CSCAP convened an Experts' Group at the Cooperative Monitoring Center of Sandia National Laboratories to examine potential nuclear transparency measures for East Asia.  As a continuation of policy-oriented discussions of cooperative regional mechanisms over the last two years, this group sought to identify specific near term transparency activities.  Participants agreed to a "generic nuclear energy monitoring scheme" in which they would design and offer a package of transparency technologies to regional nuclear industries.  The initial focus of the transparency package will be airborne radiation and facility safety issues; however, long term issues like spent fuel and waste disposition will be addressed in logical extensions of the initial concept.

The Experts' Group included nuclear industry experts from China, Japan, Canada, the United States, and Taiwan.  Observers from Singapore and New Zealand added a broad regional perspective.  Nuclear experts in Russia and South Korea, who were unable to attend, received briefings immediately afterwards.

The working group focused on airborne radiation and facility safety issues as being most suitable for a first generation monitoring exercise.  However, the technologies for those issues could address some aspects of transportation and material security issues at the same time.  The level of data that is intended to be shared will be predominately suitable for wide distribution, with the caveat that distribution may be restricted during the start-up phase.

At the conclusion of the workshop Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory engineers agreed to make a draft design for the generic nuclear energy monitoring system.