Mongolia Denies Talks with Japan, US to Store Nuke Waste

Mongolian government officials on Wednesday denied Japanese media reports that the country is considering setting up a nuclear waste storage facility for Japan and the United States.

"A report in Japanese newspaper Mainichi about Mongolia storing nuclear waste of Japan and U.S. is incorrect," Agvaanluvsan Undraa, Mongolian nuclear physicist and special advisor to Foreign Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar, said at a press conference.

As "third neighbors," Japan and the U.S. both signed a memorandum of understanding with Mongolia on peaceful use of nuclear energy, Undraa added.

"We are working on an official letter to Mainichi to correct this report," Undraa said.

The Japanese newspaper Mainichi reported Monday that Japan and the U.S. are negotiating with Mongolia on the construction of a nuclear waste storage facility in the landlocked country.

The news caused strong opposition in Mongolia and Mongolian officials had to rush to deny it.

"Mongolian government did not enter any talks with Japanese and the U.S. government about storing nuclear waste materials in Mongolia." Foreign Minister Zandanshatar said, "According to Mongolia's nuclear energy law and nuclear-related policies, it is impossible to transport nuclear waste into Mongolia. We have asked Mongolian embassy in Japan to find out more about why this kind of false report appeared in the media."

The head of Mongolia's Nuclear Energy Agency S.Enkhbat also asserted that the agency has not talked to anyone, adding "who wants to keep others' waste, especially nuclear waste?"

It was not the first time media reporting about possible nuclear waste storage facility building in Mongolia.

A U.S. based global nuclear movement monitoring website in March reported similar discussions between Mongolia and the U.S., quoting Richard Stratford, director of the Office of Nuclear Energy with the U.S. State Department.

Meanwhile, worried Mongolians have set up an online petition against any nuclear dumps.

Source:Xinhua News Agency of China