[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 147 (Tuesday, November 29, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: November 29, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                PREVENTING TWENTY OR MORE TERRORIST NUKES

                                 ______


                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 1994

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, as we go about the business of considering 
the GATT Treaty today, I want to take a moment to commend our 
Departments of State, Defense, and Energy for their recent, successful 
effort to remove about 600 kilograms of highly enriched uranium from 
the newly independent State of Kazakhstan.
  As we all know from the joint statements released by those agencies 
last week, as secret operation, code-named ``Sapphire,'' was begun 
early this year, after the Government of Kazakhstan secretly notified 
our Government that it had the weapons-grade material stored at a 
facility in Ust-Kamenogorsk. The highly enriched uranium, inherited by 
Kazakhstan from the former Soviet Union, was simply licked in a 
warehouse at a nuclear fuel fabrication plant. There were none of the 
high-tech safeguards that we in the United States consider essential to 
preventing the theft of such very dangerous materials.
  Obviously, our Government's immediate concern was that this weapons 
grade material might eventually fall into the hands of terrorists--or 
regimes that sponsor terrorist activities. Perhaps most ominous was the 
fact that the material was reported to be stored in about 1,000 
canisters that were readily transportable.
  Through this successful operation by the Departments of State, 
Defense, and Energy, that concern has now been addressed.
  Mr. Speaker, the Government of Kazakhstan also deserves our strong 
commendation for the very constructive role it has played in Operation 
Sapphire. As we all know by now, the American and Kazakh Governments 
have worked closely over the past few months to secure the weapons 
grade material and then transport it safely to the United States, where 
it is now secure from possible theft. This is further evidence that, 
since committing itself to be a nonnuclear state under the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty, Kazakhstan has taken its obligations under that 
treaty seriously. Not only did Kazakhstan voluntarily notify the United 
States of the presence of the materials at Ust-Kamenogorsk, but, as one 
of those Americans actively involved in Operation Sapphire stated, 
Kazakh officials bent over backwards to help us.
  Mr. Speaker, before Operation Sapphire began, Kazakhstan had already 
agreed to also relinquish the powerful nuclear weapons that it had 
inherited from the former Soviet Union. Frankly, given Kazakhstan's 
actions in this regard and in carrying out Operation Sapphire, it 
strikes me that that country is proving itself to be a responsible 
member of the international community, deserving of the assistance we 
are now providing to help it implement economic and political reforms.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that all of my colleagues will join me in 
commending those of our American agencies that planned and carried out 
Operation Sapphire, and in commending the Government of Kazakhstan for 
its very responsible actions in this matter. Together, the United 
States and Kazakhstan have prevented 20 or more nuclear weapons from 
falling into the hands of terrorists.

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