Nuclear Safety in Northwestern Russia – Next steps towards realising the G8 Global Partnership against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you, Ms Holgate, for your generous words.

I would like to begin by thanking NTI president Charles Curtis for everything he has done to make this conference possible.

I would also like thank Senator Lugar for hosting the conference in this historical and impressive building.

We are gathered here in the shadow of the war in Iraq – a war I hope will soon come to an end.

The immediate humanitarian needs of the suffering Iraqi people must be met. And the international community must stand together in the reconstruction process that will follow the war.

The final objective of this process must be a stable future based on peace and prosperety not only for Iraq, but also for the whole Middle East region.

This conference is not about Iraq. But the defence against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism has many different aspects. The disarmament of Saddam Hussein’s regime is one obvious example. Nuclear safety is another.

In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, nuclear safety has taken on a new urgency. Nuclear arms could fall into the hands of terrorists. Nuclear waste could be used to make so called dirty bombs.

There is no doubt that terrorists are willing to make use of such deadly weapons. The international community must share the costs of preventing terrorists from obtaining them. The consequences of not taking adequate action could be incalculable.

As former Senator Sam Nunn said at the London Conference in January this year, "the most effective, least expensive way to prevent nuclear terrorism is to secure nuclear weapons and materials at the source".

This is the primary goal of my Government’s Action Plan for nuclear safety in northwestern Russia.

During President Putin’s visit to Norway last November, we discussed the whole range of issues in our bilateral relations. Nuclear safety was among the most prominent. Together with the Russian President we formulated key priorities in the coming years. We agreed on the need to work actively to ensure the continued and substantive involvement of other countries, most notably the United States.

Together with the United States, Norway actively promotes closer co-operation with Russia on nuclear safety and export control, as part of our first line of defence against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and international terrorism.

Since 1995 Norway has spent more than USD 100 million on nuclear safety measures in the Kola and Archangel districts.

Since 1998 we have had a framework agreement that regulates the formal aspects of nuclear safety projects. Co-operation with the Russians under this agreement has been fruitful and is continuing to develop constructively.

During the last few years, Russia has shown a greater degree of recognition and openness about the problems in northwestern Russia. This has paved the way for broader co-operation.

Let me give you an example. Norway is engaged in infrastructure projects in Andreev Bay, the Northern Fleet’s now closed main storage for nuclear waste. Access to the site was granted to Norwegian experts in May 2001. Last month access was granted to a group of Norwegian parliamentarians – the first group of western parliamentarians to visit the site.

Such transparency measures are critical to the success of assistance programmes. Equally important are flexible and well-functioning co-operative and decision-making structures.

No other country has played a greater role in organising and implementing non-proliferation assistance programmes in Russia than the United States.

I would like to salute Senator Lugar and former Senator Nunn for their foresight and courage in putting the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program in place and for their continued efforts to highlight the urgency of addressing the risks of proliferation.

A great deal has been accomplished by the US non-proliferation and threat reduction assistance programmes and by the Norwegian nuclear safety projects. But after more than 10 years, much still remains to be done in northwestern Russia.

* More than 300 nuclear reactors are located in this area, most of them inside rusting decommissioned nuclear submarines.
* There are also tactical and strategic nuclear weapons and large quantities of highly enriched uranium fuel.
* Much of the large quantities of liquid and solid radioactive waste, and spent nuclear fuel are stored under unsatisfactory conditions.

In short, there are radioactive sources in this area that could be attractive to terrorists who wish to construct dirty bombs.

The nuclear legacy of the Former Soviet Union in northwestern Russia poses enormous challenges to Russia. These problems will cost billions of dollars and take many years to address. Russia cannot handle this alone. It is a matter of global concern. Any region of the world could be affected if radioactive materials end up in the hands of terrorists. The job can only be done effectively through concerted international efforts.

The Global Partnership launched by the G8 countries last summer, will be crucial for building a global coalition against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The initiative will renew and intensify threat reduction activities in northwestern Russia, and enhance our goals of sustained nuclear safety and security.

There is no doubt that the G8 countries’ commitment would make a real contribution to our non-proliferation efforts if these funds are used effectively. The next step is to transform this initiative into concrete actions with clear priorities, definite timelines, and effective funding.

Essential for implementing the Global Partnership is the framework agreement for multilateral nuclear assistance to Russia - the MNEPR Agreement. I am glad that the last outstanding problems finally seem to be resolved.

I urge all countries involved to approve the outcome of the MNEPR negotiations and be ready to sign it as soon as possible. It would be a major achievement if the MNEPR Agreement could be signed before the next G8 meeting in Evian in June.

Norway is ready to contribute to the G8 Global Partnership and is already engaged in projects we believe will fit very well with the Partnership approach. We believe that our long-standing cooperation with Russia, on nuclear safety and security as well as other issues, has made Norway a valuable partner for the United States and for the other G8 countries in bringing forward the Global Partnership.

I believe we can make the world a more secure place by working together. Global challenges can only be met by global responses.

I am therefore very pleased to have the opportunity to open this conference, and hope that it will fuel the process of transforming the G8 Global Partnership initiative into concrete actions.

Thank you.