WASHINGTON (AP) - Russia's nuclear energy minister cited progress Thursday in easing U.S. concerns about Russian involvement in building a nuclear power plant in Iran.
Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia's nuclear agency, acknowledged that the deal with Iran remains "a sensitive topic," but said that "we are close to finding a solution."
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, at a joint news conference with Rumyantsev, said Russia's nuclear assistance to Iran remains a concern. But, he added, "We had positive discussions."
The two officials have met for three days to discuss energy issues related to the May 23-26 summit in Russia between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russia-Iran deal probably will come up at their talks, which will focus on nuclear weapons reductions and other nonproliferation issues.
Rumyantsev repeated Russia's view that the light water nuclear reactor under construction in Iran in an dlrs 800 million contract cannot be used to develop material for weapons. The reactor "is not a source of proliferation of nuclear material," Rumyantsev said.
The officials announced agreement on a U.S.-Russia task force to look at better safeguarding low-grade radioactive materials that could be used to fashion a "dirty bomb" - which does not have a nuclear chain reaction but can disperse radiation over a limited area by using conventional explosives.
These nonweapon radiation sources - isotopes used in medicine, construction and, often in Russia, as a power source in remote locations - are "potentially attractive targets for theft" and could be used by terrorists to make a dirty bomb, Abraham said.
Rumyantsev said his government has acted to improve the protection of such radioactive materials. As an example, he cited a recent decision to let the atomic agency control the disposition of radioactive material used in beacons used for directional lights in remote parts of Russia.
The action "shows how serious this issue is and that we're ready to solve it," said Rumyantsev, who was named to his post by Putin last year.
Last week, in a letter to Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., the Nuclear Regulatory Commission acknowledged that about 1,500 such radiation devices have disappeared across the United States over the past five years and that about half are missing.
An NRC spokesman said the devices individually contain only very small amount of radioactive material. "We have no reason to believe that somebody is systematically collecting this material," the official said.
Devices with small amounts of radioactive material are used in everything from medical diagnostics and research to determining moisture density at construction sites or to illuminate signs.
Abraham also said Thursday that the United States plans to resume purchases of plutonium 238 from Russia for use as a power source in NASA spacecraft. Since 1992, there has been an agreement with Russia to buy the nonweapons grade plutonium, but in recent years none has been bought because the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's needs could be met with U.S. supplies, an Energy Department official said.