ABSTRACT
A brief review of the historical development of multinational participation in the Regional Fuel Cycle Centre planning is presented. The most comprehensive study ever undertaken was made by the IAEA as a Regional Fuel Cycle Centre Study Project. The results of the study were reported at the Salzburg Conference in May 1977. There have been many novel concepts proposed in support of a regional approach. The desirability of multinational participation in nuclear fuel cycle planning is evident in view of non-proliferation, health, safety and environmental considerations as well as technical and economic aspects. However, because of the inherently diverging objectives among the potential participants, there are a number of basic issues, created by the varying degrees of commitment to nuclear power xxivand subsequent fuel cycle requirements, to be resolved. The question of the institutional and legal framework of such a centre and the most difficult problem of socio-political issues that exist in the region must also be considered. The practicability of multinational participation concepts would very much depend on the new international order of nuclear co-operation based on the outcome of INFCE and the second Review Conference of the NPT to discuss the implementation of Article IV as well as future constraints. The very foundations of such co-operation should be based on a spirit of mutual trust and confidence. Without such mutual confidence, any unilateral implementation of the requirements for bilateral co-operation is doomed to failure.
