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MDTTAN 3440
REPUBLICS WERE REMOTE. UNTIL NOW THEY HAD REGARDED THEM AS RELATIVELY INSIGNIFICANT PARTS OF THE SOVIET UNION. THEY HAD NOT YET DECIDED WHETHER TO GIVE SUBSTANTIAL ASSISTANCE, NOT LEAST AS THERE WAS A DOUBT AS TO WHETHER THERE WERE COMMITTED TO POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC REFORM. THERE WAS A FURTHER DOUBT ABOUT KAZKHSTAN'S NUCLEAR STANCE. SAITO SAID THAT BOTH TURKEY AND IRAN WERE FORMING CLOSER RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLICS. THE TURKISH HAD BEEN MORE ACTIVE AND SUCCESSFUL. THE IRANIANS WERE BESET BY CONTRADICTORY INTERESTS. ON THE ONE HAND THEY SAW THE REPUBLICS AS NON-ARAB ALLIES IN THEIR BIDS TO BECOME LEADERS OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD, WHILE ON THE OTHER HAND THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR OWN MINORITIES (TURKMENS AND, IN PARTICULAR, AZERIS). A FURTHER PROBLEM WAS THAT FUNDAMENTALISM WAS VIEWED WITH SUSPICION IN THE REPUBLICS. SAITO SAID THAT THE JAPANESE WOULD BE HAPPIER WITH THE EXPANSION OF TURKISH INFLUENCE IN THE REPUBLICS, BECAUSE THE JAPANESE SHARED MANY COMMON VIEWS WITH TURKEY AND BECAUSE TURKEY WAS A MEMBER OF NATO. THE JAPANESE THEMSELVES HAD NO INTENTION TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THE ASIAN REPUBLICS: APPLEYARD SAID THAT THEY SHOULD PLAY SOME ROLE, NOT LEAST BECAUSE THE REPUBLICS, WHICH WERE AS YET NOT ON THE ROAD TO DEMOCRACY, WERE IN NEED OF
MONEY AND INVESTMENT.
SOVIET NUCLEAR WEAPONS / EXPORT CONTROLS / BRAIN DRAIN
19. APPLEYARD SAID THAT THERE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN PROGRESS IN THE COLLECTION AND ASSEMBLY IN RUSSIA OF TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND THAT WE EXPECTED THE JULY 1992 DEADLINE TO BE MET. WE ALSO BELIEVED THAT THE STRATEGIC SYSTEMS WERE SECURE. WE WERE CONSIDERING WAYS IN WHICH TO HELP THE RUSSIANS AND US, BRITISH AND FRENCH TECHNICAL TEAMS HAD VISITED. WE PROPOSED TO HELP WITH STORAGE AND TRANSPORT OF FISSILE MATERIALS AND NUCLEAR SAFETY AND OUR ASSISTANCE WOULD PROBABLY AMOUNT TO AROUND POUNDS 30 MILLION. WE SUPPORTED THE IDEA OF A CLEARING HOUSE FOR NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS PROPOSED BY THE US / GERMANY / RUSSIA AND BELIEVED IT SHOULD BE
BASED IN THE CIS. THE G7 WOULD HAVE A ROLE IN PULLING THIS TOGETHER. APPLEYARD WELCOMED THE POSITIVE JAPANESE RESPONSE TO OUR THINKING ON EXPORT CONTROLS IN THE CIS, AND UNDERSTOOD THEY
WOULD ATTEND THE COORDINATION MEETING ON 6 MARCH.
20.
SAITO SAID THAT THE JAPANESE WOULD WANT TO HELP AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE OVER NUCLEAR WEAPONS, BUT THEY HAD NO EXPERT KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR DISMANTLING OR STORING. THEY WERE HOWEVER PREPARED TO CONTRIBUTE ON THE PEACEFUL USE OF MATERIALS, EG ON THE PLUTONIUM WHICH WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THEY WERE THINKING OF HOLDING AN
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