GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING RUSSIAN SUPPLY OF NUCLEAR

UNCLAS BERLIN 001084 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR ISN/RA AND EUR/AGS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MNUC ETTC PREL KNNP GM RS IN SUBJECT: GERMAN QUERY CONCERNING RUSSIAN SUPPLY OF NUCLEAR FUEL TO INDIA'S TARAPUR REACTOR ¶1. (U) This message contains an action request -- please see paragraph 4. ¶2. (SBU) Joerg Polster, German MFA International Energy and Nuclear Energy Policy desk officer, queried Global Affairs officer May 23 concerning press reports that Russia had delivered a batch of nuclear fuel to two reactors at Tarapur, India, in April 2007. Polster noted that one article quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying "this kind of activity should not take place" because Moscow had acted outside the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to allow fuel to be supplied to states that had not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). According to the press reports, NSG guidelines allow the supply of fuel to non-NPT states if a safety hazard can be averted by refueling reactors at risk. The U.S. official is quoted as saying that Tarapur is not at risk now and therefore should not receive the fuel from Russia at this time. ¶3. (SBU) Polster queried the accuracy of this press report and said the German Government would like to know the USG's official reaction to Russia's provision of nuclear fuel to India in this case. ¶4. (U) Post requests guidance on how to respond to the German Government's request. TIMKEN JR