USA Intends to Assist Russia in Providing Security of Radionuclide Energy Generators

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Richard Lugar, has stated that the US Senate will soon be re-considering a bill on assisting Russia in providing security of electricity generators consuming radioactive isotopes.

The senator's statement circulated in Washington reads that the bill is called the Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism Threat Reduction and contains a proviso on assisting the Russian government to register all electricity generators consuming radioactive isotopes and operating in the former Soviet Union's remote areas.

Mr Lugar stressed the need of ensuring security of such generators and removing radioactive materials. He also recalled that such materials, when in terrorists' hands, could be used to produce radiological weapons or a "dirty bomb".

A total of thirty million dollars will be allocated for this purpose in the next three years.