It was recognized that a high-level decision-making process would be required for the Participants in ITER Negotiations to come to consensus on key aspects of the realisation of ITER. This process has now been established through a planned series of Preparatory Meetings. The Preparatory Meetings address the following matters:

o The site for ITER

o Key Personnel to head the Management Structure

o Procurement Allocation (which Party provides which components)

o Cost Sharing for the Project's Construction, Operation, De-activation and De-commissioning phases

The Participants in ITER Negotiations have agreed upon a work plan and milestones, endeavouring to reach agreement on these matters in the Autumn 2003. It is planned that the Negotiations on ITER could be concluded by the turn of this year.

On 19th June 2003 the first Preparatory Meeting (P-1) was held at the IAEA in Vienna. At this meeting the Republic of Korea joined as a Participant to ITER Negotiations, bringing the total to seven. Each Participant submitted its first indications of position for the various matters, as a basis for discussions among them. At the conclusion of P-1, all of the Participants agreed that substantial progress had been made on the path to the implementation of ITER.

The next meeting, P-2, is scheduled to take place at the IAEA in Vienna at the start of October.

(posted on ITER web site June 24, 2003)