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To: RealMuLan who wrote (60476)	2/21/2005 2:16:35 PM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

US senator: half of Russia nuclear materials not accounted for 02-21-2005, 01h40 John Rockefeller, seen here in 2002, vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the situation with Russian loose radioactive materials and other possible components of nuclear weapons made him wonder whether Russia was a greater proliferation threat than North Korea, which has publicly claimed to have a nuclear weapons arsenal. (AFP/File) WASHINGTON (AFP) - Half of Russia's nuclear materials that can be used by terrorists plotting new attacks against the United States remain unaccounted for, a US senator with access to classified intelligence information charged. John Rockefeller, vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the situation with Russian loose radioactive materials and other possible components of nuclear weapons made him wonder whether Russia was a greater proliferation threat than North Korea, which has publicly claimed to have a nuclear weapons arsenal. Members of the committee received last week a detailed briefing from Central Intelligence Agency officials on security threats faced by the United States. "In the sense that half of the nuclear materials, pieces and parts of it, are unaccounted for by the Russians -- and a lot of them, these places are in rural areas -- I think you can ... have a real debate as to which is more threatening to the world right now," said the Democratic senator, appearing on the "Fox News Sunday" television program. The warning came as US President George W. Bush arrived in Europe as part of a fence-mending visit aimed at smoothing over disagreements with allies on the Iraq war and strengthening transatlantic security cooperation, including in nuclear non-proliferation. Bush is scheduled to discuss this and other issues with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, when the two meet in the Slovakian capital of Bratislava on Thursday. Rockefeller questioned Russia's ability to guard its nuclear arsenal and other radioactive materials due to widespread corruption in the country. "The point is that a lot of those people who protect those places can be bribed," he argued. "Terrorists can come in and buy part of those." He insisted "a lot of those lost nuclear weapons can be out circulating in the terrorist community" and president Putin "ought to be very worried" that these weapons or materials could end up in the hands of Chechen separatists. The CIA, which monitors proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, declined to comment on the senator's remarks. turkishpress.com