Iranian Supreme National Security Council leader Hassan Rohani (left) met today with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (AFP/Getty). IAEA Chief in Tehran, Reports Iranian “Apprehensions” Over Nuclear Inspections In Tehran for a one-day meeting, the top international nuclear inspector said today that Iran has raised “apprehensions” about signing the Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement, which would allow for more intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities (see GSN, Oct. 15)...Full Story

Delegates Skip Inter-Korean Talks in Pyongyang North and South Korean diplomats did not meet today as scheduled for a second day of high-level talks in Pyongyang, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 15)...Full Story

Iraqi War Has Probably Boosted Al-Qaeda Membership, Report Says Operation Iraqi Freedom has probably strengthened al-Qaeda’s membership and determination, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said yesterday in its annual report (see GSN, Sept. 12)...Full Story

	Thursday, October 16, 2003

Iraqi War Has Probably Boosted Al-Qaeda Membership, Report Says Operation Iraqi Freedom has probably strengthened al-Qaeda’s membership and determination, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said yesterday in its annual report (see GSN, Sept. 12). While the war in Iraq has removed a potential supplier of weapons of mass destruction to al-Qaeda and helped to reduce state support for the group, it also “has probably inflamed radical passions among Muslims,” says the group’s Military Balance, an annual assessment of international military capabilities. “The immediate effect of the war may have been to isolate further al-Qaeda from any potential state supporters while also swelling its ranks and galvanizing its will,” the report says. The report also says that the United States must quickly work to impose security in postwar Iraq to prevent the country from “ripening into a cause celebre for radical Islamic terrorists” (Peter Graff, Reuters/Yahoo!News, Oct. 16). Back to top       Homeland Security Notice Warns of Al-Qaeda Chemical Weapons A U.S. Homeland Security Department memorandum warned last week that the al-Qaeda terrorist network is seeking chemical and biological weapons and other, less-sophisticated weapons of mass destruction, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, Sept. 5). The Oct. 10 notice, circulated to airlines, local police and emergency personnel nationwide, says that U.S. intelligence officials have received “multiple reports (that) indicate terrorists may be poised to conduct simultaneous attacks in the near term against U.S. interests.” The memorandum warns of both domestic and international threats. In the memorandum, Homeland Security officials also said that al-Qaeda is interested in “crude poisons” for a “crude chemical dissemination device” (Kehaulani/Mintz, Washington Post, Oct. 16).   Back to top

