Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09HANOI759
2009-08-12 04:29:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Hanoi
Cable title:  

VIETNAM NOT YET READY TO COMPLETE DALAT NUCLEAR REACTOR

Tags:  SENV ENRG ECON VM 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO0258
RR RUEHAST RUEHDH RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHSL RUEHTM
RUEHTRO
DE RUEHHI #0759 2240429
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 120429Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY HANOI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0032
INFO RUEHHM/AMCONSUL HO CHI MINH 6065
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS HANOI 000759 

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, OES/STC
STATE ALSO FOR T (MHUMPHREY),ISN/NESS (ABURKART,PMCNERNEY),ISN/RA
(RBEISECKER) AND EAP/MLS
STATE PASS TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (KFOGGIE,
JMCLELLAND-KERR, SBURNS)
ENERGY FOR DOE/NE (EMCGINNIS, CWELLING),NNSA/NA-21 (SFRAZER, KAPT,
DKOVACIC, KCUMMINS, SDICKERSON, IBOLSHINSKY, SMOSES, ABIENIAWSKI)
COMMERCE PLEASE PASS TO USTDA (DROSSITER)
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/HONG-PHONG PHO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM NOT YET READY TO COMPLETE DALAT NUCLEAR REACTOR
CONVERSION

UNCLAS HANOI 000759

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/EP, OES/STC
STATE ALSO FOR T (MHUMPHREY),ISN/NESS (ABURKART,PMCNERNEY),ISN/RA
(RBEISECKER) AND EAP/MLS
STATE PASS TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (KFOGGIE,
JMCLELLAND-KERR, SBURNS)
ENERGY FOR DOE/NE (EMCGINNIS, CWELLING),NNSA/NA-21 (SFRAZER, KAPT,
DKOVACIC, KCUMMINS, SDICKERSON, IBOLSHINSKY, SMOSES, ABIENIAWSKI)
COMMERCE PLEASE PASS TO USTDA (DROSSITER)
COMMERCE FOR ITA/MAC/HONG-PHONG PHO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV ENRG ECON VM
SUBJECT: VIETNAM NOT YET READY TO COMPLETE DALAT NUCLEAR REACTOR
CONVERSION


1. (SBU) Summary: During an August 10 meeting with Ambassador
Michalak, Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Van Phong
confirmed that the Government of Vietnam (GVN) was not yet ready to
sign an agreement with the United States to complete conversion of
the Dalat nuclear research reactor and to repatriate spent highly
enriched uranium (HEU) at the site to the Russian Federation.
Though the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) had recently
sent a decision document to the Prime Minister seeking his
concurrence on the decision to move forward, the Prime Minister's
office had raised certain technical questions that needed to be
resolved prior to the Prime Minister's approval. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On August 10, MOST Minister Phong, accompanied by the
leaders from the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety
(VARANS) and the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission (VAEC),met with
Ambassador Michalak to review the GVN's position on continued
cooperation to finish conversion of the Dalat nuclear research
reactor and repatriate spent HEU from that facility to the Russian
Federation. While Phong and the VAEC and VARANS leaders noted that
the GVN wanted to continue cooperation with the United States
towards those ends, they stated that the GVN was not ready to sign
the proposed agreement for technical assistance first proposed by
the United States in a May 2007 Diplomatic Note. Additionally, the
VAEC was not willing, at this time, to sign a contract with the U.S.
Department of Energy for the provision of fresh low enriched uranium
(LEU) to the Dalat reactor to prepare for the future shipment of
spent HEU fuel.


3. (SBU) Minister Phong stated that the GVN welcomed the conversion
initiative "in principle" and confirmed that MOST had presented a
decision document to the Prime Minister's office seeking concurrence
to sign the agreement with the United States. However, the Prime
Minister's office had raised certain technical issues that needed to
be resolved by Vietnamese and United States experts prior to signing
the agreement. In particular, Dr. Vuong Huu Tan, Director General
of VAEC, stated that the GVN needed to be satisfied with the
technical calculations to replace the crane at the reactor to ensure
the new machinery had the capacity to remove all of the HEU fuel
rods from the reactor core at one time.


4. (SBU) Despite the bad news on the Dalat conversion, Phong and the
GVN atomic experts were at pains to highlight their happiness with
existing U.S.-Vietnam nuclear cooperation and their hopes that such
cooperation will continue. Dr Nhan noted that the planned trip by
VARANS officers to observe a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
inspection of a U.S. nuclear facility would be the first visit of
its kind to a foreign country. Phong and MOST staff reiterated that
the GVN wanted to sign the separate, broader nuclear cooperation MOU
negotiated earlier this year and currently under consideration in
Washington.

Comment
--------------


5. (SBU) Despite having over two years to consider the relevant
policy and technical issues, the GVN still has yet to firmly commit
to working with the United States to finalize the Dalat reactor
conversion. Though Minister Phong highlighted the need to respond
to technical questions prior to agreeing to the U.S. proposal from
May 2007, we suspect the GVN has other, unstated concerns. After
all, the U.S. Diplomatic Note from May 2007 simply proposed
technical assistance to help the GVN answer the very questions that
Phong raised in the meeting. The non-binding document would not
commit the GVN to a specific timetable or course of action.
Unfortunately, we are not sure of the GVN's other concerns or which
entities within the GVN have raised those matters, though we believe
that some agencies, such as the Ministries of Defense and Public
Security, remain skittish of cooperation with the United States in
sensitive areas (regardless of our successful assistance over the
past several years). Thus, the ball remains in their court.

MICHALAK