http://www.newsday.com/ap/rnmpne0e.htm

Russia Won't Cooperate on Y2K Bug

By CHRIS ALLBRITTON AP Cyberspace Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- In another show of protest over the fighting in Kosovo, Russia's Defense Ministry said Friday it will stop cooperating with the United States on the Y2K computer problem.

A ministry spokesman made the announcement to a government committee that is tackling the problem, the Interfax news agency said.

In Washington, Sen. Robert F. Bennett, chairman of the Senate Special Committee on the Year 2000 Technology Problem, urged Russia to reconsider.

``I think it's very shortsighted and potentially dangerous,'' he said. ``It doesn't mean something bad is going to happen. But it means that our chances of preventing something bad from happening just went down.''

Western defense officials have been working with Russia on upgrading its computers for fear that the cash-starved country has not done enough to tackle the millennium bug. Some fear that faulty computers could trigger false alarms on Russia's nuclear early warning systems.

Accidental launches of nuclear missiles are highly unlikely, experts in both countries said, but they urged extra precautions until the computer problem is fixed.

``The potential for nuclear accident is very small, but the thing we're finding here is that Y2K problems can kick off human errors,'' Bennett said. ``The best way to make sure some human doesn't make a mistake because of Y2K is mutual and open dialogue.''

As part of the effort, the two countries had planned to station experts in each other's nuclear facilities in the months before and after Jan. 1, 2000. The program was to be mostly U.S.-funded.

The Y2K bug occurs because many computers programmed to recognize only the last two digits of a year won't work properly beginning Jan. 1, 2000, when machines will assume it is 1900. Some computers can be reprogrammed, but many devices have embedded microchips that must be replaced.

AP-NY-03-26-99 1907EST

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TOOOO Much........ Way tooooooo much.... B

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), March 26, 1999

Answers

Maybe they have plans for the nukes and won't need to fix them?

Too much WAY TOOOOO MUCH......

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), March 26, 1999.

Senator Bennett said, "I think it's very shortsighted and potentially dangerous."

Are you sure he was talking about the Russians?

Maybe he was talking about the actions of the Commander and Chief of The United States of America?

-- PNG (png@gol.com), March 26, 1999.

Yeah, helium, Russia may have plans for those nukes that will make Y2K a moot point.

See: Russia and China Prepare for War

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), March 26, 1999.

helium -

nobody has plans for that many nukes...

PNG - you are correct in both instances...dunno but this is one of those where a person can be right and still end up being, well, dead right, you know?

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), March 26, 1999.

Oh man, I could really use some good news right about now.

-- Deborah (infowars@yahoo.com), March 27, 1999.

Helium,

I did not find the story at the URL you referenced.

-- Watcher (anon@anon.com), March 27, 1999.

Damn! This is crazy. I'd better stary brushing up on my high school Spanish. I hear that parts of Mexico are pretty nice in the winter!

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), March 27, 1999.

Watcher;

I went to th URL and the story is gone. Either AP uses the same URL over and over in its headline bank or the story was removed. I watched a lot of AP stories "disappear" yesterday. They were like ghosts. All of the stories that went away were very bad news items, Ground war, Thinking of restarting the Draft, the like. Maybe someone saw the story and didn't think it was news so they removed them,

I really wonder what is going on in this news blackout...

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), March 27, 1999.