China hosted a reception Friday for delegates to six-nation talks on North Korean nuclear crisis (AFP photo/Goh Chai Hin). N.K. Calls U.S. Proposal “Unrealistic” North Korea has rejected a U.S. plan presented last week to end the Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis, calling its “unrealistic” and unacceptable, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, June 25)...Full Story

Iran Set to Resume Building Centrifuges Tomorrow Iran said yesterday it would resume building uranium-enrichment centrifuges tomorrow, adding that it welcomed international supervision of their manufacture (see GSN, June 25)...Full Story

Bush Nuclear Weapons Plan Hits House Roadblock By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Friday that completely omitted money for controversial nuclear weapons research and development programs requested by the Bush administration...Full Story

	Monday, June 28, 2004

U.S., EU Issue WMD Proliferation Statement The United States and the European Union said Saturday that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction “is a major threat to international peace and security” in a joint declaration issued at the U.S.-EU summit in Shannon, Ireland. The statement listed joint actions aimed at preventing, containing and reversing proliferation: *         Urging all states to fully implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540, which identifies actions states should take to stop WMD proliferation (see GSN, April 29); *         Establishing new measures in accordance with the G-8 Action Plan for Nonproliferation, announced June 9 (see GSN, June 10); *         Preserving the integrity of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (see GSN, May 10); *         Strengthening and universalizing treaties and regimes that ban WMD proliferation; *         Enhancing efforts to promote radioactive materials security; and *         Amending the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Materials to cover domestic transport, storage and use of nuclear material for peaceful purposes. The parties said they were “disturbed by Iran’s recent announcement of its intention to resume manufacturing and assembly of centrifuges” and urged that country to “rethink its decision,” according to the document (see related GSN story, today).  They also called for North Korea to “completely, verifiably, and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear program,” and expressed concern about the potential for Pyongyang to “export fissile material or nuclear weapons to dangerous states and terrorist groups” (see related GSN story, today). In contrast with criticisms of Iran and North Korea, the declaration praised Libya’s abandonment of its WMD programs, and said the United States and the European Union would work with Libya to implement its nonproliferation commitments (White House release, June 26). Back to top       Asian Countries to Discuss Nonproliferation The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 23-member regional forum is set to discuss later this week a draft document calling for increased efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, March 17). Foreign ministers from ASEAN Regional Forum members are set to discuss the document during talks Friday in Jakarta, AFP reported. A draft of the document calls on members to strengthen export controls and enforcement and to fully implement any international nonproliferation treaties to which they belong (Agence France-Presse, June 28). Back to top

