#6
Russia to allow US experts to its secret nuclear centres
ITAR-TASS

Washington, 28 December: The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry and the US Department of Energy have designed the rules for the visits of US experts to the so-called Russian "nuclear cities".

A corresponding agreement was initialled in Moscow and is now subject for the final approval by the Russian government, according to Steve Black, a high-ranking official of the Energy Department who is in charge of nuclear non-proliferation programmes.

He told ITAR-TASS on Thursday [27 December] that the final approval is expected from Moscow already in January and that the access agreement was an important step in the implementation of the "Nuclear cities" programme.

The "Nuclear cities" programme was launched by former US President Bill Clinton to promote Russian military conversion in nuclear research centres and the employment of experts from converted nuclear enterprises.

The programme covers three nuclear cities - Sarov (former Arzamas-16), Snezhinsk (Chelyabinsk-70) and Zheleznogorsk (Krasnoyarsk-26). However another seven cities are expected to join it.

The US draft 2002 budget envisaged 42 million dollars for non-proliferation purposes.

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