Unofficial translation

Statement by A. Vasilyev, the Deputy Head of the Russian Delegation in the First Committee at the Plenary Meeting of the 61^st Session of the UN GA

on Agenda Item 81: Report of the International Atomic Energy Agency

October 30, 2006

Distinguished Mr. Chairman,

We are glad to welcome the Director-General of the IAEA Mr. Mohammad Al-Baradei and thank him for presenting the Agency’s annual report.

As an active member of the IAEA, Russia is satisfied with the highly professional work of the Agency and recognizes its important and increasing role in strengthening the international nuclear weapons non-proliferation regime, and ensuring the level of confidence required for cooperation in peaceful and safe development of atomic energy.

The IAEA is a unique international institution possessing the authority to assess the compliance of States with their obligations in the field of nuclear non-proliferation within the NPT framework. We support further improvement of the Agency’s verification mechanism and development of its control activities.

Special attention must be given to universalization of the Additional Protocol to the Safeguards Agreement as an essential instrument for increasing efficiency of the IAEA safeguards activities to verify compliance of the States with their obligations under the NPT. This year during its G8 Presidency Russia has deployed considerable efforts in its work with other States on a bilateral basis and in other formats to expand the application geography of the Additional Protocol. The G8 has appealed to a number of countries, who have not yet done so, to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol.

Russia has provided and will continue providing its assistance in strengthening the system of IAEA safeguards inter alia by financing the national program of scientific and technical support to the safeguards activities of the Agency.

The promotion of efficient international efforts in the field of non-proliferation is especially relevant and is dictated by the threat of weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists. The atrocity of terrorist acts perpetrated in Russia and elsewhere underscores the need to ensure secure guarantees in order to prevent the access of terrorists to WMD, first of all, by consolidating joint efforts to establish a global system for countering new challenges and threats in particular in the nuclear sphere.

We would like once again to draw your attention to the recent Global Initiative by the Presidents of Russia and the United States to Combat Nuclear Terrorism that offers an opportunity for joint actions by all countries concerned on the basis of national efforts and calls for the launch of concrete cooperation to primarily implement the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which was drafted with the leading role of Russia in 2005.

This year the IAEA has focused on the development of conditions that would promote compliance with non-proliferation norms. In the nuclear field, it envisages the elaboration of practical measures to ensure access to the benefits of peaceful use of nuclear energy for the countries that faithfully honor their obligations.

This goal is pursued by the initiative of the President of Russia Vladimir V. Putin to develop a Global Nuclear Energy Infrastructure envisages the establishment of international centers for the provision of nuclear fuel cycle services. As a first step Russia is willing to conduct a joint project on the international center for uranium enrichment services under the IAEA safeguards on the basis of one of its enrichment plants.

This initiative follows the line of Russia’s efforts to develop peaceful nuclear energy and the concept of energy support to sustainable development of mankind, put forward by our President at the Millennium Summit in New York. This initiative supports the IAEA effort in its multilateral approaches to nuclear fuel cycle and aims at establishing an international regime of guaranteed supplies of nuclear fuel. The implementation of these proposals will allow us to work out all the elements of establishment and operation of the international centers to provide nuclear fuel cycle services and promote international cooperation in the field of nuclear safety including training and certification of nuclear power plant operators. The implementation of this initiative will create political and economic environment so as to discourage the non-nuclear states from any attempts at acquiring WMD proliferation sensitive nuclear technologies.

The IAEA plays an important role in the field of development of innovative nuclear technologies in support of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) implemented within the framework of Russian President’s initiative on energy support to sustainable development of mankind and cardinal solution to the problems of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and environmental recovery of the Earth.

We highly appreciate the progress in the field of strengthening nuclear safety achieved over the recent years. With active IAEA participation we achieved great success in increasing the safety of NPP operation, and handling of radioactive materials, wastes and sources.

We support the IAEA activities in the area of technical cooperation with and assistance to the developing countries.

Mr. Chairman,

Let me also dwell on certain prominent aspects of IAEA activities.

We come from the understanding that the PDRK is going to fully comply with the requirements contained in UN SC resolution 1718 and in particular will return to NPT and IAEA safeguards. At the same time we are looking forward to the resumption of the six-party process with its final goal of denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We call for a balanced solution of this issue with ensuring legitimate interests of all the parties to negotiating process.

The IAEA potential is also far from being exhausted in resolving the Iranian nuclear problem through political and diplomatic means. We need to work out solutions that on the one hand would remove all doubts in the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities and ensure on the other legitimate energy needs of that country. Russia will continue to provide its assistance in resolving this issue.

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to reiterate our support to the UN GA draft resolution on the IAEA Report. Being a co-sponsor of this Draft Russia fully shares the importance of the work conducted by the Agency and is certain that this work will be continued in the interest of strengthening international security.

Thank you very much.