WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel Bodman announced today that he and Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency Director Sergey Kiriyenko have submitted to Presidents Bush and Putin the fourth report of the Senior Interagency Working Group on implementation of the February 2005 Bratislava Checklist.

"The accelerated schedule adopted under Bratislava is being implemented with great success," Secretary Bodman said. "Our efforts to minimize and secure highly enriched uranium and plutonium are making the world safer.  Our cooperation with Russia on emergency response and nuclear security culture continues to enhance our nonproliferation goals."

The report highlights progress over the past six months, including a U.S. and Russian collaborative radiological source search/consequence management exercise and the completion of cooperative material protection, control and accounting system upgrades at several Russian nuclear sites.  Furthermore, in December, more than 590 pounds of highly enriched uranium was returned from a former East German civilian nuclear facility to Russia.

During the February 2005 meeting in Bratislava, Presidents George Bush and Vladimir Putin committed both governments to securing nuclear weapons and fissile material to prevent the possibility that such weapons or materials could fall into the hands of terrorists. The Presidents established a bilateral Senior Interagency Working Group to address issues of cooperation on nuclear security; the group is charged with reporting on the status of cooperation to the Presidents.

Work under this initiative is of utmost importance for U.S., Russian and world security. It is the intention of both sides to continue cooperation for the foreseeable future and to provide the Presidents of the United States and the Russian Federation with periodic reports on progress made. The Senior Interagency Working Group will submit its next report in June 2007.

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