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What was new on START Web site?

March, 2001

March 23, 2001
Western countries have misunderstood Russia's proposal for a European missile defense system:

On Russian proposals for a European missile defense system see also: On Russian reaction to the US NMD deployment plans see also:

Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov, head of the Defense Ministry's international cooperation department, said Russia would not immediately abandon the key 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty even if it saw Washington violating it: Russia Won't Dump ABM if U.S. Deploys Missile Shield, (By Reuters, Russia Today, March 13, 2001)

American and Russian military experts believe that US won't be able to deploy an effective NMD in near future: "Star Wars" at Dear Cost, - In Russian, (By Boris Talov, Rossijskaya Gazeta, March 16, 2001)

Technical problems with a new Boeing Co. rocket that's supposed to carry the warheads of the U.S. missile defense system have delayed its first flight by at least four months: Boeing Rocket Flaws Delay Missile Defense Program, (by Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg.com, March 22, 2001)

Donald Rumsfeld and Sergey Ivanov confidently drive Russian-American relations to a new «cold war» with quite predictable consequences for today's Russia: Do Russians Want a «Cold War»? - In Russian, (By Andrey Piontkovsky, Obschaya Gazeta, March 7, 2001)

"The wrong NMD would be worse than none at all," supporters of the NMD deployment warn: Do a Missile Defense, but Do It Right , (By James Lindsay, Michael O'Hanlon, Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2001)

On reaction of other countries to the US NMD deployment plans see also: The United States assured allies it would help them develop defenses against long- and short-range missiles:

A retired American spook claims that Russia violated the 1972 ABM Treaty and keeps doing so: Does Russia Already Have A National Missile Defense? (By Melanie Kirkpatrick, Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2001)

On March 4, 1961 the first ever successful interception of a long-range ballistic missile warhead occurred: Soviet Union Won First Round of Star Wars, - In Russian, (By Mikhail Khodarenok, Nezavisimoe Voennoye Obozrenie, March 23 ìàðòà, 2001)

Russia is prepared to discuss tactical nuclear arms during future strategic arms reduction talks : Ivanov Outlines Moscow's Ideas for START III Talks, (RFE/RL, March 12, 2001)

The Bush administration is studying changes to America's arsenal of offensive nuclear weapons that, in their own way, would be as radical a departure from past policies as the erection of a national missile defense: Bush Probes Radical Warhead Cut, (By Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor, March 13, 2001)

US Tests of Intermediate Range "Hera" Missile Violate INF Treaty: Who is Under Attack by «Hera», - In Russian, (By Valeri Agarkov, Parlamentskaya Gazeta, March 22 ìàðòà)

US insists that Russia moved nuclear weapons into Kaliningrad region, Moscow denies:

Russia accused of breaking Comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty: Minatom: No Covert Nuclear Tests in Russia, - In Russian, (By Dmitri Safronov, Strana.ru, March 14, 2001)
and of Nuclear non-proliferation regime: US Accuse Russia of Breaking Non-Proliferation Regime, - In Russian, (By Alexei Tamilin, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 17, 2001)

Debate heats up on the bill on importing spent nuclear fuel: The European Union will help Russia to decommission its nuclear submarines:

Minatom proceeds to implementation of a project on building first in the world floating nuclear power plant: Floating Atom, - In Russian, (By Yekaterina Kats, Segodnya, March 15, 2001)

Head of Minatom speaks on the problems and prospects of the industry: Yevgeni Adamov: "Nuclear Complex Rather Alive, Although Survived Several Amputations", - In Russian, (By Vitali Tretyakov, Nezavisimaya Gazeta, March 20, 2001)

Washington irritated by plans of military-technical cooperation between Moscow and Tehran: US programs that pay to help Russia reduce and safeguard its nuclear weapons and materials have been targeted by the Bush administration for cuts:

US abandoned the long-standing policy against using commercial nuclear reactors for nuclear weapons production: While no one was looking The U.S. government said it would never use commercial reactors to produce weapon material. Guess what? (By Kenneth Bergeron, Bulletin of Atomic Scientisits, March/Arpil 2001)

Pakistani nuclear program will probably be suspended: Pakistan Without Bomb? - In Russian, (By Yevgeny Antonov, Vremya Novostey, March 14, 2001)

