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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Serbia ships 2.5 tons of nuclear waste to Russia

RIA Novosti

20:11 23/12/2010

BELGRADE, December 23 (RIA Novosti) - Serbia has successfully transferred 2.5 tons of highly radioactive nuclear waste to Russia, a statement by the press service of the Serbian government said on Thursday.

More than 8,000 spent fuel elements, including 13 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from a Soviet-built reactor outside Belgrade, were delivered to the Mayak nuclear facility located in Chelyabinsk region on Wednesday, the statement said.

The move was taken as a part of special program under which Russia disposes of spent fuel from Russian-built reactors located in other countries.

"Serbia along with its international partners managed to implement this sensitive work [the transportation] without problems," Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic said in the statement. The shipping of the waste took eight years to set up and cost $55 million, he added.

Russia will use the money to rehabilitate the polluted environment of the industrial Chelyabinsk region.



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