MOSCOW, April 11 (AVN) - First Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy spoke in the State Duma lower house of parliament on Wednesday about prospects of Russian nuclear weapons industry backing and measures aimed to supporting fundamental nuclear science in the period of the Atomic Energy Ministry's restructuring, the Military News Agency learned.
Ryabev informed the Duma on the ministry's activities related to the nuclear weapons industry reform, implementation of the purpose-oriented presidential programme of the industry development up to 2010. Among the ministry's priority tasks are elaboration of the legislative base for nuclear defence activities as well as guarantees of reliability and security of the Russian Armed Forces' nuclear arsenal, Ryabev said. The storage terms of nuclear weapons which were tested before 1990 will end in next two to three years and it is necessary to create a scientific and technical basis for their safe storage.
Commenting on the ministry's restructuring, Ryabov said that only two out of four plants that produce nuclear weapons will remain in Russia by 2003. One of two plants producing weapons-grade plutonium will be closed too. The number of people working at the industry's enterprises will decrease from 75,000 to 35,000-40,000 in five years.
Ryabov urged the lawmakers to work out and approve the law "Concerning the Russian Nuclear Weapons Industry."