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Jan 2 2005 [N] In accordance with an agreement
reached between the two nuclear-armed rivals,
India
and
Pakistan exchange lists of their nuclear facilities at the start
of each year. Both countries signed the agreement in 1988, which
came into force on January 27, 1991, in an effort to refrain from
attacking each other’s nuclear facilities in the event of a war.
Jan 2 2005 [N] The Bush administration
sanctions four Chinese and one North Korean company for allegedly
shipping material to Iran that could be used for the development of
unconventional weapons. Under the
Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000, the sanctioned companies are
barred from receiving U.S. government contracts, aid, and arms sales
until November 24, 2006. According to Zhang Qiuye, a Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman, Beijing objects to the U.S. sanctions and
asserts that it abides by its nonproliferation commitments.
Jan 4 2005 [N, O] The International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) reports that it has found evidence of past
clandestine nuclear activities in
Egypt. According to the statement from an IAEA diplomat, Egypt
allegedly attempted to produce a number of uranium components and
failed to declare its activities to the UN agency, as required by
the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Egyptian officials emphasize
that these activities were solely for peaceful purposes and refute
any military applications.
Jan 7 2005 [N, O] International Atomic Energy
Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei proposes a five-year international
ban on producing enriched uranium and building nuclear reprocessing
facilities. ElBaradei states that the freeze could be implemented
for a certain period of time until the agency has decided on how the
fuel cycle could be arranged globally. He further stresses the
commitment by weapons states to move toward nuclear disarmament and
says that the recommended ban will be discussed during the upcoming
conference on the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, which is
scheduled to be held in May in New York.
Jan 7 2005 [B] Veterinary colleges throughout
the United States are offering an increased number of courses in
bioterrorism and food safety. According to Surgeon General Richard Carmona, veterinarians are on the forefront of detecting biological
weapons of mass destruction and are possibly the first responders to
determine as to whether a terrorist attack has occurred.
Jan 13 2005 [C] The Pentagon plans to restrict
funding for the disposal of nerve agents in Madison County,
Kentucky, which could result in a delay of several years. The Blue
Grass Army Depot stores mainly two nerve agents, sarin and VX,
contained in rockets and projectiles. Residents are concerned that
the weapons might fall into the hands of terrorists or that leaks
may threaten the community. If the cuts in funding are carried out,
the United States may miss the 2012 deadline set by the Chemical
Weapons Convention for destroying these weapons.
Jan 14 2005 [N] During a meeting of the Council
on International Relations in New York, Russian defense minister Sergei Ivanov announces that nuclear weapons and their components
are well protected in Russia. He notes that since the creation of
the Russian Federation, there has never been an instance of theft of
weapons-grade uranium or plutonium. With respect to supplying
nuclear materials to rogue nations, Mr. Ivanov underlines that his
country participates in several international export control
mechanisms and that participants in international agreements should
not be exempt from observing their stipulations. The minister
further emphasizes his country’s concern with regard to the U.S.
position on ratifying the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which could serve as an
additional prevention of nuclear proliferation.
Jan 19 2005 [C, O] In an effort to assist
Russia with the elimination of chemical weapons stockpiles, Canada
and Great Britain pledge to provide almost $8.5 million dollars for
additional industrial infrastructure projects in Shuchuchye, Russia.
Approximately 14% of Russia’s 40,000 tonnes of chemical weapons are
stored at the Shuchuchye facility and this agreement ensures the
earliest feasible destruction of these stockpiles.
Jan 24 2005 [N] Los Alamos National Laboratory
Director, Peter Nanos, reports that after operations had been halted
last summer due to missing computer disks that contained classified
information, work at the laboratory will fully resume within two
weeks. While most work at the laboratory had already resumed,
weapons work had been suspended until now. Since the halt, new
methods for storing and tracking computer disks containing
classified information have been established.
Jan 25 2005 [N] In an effort to detect
potential smuggling of nuclear and radiological materials at the
U.S.-Mexico border, the State Department announces its plan to
install radiation detection portals for screening cars and trucks
entering the United States. According to the Customs and Border
Protection agency, the monitors can identify radiation released by
nuclear devices, “dirty bombs,” and isotopes.
Jan 26 2005 [N] The
United States National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
and the United Kingdom’s
Trade and Industry Ministry sign a Memorandum of Understanding
in order to assist Russia in getting rid of weapons-grade plutonium.
