Trilateral U.S./Russian/IAEA Site Visits to Argonne-West, Hanford, and Rocky Flats

U.S., Russian, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) representatives visited three Department of Energy (DOE) facilities, Hanford, Rocky Flats, and Argonne National Laboratory-West, on November 4–7, 1996, for demonstrations of remote-monitoring technologies and to share experience gained to date from the application of IAEA safeguards at DOE plutonium storage facilities. The sites included Hanford, Rocky Flats, and Argonne National Laboratory-West. These site visits were followed by a high level meeting of U.S., Russian, and IAEA officials at DOE Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on November 8. The Trilateral Initiative was announced on September 17, 1996, during the IAEA General Conference when the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Hazel O’Leary, met with the Russian Minister of Atomic Energy, Viktor Mikhailov, and IAEA Director General Hans Blix. The purpose of this initiative is to develop a new regime for IAEA verification of fissile material in the United States and the Russian Federation declared excess to defense needs. A trilateral working group was formed and tasked to make recommendations on technical, legal, and financial issues within nine months.