DISARMAMENT: Nuclear Watchdogs Brace For Testing Times in 1995

VIENNA, Dic 27 (IPS) - Environmentalists and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials fear that the smuggling of nuclear material will increase in 1995 as illegal dealers in the former Soviet Union seek to take advantage of inadequate controls.

"The seizures of nuclear materials has been happening with ever increasing frequency over the past few years," says Heinz Hoegelsberger of Greenpeace. "And there are no signs that it would subside.

"The technical abilities (to make crude bombs) of many countries are advancing on one hand while on the other the existing structures to control proliferation are not powerful enough," Hoegelsberger added.

A spokesman for the Vienna-based United Nations nuclear safeguards watchdog, the IAEA, said it would be foolhardy not to expect an increase in nuclear material smuggling, particularly with the depressing economic situation in the former Soviet republics.

"Being in the non-proliferation field means one has to be an eternal optimist and many positive things did happen in 1994," said a spokesman for the agency. "(But) the cases of nuclear smuggling is bound to increase in 1995."

As far as successes in 1994 are concerned, tension has eased in the Korean peninsula following assurances by North Korea -- under strong pressure from the United States -- that it would remain in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), allowing for implementation of its safeguards.

But the issue remains high on the IAEA agenda for in order to verify North Korea's abeyance to the NPT, the IAEA has been demanding unhindered access to some key facilities -- a demand Pyongyang authorities have repeatedly turned down.

As part of the agreement reached, the United States is to provide North Korea with two light water reactors (LWRs) -- the most widely used reactor type in the world -- with an output capacity of 2000 MW.

The advantage of light water reactors is that it produces less uranium and plutonium.

But Pyongyang has agreed to allow routine inspections only when the United States comes up with the LWR supply contract by March next year. Furthermore, Pyongyang insists that full scale inspections would be allowed only when a "significant portion" of the project is completed.

© Inter Press Service (2014) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service