EEE会議（Re: ITER誘致問題：決定延期の裏側）......................................................031224


標記に関するもう１つの追加情報（米国国務省提供）です。 Abrahamエネル
ギー長官が１２月２０日のワシントン会議で行なった演説で、末尾に会議参
加６ヶ国の共同声明が添付されています。　ご参考まで。
--KK

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Subject:  Text: International Fusion Power Effort Progressing, Abraham Says

(Project aims to make fusion power technology available by midcentury)
(880)

Energy officials from many countries meeting in Reston, Virginia, outside
Washington December 20 advanced an international project to develop fusion
technology as a clean, safe and commercially available source of energy
around the world by midcentury.

Speaking to delegates to the ministerial meeting from China, the European
Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States, U.S.
Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said "We have a common purpose and we are
aimed at a common goal ... to apply the scientific and engineering genius
of all our nations to the energy challenges that will face our world in
the years ahead."

A joint communiqu・emerging from the meeting cites several examples of
progress in the talks. A consensus has been reached on two possible sites
-- one in Japan, the other in France -- for the International
Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a fusion energy research and
development project. Progress is also being made on the scientific
approach that should be employed to develop fusion power.

Fusion power would be produced from the fusing of hydrogen isotopes at
very high temperatures, a process similar to that which powers the sun.
The ITER project is devoted to producing a self-sustaining reaction.

U.S. participation in ITER was identified as the Bush administration's top
priority when Abraham outlined a list of scientific and research
facilities to be developed by the government over the next 20 years.

Following is the text of the Abraham remarks as prepared for delivery:

(begin text)

A Joint Communique from today's Ministerial Meeting for ITER follows
U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham's remarks

Remarks Prepared for Delivery
by Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham

ITER Ministerial
December 20, 2003

Good morning.
I would like to begin by welcoming all of the distinguished delegates to
this ITER Ministerial meeting.

It is my privilege to be able to formally open these negotiations and to
thank all of you for the enormous amount of work you have been doing on
behalf of the world's energy future.

And let me recognize, and offer special thanks, to Dr. Werner Burkart who
has agreed to lead today's discussions.   Dr. Burkart's sound judgment,
fairness, and patience have helped navigate ITER negotiations through
three successful meetings in Vienna, and I want to personally say how much
I appreciate his willingness to moderate this important meeting.

When President Bush announced United States participation in the ITER
project he noted that "The results of ITER will advance the effort to
produce clean, safe, renewable, and commercially-available fusion energy
by the middle of this century."

This point cannot be emphasized enough. We have a common purpose and we
are aimed at a common goal ... to apply the scientific and engineering
genius of all our nations to the energy challenges that will face our
world in the years ahead.

Fusion power could well be one of those technologies that allows the world
to leapfrog the enormous acceleration in future energy demand we know
threatens economic growth in every corner of the world.

Over the lifetime of a child born today, the demand for energy will more
than triple from what it is today. Most of that growth will take place in
the developing world. And if fusion power proves practical, it will kick
in at the right time. It will be there to meet the increasing need for
large scale sources of clean energy around the world.

That defines the promise of fusion. And it points to its great benefits.

I know that the delegates seated here today share this vision and this
hope.  Today's negotiations are intended to take us a step closer to
realizing that vision.

I have heard many times in my career that governments are short sighted
... that they can fund only what will help achieve a short-term goal ...
and that they can't look to the future.

The ITER project proves that governments can work together to look to the
future.  It proves that even when the choices are difficult ... and the
task complex ... we can commit to a project that will not be completed
until many of us sitting around this table are well beyond our years of
public service.

I look forward to celebrating this remarkable achievement with all of you.
 Thank you all for your commitment to ITER and thank you Dr. Burkart for
leading our discussions today.

JOINT COMMUNIQUE

From the Ministerial Meeting for ITER

The Six Parties have reached a strong consensus on a number of points.

We have two excellent sites for ITER, so excellent in fact that we need
further evaluation before making our decisions based on consensus.

We have agreed to provide the remaining questions to the candidate host
parties by the end of December for their answers by the end of January.

We will ask the ITER Team in conjunction with the ITER Parties to conduct
a rapid exploration of the advantages of a broader project approach to
fusion power.  This work will be done on the same schedule.

With all this information, we plan to hold a follow-up Ministerial meeting
to reach consensus as quickly as possible, likely to be in February.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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