20.09.2007 // Press service of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation

The Federation Council of Russia has ratified an IAEA-Russia additional protocol to IAEA-USSR Nuclear Safeguards Agreement

On the first day of its autumn session, on Sept 19, the Federation Council of the Russian Federation adopted the law “On the Ratification of the Additional Protocol between the Russian Federation and the International Atomic Energy Agency to the Nuclear Safeguards Agreement between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

The Additional Protocol was signed in Vienna on Mar 22 2000. It envisions a number of additional organizational and technical measures to control civilian nuclear activity among members to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

By ratifying the protocol Russia has committed itself – just like the other nuclear powers — to actively help the IAEA to control the peaceful use of nuclear materials in states having no nuclear weapons of their own. Particularly, Russia has pledged to inform IAEA about its nuclear export (including the export of special equipment and materials) to non-nuclear states, its cooperation with non-nuclear states in the field of nuclear fuel production and the export of waste containing plutonium, highly-enriched uranium or uranium-233.

The states having nuclear weapons have the right to decide which of the measures specified in the protocol they should take in order to contribute to the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

The chairman of the Sub-Committee on Nuclear Energy of the FC Committee on Natural Monopoly Grigory Naginsky believes that the adoption of the law is important for the reinforcement of the non-proliferation regime. “The adoption of the law has proved that Russia is actively developing its international cooperation in the nuclear sphere and that the non-proliferation regime is being steadily reinforced. This step has proved that Russia is a great nuclear power.” “It is very important that this law gives us the right to choose which of the protocol measures to apply in our territory. This law is one more brick to our Nuclear Energy Development Program.”

The first vice chairman of the FC Committee on Natural Monopolies Valentin Mezhevich says that the adoption of the law has proved that Russia is loyal to the non-proliferation regime. “Our nuclear energy sector is developing with due regard for the present tendencies and in voluntary compliance with the non-proliferation regime.”

To remind, on Sept 19 the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei urged the international community to pool efforts against illegal proliferation of nuclear materials.

He said that IAEA was setting up a group of international experts for assessing such risks and for outlining nuclear energy development programs till 2020.

112 states have signed the protocol so far; 78 of them have ratified it. Among them are China, France, the UK. In the US the protocol is being prepared for enactment.

State Duma approved the protocol on Sept 14 2007.