VIENNA. Sept 16 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev has said he doubts that North Korea has nuclear weapons.
"It seems to me that North Korea has not progressed too far in developing its nuclear power industry. You can't say definitely now that that country has nuclear weapons," Rumyantsev told the press in Vienna, where an IAEA General Assembly session is currently being held.
The Russian minister admitted that "North Korea definitely has fissionable materials." However, "there is too little of it, in terms of both quantity and quality, to make nuclear weapons," he said.
Commenting on the outcome of his recent trip to Budapest, Rumyantsev said the Russian company TVEL and the administration of the Hungarian nuclear power plant in Paks had agreed to sign a contract by the end of the year, under which Russia will supply Hungary with fresh nuclear fuel for the plant.
"This contract will strictly stipulate that spent nuclear fuel will be taken back from Hungary to Russia," he said.
Rumyantsev noted that TVEL is the government agent for concluding deals on supplying Russian nuclear fuel abroad and taking it back after it has been spent.