- WASHINGTON (PTI) - The U.S.
has given weapons-grade uranium to 43 countries including Pakistan since
the 1950s under the Atoms for Peace programme and is making little effort
to get them back, a government department reported.
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- The Department of Energy said in a report that among
the countries which have refused to return the material are Pakistan ,
Iran, Israel, Mexico, Jamaica and South Africa.
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- The reasons for declining vary. Some of the bomb-grade
uranium is in use at research universities and institutions that do not
want to give it up.
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- Jon Wolfsthal, who ran the recovery programme from 1995
to 1997, said one important reason why so little uranium has been returned
is that "we are charging these countries $5,000 kilogram to get it
back."
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- The fee structure was set up in 1996, to help pay for
the programme.
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