Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 01:49:56 -0500
 
      30 March 1996 (Reuter) - Algeria signed an agreement on
the use of nuclear power with the U.N. International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday, Algerian state radio
reported. The agreement was signed by Foreign Minister Ahmed
Attaf and Hans Blix, head of the IAEA, in the capital Algiers. 

      31 March 1996 (Reuter) - Hans Blix, head of the U.N.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) visited Algeria's
main Chinese-built nuclear reactor and held talks with
Algerian President Liamine Zeroaul, Algerian state radio said.

      30 March 1996 (Reuter) - Russia wants India to sign the
Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive
Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), both regarded by New Delhi as
discriminatory, Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov
said. Primakov did not say whether the issues were discussed
in his talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab
Mukherjee. His visit is the first by a Russian foreign
minister to New Delhi.

      29 March 1996 (Reuter) - The head of the Chernobyl
nuclear power station, site of the world's worst nuclear
accident, is being reprimanded over an incident in which an
employee was irradiated. Nur Nigmatullin, acting chairman of
Ukraine's state nuclear authority, told reporters that last
November's incident had prompted a revamp of safety procedures
at the station less than a month before the 10th anniversaary
of the Chernobyl disaster.

      29 March 1996 (Reuter) - The head of a U.N. committee
negotiating a global treaty to ban nuclear explosions
expressed optimism that the pact could be concluded by June
30, but conceded that "fundamental issues" still  had to be
resolved. Jaap Ramaker, the Dutch ambassador who chairs the
committee on a comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT), also
called for states to be ready to compromise in the "endgame"
of the talks.