In this way the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department commented on Friday on the problem of nuclear nonproliferation in connection with the anniversary of nuclear bombings of Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9).
The Russian Foreign Ministry stresses that Russia actively speaks for consolidation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) - "the cornerstone of the global regime of nuclear nonproliferation and a basis for further steps in the sphere of nuclear disarmament."
Active preparation is underway now for a review conference on consideration of the NPT efficiency, scheduled for 2005, which is held once in five years.
The Foreign Ministry specified that Russia's position is that more attention should be paid to issues of observance by all member states of commitments on the NPT and to working out coordinated measures on this account without detriment to the legal interests of different groups or separate states.
The foreign ministry recalled that Russia initiated the UN Security Council's resolution 1540, which is aimed at preventing the WMDs and proliferation-related materials from getting into the hands of non-state subjects, first of all terrorists.
In May 2004, Russia joined the group of states-founders of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) aimed at the fight against WMD black markets.
Russia intends to contribute to the PSI realization with account for demands of compatibility of actions with the international law norms, accordance with the national legislation and commonness of interests with other partners, reads the comment.
The Foreign Ministry said that Russia strictly follows the provisions of the Code of Conduct on Radioactive Sources approved at the 47th session of the IAEA General Conference.
Russia, said the department, renders every possible support to the activity of the IAEA as the main mechanism to observe the NPT regime. This also refers to contribution to IAEA monitoring activity, including in the framework of the national program to back the Agency's guarantees.
In late June-early July 2004, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei was in Moscow. He highly assessed Russia's activity in the sphere of nuclear nonproliferation, reads the comment.