N.K. Calls U.S. Proposal “Unrealistic” North Korea has rejected a U.S. plan presented last week to end the Korean Peninsula nuclear crisis, calling its “unrealistic” and unacceptable, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, June 25). “The U.S. offer to allow a ‘three-month preparatory period’ for nuclear dismantlement was so unscientific and unrealistic that nobody could support it,” said a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency. “It was noteworthy that the United States acknowledged the need to compensate the nuclear freeze while making what they call a progressive offer,” the statement adds. The agency spokesman added that U.S. decision to refrain from using the term “complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of nuclear programs” at the four-day talks that ended Saturday was “fortunate” (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 28). The next round of high-level talks is tentatively scheduled for September, and working group negotiations are set to “convene at the earliest possible date to define the scope, duration and verification as well as corresponding measures for first steps for denuclearization,” according to a statement from China, which chaired the latest talks in Beijing. Meanwhile, the State Department said Friday that the widely reported threat from North Korea to test a nuclear weapon was a mischaracterization of the Pyongyang’s statement, the Associated Press reported. “There’s been a lot written about the issue of a threat from the North Koreans to test,” said State Department spokesman Adam Ereli. “The remarks that are being reported were not phrased as a threat, No. 1. It was phrased as a statement that some in Pyongyang wanted to test a nuclear weapon,” he added. “This is not something new. We’ve heard these sort of comments before,” Ereli said. “It was not phrased or given as an ultimatum,” he added (Barry Schweid, Associated Press/Monterey Herald, June 25). Elsewhere, U.S. officials said the proposal offered by the United States in Beijing was the result of efforts by Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Wall Street Journal reported. Powell wanted to include a pledge that the United States would not seek to depose the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, according to one official. The White House instead offered multilateral assurance that the United States did not intend to attack or invade the Stalinist state, the official added. Officials said disagreements as to how much the United States would offer in the proposal continued until the start of the talks last Wednesday morning. Some experts say such disagreements within the administration undermine any possibility of a negotiated settlement. “Allowing the infighting to continue has hamstrung any possibility” of an agreement with North Korea, because the United States has not decided what it wants, said Charles Pritchard of the Brookings Institution (Gordon Fairclough, Wall Street Journal, June 28). Back to top       Iran Set to Resume Building Centrifuges Tomorrow Iran said yesterday it would resume building uranium-enrichment centrifuges tomorrow, adding that it welcomed international supervision of their manufacture (see GSN, June 25). International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohammad ElBaradei said he hoped Tehran would reverse its decision. “I hope that this decision is of a temporary nature. I hope it will be reversed,” ElBaradei said. “Iran needs to do the maximum to build confidence after a period of confidence deficit. I look at this whole suspension of enrichment as part of this confidence-building,” he added (Associated Press/South Florida Sun-Sentinel, June 28). The United States and the European Union condemned Iran on Saturday for planning to resume its nuclear work, Reuters reported. “The U.S. and the EU were disturbed by Iran’s recent announcement of its intention to resume manufacturing and assembly of centrifuges and called on Iran to rethink its decision,” a joint statement released by the two parties said (Reuters, June 26). Iran responded yesterday to Saturday’s statement with indifference, Agence France-Presse reported. “Nothing very important has happened,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi. Asefi added that, while Iran would resume building centrifuges tomorrow, it remains committed to its suspension of uranium enrichment (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 27). Iran is set to hold talks with the United Kingdom, France and Germany this week, according to AFP. “The Islamic republic will have discussions with the Europeans this week,” said top national security official Hassan Rohani. “We are ready for dialogue and we accept the invitation from the three Europeans,” he added. Talks are set to begin Tuesday at the experts level, with ministerial-level meetings coming later, according to Iranian television (Agence France-Presse/Pakistan Daily Times, June 27). Meanwhile, Russia said yesterday it would step up talks aimed at finalizing a nuclear fuel supply agreement for the power reactor Russia is building in Iran, despite U.S. pressure to abandon the deal, Gateway to Russia reported. The long-sought agreement hinges on Russia’s demand that Iran return spent fuel from the Bushehr reactor to Moscow. However, the document signing has been delayed repeatedly, raising speculation that Russia could bend to U.S. pressure and end the $800 million reactor project, according to Gateway to Russia. Russian officials have consistently said, however, that there is no fundamental disagreement over the spent fuel arrangement. “We don’t face any difficulties with signing of the deal on the return on nuclear fuel from the Bushehr nuclear plant,” said Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia’s nuclear agency. “Our Iranian colleagues have confirmed they are ready to sign this document ... We will speed up talks if we see the process is being delayed because we need to fulfill our contractual obligations,” he added (Gateway to Russia, June 28). Elsewhere, an influential member of the U.S. House of Representatives said last week that the United States should enlist Russia’s assistance in halting Iran’s drive to acquire nuclear weapons, Defense Today reported. “I have no doubt that Iran is crashing on a nuclear weapons program,” said Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. He added that he would offer legislative and policy proposals aimed at winning Russia’s support in reigning in Tehran (Richard Mullen, Defense Today, June 28). Back to top       Bush Nuclear Weapons Plan Hits House Roadblock By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill Friday that completely omitted money for controversial nuclear weapons research and development programs requested by the Bush administration. In approving its version of the fiscal 2005 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill in a 370-16 vote, the House did not provide the requested $27.6 million for the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator study or $9 million for other nuclear weapons research and development work under the Advanced Concepts Initiative (see GSN, June 10). It also omitted $29.8 million to begin building a new nuclear weapons pit production facility called the Modern Pit Facility. The decision to omit the funding originated with House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee Chairman David Hobson (R-Ohio), and was approved by his subcommittee and the full Appropriations Committee. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet voted on its version of the bill. The White House released a statement Friday condemning the omissions and a statement by the Energy Department urged that the money be added when the House and Senate meet to reconcile differences in their respective versions of the bill. “The administration strongly opposes the elimination of funding for the Advanced Concepts Initiative, the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator study, and planning for the Modern Pit Facility. These reductions, if sustained, would diminish the nation’s ability to respond to future national security threats,” the White House said in its statement. The Bush administration suggested that the money be redirected from the Army Corps of Engineers or the Energy Department’s nuclear energy research and development funding. Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), who has two nuclear weapons laboratories in her district, praised the cuts. The decision “demonstrates the distrust and growing bipartisan concern about the Bush administration's future nuclear policy,” she said in a prepared statement. “The administration intends to create an international arena where nuclear weapons are prized and nonproliferation programs are nullified,” she said. An amendment proposed by Tauscher last month to block funding for the nuclear programs in the House fiscal 2005 defense authorization bill was narrowly defeated by 10 votes, largely along partisan lines. Both the House and the Senate separately approved full authorization for the programs in the defense funding bill. Back to top       Niger Attempted to Sell Uranium to Countries Including Iraq, European Intelligence Officials Say European intelligence officials said that smugglers in Niger were negotiating uranium sales to Iraq and four other countries from 1999 to 2001, the Financial Times reported yesterday (see GSN, May 17). European intelligence officials learned during that period that the smugglers planed to sell uranium ore and refined uranium ore called yellowcake to China, Iran, Iraq, Libya and North Korea, according to the Times. Meetings between Niger officials and buyers from the five countries were held in several European countries, including Italy, according to a senior counterproliferation official.  The European intelligence officials’ claims help to support arguments made by the United States and the United Kingdom prior to the invasion of Iraq that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein sought to obtain uranium from an African country, later identified as Niger, according to the Times. The Iraq-Niger uranium claims became discredited, however, after documents concerning the issue purportedly sent by a Niger official to a senior Iraqi official were later found to have been forgeries (Mark Huband, Financial Times, June 27). Back to top       Syria Open to International Inspections: ElBaradei Syria has expressed a willingness to allow international inspectors to examine its nuclear activities, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said Saturday (see GSN, June 25). “The Syrians told me they would be happy if we go and verify whatever we need to verify,” ElBaradei said during a flight to Moscow. “But we haven’t gotten any piece of information on why we should be concerned about Syria,” he said. Citing diplomats, Reuters reported last week that the agency is considering whether Syria was a client of the international nuclear network headed by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. ElBaradei said Saturday, though, that no evidence has yet been provided to indicate that Syria was involved in the network. “This is something I read in the paper. Nobody came to us with any information (about Syria),” he said (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, June 26). Back to top       Above-Ground Uranium Storage Planned for Y-12 Plant The Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee in August will begin construction of an above-ground storage facility for weapon-grade uranium, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, June 14). The design was adopted despite cost and security concerns listed in a March U.S. Energy Department inspector general’s report, according to AP. An earlier proposal called for a partially buried complex, but U.S. Energy Department spokesman Steven Wyatt said building the $250 million facility above ground would be “more flexible and cost-effective.” The weapons plant’s uranium stockpiles would be consolidated in the storage facility, which is expected to be completed in 2007. Y-12 contractor BWXT recommended the above-ground design. The previous contractor, Lockheed Martin, had proposed a partially buried complex. Critics say an above-ground facility could harm security efforts. “Instead of guarding one side of the building, you have to guard five,” said Peter Stockton, a security analyst with the Project on Government Oversight, earlier this year. BWXT President Dennis Ruddy said that burying the vaults wouldn’t automatically enhance security. “Then you’ve got to have sensors in the building that would tell you if somebody is burrowing in under the ground,” Ruddy said. “If the facility is sitting out there and you’ve got a guard tower on every corner, you just have to look out the window to see if anybody’s monkeying around,” he added (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, June 27). Back to top       ElBaradei Urges Israel to Join Nuclear-Free Zone Israel needs to “clarify” its nuclear program and support the creation of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said Saturday (see GSN, April 28). “I think everybody takes it as a given that Israel has a nuclear capability if not nuclear weapons,” he said in Moscow. ElBaradei is scheduled to travel to Israel from July 6-8 as part of his IAEA-mandated efforts to create a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East, according to Agence France-Presse. “As we know Israel is the only country in the Middle East so far as we know that has (nuclear) facilities that are not under international safeguards,” ElBaradei said. “So it’s part of my mandate to go and talk to Israel to see whether I can get things started somewhat,’ he said (Agence France-Presse/Jordan Times, June 28). Back to top

