Communication received from France concerning its policies regarding the management of plutonium. Statements on the management of plutonium and of highly enriched uranium

The Director General has received a Note Verbale, dated 12 October 2004, from the Permanent Mission of France to the IAEA in the enclosures of which the Government of France, in keeping with its commitment under the Guidelines for the Management of Plutonium (contained in INFCIRC/549 of 16 March 1998 and hereinafter referred to as the 'Guidelines'), and in accordance with Annexes B and C of the Guidelines, has made available annual figures for holdings of civil unirradiated plutonium and the estimated amounts of plutonium contained in spent civil reactor fuel as of 31 December 2003. The Government of France has also made available a statement of its annual figures for holdings of civil high enriched uranium (HEU) as of 31 December 2003. In light of the request expressed by the Government of France in its Note Verbale of 28 November 1997 concerning its policies regarding the management of plutonium (INFCIRC/549 of 16 March 1998), the enclosures of the Note Verbale of 12 October 2004 are attached for the information of all Member States.