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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


May 2003 Russia Special Weapons News



  • BUSH/PUTIN O'NITER VOA 31 May 2003 -- President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to try and invigorate relations between their two countries following weeks of strong disagreement over the U-S-led war in Iraq. The two leaders will hold a brief meeting Sunday in St. Petersburg, before heading to France for a summit of the G-8.
  • Russia-China joint declaration refers to Korean issue KCNA 31 May 2003 -- President V. V. Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao signed a Russia-China joint declaration in Moscow on May 27, according to Itar-Tass.
  • RUSSIA/E-U/PUTIN VOA 31 May 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and European leaders are pledging to expand their strategic partnership on the basis of one Europe for all.
  • Russia offers US to join construction of NPS in Iran: minister IRNA 30 May 2003 -- Russia is offering the United States to pool efforts in building the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran, Alexander Rumyantsev, the Russian Minister of Nuclear Energy, told Itar-Tass in an exclusive interview.
  • Turkmenistan: Ashgabat Protests 'Slanderous' Attacks By Russian Deputy RFE/L 30 May 2003 -- Turkmenistan's Foreign Ministry today responded to critical comments against Turkmenistan and its leadership made by a deputy in the Russian Duma last week.
  • Russia/Turkmenistan: Are Tensions Growing Between Moscow And Ashgabat? RFE/L 30 May 2003 -- Less than two months after declaring friendship and signing a 25-year deal on the Russian purchase of Turkmen gas, Moscow and Ashgabat may be at odds. The Russian media is speculating on new tension in relations between the two countries. Regional experts say Moscow, having secured the gas deal, has achieved what it wanted from Ashgabat and now does not want to look particularly supportive of the Turkmen government, which has come under widespread criticism for human-rights violations.
  • No military scenario acceptable KCNA 30 May 2003 -- A spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 23 stated that the stand of Russia and China is that they can not accept any military scenario for the solution of the issue on the Korean Peninsula, according to Itar-Tass.
  • CHINA - RUSSIA / XINJIANG VOA 29 May 2003 -- China, Russia, and four Central Asian nations have ended a two-day summit in Moscow, pledging to strengthen their cooperation in combating terrorism, separatism, and extremism. The group, called the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, decided to set up a regional anti-terrorist center in the Kyrgyz capital. Some observers say that for China, the Central Asian group is a way to coordinate efforts to stop separatist activity in its western region of Xinjiang.
  • Vershbow Says Russia's Help Needed on Iran, North Korea Washington File 29 May 2003 -- Russia has "a major role to play" in the international community's efforts to fight terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), said U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow in Moscow May 26.
  • Ratification of the Russian-US Treaty on the Reduction of Strategic Offensive Potentials (SOP Treaty) The SOP Treaty is to become a major landmark on the way towards drastic reduction in the strategic offensive weapons of Russia and the US. It provides for reducing the strategic nuclear warhead stockpiles of each party to 1,700-2,200 units by the end of 2012.
  • RUSSIA / ASIA VOA 29 May 2003 -- During a summit meeting in Moscow, leaders of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have promised to increase ties and boost trade.
  • RUSSIA / SUMMIT PREIVEW VOA 29 May 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing to host President Bush in St. Petersburg this weekend for their first face-to-face talks since the U-S-led war in Iraq. Some analysts say the two leaders will need to make substantive progress on key issues to claim success.
  • BUSH / PUTIN / PREVIEW VOA 29 May 2003 -- President Bush is scheduled to hold talks Sunday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first time the two leaders have met since relations were strained over the U-S-led war in Iraq. Some analysts say the meeting will be used to ease tensions about Iraq, while others say the main item on the agenda will be concern about Iran's nuclear program.
  • Baltics: Tempest Over Minorities Erupts During NATO Assembly RFE/L 29 May 2003 -- Russian minority rights in the Baltic states are once again on the international agenda. That's thanks to the efforts of the Russians attending this week's meeting of NATO's parliamentary assembly in Prague. They presented a report accusing Latvia and Estonia of mistreating their Russian communities. The Baltic countries dismiss the allegations -- and they say Russia is artificially trying to keep the issue alive in a bid to derail ratification of NATO membership
  • U.S./Russia: Rice Expects Bush-Putin Summit To Address Iranian Nuclear Issues RFE/L 29 May 2003 -- This weekend one of the issues on the table at the St. Petersburg summit between U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be Iran's nuclear energy program -- and its alleged development of nuclear weapons. Of particular interest to Washington
  • Official Spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko Replies to Questions from Russian Media on North Korea Problems Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 29 May 2003 -- " As strategic partners, Russia and China are closely collaborating on questions of settling the crisis on the Korean Peninsula by taking coordinated efforts in order to promote a solution to the "North Korean nuclear problem." This collaboration is based on the two countries' coincident approaches of principle to the situation in the region. We stand for the non-nuclear status of the Korean Peninsula and for the use of exclusively peaceful, political and diplomatic means and respect for the concerns of all the parties involved as solutions are worked out to the problems of ensuring security and stable development that exist there, problems that are not limited only to weapons of mass destruction."