Both countries support the permanent shutdown of the plutonium
production reactor in Zheleznogorsk, Russia. The United Kingdom has
pledged to contribute up to $20M to NNSA’s Elimination of
Weapons-Grade Plutonium Production Program (EWGPP).
Jan 29 2005 [O] During the Russian-U.S.
business partnership council meeting, Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov emphasizes that given the threat of terrorism, the
United States and Russia cannot neglect their partnership. According
to Lavrov, Russia gives top priority to cooperating with the United
States, particularly in the realm of disarmament and
nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Feb 3 2005 [C, N] Within the framework of the
G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons of Mass
Destruction, Canada and Russia are joining forces to eliminate
chemical weapons and dismantle decommissioned Russian
nuclear-powered submarines. The Canadian government has allocated up
to $300 million Canadian dollars to fund these projects in Russia.
Feb 6 2005 [N] Iranian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi announces that Russia and Iran reached
an agreement regarding the return of spent nuclear fuel from the
Bushehr nuclear power plant to Russia. According to the Iranian
diplomat, the chief of the Russian Atomic Energy Agency, Alexander
Rumyantsev, is scheduled to travel to Tehran in the spring to sign
the Russian-Iranian agreement. The Bushehr nuclear power plant will
have an estimated power-generation capacity of 1,000 Megawatts and
become operational in the beginning of 2006.
Feb 7 2005 [N] U.S. officials are looking into
the possibility that additional Arab states may have received
nuclear technology from the nuclear network formerly headed by
Pakistani nuclear scientist
Abdul Qadeer Khan. Investigators are concerned that past
recipients of Khan’s nuclear technology, such as Iran, Libya and
North Korea, may have retransferred nuclear know-how to terrorist
organizations. According to sources close to the Khan Research
Laboratories, most of the network is still in place; however,
Pakistan has not granted permission to question Khan directly to
either the United States or the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA). Khan has been under arrest in Pakistan since 2004.
Feb 10 2005 [N] The North Korean government
declares publicly for the first time that it has nuclear weapons. In
today’s statement, Pyongyang announces that it has “manufactured
nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration’s
undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the D.P.R.K.” According to
the North Korean Foreign Ministry, its government further rejects
rejoining U.S.-sponsored regional talks aimed at reaching a
settlement over its nuclear program. While other member countries of
the six-party forum still hope that talks would resume this spring,
it is uncertain whether North Korea will suspend its participation
in the talks for an indefinite period of time.
Feb 14 2005 [N, O] During a two-day conference
held in Switzerland, representatives from 11 countries and two
international organizations address the issue of shutting down the
last three remaining plutonium production facilities in the Russian
Federation. Under the
National Nuclear Security Administration’s Elimination of Weapons
Grade Plutonium Production (EWGPP), the United States plans to
provide support to Russia for refurbishing its fossil energy plant
in Seversk, as well as in constructing a replacement energy plant in
Zheleznogorsk. One of the main goals of the conference is to solicit
funding from the international community.
Feb 18 2005 [C, B, R, N]
According to a report released by an expert panel
monitoring UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on Al-Qaeda and the
Taliban, the two organizations still continue to pursue the
acquisition of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear
(CBRN) weapons. Although an arms embargo has been successful in
denying the two groups access to conventional weapons, the expert
team proposes that the UNSC undertake additional measures to
restrict access to weapons of mass destruction. The report further
indicates that a successful CBRN attack carried out by either
Al-Qaeda or an affiliated group is only a matter of time. Panel
coordinator Richard Barrett notes that while Al-Qaeda may not be
able to acquire a missile with a nuclear warhead, it is likely that
the group would be successful in obtaining some of the components
necessary to make these weapons, such as toxic agents and low-yield
radioactive material, and eventually releasing them. The expert
panel was established in 2004 to monitor the sanctions imposed
against Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and the Taliban under
UN Security Council Resolution 1267.