Bioterrorism Fight Could Be Creating New Hazards The push to defend the United States against bioterrorism by licensing more researchers and facilities to conduct related experiments could be creating new hazards, the Baltimore Sun reported yesterday (see GSN, June 25). Some scientists say the increase in the number of individuals and organizations conducting germ research in the United States — now standing at 11,119 workers in 317 laboratories — heightens the possibility of an accidental or even deliberate release of those pathogens. The growing effort has achieved some successes, such as developing new ways to detect anthrax, said Martin Hugh-Jones, an anthrax researcher at Louisiana State University. However, “I think we’ve spent an awful lot of money, and I'm not sure we’re much better off,” he added. The U.S. Bioterrorism Act, passed after the anthrax mail attacks of 2001 killed five people, imposed new regulations on germ research. American Biological Safety Association President Stefan Wagener said many of the new regulations have been beneficial. “I would say the impact has been positive,” said Wagener, a microbiologist who oversees the Canada’s highest-security biological defense lab. “But has the law made the United States safer from an insider’s bioterrorist attack? That’s harder to answer,” he added. Since registration began last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has inspected and certified 235 facilities nationwide and granted provisional approval to 82 more to work with anthrax and other select agents. The 11,119 researchers have been cleared by the FBI of criminal or terrorist backgrounds. The number of projects involving anthrax went from 28 in 2000 to 253 last year, while projects mentioning “bioterrorism” and related terms increased from 25 in 2000 to 665 last year, according to the National Institutes of Health. “The number of institutions working actively with select agents has skyrocketed,” said Edward Hammond, who tracks biodefense research for the Sunshine Project, a Texas-based watchdog group. “In terms of accidental release, I think we’re unquestionably less safe than we were before 2001,” he added (Scott Shane, Baltimore Sun, June 27). Back to top