  • Russia: Moscow Defends Nuclear Cooperation With Iran RFE/L 28 May 2003 -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov today said that Russia rejects U.S. objections over its nuclear cooperation with Iran.
  • Last Russian Weapons-Grade Plutonium Reactors to Shut Down Washington File 28 May 2003 -- The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded contracts to two U.S. firms to begin shutting down the last three weapons-grade plutonium production reactors in the Russian Federation.
  • Iran, Russia discuss nuclear cooperation IRNA 27 May 2003 -- Iran's ambassador to Moscow, Gholam-Reza Shafei, in a meeting with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov here on Tuesday discussed bilateral nuclear cooperation.
  • Iran, Russia discuss continuation of peaceful nuclear cooperation IRNA 27 May 2003 -- Russian Energy Ministry here Tuesday stressed continuing cooperation with Iran in peaceful use of nuclear energy.
  • Iran, Russia slam third countries politicizing their nuclear cooperation IRNA 27 May 2003 -- Iranian Ambassador to Russia Gholamreza Shafei and Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev in a meeting here Monday rebuffed efforts at politicizing Tehran-Moscow nuclear cooperation by third countries.
  • Russia, Iran adjust construction schedule at Bushehr NPP IRNA 27 May 2003 -- Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev met with Deputy Chief of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Asadullah Saburi to discuss the construction schedule for the first reactor of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, a spokesman for the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry said.
  • RUSSIA-CHINA VOA 27 May 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao are calling for the interests of other nations to be taken into account during Iraq's post-war reconstruction. The two leaders issued the appeal after wide-ranging talks at the Kremlin that also sought to expand long-standing Sino-Russian ties.
  • RUSSIA-CHINA VOA 27 May 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Hu Jintao are urging that the interests of other nations be taken into account during Iraq's post-war reconstruction. The two leaders issued the appeal following bilateral talks at the Kremlin.
  • Russia: Critics Say Offer Of Chechen Amnesty Is Meaningless RFE/L 22 May 2003 -- Russia's State Duma has given initial approval to a bill granting amnesty to certain categories of people involved in the Chechen war. The Kremlin says the amnesty -- the fourth of its kind to date -- is a step toward peace. But some Russian rights groups say it is meaningless and that most Chechen rebels will still be open to prosecution. The amnesty, they say, could instead benefit Russian soldiers accused of committing atrocities and local politicians involved in war profiteering.
  • RUSSIA-US-PUTIN VOA 22 May 2003 -- Following a difficult few months of disagreement over the U-S-led war in Iraq, and a little more than one-week before meeting his American counterpart in St. Petersburg , Russian President Vladimir Putin says his government is willing to expand its cooperation with the United States.
  • RUSSIA/CHECHNYA AMNESTY VOA 21 May 2003 -- The Russian Parliament has tentatively approved an amnesty for rebel fighters in Chechnya that had been proposed by President Vladimir Putin. Approval of the measure was expected, but few independent observers believe the move will lead to an improvement of the situation in the war-torn region.
  • Russia: Observers Say Putin's Address Long On Criticism, Short On Solutions RFE/L 19 May 2003 -- Politicians and analysts gathered in Moscow today to discuss President Vladimir Putin's state-of-the-nation address last week. Most agreed that for all his grandiose goals, Putin provided few clues about how to achieve them.
  • PUTIN/SPEECH VOA 16 May 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia must increase economic growth and undertake other reforms, to firmly establish Russia among the world's leading nations. The president outlined his domestic and international priorities Friday, in his annual state-of-the-nation address.
  • Russia: Putin Says Russia Should Become 'Great Power' RFE/L 16 May 2003 -- Speaking in his annual state-of-the-nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia should become a great power based on a strong economy and integration into the international community. Putin praised the country's progress under his administration, saying its goal should be to double its GDP in the next 10 years.
  • Senior Officials Brief on Powell Trip to Russia, Bulgaria Washington File 15 May 2003 -- Following is a transcript of a background briefing by two senior State Department officials looking back on Secretary of State Colin Powell's trip to Russia and forward to his trip May 15 to Bulgaria; the transcript was released after the party's onward arrival in Berlin
  • Moscow Treaty Demonstrates U.S.-Russian Cooperation Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Ratification of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, also known as the "Moscow Treaty," reduces overall levels of U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons, but "more importantly I think, it shows how the United States and the Russian Federation can work together on areas of mutual interest," Secretary of State Colin Powell said in Moscow May 14 after hearing the news that the Russian State Duma had just voted to ratify the treaty.
