World Tribune.com

Putin eases nuclear export controls in 'revolutionary' initiative

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Saturday, June 3, 2000

MOSCOW -- As President Vladimir Putin prepares to meet Bill Clinton here this weekend, little international attention has been paid to a policy change under his new administration that would relax export controls on sensitive nuclear equipment and materials.

In a direct challenge to U.S. non-proliferation policy, Putin's initiative seems intended to boost the Russian economy.

This week, both leaders have made news with statements on missile defense strategy that ten years ago would have been unthinkable.

On Thursday, Putin proposed that Russia and the United States jointly develop a missile shield to protect against nuclear attacks from "rogue states." Putin told NBC that he would present the proposal to U.S. President Bill Clinton when the two leaders meet in Moscow this weekend.

On Wednesday Clinton said that the U.S. would be prepared to share missile defense technology with other states that were "part of an international arms control and non-proliferation regime."

Putin's policy change paves the way for Russia to supply nuclear products to countries that haven't yet signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty or have refused verification of their civilian nuclear programs by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Putin said Russia will open up its export market in nuclear products to any country that wants to purchase them, including; Iran, Iraq, India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel, Cuba and Yugoslavia, as long as they don't possess nuclear weapons and give guarantees that the materials will not be used for nuclear weapons.

During a visit in March to Snezhinsk, the nuclear research center, Putin pledged to boost Russia's nuclear industry. He also recently disbanded the state agency for environmental protection, smoothing the way for his revised nuclear program.

International analysts view Putin's move as part of a vigourous economic and foreign policy, not designed to placate western interests according to a report by Middle East Newsline.

"This is a revolutionary change in Russia's position on non-proliferation," the Moscow-based newspaper, Novye Izvestiya. said.

In 1992, former President Boris Yelstin implemented the policy that Russia could only export nuclear products to countries "which do not possess nuclear weapons and whose entire nuclear activities are under the guarantees of the IAEA."

The new policy states that the government can choose "in exceptional circumstances" to export nuclear products to any country that does not possess nuclear weapons and to any country that has refused verification of its nuclear programs. However, all the countries buying the products must supply guarantees that the nuclear materials will not be used for nuclear weapons.

Deputy Minister for Atomic Energy, Nikolai Ryzhov, said Russia would export to any country as long as the sales "do not contradict Russia's international agreements and if the governments of the countries concerned promise that they will not be used to build nuclear weapons."

Saturday, June 3, 2000