MOSCOW, MARCH 9, 2004, RIA NOVOSTI - Russia's Atomic Energy Ministry will be transformed into an agency, an informed source has announced. This will be a separate body, to report to the Defense Ministry and to the newly established ministry of fuel and construction industries.
No decision has yet been made as to who will head the Russian Atomic Energy Agency, but in all likelihood, former minister Alexander Rumyantsev will be appointed to the post, the source said. Nor is it clear how serious the forthcoming staff cuts will be, he added.
