US, Russia airlift enriched uranium from Uzbek reactor

The US and Russia carried out a secret operation last week to remove weapons-grade uranium from the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, whose government is facing growing Islamist unrest, said the US Energy Department.

But the removal also coincided with escalating criticism of President George W. Bush by Senator John Kerry, who has accused the White House of being lax in confronting the spread of nuclear material around the world.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said on Monday the one-day operation, implemented last Thursday, was crucial for enhancing international security.

"The recovery, return and eventual elimination of this highly-enriched uranium are an important milestone in our campaign to reduce this dangerous material worldwide," Abraham said in a brief statement.

The operation targeted 11kg of enriched uranium fuel, including highly-enriched uranium that could be used for manufacturing nuclear weapons, that was brought to Uzbekistan during Soviet times, officials said. The material was used in a 10-megawatt, multi-purpose research reactor outside the Uzbekistan capital, Tashkent, the officials said.

During the operation, the uranium was loaded inside two special Russian containers, taken to an airport outside of Tashkent and airlifted under guard to a secured nuclear facility in the Russian city of Dmitrovgrad.

The Russians have agreed to blend down the material into low-enriched uranium that can be used in power plants.

The whole procedure, including the loading of the fuel in the canisters, was monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and US technical experts, the officials said. As part of the fuel removal deal, the Uzbek government also has agreed to convert its research reactor to low-enriched uranium fuel that can't be used in weapons production.

The Dmitrovgrad facility is a partner in a US-financed initiative designed to stem the spread of nuclear materials and technology around the world, according to the Energy Department.

"It was only with the strong cooperation of the Uzbeks and Russians that we were able to successfully complete this important international security mis-sion," Abraham pointed out.

The operation marked the fifth shipment of uranium to Russia from its Soviet-era allies and partners. Over the past year, the US repatriated a total of 48kg of highly-enriched uranium from Romania, Bulgaria and Libya, according to US officials. An equal amount of fuel was brought back from a research reactor near Belgrade, Serbia, in August 2002.