DATE=3/4/98 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT NUMBER=2-227583 TITLE=RUSSIA / NUCLEAR (L-ONLY) BYLINE=MICHELE KELEMEN DATELINE=MOSCOW CONTENT= VOICED AT: INTRO: RUSSIAN PRESIDENT BORIS YELTSIN HAS NAMED A NEW MINISTER FOR ATOMIC ENERGY. V-O-A CORRESPONDENT MICHELE KELEMEN REPORTS FROM MOSCOW. TEXT: MR. YELTSIN NAMED YEVGENY ADAMOV AS RUSSIA'S NEW MINISTER OF ATOMIC ENERGY AND TOLD THE 58-YEAR-OLD SCIENTIST TO KEEP RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR ARSENAL ON A PAR WITH OTHER NATIONS. HE ALSO ENCOURAGED MR. ADAMOV TO PROMOTE THE EXPORT OF NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY AND INCREASE SAFETY AT RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR POWER STATIONS. MR. ADAMOV REPLACES VIKTOR MIKHAILOV, WHO RESIGNED EARLIER THIS WEEK AFTER SIX YEARS AS MINISTER OF ATOMIC ENERGY. OFFICIALS SAY MR. MAKHAILOV QUIT TO RETURN TO HIS SCIENTIFIC WORK. MR. MIKHAILOV WAS KNOWN FOR HIS AGGRESSIVE WORK TO MARKET RUSSIAN TECHNOLOGY ABROAD TO EARN MONEY TO KEEP UP RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM. HE TOLD A RECENT NEWS CONFERENCE THAT SELLING NUCLEAR MATERIAL AND RUSSIAN KNOW-HOW IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE HIS MINISTRY RECEIVED ONLY 48 PERCENT OF ITS BUDGET LAST YEAR AND HAD TROUBLE PAYING WAGES. HOWEVER, RUSSIAN NEWS REPORTS SAY HE ANGERED GOVERNMENT REFORMERS, WHO TRIED TO REIN HIM IN. MR. MIKHAILOV ALSO CAUSED CONTROVERSY BY BROKERING RUSSIA'S DEAL TO SELL A NUCLEAR REACTOR TO IRAN, A MOVE OPPOSED BY THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL. NEVERTHELESS, HE PLAYED A CENTRAL ROLE IN ORGANIZING JOINT U-S AND RUSSIAN EFFORTS TO PROTECT RUSSIA'S NUCLEAR MATERIAL. THE NEW ENERGY MINISTER, MR. ADAMOV, IS LIKELY TO TAKE PART IN TALKS IN WASHINGTON NEXT WEEK ON COOPERATION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE NUCLEAR FIELD. MR. ADAMOV WORKED FOR MANY YEARS AS A NUCLEAR RESEARCHER AND TOOK PART IN CLEANING UP THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR DISASTER IN 1986. BEFORE BEING NAMED THE MINISTER OF ATOMIC ENERGY, MR. ADAMOV DIRECTED THE POWER TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN THE RUSSIAN CAPITAL. (SIGNED) NEB/MLK/JWH 04-Mar-98 8:33 AM EST (1333 UTC) NNNN Source: Voice of America .
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