Eisenhower: Nuclear programs need reform

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Nuclear non-proliferation efforts by the United States and Russia need reforms in the face of a changing Russian society and economy, Susan Eisenhower said Monday.

Speaking at the National Press Club, President Eisenhower's granddaughter and current head of the Eisenhower Institute think tank said U.S. taxpayer-funded efforts to keep nuclear materials and know how away from terrorists or so-called "rogue states" have had some success. She said she has seen some of the results first-hand as a result of her marriage to Roald Sagdeev, a former Russian arms-control adviser.

The Department of Energy has secured 32 percent of at-risk material, she said. Department of Defense programs are sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in the wake of the Clinton administration's cuts in coordination between the two countries, she said.

"The nuclear cities initiative, for instance, established to provide economic alternatives to weapons scientists, spends 70 percent of its money in the United States," Eisenhower said. "Such programs need reform and readjustment, especially after Sept. 11."

Since the U.S. nuclear arsenal remains a credible deterrent, the country can afford to take some risks in the non-proliferation area such as supplying Russia with equipment that could potentially have nuclear applications, she said.

"(We) cannot successfully engage the Russians on these most pressing and sensitive issues by embedding suspicion on our side into the process," she said.

Negotiators should work on agreements for consolidated storage facilities for weapons material, she said, as well as finding means of program verification that stop short of demanding full access to Russian facilities. The government of Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown its willingness to work with the United States through its actions during the current war on terrorism, she said.

Responding to questions from the audience, Eisenhower said the Bush administration must remember the entire process is based on dealing with a new Russia.

"Any administration dealing with a complicated issue like this can really use a lively public debate, including among experts in the field who may see some of the politics from a different perspective," she said.