North Korea wants Russia support, offers uranium -paper

[cal04]

North Korea has offered Russia exclusive rights to its natural uranium deposits in exchange for open support at the six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, a Japanese daily said on Sunday.

Citing Russian government sources, the Tokyo Shimbun report said Moscow and Pyongyang had been in secret talks since 2002 over a plan for Russia to import the uranium and enrich it before selling it on as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam, in what the sources said would be a highly profitable venture.

The North Korean government has recently shown a positive attitude towards the idea, but introduced a requirement for back-up at the stalled nuclear talks, which may resume in the next few weeks.

The United States, Japan, South Korea and China are also involved in the six-way discussions aimed at persuading the North to scrap its nuclear weapons program.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1793792006

[Pavulon]

1. good luck with that

Russia already has a massive nuclear arsenal. Like us they can take material from old bombs to make new ones very easily. Plutonium reactors can self fuel.

NK is batshit crazy.

[oblivious]

2. What is "batshit crazy" about it? Russia already imports uranium and needs more.

Russia considers mining uranium in Bulgaria

...Russia's uranium production accounts for around 8% of the global output. Up to 90% of the profit in Russia's nuclear sector comes from nuclear fuel, power and services exports, according to nuclear chief Sergei Kiriyenko, but the country is seeking to import more nuclear fuel.

The TVEL official said the company already imported uranium from other east European countries, including the Czech Republic.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20061108/55459534.html

[Pavulon]

3. There are mining

operations in Europe, proven stockpiles. Bulgaria and the czech republic are much closer, and saner than lil kim. Why would they go chasing ghosts in a country run by a nut that has a history of nutty behavior?

[oblivious]

4. Russia wants to enrich and sell it as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam.

North Korea Offers Russia Uranium In Exchange For Support at Nuclear Talks — Report

...The two countries have been in talks since 2002 on a deal for Russia to import uranium, which it wants to enrich and sell as nuclear fuel to China and Vietnam, according to a report in the regional daily, Tokyo Shimbun, citing unnamed Russian officials.
http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/12/03/koreauranium.shtml