. Answers are needed." According to Al Alam, "Tehran will agree with the general framework of the agreement on fuel for the Tehran research nuclear reactor, but it will also stipulate important provisos," which its source did not specify. On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki said Iran was closely considering the deal, but may want to send less than the 2,650 pounds of enriched uranium it specifies, or purchase the enriched uranium required for the Tehran reactor. Al Alam's editor for Iranian affairs, Nevid Behrouz, said Tehran's worries about the plan centered on the quantity of uranium to be shipped abroad and concern the West would not send the material back. In addition to angling for a better deal, Iranian officials lack confidence in the West and the United Nations and even feel betrayed by Russia for dragging its feet in providing fuel for a nuclear power plant in Bushehr, Fowler said. "They truly believe that if they're not careful, they're going to step into some kind of trap. . . . They're going to be literally cheated, embarrassed or backed into a corner," he said. Iran missed a Friday deadline to respond to the proposal but gained important leverage this week when Russia, which holds U.N. Security Council veto power, came to its defense and urged patience. "In this month alone concrete and potentially effective solutions have been found," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Rybakov said in an interview published Monday, according to the Interfax news agency. "It can't be ruled out that the process won't continue with the same intensity. But everyone should arm themselves with as much patience as possible." He added, "By and large, Iran is showing readiness for cooperation with both the IAEA and others." U.S. conservatives, such as Bush administration veteran John R. Bolton, have criticized the Obama administration for endorsing the deal, saying doing so legitimized Iran's continued enrichment of uranium in violation of the Security Council. Behrouz agreed. "By accepting this draft," the analyst said, "the West has annulled the previous U.N. Security Council decisions on halting enrichment."

DTN News: Sweden Offers India Civilian Nuclear Technology

DTN News: Sweden Offers India Civilian Nuclear Technology *Source: DTN News (NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI, India - July 6, 2009: Sweden, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, is offering New Delhi its niche expertise in nuclear waste management and security as it eyes India’s $40 billion civilian nuclear energy market. “Sweden has considerable expertise in nuclear waste management and areas relating to nuclear security. We are exploring opportunities of partnering with India in this area,” Sweden’s Ambassador to India Lars-Olof Lindgren told IANS in an interview here. The envoy said a delegation of Swedish companies operating in the area of nuclear technology and safety management came to India this April on an exploratory trip. They held talks with officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and also met India’s nuclear points man Anil Kakodkar, chief of the Atomic Energy Commission. The delegation comprised Swedish atomic companies such as Sandpit, Swenson, SKB International Consulting AB, Studbook, ES-consult and Rel con Candlepower AB. Another Swedish delegation will be coming to India soon to explore opportunities in the nuclear energy area, the envoy said, adding that nuclear technology solutions is a promising area of future cooperation between the two countries. Swedish companies are also in touch with Indian private companies such as Larsen and Toubro and Bharat Forge which are interested in the production of nuclear power, currently the monopoly of the government in India. The envoy sought to dispel the impression that Sweden, like other Scandinavian countries, was reluctant to support a consensus for India in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group - the global cartel that controls global trade in nuclear equipment and materials. “We consider India as a responsible nuclear power and understand its need for energy and nuclear development. Sweden was never questioning a change in the NSG guidelines,” the envoy underlined. He also outlined possibilities of cooperation in renewable solar and wind energy and clean energy technologies in which Sweden is a pacesetter. Sweden depends on nuclear power for nearly 50 percent of its energy needs. In a radical departure from its established policy, the Swedish government scrapped a three-decade ban on building new nuclear reactors in February this year, saying it needed to avoid producing more greenhouse gases. The Swedish government is now planning to replace old reactors with new reactors, the envoy said. The Indian nuclear power market is estimated to touch $40 billion or Rs.20,000 crore by 2020. Atomic companies from the US, Russia, France and Kazakhstan, the four countries with which India has signed bilateral nuclear pacts, are vying to get a share of the nuclear pie. British companies specializing in nuclear safety and research have also opened contacts with India.

