RUSSIA: US ENERGY SECRETARY RICHARDSON AT AIRPORT CEREMONY

(2 Sep 1998) Russian/Eng/Nat

Amid ever-present questions about Boris Yeltsin's health, a top U-S cabinet official said the Russian president appeared "very vigorous and strong" when the two met.

U-S Energy Secretary Bill Richardson made the comment on Wednesday at a Moscow airport ceremony to unveil a machine to detect radioactive materials.

Richardson is with the U-S delegation travelling with President Clinton, whose visit is drawing criticism from Russia's Communist supporters opposed to Yeltsin's presidency.

Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov said he would tell Clinton the full scale of Russia's crisis when he meets him later on Wednesday.

At Moscow's Sheremetyevo-1 airport, the United States and Russia came together in the fight against terrorism and nuclear smuggling.

U-S Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, the former high-profile U-S Ambassador to the United Nations, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new security system at the airport.

He was joined by Russian Customs Chairman Valery Draganov.

The equipment, Russian-built and paid for by the U-S Department of Energy, is being installed to detect radioactive materials being smuggled out of Russia.

The United States is providing six million (m) dollars over two years for the project, as Russia grapples with economic collapse.

The machine provides another line of defence in deterring nuclear materials from being stolen from Russia's nuclear sites, often criticised for poor upkeep and safety standards.

Richardson is part of the U-S delegation in Moscow for the summit between Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin.

As part of the steps to help reduce the threat of nuclear war, Clinton and Yeltsin signed an accord reducing plutonium stocks and sharing information on missile launch warnings during their talks.

Richardson said both countries hoped the latest measure would deter the leakage of dangerous nuclear technology across the borders of the former Soviet Union.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Clearly, the American and Russian peoples must be common allies in the war against terrorism. In a world where people can access nuclear materials, no nation is safe."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Richardson, U-S Energy Secretary

To demonstrate the machine, Richardson walked past it with a briefcase containing a small amount of radioactive caesium-137.

As anxious camera crews awaited the result, alarm bells went off as planned.

Richardson also used the opportunity to tell the media - who constantly report on Yeltsin's allegedly poor physical state - that he gave Yeltsin a clean bill of health.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"President Yeltsin looked very good to me, very vigorous and very strong. He was very charming at the dinner and the meetings. He looked in very good health to me."
SUPER CAPTION: Bill Richardson, U-S Energy Secretary

Meanwhile, a group of Communist supporters gathered outside the U-S embassy on Wednesday to protest against Clinton's visit.

They blame the American president for exacerbating Russia's failed economy through his wholehearted support for Yeltsin.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"We are here to protest against this visit. To try and come to the rescue of that monster in the Kremlin is not just amoral but beyond the bounds of common sense."
SUPER CAPTION: Vox pop

Clinton is scheduled to meet opposition leaders on Wednesday afternoon, which is unlikely to provide comfort to those questioning the productivity of Clinton's visit.


SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
SUPER CAPTION: Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party leader



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