Putin vows to keep nuclear might

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, APRIL 1. In his first public address since being elected Russia's President, Mr. Vladimir Putin vowed to keep a strong nuclear deterrent but also called for deeper arms cuts.

``We must increase the effectiveness of our nuclear deterrence potential,'' Mr. Putin said in televised remarks during a one-day visit to Chelyabinsk-70, a nuclear research and production centre in the Urals Mountains on Friday. It was Mr. Putin's first trip outside Moscow after his triumphant victory in last Sunday's elections.

He told a meeting of atomic industry chiefs in the secret Siberian town that nuclear weapons had ``strategic importance'' for Russia's ``ability to defend itself from aggression.''

``We will retain and strengthen Russia's nuclear weapons and its nuclear industry,'' Mr. Putin said.

Russia's Defence Minister, Marshal Igor Sergeyev, who travelled with Mr. Putin to the Urals, announced plans to rearm nuclear submarines and perfect the new long-range nuclear missile Topol- M, whose deployment began last year.

At the same time, Mr. Putin insisted that he was not advocating a new arms race or expanding Russia's nuclear arsenal and promised to redouble Government efforts to get Parliament ratify the START-II arms reduction treaty.

``We are not talking about increasing weapons which we have a surplus of anyway. We are talking about enhancing the country's security and reliability of its nuclear shield,'' Mr. Putin said. ``Russia holds and will continue to hold talks on further cuts in strategic offensive weapons, in order to make the world safer and rid it of arms stockpiles.''

The 1993, START-II treaty calls for the United States and Russia to roughly halve their nuclear arsenals to 3,000 to 3,500 warheads each. The treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1996, but Russian lawmakers balked at endorsing the pact, linking it to Washington's renunciation of plans to deploy an anti- ballistic missile system. Following the election of a new Parliament in December, which is loyal to the Kremlin, chances of START-2 ratification have greatly improved.

Mr. Putin promised to allocate 1.5 billion roubles ($ 50 millions) to finance conversion of some nuclear defence plants to civilian production. This will be the first time in recent years that any major funds have been earmarked for the purpose.

The Russian leader also pledged to help market Russian nuclear technology worldwide, reiterating Moscow's rejection of U.S. demands to roll back Russian nuclear cooperation with Iran.

``We will protect Russia's interests in global markets, and won't allow anyone to push Russia from those markets under the guise of falsely formulated values,'' Mr. Putin said when asked about prospects of cooperation with Iran.

Russia's Nuclear Power Minister, Mr. Yevgeny Adamov, said later Iran had asked Russia to build another three reactors in addition to the one being constructed in that country at present.

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Section  : International
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