Russia's state uranium exporter sues U.S. Commerce Department

MOSCOW, July 13 (RIA Novosti) - Techsnabexport, Russia's state-controlled uranium supplier and provider of uranium enrichment services, said Thursday it had filed a lawsuit on July 6 against the U.S. Department of Commerce at a U.S. court for anti-dumping duties imposed on uranium products.

The company said it would contest the department's decision on a five-year term for revising the anti-dumping duties on Russian uranium products, adding that the court would not hear the case before 2008.

Restrictions on imports from Russia of low-enriched uranium have been in force since the Soviet era. Russia is currently allowed to operate on the U.S. market without a 116% import duty only through the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), a special intermediary agent, under the HEU-LEU Conversion program, but is facing anti-dumping procedures.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in response to questions put during a July 6 Web cast, "We disagree with the discriminatory restrictions that are currently in force in the U.S. for Russian nuclear companies, and would like to supply uranium for your [American] nuclear power plants directly, and not via an intermediary monopoly that was established, in our opinion, artificially."

The president added that he planned to discuss the issue with his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush, who will arrive in Russia July 14.