More Nations Expected to Join Proliferation Security Initiative A U.S.-led, 11-nation effort to interdict shipments of WMD materials will soon be joined by other nations, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 15). The Proliferation Security Initiative is intended to prevent proliferation by seizing shipments of WMD-related cargo in transit. Participants currently include Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. The program “will now be opened up to countries and to international bodies that want to, and have the capacity to, contribute expertise and capabilities which help the PSI achieve its aim,” Downer told the Australian Parliament. The group is planning eight exercises before the middle of next year, including a maritime exercise — led by France and Spain — and a Italian-led air exercise. “I think this broadening of the participation in the PSI is essential and it will obviously strengthen the capacity of the PSI to deal with the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction around the world,” Downer said. The PSI effort is widely acknowledged to be focused on North Korea, Reuters reported (Reuters/Alertnet.org, Oct. 15). Back to top       U.S. House of Representatives Approves Syria Sanctions Bill Voting 398-4, the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday voted passed a bill to enact economic sanctions against Syria if Damascus fails to end its alleged support for terrorism and its suspected efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Oct. 9). The bill, the Syria Accountability Act, is intended to send a “clear message” to Syrian President Bashar Assad, House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) said yesterday. “International sanctions have been levied against Syria for years, and Syria’s regime has only scoffed at them,” DeLay said. “But times have changed, and the heightened sanctions in this bill are just the beginning. Congress will be watching Syria’s every move and responding accordingly,” he added. The lawmakers who opposed the bill said they were unsure that sanctions were the appropriate measure, according to the Washington Times. “The history of unilateral economic sanctions is not encouraging. I’d rather increase, not diminish, the president’s flexibility to respond to Syria,” Representative Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said last week (Stephen Dinan, Washington Times, Oct. 16). Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said today that he was “very happy” that the House approved the sanctions bill. “The House of Representatives vote reflects a sea change in the international community and in the United States, which understands that the battle against terrorism must be global and target not just terrorist organizations but also the countries that aid them,” Shalom said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 16). Back to top       Senate Democrats Seek Clarification on White House Deadline to Provide Materials in CIA Leak Investigation By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Two Senate Democrats yesterday called on the U.S. Justice Department to explain why the White House has yet to turn over all materials relevant to the department’s investigation into the leak of the identity of a CIA operative (see GSN, Oct. 10). Justice is currently investigating the leak of the identity and CIA status of the wife of former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson. In July, Wilson publicly criticized evidence offered by the Bush administration to justify the war with Iraq. Soon after, Wilson’s wife’s identity was made public in a column by Robert Novak, and Wilson has said that he believes the leak was intended as an intimidation tactic by the White House. In a letter sent yesterday to John Dion, head of the Justice Department’s counterespionage section, Senators Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) asked for clarification as to the deadline given to the White House to turn over all relevant materials in the investigation. They cited reports of deadlines ranging from Oct. 10 to Oct. 17 and possibly even later.  “Given the president’s commitment to total cooperation with this investigation, any delay in disclosing evidence to the Department of Justice is difficult to understand. A serious national security breach appears to have been committed, reports have indicated that someone (or some people) within the White House is responsible, yet this investigation is moving at a snail’s pace,” Kennedy and Schumer wrote. The two senators asked Dion to provide the original deadline set in the request for materials sent to the White House around Oct. 2 and to explain what, if any, changes were made to the original deadline and how those changes were determined. They also asked if the White House sought a delay in turning over relevant materials, and if so, what role senior Justice officials had in approving such a request. In addition, Kennedy and Schumer also called on Dion to clarify the roles of senior department officials, including Attorney General John Ashcroft, in the investigation. Congressional Democrats have repeatedly called on Ashcroft to recuse himself from the investigation because of possible conflicts of interest. The New York Times reported today that several senior Justice criminal prosecutors and top FBI officials have also privately criticized Ashcroft for failing to recuse himself from the investigation. In their letter, Kennedy and Schumer once again called for the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the investigation. “Until the attorney general recuses himself from this investigation and a special prosecutor is appointed, all reports of apparent delays and unusual beneficial treatment of the White House will be looked upon by the public with great skepticism. The conflicts of interest run too deep for there to be public confidence in the integrity of this investigation, especially when it appears a serious national security breach is being treated with kid gloves,” Kennedy and Schumer wrote. Back to top

