ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE TO U.S.

UNCLAS YEREVAN 001192

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EUR/CACEN; NP/ECC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TRGY KNNP AM IAEA
SUBJECT: ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO DEMARCHE TO U.S.
IAEA ADDITIONAL PROTOCOL

Ref: State 81669


1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.

--------------
DEMARCHE DELIVERED
--------------


2. (SBU) On May 4, we presented talking points per reftel
regarding the U.S. Senate approval of the US-IAEA Additional
protocol. Ashot Martirosyan, Head of the Armenian Nuclear
Regulatory Agency (ANRA) officially received the demarche.
Martirosyan acknowledged the U.S. Senate approval and stated
that the Armenian Parliament was scheduled to ratify the
IAEA additional protocol in June or July of 2004.

--------------
CURRENT STATUS OF ANRA
--------------


3. (SBU) Martirosyan told us that the ANRA was down to 16
employees, explaining that this was due to low salaries,
(about USD 100 to 150),Armenian language requirements, and
restrictive Armenian civil service hiring procedures.
Martirosyan told us that the lack of adequate staff would
make it difficult for ANRA to effectively oversee the
Armenian Nuclear Power Plant and properly catalogue and
license all of the radioactive sources in Armenia.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


4. (SBU) It is obvious that ANRA as a regulatory body will
have serious difficulties in the near future regulating the
nuclear power plant and the several hundred other
radioactive sources in Armenia. ANRA will also likely
continue to lose specialists due to the low salaries and
fail to attract new ones because of bureaucratic hiring
difficulties.
ORDWAY