US, ARMENIA AGREE TO UPGRADE ARMENIAN CAPABILITIES AGAINST NUCLEAR SMUGGLING

International Herald Tribune
July 14 2008
France

The Associated PressPublished: July 14, 2008

WASHINGTON: The United States and Armenia have agreed to cooperate
against the smuggling of nuclear and radioactive materials.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian signed the agreement in what is called a "joint
action plan" that makes the cooperation activities official.

The document was signed Monday at the State Department and establishes
a 28-step program to increase Armenia’s abilities to prevent, detect
and respond to attempts at smuggling dangerous nuclear materials.

In June 2003, authorities in Armenia’s neighbor Georgia arrested an
individual trying to smuggle six ounces of highly enriched uranium
into Armenia. Such trafficking surged as the Soviet Union broke apart
in the early 1990s.