Feb 24 2005 [M] Canadian Prime Minister Paul
Martin announces that his country will not participate in a planned
missile defense system with the United States. Although Pentagon
officials had long anticipated that Canada would not join the
system, Canada’s decision is a symbolic setback for the Bush
administration’s attempt to heal divisions with its allies that
emerged from the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Feb 24 2005 [N] During a summit meeting in
Bratislava, Slovakia, U.S. President Bush and Russian President Putin agree on joint measures to protect nuclear materials, both in
the United States and Russia, in an effort to prevent nuclear
terrorism. According to White House officials, the agreement would
include measures such as better security at Russia’s nuclear plants
and weapons stockpiles, new methods for responding to terrorist
attacks, and programs to prevent the diversion of nuclear fuel.
Feb 28 2005 [N, M] The United States begins
discussions on ending the work of the
UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).
Prior to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, UNMOVIC
carried out weapons inspections in Iraq. According to a spokesman
for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, the issue had been
discussed with the Iraqi government and members of the U.N. Security
Council for quite some time. Despite the fact that the United States
supports the closure of the commission, France prefers maintaining a
group of trained WMD and missile inspectors in Iraq. The Security
Council could make a decision on this matter sometime in May.
Feb 28 2005 [N] The U.S. Energy Department’s
Inspector General’s Office reports that the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico has neglected to adhere to guidelines that
bar former employees from access to classified information on
nuclear materials after they leave. According to the inspector
general’s report, the laboratory was in violation of its own
policies for more than 40 percent of cases surveyed. During the
inspector general’s investigation, a Los Alamos spokesperson stated
that the laboratory would review its current personnel policies.
March 4 2005 [N, O] Japan’s Foreign Minister, Nobutaka Machimura and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov,
announce today that the two countries will continue pressuring North
Korea to return to the six-party talks in order to resume
negotiations on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Since
2003, three rounds of inconclusive six-party talks, which also
involve China, South Korea, and the United States, have been held. A
fourth round, originally scheduled for September 2004, never took
place because North Korea refused to attend.
March 5 2005 [N, O] Today marks the 35th
anniversary of the entry into force of the
Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). The
NPT is a multilateral treaty to which 188 states are parties. The
Treaty is one of the most extensive mechanisms for curbing the
spread of nuclear weapons. While the past 35 years have demonstrated
the effectiveness of the nonproliferation regime with regard to
disarmament and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, the NPT has also
been confronted with new challenges and threats, such as North
Korea’s withdrawal from the Treaty, and the danger of nuclear
materials being used by terrorist organizations. The seventh NPT
Review Conference is scheduled to be held in New York in May 2005
and is aimed at further strengthening the global regime for nuclear
nonproliferation.
March 7 2005 [N] The Iranian government
confirms that it initially started the development of its nuclear
program in secret. The regime emphasizes that U.S. sanctions and
European restrictions on advanced nuclear technology forced it to
hide its nuclear program at the outset. While the United States has
accused Iran’s government of using its civilian nuclear program as a
cover to produce nuclear weapons, Tehran insists that its
nuclear program is solely geared towards generating
electricity.
March 9 2005 [N] The Swedish government
declares that it has allocated nearly $6 million dollars for nuclear
safety cooperation with Russia. The cooperation will address areas
such as reactor safety, waste management, radiation protection, and
preparedness. Most projects will be undertaken in consultation with
the European Union and the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development.
March 15 2005 [N, O] White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan reports that while the Bush administration
has in essence concluded its investigation of Iraq’s weapons of mass
destruction (WMD) programs after the U.S.-led invasion of that
country in March 2003, a number of related investigations still
continue. A
report issued in September 2004 by Charles Duelfer, the
principal adviser of the
Iraq Survey Group (ISG), concluded that Iraq had no WMD
stockpiles; however administration officials argue that the invasion
was necessary because deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had the
capability and intend to develop such weapons. Although the physical
search has more or less ended, McClellan states that ISG will
continue to undertake WMD-related work, such as examining seized
Iraqi documents.
March 22 2005 [B, N] A survey conducted by
health officials in 26 U.S. states finds that most rural areas in
the United States are unprepared for a bioterrorism attack or
terrorist strikes on nuclear power reactors. While a large number of
nuclear plants are located in rural communities, the study indicates
that only six percent of rural states receive funding for
bioterrorism preparedness and large-scale public health emergencies,
compared with 75 percent of urban states.
March 22 2005 [N] During a two-day conference
in Paris on civilian nuclear power, International Atomic Energy
Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei declares that the growing interest of
countries in developing nuclear power programs may help terrorists
in obtaining nuclear materials. He further emphasizes that increased
efforts are necessary in order to ensure the protection of nuclear
material and radioactive sources.
