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Kerry Outlines Nuclear Nonproliferation, Bioterrorism Prevention Strategies By Mike Nartker WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is set to challenge President George W. Bush during this year’s presidential election, this week outlined his approaches to preventing nuclear proliferation and acts of bioterrorism (see GSN, June 1). In a speech last week, Kerry outlined his views on national security policy, which included a call to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. During a speech yesterday in West Palm Beach, Fla., Kerry offered several proposals to prevent terrorist groups and rogue states from acquiring nuclear weapons, saying that would be his “No. 1 security goal” if elected. “The Cold War may be over, the nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States may have ended, but the possibility of terrorists using nuclear weapons is very real indeed,” Kerry said. “The question before us now is what shadowy figures may someday have their finger on a nuclear button if we don’t act. It is time again that we have leadership at the highest levels that treats this threat with the sense of seriousness, urgency, and purpose it demands,” he added. Kerry came under fire yesterday from Bush allies, who accused the senator of offering nuclear nonproliferation proposals similar to those already implemented by the White House and for offering too many “concessions” to countries such as Iran and North Korea. Kerry’s speech put forth “a belated, me-too approach,” Representative Porter Goss (R-Fla.) said yesterday during a press briefing hosted by the Bush presidential campaign. “He hasn’t really finished his job and done his homework,” Goss added. In his speech, Kerry stressed the need to secure stockpiles of weapon-grade nuclear materials, especially those within Russia and the former Soviet Union. He said that he would “ensure” within his first term that all Russian weapon-grade materials would be removed from sites where they were not adequately secured, and said that he would seek during his first summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin an agreement to remove bureaucratic obstacles to U.S.-Russian cooperation to securing Russian nuclear stockpiles. During the Bush campaign’s briefing yesterday, however, former White House deputy homeland security adviser Richard Falkenrath said that Kerry would “embarrass” Putin and hinder threat reduction efforts with Russia by making the issue the centerpiece of his first meeting with the Russian leader. Falkenrath also accused Kerry of seeking to “dictate” that Russia move its nuclear materials to sites considered by the United States to be more secure. Kerry also criticized as too slow a recently announced U.S. Energy Department effort that would seek to recover U.S.- and Russian-origin fresh and spent highly enriched uranium fuel from research reactors around the world within the next 10 years. Kerry said that he would seek to safeguard such material within four years. “We can’t wait — and I won’t wait when I am president,” he said. Kerry said that he would increase funding for the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which seeks to secure and destroy former Soviet WMD stockpiles; work with U.S. allies to verifiably ban the production of highly enriched uranium and plutonium for weapons purposes; and appoint a coordinator for nuclear terrorism and counterproliferation to oversee nonproliferation efforts. In addition, Kerry said that he would cancel plans to begin research on new “bunker-busting” low-yield nuclear weapons. “This is a weapon we don’t need. And it undermines our credibility in persuading other nations. What kind of message does it send when we’re asking other countries not to develop nuclear weapons, but developing new ones ourselves?” Kerry said. During yesterday’s conference call, Goss, along with Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), said that bunker-busting nuclear weapons could be useful in attacking underground sites used by terrorists groups and rogue states. “If we knew that [terrorist mastermind Osama] bin Laden is hiding underground, we can pinpoint him and we have a precision-guided missile that will go underground him and get him, yes, I would advocate the use of that weapon,” Chambliss said. Kerry accused the Bush administration during his speech of focusing too heavily on Iraq and ignoring the potential nuclear threats posed by Iran and North Korea. While saying that he would maintain the White House policy of using multilateral talks to seek a resolution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis, Kerry also said that he was willing to offer Pyongyang the prospect of bilateral negotiations. “This problem is too urgent to allow China, or others at the table, to speak for us,” he said, referring to the current six-party talks approach, which involves China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States. The United States should also address the growing threat posed by Iran’s nuclear efforts by organizing a coalition of countries to supply nuclear fuel for its civilian nuclear plants, as Tehran has claimed to be developing, and to recover the spent fuel so that it cannot be used for weapons purposes, Kerry said. “The Iranians claim they’re simply trying to meet domestic energy needs,” he said. “If Iran does not accept this, their true motivations will be clear,” Kerry added. Chambliss, Goss and Falkenrath, however, accused Kerry of being too willing to offer concessions to Iran and North Korea. “As an American, I would be concerned about somebody wanting to be commander in chief who is right out of the box going to jump in bed … with the Iranians and the North Koreans on a nuclear issue,” Chambliss said. Kerry’s proposal to offer to hold bilateral talks with North Korea on its nuclear program would remove any incentive for Pyongyang to participate in the larger six-party talks, Falkenrath said. He also criticized Kerry for seemingly being unconvinced of Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons. “The senator really should study the intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program more carefully,” Falkenrath said. “There’s no doubt about the true motivation for the Iranian nuclear program. It is to acquire a nuclear weapons capability, and we should not be leaving that idea open,” he added. BioterrorismKerry was criticized yesterday from administration supporters for failing to discuss the threat posed by biological and chemical weapons in his address. Today, he outlined during a speech in Tampa, Fla., several measures to prevent terrorist attacks involving biological weapons, including: * working with U.S. allies to strengthen the international ban on biological weapons and to improve security at laboratories that work with dangerous pathogens; * giving high priority to U.S.-Russian efforts to improve the security of any remaining Russian biological weapons and to help former biological weapons scientists transition to peaceful, medical work; * accelerating the development of new treatments and vaccines in the United States to create a “Medical Arsenal of Democracy”; and * appointing a high-level official, responsible for working with state and local officials, to oversee all bioterrorist prevention efforts and funding. “There are steps we can take to strengthen our biodefense and preparedness to a level that can reduce the threat and prevent a national tragedy. This will take high-level attention, focused strategies and decisive leadership,” Kerry said.
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