Russia, Japan Sign Civilian Nuclear Deal / Japan To Sign Nuclear Supply Deal With Russia / Putin Eyes Economic Ties, Nuclear Deal With Japan

Russia, Japan Sign Civilian Nuclear Deal / Japan To Sign Nuclear Supply Deal With Russia / Putin Eyes Economic Ties, Nuclear Deal With Japan

(NSI News Source Info) TOKYO - May 12, 2009: Russia and Japan signed an intergovernmental nuclear cooperation deal on Tuesday during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Tokyo. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) attends a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso (R) at the Aso's official residence on May 12, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. Despite Russia's wish to increase business ties with Japan, Prime Minister Putin is not expected to cede ground on the important and historical dispute over territorial rights to Pacific Islands. The agreement, signed after talks between Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, opens the door for cooperation in the field of nuclear fuel cycle services and the construction of nuclear power plants. A number of banking and business agreements were also signed during Putin's visit. Putin arrived in Tokyo on May 11 for talks with the Japanese leadership, including on a long-standing territorial dispute and economic, energy and international issues. Russia's nuclear chief said that the signing of the intergovernmental civilian nuclear power agreement would clear the way for Russia to supply low-enriched uranium to Japan worth hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. "Today an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear power will be signed, which will give us the opportunity for full-fledged cooperation," Sergei Kiriyenko, part of a delegation accompanying Putin during his visit to Japan, said. "This deal will allow us to give the green light to projects worth billions of dollars," he added. Kiriyenko also said that the deal adhered to nonproliferation agreements. "We adhere to the nonproliferation regime with all countries we work with." Putin said that Moscow and Tokyo could resolve the South Kuril Islands territorial dispute by building mutual trust and developing strong economic ties. Russia and Japan have yet to sign a formal World War II peace treaty due to their territorial dispute over the four South Kuril Islands, a former Japanese territory annexed by the Soviet Union toward the end of WWII. "Our mutual work will allow us to resolve a number of global issues, including the signing of a peace treaty [between Russia and Japan]," Putin told a Russian-Japanese business forum in Tokyo. "Cooperation in the energy sector, which plays a key role in steady supplies of fuel-carriers to the Asian-Pacific region and strengthening the global energy security, remains our priority," he added. Japan is one of Russia's major trading partners in Asia, ranking third in terms of bilateral trade. Last year, trade turnover between Russia and Japan totaled almost $29 billion. Japanese companies are currently taking part in two major energy projects in Russia's Far East - Sakhalin-I and Sakhalin-II.

Kazakhstan Proposes Hosting Nuclear Fuel Bank

Kazakhstan Proposes Hosting Nuclear Fuel Bank (NSI News Source Info) ASTANA - April 7, 2009: Kazakhstan has offered the UN nuclear watchdog its territory to set up a nuclear fuel bank, the president said on Monday at a joint press conference with Iran's leader. "If a nuclear fuel bank is created for the nuclear power industry, Kazakhstan could consider the possibility of placing it on our territory, as a country that signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons," Nursultan Nazarbayev said. In September 2008, the United States said it would allocate $50 million to create a nuclear fuel bank under the International Atomic Energy Agency, and called on all countries to invest funds for the purpose. Some countries have already made the decision to allocate $5-10 million for this task. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he backed Nazarbayev's idea, saying: "We believe Nazarbayev's proposal to create a nuclear fuel bank in Kazakhstan is a very good proposal."

Russia's TVEL Signs Nuclear Fuel Deal With India

Russia's TVEL Signs Nuclear Fuel Deal With India

(NSI News Source Info) NEW DELHI - February 11, 2009: Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL signed on Wednesday a contract with New Delhi on fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, a spokesman for the Indian Nuclear Energy Department said. The contract, which according to earlier reports is worth over $700 million, makes Russia the first country to supply nuclear fuel to India since the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a three-decade ban on nuclear fuel sales to the country on September 6, 2008. "All the technical details of cooperation with our Indian partners were worked out very quickly and approval took no more than three months," TVEL Vice President Vasily Konstantinov said during the signing ceremony. Under the deal, Russia is to supply India with 2,000 metric tons of uranium pellets. The fuel contract is another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. On December 5, Moscow signed an agreement with Delhi to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India. TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial (17% of the global market) and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.