Belarus has approved to give up its stock of highly enriched uranium, a critical fuel for nuclear weapons, the United States and Belarus announced Wednesday. The deal with Belarus was exposed after Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton meet with Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov on the sidelines of a security summit here. The agreement would help remove one of the last legacies of the Cold War, when stock of nuclear material was abandoned on territories of former Soviet states.
"I want to publicly thank Belarus for the decision that has been made to remove the remaining stock of highly enriched uranium. This is a very significant, important step that Belarus has in use," Clinton said after the meeting. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the enriched uranium that Belarus will give up will whole nearly 500 pounds, though he could not precisely say how much is weapons mark. Belarus is believed to have at least 88 pounds of weapons grade uranium, enough for at least eight nuclear weapons, at a research institute in Sosny, along with hundreds of pounds of extremely enriched uranium.
According to 2010 estimation by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Russia will take control of the uranium, grouping it with other material to make it less strong and suitable for other uses, or securing it in some other way. Belarus was one of three nuclear power countries along with North Korea and Iran that were not request to President Obama's 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in April. At the time, Belarusan President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the nation would not at all give up its uranium.
"I want to publicly thank Belarus for the decision that has been made to remove the remaining stock of highly enriched uranium. This is a very significant, important step that Belarus has in use," Clinton said after the meeting. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the enriched uranium that Belarus will give up will whole nearly 500 pounds, though he could not precisely say how much is weapons mark. Belarus is believed to have at least 88 pounds of weapons grade uranium, enough for at least eight nuclear weapons, at a research institute in Sosny, along with hundreds of pounds of extremely enriched uranium.
According to 2010 estimation by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Russia will take control of the uranium, grouping it with other material to make it less strong and suitable for other uses, or securing it in some other way. Belarus was one of three nuclear power countries along with North Korea and Iran that were not request to President Obama's 47-nation Nuclear Security Summit in April. At the time, Belarusan President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that the nation would not at all give up its uranium.
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