From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Tue Apr 04 2000 - 16:45:08 EDT
Kazakh special services deny Uzbeks thwarted smuggling of radioactive cargo
Excerpts from report by the Kazakh news agency Interfax-Kazakhstan on 3rd
April
Astana, 3rd April: Kazakh special services have not confirmed that Uzbek
customs officers prevented an attempt to smuggle radioactive substances
from Kazakhstan to Pakistan [on 2nd April], the National Security Committee
press service officially reported to Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency.
Law-enforcement agencies and the customs service of South Kazakhstan Region
have also officially denied the report about the attempted smuggling of
highly radioactive substances.
[passage omitted: as was reported earlier, Uzbek customs officers detained
an Irainian truck on 2nd April on the border with Kazakhstan, which in
addition to 23.2 tonnes of stainless steel scrap was carrying 10 lead
containers containing highly radioactive substances, the gamma emission of
which exceeded the maximum permissable level by 100 times, which the Uzbek
side then handed over to competent Kazakh sources]
However, Kazakh law-enforcement agencies and special services have confirmed
that Uzbek customs officers seized radioactive scrap metal being carried in
the abovementioned truck. Law-enforcement agencies and customs services of
South Kazakhstan Region, in conjunction with the republic's special
services, are jointly investigating the case of the attempted smuggling of
alloy stainless steel, the gamma emission of which exceeds the maximum
permissable level by 100 times.
The deputy chief of the main internal affairs department in South Kazakhstan
Region, Talgat Kubelekov, told an Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency
correspondent that the police suspect that the scrap metal was taken from
uranium fields in Suzak District of South Kazakhstan Region. An
investigation into this scenario of how the scrap metal was obtained is
currently under way, Kubelekov noted. He stressed that if this is confirmed
then the scrap metal will be sent back and dumped into uranium pits.
Otherwise, the radioactive scrap metal will be transported to East
Kazakhstan Region for burial.
According to Kubelekov, the management of the Kazakh Aral firm, which was
the owner of the detained cargo, claims that the company acquired the scrap
metal "from unknown private individuals".
Source: Interfax-Kazakhstan news agency, Almaty, in Russian 1140 gmt 03 Apr
00
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