CARACAS, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela said Thursday it has removed disused nuclear material from the RV-1 Experimental Reactor at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research, with support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement that a military attack on Jan. 3 near the institute's facilities, about 50 meters from the former reactor, had increased the level of risk and underscored the urgency of an operation Venezuela had long requested.
The statement said the reactor ended operations in 1991 and was permanently shut down in 1997, with part of the spent nuclear fuel removed and the remaining material placed under technical custody in accordance with international safety protocols.
It said the site was later converted into a gamma-ray sterilization plant intended for the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
According to the government, Venezuela had repeatedly informed the IAEA since the late 1990s of the need to remove remaining disused sources and materials from the country.
The operation was carried out from April 18 to 29 and involved containing and extracting the remaining nuclear material, transporting it by road to Puerto Cabello in Carabobo state, and loading it for specialized maritime shipment.
The statement said the operation involved Venezuela's Science and Technology Ministry, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration and Britain, which was responsible for maritime transport.
The statement reaffirmed Venezuela's commitment to peaceful use of nuclear science and responsible international cooperation, as well as to fulfilling its obligations under the Tlatelolco Treaty, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and its safeguards agreement with the IAEA. ■
