PRESS RELEASE (94)65                      17 August 1994

   MEETING OF NATO AND EASTERN EUROPEAN SCIENTISTS IN    
                       SICILY
                 ON 20-22 AUGUST 1994

NATO scientists from the U.S., Germany, France, Belgium,
the Netherlands and the U.K. will meet with scientists
from Russia, the Ukraine, and sixteen other Eastern
European countries this week in Sicily to explore how
science and technology can support disarmament and help 
prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. 

The 20-22 August meeting, convened by NATO's Division of
Scientific and Environmental Affairs, is intended to
remove barriers to collaboration between Eastern and
Western scientists.  The problem, according to physicist
and NATO Disarmament Technologies Panel chairman
Antonino Zichichi, is twofold.  "Many of the scientists
we wish to engage come from the 'secret cities' of the
former Soviet Union.  In many cases they don't know who
their Western counterparts are, and in most cases, they
are unaccustomed to the Western system of developing
proposals for research."

The meeting will bring together scientists from such
laboratories as Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratories in the U.S., the German Julich
Research Center, the French Nuclear Protection and
Safety Institute and the British Defense Research Agency
to collaborate with colleagues from the Russian Ministry
of Atomic Energy and Academy of Sciences, the Ukrainian
Ministry of Defence and other representatives from
Cooperation Partner countries.

Scientists with expertise in such areas as disposition
of plutonium, decommissioning of military nuclear
reactors, dismantling of rockets and rocket
silos and disposal of chemical warfare agents have been
invited.  

"NATO's role is to provide a foundation for a stable
security environment in Europe", said Jean-Marie Cadiou,
Assistant Secretary General for Scientific and
Environmental Affairs.  "We have a major role to play in
providing the scientific bases for strengthening
disarmament, verification and non-proliferation norms
and agreements.  This meeting makes an important
contribution to broadening the base of shared values
which is essential to a stable security environment
in Europe."

The scientists will meet at the Ettore Majorana Center
for Scientific Culture in Erice, Italy.  Cooperation
Partner countries represented are: Russia, Ukraine,
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Uzbekistan.
  
The meeting is supported by the NATO Division of
Scientific and Environmental Affairs. Journalists
wishing more information on this meeting should call:
32-2-728 42 09.