IAEA Chief in Tehran, Reports Iranian “Apprehensions” Over Nuclear Inspections In Tehran for a one-day meeting, the top international nuclear inspector said today that Iran has raised “apprehensions” about signing the Additional Protocol to its nuclear safeguards agreement, which would allow for more intrusive monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities (see GSN, Oct. 15). After meeting with Iranian Supreme National Security Council leader Hassan Rohani, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran is willing to allow extensive inspections but is hesitant about signing the protocol. Some conservative leaders in Tehran have said that signing the protocol would allow inspectors to spy on Iran. “I made it very clear that all these apprehensions are unfounded. I mean the protocol is never meant in any way to compromise state sovereignty, security, dignity and technology development,” ElBaradei said. The IAEA chief said Rohani assured him that “Iran will clarify all the outstanding issues” (Reuters/Financial Times, Oct. 16). To demonstrate complete transparency, Iran would need to open military sites to IAEA inspectors, ElBaradei said. “If it’s civilian or military sites doesn’t matter much,” he said. “We visit sites that are relevant to our work. If it’s important to us to visit a site, we will do so,” he added. ElBaradei said that in recent weeks Iran had been very cooperative with inspectors, and allowed the IAEA to visit a military facility. “We asked and we were allowed to go there,” he said (Brian Murphy, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 16). A U.N. diplomat said that IAEA inspectors had visited the Kolahdouz military facility near Tehran. Iranian dissidents earlier this year alleged that Tehran was enriching uranium at the site (see GSN, July 9). Despite Iran’s cooperation, ElBaradei chided Iran yesterday for not having “100 percent transparency.” He said Iranian authorities invited him to Tehran to discuss the scale of inspections the Additional Protocol would require Iran to accept. “I am ready obviously to walk the extra mile if we can bring the issue to closure as soon as possible,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Oct. 16). Back to top       Delegates Skip Inter-Korean Talks in Pyongyang North and South Korean diplomats did not meet today as scheduled for a second day of high-level talks in Pyongyang, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 15). The two delegations were supposed to meet at 10 a.m. but the officials did not arrive, according to media reports. The stalled talks come after an opening day South Korean appeal for another round of six-nation nuclear negotiations. North Korean diplomats said yesterday that future nuclear talks were in the hands of the United States (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 16). North Korea today said that it would show proof of its controversial, and as yet unseen, nuclear weapons. “When the time comes, the D.P.R.K. will take steps to physically display its nuclear deterrent force,” a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 16). North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency today carried a commentary criticizing U.S. calls for Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear program. There is “no way for us to freeze nuclear processing facilities and give up nuclear deterrence at a time when the U.S. steps up its efforts to stifle us with a hostile policy,” the commentary said. North Korea also repeated its refusal to take part in future nuclear talks that involve Japan. “Japan is a country of 100 harms and no single good,” a separate North Korean commentary said (Agence France-Presse/Channel News Asia, Oct. 16). Back to top       Indian-Pakistani Policies Must Change to Enable Nuclear Risk Reduction, Expert Says By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — While nuclear risk reduction measures are “urgently needed” in South Asia, they will probably not be achieved until India and Pakistan re-evaluate their policies toward each other, a South Asian expert said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 25). The two nuclear-armed rivals have negotiated, but not finalized, a number of agreements to implement nuclear risk reduction measures, said Michael Krepon, former president of the Henry L. Stimson Center. Before those agreements can be completed, however, Pakistan must stop viewing the measures as a bargaining chip to be used with India over the disputed Kashmir region, he said. Speaking at the Middle East Institute, Krepon said Pakistan must view nuclear risk reduction measures as “an absolute good instead of a tradable commodity.” Krepon also said that India needed to do more to relaunch a dialogue with its South Asian rival to facilitate the development of nuclear risk reduction measures. “Containment without engagement is like playing cricket with one hand,” he said. In his remarks yesterday, Krepon also addressed the broader issue of the disputed region of Kashmir, which Pakistan has long maintained is the “core dispute” it has with India. During a speech in Washington late last month, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf outlined an “action plan” to resolve the dispute, which would include a cease-fire on the Line of Control dividing the province, Pakistani aid in facilitating a cease-fire between the Islamic militant groups operating in the Indian side of Kashmir and New Delhi and pledges by India to cease military action in the province.  Krepon said yesterday, however, that Pakistan needed to broadly re-evaluate its policies toward Kashmir, based on the understanding that it cannot settle the dispute militarily or by attempting to achieve through negotiation those territorial objectives in the region it has so far been unable to win through force. The successful resolution of the dispute must be based instead on what is best for the Kashmiri people — the reduction of the Indian military presence in the region, which could be accomplished by an end of Pakistani support for cross-border terrorism, Krepon said. While Pakistan has often called on the United States to aid in facilitating a dialogue between Islamabad and New Delhi, Washington would be less successful in pressuring Pakistani officials to re-evaluate their approach on Kashmir, Krepon predicted. “This can’t be externally driven. It has to be internally learned,” he said. Back to top

