Bush to propose Russia nuclear partnership - paper
By Nidal al-MughrabiWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush will propose funding for the creation of an atomic energy partnership with Russia in his upcoming fiscal 2007 budget, according to the New York Times.
The proposal would involve having the United States and Russia provide nuclear reactor fuel to other countries for use in generating nuclear power, the newspaper reported on Saturday. The spent fuel would be taken back to prevent its use in weapons.
A White House spokeswoman declined to comment.
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U.S. President George W. Bush shakes hands with military personnel before departing Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Texas, February 3, 2006. (REUTERS/Larry Downing) |
The administration, in its fiscal 2007 budget to be released on Monday, is expected to call for spending $250 million on research to develop new ways to reprocess the nuclear fuel so it would be difficult to use the plutonium in nuclear weapons.
Reprocessing, which separates uranium and plutonium from spent fuel so the elements could be used further, is a technology abandoned by the United States decades ago as a costly security risk.
Some in the administration see promise in new separation technology that would make it harder to use its plutonium byproduct in nuclear weapons.
The technology is controversial and some experts believe a resumption of reprocessing would heighten risks that weapons-making material could fall into the hands of militants.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by Interfax on Tuesday as saying he was interested in the creation of a network of nuclear fuel cycle centers to enrich uranium for use in other countries that want to access it for nuclear energy programs.
Copyright © 2010 Reuters
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