Eliminating Stockpiles of Highly Enriched Uranium - Pugwash ...

Foreword and acknowledgements
This report is about what can and ought to be done regarding the large quantities of
highly enriched uranium (HEU) that exist in the Russian Federation. It is our hope
that the report will catch the attention of an audience in Europe regarding the
persistent threat of HEU and also help deal with the associated dangers.
The motivation to write this report came out of the seminar in May 2002 in Sigtuna on
promoting disarmament of tactical nuclear weapons. The seminar was organized by
the Swedish Pugwash Group. In the discussions on how to proceed with further
activities aiming at the reduction of the large stocks of HEU in Russia, it was
suggested that the Swedish Nuclear Power Inspectorate (SKI) explore the possibilities
of funding for the purpose of addressing the threats emerging from HEU. Based on
initial discussions with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency,
(SIDA) and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a project proposal was
submitted to SIDA. The response was positive.
In the ensuing months, several meetings were held, documentation and data was
collected and drafts written. The participants in the HEU Elimination Study Group -
as we named ourselves - used their professional skills, expertise in the nuclear nonproliferation
field and their personal involvement in the work of the Pugwash
movement to complete this work.
On behalf of the Study Group we thank SIDA for funding our work and contribution
to security-building. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Swedish
Ministry for Foreign Affairs for sharing our interest for something that can be actively
used to further practical steps in the field of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
Furthermore, our employers deserve our appreciation and
acknowledgement for granting us the time and opportunity to commit ourselves to this
work. Furthermore, it is fair to thank the International Working Group Secretariat of
the European Nuclear Cities Initiative hosted by the Landau Network-Centro Volta
for hosting our first meeting in Como in September 2002; and the Russian Pugwash
Committee under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences as well as the
Center for Political and International Studies, Moscow, for organizing our second
meeting and conversations with Russian experts in February 2003.
Finally, the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs deserves
mention because it brought us together and continues to contribute to the common
resolve to deal with contemporary and future nuclear threats.
Stockholm and Rome, April 2004
Lars van Dassen and Paolo Cotta-Ramusino
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