"In total, Russia has repatriated some 900 kilograms (1,980 pounds) of enriched uranium from the reactors of research institutes in former Yugoslavia, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Libya," ITAR-TASS quoted an official at Rosatom, Russia's atomic energy agency, as saying.

The initiative is part of an US-Russia agreement backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to remove enriched uranium fuel from countries where it could potentially be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.

"The goal of the US and of Russia ... is to reduce the increasing risk of nuclear material falling into the hands of international terrorists," Rosatom spokesman Nikolai Chingaryov told the news agency.

According to Rosatom, Russia has been given the green light by 12 different states, including ex-Soviet republics and countries in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, to remove enriched uranium from 16 reactors.

Last week, the US and Russia repatriated 11 kilograms (24.2 pounds) of enriched uranium from the Academy of Science of the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan, whose government is facing growing Islamist unrest.

The fuel included highly-enriched uranium that could be used for manufacturing nuclear weapons which was brought to Uzbekistan during Soviet times.

In June 2001, the Russian parliament had passed amendments to the law on the evironmental protection allowing Russia to import used nuclear fuel for stocking and reprocessing.

In June of this year, Russia said it was building an international facility to stock used nuclear fuel, under the control of the IAEA.

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