Official Says U.S. Smallpox Immunization Efforts Have Stopped The U.S. smallpox immunization program, intended to defend the nation against a bioterrorist attack, has come to an informal halt, USA Today reported today (see GSN, June 19). “The fact is, it’s ceased,” said Raymond Strikas, who directed the civilian immunization program for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Not that anyone’s issued an edict to say stop,” he added. The program to immunize hundreds of thousands of emergency workers was initiated last December with strong support from U.S. President George W. Bush. Health officials initially said they expected to immunize about 450,000 emergency workers to prepare for a possible outbreak, but fewer than 40,000 people have volunteered to receive the vaccine since the program began. The Homeland Security Department denied, however, that the effort fell short of its goals. “We are pleased that the program has inoculated enough first responders and health care workers that could respond should there be an outbreak of smallpox,” said department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse (Anita Manning, USA Today, Oct. 16). Back to top       2001 Anthrax Attacks Highlight Needed Improvements in Public Health Response, GAO Says By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Congressional auditors have found through interviews with public health officials that the response to the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five people, demonstrated that further improvements were needed to better respond to future incidents, according to a U.S. General Accounting Office report released yesterday (see GSN, June 26). The GAO report, based on interviews with officials from the Health and Human Services Department and Defense Department as well as state and local officials, comes two years after the first reports of anthrax infections in the eastern United States (see GSN, Oct. 10). Those infections, caused by a still-unsolved act of biological terrorism, demonstrated areas of improvement for U.S., state and local officials concerning biological response, the report says. According to the report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was “challenged” to both coordinate the federal response to the anthrax attacks, which occurred in five states, and to help support state and local response efforts. The CDC has acknowledged that it was more effective in aiding state and local efforts than in managing the overall public health response, the report says. It also says that the anthrax attacks demonstrated the CDC’s difficulties in managing the large amounts of information that was coming into the agency at the time and in communicating with public health officials, the media and the general public. The report also notes, however, a number of efforts initiated by the CDC following the anthrax attacks to better prepare for a future act of biological terrorism. For example, the agency has restructured its director’s office, enhanced the agency’s communication infrastructure and has worked to develop a database of information and expertise on biological weapons agents, the report says. It also notes that the CDC has increased its collaborative efforts with other agencies, such as establishing a permanent liaison to the FBI. In an attached response to the report, Dara Corrigan, Health and Human Services acting principal deputy inspector general, outlined a number of efforts her department took outside of the CDC both during and following the anthrax attacks. For example, during the attacks the office of the Health and Human Services secretary established an ad hoc emergency operation center to help coordinate the efforts of all department assets, Corrigan wrote. Following the attacks, Health and Human Services undertook a number of “significant actions” to improve preparedness for a future act of biological terrorism, such as creating the Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and accelerating the acquisition of antibiotics for the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile, she wrote. In its report, the GAO also said that the anthrax attacks demonstrated a lack of available treatments and vaccines against the disease. In addition, the attacks also indicated that many doctors did not have the training to recognize and respond to anthrax, which rarely occurs in the United States, according to the report. Congressional auditors also found through interviews with state and local public health officials both areas of strength and of needed improvement in their response to the anthrax attacks, according to the report. For example, state and local officials said their planning efforts had helped in enacting a rapid and coordinated response and that their response had benefited from previous experiences, such as other public health emergencies or training exercises, the report says. It also says, however, that the officials acknowledged that they had not recognized the level of coordination that would be needed across public and private entities involved in responding to the attacks and that they had difficulties in reaching local doctors to provide them with “needed guidance” In addition, the report says, state and local public health officials also said that the capacity of their workforce and of their clinical laboratories had been strained by the attacks. They also said that their responses would have been “difficult to sustain” if the attacks had been more extensive, the report says. In a press statement yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) praised the GAO report and the progress made in improving national preparedness against future acts of biological terrorism. “Today’s report effectively contributes to our base of knowledge about the anthrax attacks and the public health response — helping us understand what worked and what didn’t, and detailing what has been accomplished since that time to better prepare the nation against this threat,” said Frist, who commissioned the report. “The anthrax attacks two years ago demonstrated that much work was needed to prepare our nation against the threat of bioterrorism. I commend [Health and Human Services] Secretary [Tommy] Thompson and the [Bush] administration for their aggressive efforts to build on our experiences and better prepare the nation against these deadly threats,” Frist said. Earlier this week, however, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) criticized what he described as a lack of progress in improving biological terrorism defenses. In a press statement Tuesday, Lieberman said the United States continues to lack effective countermeasures against anthrax and that emergency response personnel still lack needed funding. “The casualty potential of a biological attack is far greater than any other mode of terrorist attack we have seen to date and the administration’s progress has been negligible,” Lieberman said. “We clearly are not prepared for a serious bioterror attack. And we need to undertake bold, new steps to get ready,” he said. Back to top

Bulgaria Needs Missile Defense System, General Says Bulgaria needs to develop a missile defense system to protect against ballistic and cruise missile attacks, Bulgarian Army Chief of Staff Nikola Kolev said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 10). “As a military person I can tell you this problem must be solved,” Kolev said. “If some countries are not dispossessed of their capabilities to build such weapons, we’ll have to build such a system sooner or later,” he said. Kolev denied, however, recent reports suggesting that the United States was interested in deploying missile defense system in Bulgaria to defend against a possible Iranian attack, according to the Bulgarian News Network. “This issue hasn’t been raised with Bulgaria officially and no talks on it have been held,” Kolev said (Bulgarian News Network, Oct. 15).   Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

© Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.