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The US, Germany and Russia are to set up an ‘international science
centre’ to fund nonmilitary research by Russia’s redundant military scientists.
The centre will be a ‘clearing house for developing, selecting, funding
and monitoring’ research in Russia or other interested members of the
Commonwealth of Independent States. The main objective of the centre is
to prevent nuclear specialists selling their expertise abroad.

The sponsors are asking for contributions from scientific institutions
in other countries. The US has said it will contribute $25 million. Germany
has not yet said how much it is prepared to pay, but the European Community’s
commissioner for foreign affairs, Frans Andriessen, says some of the $63
million the Community plans to spend on nuclear safety in the CIS could
go to the centre.

According to the sponsors, the centre will ‘minimise incentives’ for
people to work on chemical and biological weapons and missile delivery systems.