Belgrade, Feb 6, 2004 - The Serbian Ministry of Science, Technology and Development stated that a decision on the transformation of the Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences will be postponed until the formation of a new Serbian government, with the aim of resolving the unnecessarily politicised situation surrounding the transformation in a sensible and peaceful manner.
Serbian Minister of Science, Technology and Development Dragan Domazet told a press conference that such decision was made by mutual agreement of the Serbian government, certain parliamentary parties and the Vinca leadership.
Minister Domazet said that Vinca's transformation is inevitable and voiced hope that a new government will implement it, since the proposed concept of transformation follows modern scientific trends and is adjusted to Serbia's specific needs and conditions.
He said that the Ministry increased its financing of the institute by 80 percent in relation to 2002, and that it invested $1 million for the purchase of new laboratory equipment. The Ministry's funding of Vinca should increase doubly after the transformation.
Vinca Acting Director Dragoslav Petrovic said that the institute's expert group completed the drawing up of the Green Vinca ten-year project, which is expected according to the transformation plan to permanently remove fully used and unused nuclear fuel and waste from Vinca in order to make it completely ecologically clean.