March 6, 2001
Friendly talks between Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov and US Secretary of State Colin Powell showed that although Washington and Moscow still retain deep differences on many issues, they are interested in a dialogue over missile defense:

Observers underscore that from the Russian proposal on the Europe-wide missile defenses US picked-up only one thing: Moscow admits the ballistic missile threat from the "rogue states":

See also: Russia Can Be Our Ally On Missile Defense, (by Ivo H. Daalder and James M. Lindsay, The New York Times, February 27, 2001)

South Korea had consulted with the United States on the contents of the Korea-Russia Joint statement that caused controversy over Seoul's alliance with Moscow against the U.S. national Missile Defense (NMD) initiative, well ahead of its issuance, government officials said yesterday

Russian Minister of Defense Igor Sergeyev strongly refuted statement made by his subordinate Lieutenant-General Vyacheslav Romanov, head of the General Staff national center for nuclear threat reduction. The day before, Romanov told a news conference that in response to the U.S. National Missile Defense Deployment Russia will not only reconsider a number of international treaties in the sphere of strategic weapons, but also rebuild its arsenal of intermediate and shorter-range missiles, which was completely eliminated in accordance with the 1987 INF Treaty:

On possible Russian steps in response to US deployment of NMD see also:

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov noticed new nuances in US approach to the START-BMD problem - speaking on missile defenses, president George Bush does not use the word "national" any more (Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Igor Ivanov's Answer to a Question from Russian Media in Connection with the Pronouncements of President George Bush in the U.S. Congress on START/ABM Problems , March 2, 2001)

Russian MFA declared full support for the position over BMD stated by Chinese representative at the Geneva UN Conference on Disarmament (Russian MFA Official Statement, March 1, 2001)

In a report to Congress Pentagon states that sea-based nation-wide defense can not be ready in five years, while last week GAO published a report, that questions possibility of deployment of SBIRS-Low satellite system, the NMD key element, on schedule.

Washington's striving for extension of nuclear deterrence not only on Russia, but also on countries striving for weapons of mass destruction can ruin the process of further reduction of nuclear arsenals: Relic of the Era of Confrontation, - in Russian, (by Vladimir Lyubetski, Krasnaya Zvezda, March 2, 2001)

40 years ago, on March 4, 1961,combat crews of the Soviet Armed Forces implemented interception of a ballistic missile warhead for the first time in World history:

Strategic command exercises of the Russian Armed Forces held on February 13-16 made few reports in Russian media:

On possible confidence building measures in the field of tactical nuclear weapons see: Who Really Wants Baltic Nukes? (by Vladimir Kozin, The Moscow Times, February 26, 2001)

Building of a plant for utilization of solid-fuel missile engines in Votkinsk may become one of the most significant investment projects for Udmurtia in recent years: Leafless "Topol", - in Russian (by Larisa Chinkova , Expert, February 26, 2001)

Although US did not ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, American experts question Russian adherence to the Treaty: Dispute on Russian Tests Divides Nuclear Experts, (by William J. Broad with Patrick Tyler, The New York Times, March 4, 2001). See also Russian MFA Official Statement on Russian-American Cooperation in the Field of Verification of the Observance of the CTBT (March 2, 2001)

Moscow new about Iraqi and Israeli nuclear programs and that Saddam got reactor from Jaques Chiraq: A-Bomb and Middle East, - in Russian, (by Oleg Grinevski, Dipcourier, March 1, 2001)

State Duma plans to discuss amendments to draft laws, that would permit import of irradiated fuel, in mid-March:

On prospects of plutonium disposition see reports by Andrey Vaganov:

For many years physicist Lev Maximov tries to convince politicians of the incredible value that weapons-grade uranium presents if used in atomic energy in the so-called uranium-thorium cycle. "...There is no thorium energy so far, therefore we can't talk about its alleged economic benefits...", says Vladimir Boyko, Dean of Department of Physics and Technology of the Tomsk Polytechnic University (They Refuse Study "Polit-Physics" in Tomsk, - in Russian, (by Irina Samakhova, Obschaya Gazeta, March 1, 2001)

The State Duma's anti-corruption accused head of Minatom of illegal commercial activity:

At the Russian START Forum: prospects of deployment of the new generation SLBM, submarine detectability, laser weapons for BMD, and other topics.

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