Japan, Canada and the European Union should put up money to help dismantle Russia's nuclear arsenal, Howard Baker, President George W. Bush's choice as the next ambassador to Japan, said Wednesday.
In a congressional hearing, Baker said Bush should press these governments to assume "a fair share of the costs of these efforts that will enhance the security of these countries as much as that of the U.S. and Russia."
Baker heads a task force created by the Energy Department to help dispose of a huge amount of nuclear weapons and weapons-grade materials that could fall into the hands of terrorists and hostile nations since the demise of the Soviet Union.
"This Cold War arsenal is spread across 11 time zones but lacks the Cold War infrastructure that provided the control and financing necessary to assure that chains of command remain intact and nuclear weapons and materials remain securely beyond the reach of terrorists and weapons-proliferating states," Baker said.