Suspects Detained for Attempted “Mustard Gas” Sale Turkish police detained four suspects for attempting to sell what the four claimed to be mustard gas brought from Azerbaijan, the BBC reported yesterday (see GSN, June 17). Police confiscated 20 test tubes of liquids, solids and powders during the arrest, and the suspects were charged with “fraud and smuggling. The potential chemical agent was set to be analyzed (BBC Monitoring, June 27). Back to top

India, Pakistan Agree on Missile Test Notification By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — India and Pakistan agreed today to develop a formal system for the advance notification of missile flight tests conducted by the two nuclear-armed rivals (see GSN, June 22). The agreement was reached during two days of talks that ended today in New Delhi between Indian Foreign Secretary Shashank and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Khokhar. During the talks, the two officials agreed to have expert-level delegations develop a draft agreement on establishing a pretest notification system, according to a joint statement.  Advance notification of missile tests was one of a set of nuclear confidence-building measures recommended during expert-level talks held earlier this month between India and Pakistan. While India and Pakistan now provide each other with informal advance notification of their missile tests, experts have said that a formal prenotification system would improve the confidence the two countries place in the information they receive. The agreement on advance notification of missile tests was an attempt by India and Pakistan to “keep the image” of moving forward with peace talks without making progress on more substantial issues, Husain Haqqani, a South Asian expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, said today. The two countries have little to fear from a ballistic missile strike by one another, Haqqani said, adding that the threat of “subconventional warfare,” such as cross-border terrorism, was more likely.  The two foreign secretaries also agreed today on several measures intended to help improve relations, such as an increase in embassy staff levels, an agreement “in principle” to re-establish consulates in the Indian city of Mumbai and the Pakistani city of Karachi, and the immediate release of all apprehended fishermen in each other’s custody. The talks were held as part of a peace dialogue launched by India and Pakistan early this year with the hope of resolving many of their bilateral issues, chiefly the dispute over the Kashmir region, over which the countries have twice gone to war. Shashank and Khokhar discussed Kashmir and agreed to “continue the sustained and serious dialogue to find a peaceful negotiated final settlement,” according to the joint statement. Both sides praised the talks, according to reports. “There is a new spirit of engaging each other consistently and substantively,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan was quoted by the Associated Press as saying. As for India, AP quoted External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh as saying that the talks involved “positive discussions and concrete outcomes.” The two foreign secretaries also agreed today that a set of talks would be held next month and in the first half of August on a number of other issues, including terrorism, drug trafficking and economic cooperation. In addition, the two officials pledged to personally meet in the third week of August to review the progress made in the dialogue and to prepare for a meeting of the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers, to be held soon after. During the talks, Khokhar conveyed to Shashank invitations to visit Islamabad from Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Abdul Kalam and ruling Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi. Back to top       North Korea May Have Tested Short-Range Missile North Korea may have tested a short-range ballistic missile last week on the first day of the latest round of multilateral talks intended to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to Asia Pulse (see GSN, June 10). The Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun reported Saturday that the missile was tested Wednesday from a site in North Korea’s South Hamgyeong Province. The missile reportedly had a range of up to 200 kilometers and was fired from a mobile launcher, according to Asia Pulse. While the United States has confirmed the missile test, Japan has yet to follow suit, according to the Japanese newspaper Tokyo Shimbun (Asia Pulse, June 28). Back to top

U.S. Seeks East European Missile Defense Base The United States is in discussions with the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland over the possibility of one of the three countries hosting a U.S. missile interceptor launch site, Knight Ridder reported today (see GSN, June 22). While the U.S.-Polish talks were made public in May, discussions between the United States and the other two countries was first learned by Arms Control Today, which is set to release a report on the issue this week, according to Knight Ridder The discussions are so far only at the preliminary stage and a number of issues would have to be resolved before any decisions could be made, U.S., Czech and Hungarian officials said. “We are totally predecisional,” a U.S. State Department official said. “We are just measuring the interest of NATO allies that would be willing to host a third site,” the official added. Missile interceptors in one of the East European nations could destroy missiles fired at the United States from the Middle East, U.S. officials said (Jonathan Landay, Knight Ridder/Philly.com, June 28).     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.