  • Putin, Powell Welcome Ratification of Moscow Treaty Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed a "deep sense of satisfaction" to be in Moscow May 14 on the day the Russian State Duma ratified the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, also known as the "Moscow Treaty." The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the treaty March 6.
  • Soviet Peace Corps for Africa? Washington File 14 May 2003 -- Russian scholar Sergei Mazov has unearthed secrets from U.S. and Soviet official archives that detail the Cold War rivalry in Africa, including a Soviet proposal in 1961 to mimic the Peace Corps, President John F. Kennedy's signature program to help developing nations achieve prosperity while fending off Soviet subversion.
  • CHECHNYA / BLAST VOA 14 May 2003 -- More than eight people are reported dead after another terrorist bombing in Russia's breakaway province of Chechnya. The bombing comes just days after a truck bomb killed close to 60 people in Chechnya on Monday.
  • Russia: Both Reeling From Suicide Bomb Explosions, Moscow and Washington Differ Over Terrorism RFE/L 14 May 2003 -- Speaking ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell to Moscow today, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the recent suicide bombings in Chechnya and Saudi Arabia were closely linked. Washington is skeptical of Moscow's claim that its war in Chechnya is an "antiterrorist" operation. Russia, meanwhile, fiercely opposed the war in Iraq, which the White House also justified as a campaign against terrorism. With Powell trying to bridge the gap over Iraq ahead of a crucial United Nations Security Council vote, just how far apart are the two sides on the pivotal issue of terrorism?
  • POWELL/RUSSIA VOA 14 May 2003 -- After a day of talks with Russian leaders in Moscow, Secretary of State Colin Powell says differences remain over a draft Security Council resolution on the future of Iraq.
  • RUSSIA / NUCLEAR VOA 14 May 2003 -- Russia's lower house of parliament has ratified a key nuclear-arms reduction treaty with the United States after a nearly two-month delay because of Russian opposition to the U-S-led war in Iraq.
  • POWELL / RUSSIA VOA 14 May 2003 -- After stops in several Mideast countries, U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell is now in Moscow for talks with Russian leaders. Two recent terrorist bombings have added new urgency to the Powell visit.
  • CHECHNYA / BLAST VOA 13 May 2003 -- The death toll has risen to 54 following the truck bomb blast Monday on a government complex in Russia's breakaway region of Chechnya. Around 300 people were injured, many of them seriously. Questions are again being raised about security procedures at government facilities in the troubled region.
  • U-S-Russia Relations after Iraq VOA 13 May 2003 -- President Bush has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a man he can work with. But on Iraq, Mr. Putin has frequently been an opponent. Currently, he is opposing a call by the United States and Britain to lift U-N sanctions to speed up Iraq recovery.
  • U.S./Russia: Secretary Of State Visit Comes Amid Signs Moscow Is Softening Stance On Iraq RFE/L 13 May 2003 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will visit Moscow tomorrow. His trip comes as Russia shows signs of softening its staunch opposition to Washington's plans for Iraq, but only after relations between the two sides markedly deteriorated over the U.S.-led war. It remains to be seen whether Powell's fence-mending visit will bridge the gap any more than last month's attempt by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was caught off guard by the Kremlin's brusque treatment.
  • U.S. Envoy to Russia Speaks Out on Terrorism, Non-Proliferation Washington File 12 May 2003 -- While the tools for dealing with terrorism are well understood and working, those for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are not, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow said in Moscow May 12.
  • NATO: Russian Officials Praise New Cooperation With Alliance RFE/L 13 May 2003 -- Top NATO and Russian officials meeting today in Moscow praised the spirit of cooperation between Russia and the Western alliance.
  • U-S-Russia Relations after Iraq VOA 12 May 2003 -- President George Bush has said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a man he can trust. But on almost every key decision the American President has made on Iraq, Mr. Putin has tried to thwart him. Most recently, the Russian leader is opposing a call by Washington and London to lift U-N sanctions on Iraq in order to speed up the country's recovery. What is behind the Russian leader's stance, and what might the future hold for US-Russian relations?
  • RUSSIA / SARS VOA 08 May 2003 -- Health officials in Russia are investigating what they suspect may be the country's first case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. Concern about SARS has led Russia to close most of its border crossings with China, where the disease has spread rapidly.
  • RUSSIA / U-S / IRAN NUKES VOA 06 May 2003 -- A top Russian official has rejected U-S claims that Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program in violation of international treaties. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov issued the denial as U-S Undersecretary of State John Bolton ended a visit to Russia aimed at securing Moscow's cooperation on the issue.



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