Comments on: Russian interests in the 123 Agreement http://guests.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1237/russian-interests-in-the-123-agreement an ACW Network site Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:58:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: dhs http://guests.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1237/russian-interests-in-the-123-agreement#comment-1871 dhs Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:50:00 +0000 http://armscontrolwonk.com/?p=1237#comment-1871 Jane – Any chance the various statements claiming that Russia isn’t interested in providing spent fuel storage or disposal services are actually just a tactic in the continuing negotiations over the HEU suspension agreement? Jane – Any chance the various statements claiming that Russia isn’t interested in providing spent fuel storage or disposal services are actually just a tactic in the continuing negotiations over the HEU suspension agreement?

]]> By: Jane http://guests.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1237/russian-interests-in-the-123-agreement#comment-1870 Jane Fri, 13 Oct 2006 07:23:56 +0000 http://armscontrolwonk.com/?p=1237#comment-1870 Thanks for the comment. Here is a <a href="http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=918&&prog=zgp,zru&proj=znpp" rel="nofollow">link</a> to the Spassky talk at Carnegie in case anyone is interested in more details. And thanks for the note on the NTI brief. I’ve changed it. Thanks for the comment. Here is a link to the Spassky talk at Carnegie in case anyone is interested in more details.

And thanks for the note on the NTI brief. I’ve changed it.

]]> By: Matthew Bunn http://guests.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/1237/russian-interests-in-the-123-agreement#comment-1869 Matthew Bunn Thu, 12 Oct 2006 20:57:07 +0000 http://armscontrolwonk.com/?p=1237#comment-1869 The question of what Russia hopes to gain from a 123 agreement with the United States is a fascinating and important one. Spassky, the new Rosatom #2 for international affairs, addressed it in his recent trip to Washington, saying that a wide range of types of cooperation (which could include joint development of new nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, joint ventures to lease fuel, and more), would be easier if there were a 123 agreement underpinning them. Russian officials have said that the U.S. proposal for the text of a 123 agreement is “attractive” and they are negotiating from that starting point. Spassky expressed hope that a 123 agreement would be completed and put into force while Bush and Putin are still in office. Spassky also indicated that while they are not interested in spent fuel imports now, for the reasons you note, it is not ruled out in the future; if a fuel leasing arrangement is put in place (which Russia sees as helping its competitive position in exporting reactors, where the real money is), and people get used to seeing the exported fuel returned, (and infrastructure is put in place) the politics of spent fuel import may improve. Also, a small point: the “NTI Issue Brief” you cite was in fact written by an analyst at Monterey, and should more properly be described as a Monterey Issue Brief. As some one who also provides substantial amounts of content for the NTI website, I am often annoyed when my writings are attributed to NTI because they are posted there, rather than to Harvard where they were produced. The question of what Russia hopes to gain from a 123 agreement with the United States is a fascinating and important one. Spassky, the new Rosatom #2 for international affairs, addressed it in his recent trip to Washington, saying that a wide range of types of cooperation (which could include joint development of new nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, joint ventures to lease fuel, and more), would be easier if there were a 123 agreement underpinning them. Russian officials have said that the U.S. proposal for the text of a 123 agreement is “attractive” and they are negotiating from that starting point. Spassky expressed hope that a 123 agreement would be completed and put into force while Bush and Putin are still in office. Spassky also indicated that while they are not interested in spent fuel imports now, for the reasons you note, it is not ruled out in the future; if a fuel leasing arrangement is put in place (which Russia sees as helping its competitive position in exporting reactors, where the real money is), and people get used to seeing the exported fuel returned, (and infrastructure is put in place) the politics of spent fuel import may improve.

Also, a small point: the “NTI Issue Brief” you cite was in fact written by an analyst at Monterey, and should more properly be described as a Monterey Issue Brief. As some one who also provides substantial amounts of content for the NTI website, I am often annoyed when my writings are attributed to NTI because they are posted there, rather than to Harvard where they were produced.

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