UNCLAS STATE 058612

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG PREL TRGY KSCA KTIA KZ
SUBJECT: BILATERAL NUCLEAR SAFETY AGREEMENT

REF: ALMATY 1239


1. As noted in reftel, the Government of Kazakhstan is
correct: the original 1994 agreement did terminate in 1999,
but similar cooperation has continued through two subsequent
agreements between the USNRC and Kazakhstan's Atomic Energy
Committee of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources.
The current agreement was signed on September 22, 2004. The
embassy may wish to respond along the lines of the following:

"The Embassy of the United States of America refers to the
note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated March 1, 2006,
concerning the status of the Arrangement Between the United
States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and the Atomic
Energy Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the Exchange
of Technical Information and Cooperation in Nuclear Safety
Matters, signed at Washington on February 14, 1994. The
Embassy confirms that the aforesaid agreement, in accordance
with the terms of Article IV, paragraph 1, terminated on
February 14, 1999, but notes that similar cooperation
continues between USNRC and the Atomic Energy Committee of
the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of the Republic
of Kazakhstan pursuant to their agreement signed at Vienna on
September 22, 2004."


2. Please note that in English "Safety" rather than
"Security" is used to describe these agreements.
RICE