March 25 2005 [N] President Musharraf announces
that Pakistan is willing to send centrifuge components to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help the agency to
determine whether Iran has been building nuclear weapons from
materials obtained by Pakistan. According to UN experts, the
centrifuge parts may reveal vital traces of uranium similar to those
found on equipment in Iran. Earlier this month, the Pakistani
government admitted for the first time that the A.Q. Khan network
had supplied Iran with centrifuges used to generate enriched uranium
fuel.
March 29 2005 [N, O] Environmentalists welcome
Russia’s ratification of the
Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage. Under
the treaty, Russia has pledged to allocate $60 million dollars as
insurance to be paid out in the event of a nuclear accident.
Vladimir Chuprov, a nuclear energy expert for Greenpeace, notes that
while the allocated amount is rather small compared to the $200
billion paid in compensation for the Chernobyl disaster, it does
demonstrate Russia’s recognition of international rules for nuclear
responsibility. The treaty was originally opened for signature in
May 1963, and 30 countries have joined the treaty so far.
March 30 2005 [C] The Department of Defense
announces that due to budget cut backs, the United States may not be
able to meet the international deadline for destroying its chemical
weapons arsenal. Under the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the United States has been
granted an extension to abolish its chemical weapons stockpiles
until 2012. According to Pentagon officials, under the current
budget situation the commencement of construction at sites in
Pueblo, Colorado, and Blue Grass, Kentucky, would be delayed until
2011. Both sites fall under the Defense Department’s
Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program, which
was established in 1997 as a result of concerns about the safety of
incineration. Under the ACWA program, chemical agents at the Pueblo
and Blue Grass sites, whose combined munitions account for about 10
percent of the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile, would be
deactivated.
April 1 2005
[C, B] A
report by the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the
United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction declares that
Libya has not disclosed all information regarding its chemical and
biological weapons programs. The commission notes that such programs
would likely be small, but that Libya has been less forthcoming with
information on its chemical and biological programs than it has with
information on its nuclear capabilities.
April 1 2005
[N] According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency (CIA) did not appropriately consider analyses
from other countries’ intelligence services that aluminum tubing
intercepted by the CIA’s
WINPAC (Weapons Intelligence, Proliferation, and Arms Control
Center) was not to be used for uranium enrichment in Iraq. The Bush
administration cited the aluminum tubing as a one justification
for
invading Iraq in March 2003.
April 5 2005
[N] The Bush administration announces that it seeks to replace the
U.S. nuclear arsenal with a new, reduced arsenal that includes
smaller weapons that provide new military uses, including
“bunker buster” nuclear weapons.
April 5 2005
[N, O] The United States, France, Japan, and Iran oppose a five-year
moratorium on the development of new uranium enrichment and
plutonium processing facilities. The Bush administration says it
would back the treaty if it could remain exempt from it, according
to a reporter from the Financial Times.
April 11 2005
[N, O] The Third Review Meeting of the
Convention on Nuclear Safety meets at the Vienna International
Center to outline how the treaty is maintaining nuclear power plant
safety. The meeting is the third of its kind since the treaty
entered into effect in 1996.
April 11 2005
[N] North Korea rejects a plan to dismantle its nuclear weapons
program through a “step by step” process. A U.S. expert recently
returned from Pyongyang states that if the conditions were right,
North Korea might consider a freeze on its nuclear program.
April 13 2005
[N] A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry declares that Iran
had not moved processed uranium away from its nuclear facility at Isfahan. Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac urges Western
powers to take a softer stance against Iran’s plan to develop an
uranium enrichment capability allegedly for civilian nuclear power.
April 14 2005
[B] Kamel Bourgass of Algeria is convicted of plotting to
spread ricin in London and sentenced to a 17-year prison term,
following a life sentence for fatally stabbing a police officer
pursuing the nine ricin suspects. Bourgass is a suspected Al-Qaeda
operative who was found in possession of castor beans, the base
ingredient in ricin poison, in addition to instructions for the
manufacture of cyanide, botulinum, and other poisons.
April 19 2005
[N] South Korea remains uncertain why North Korea would power down
its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon and whether or not the North
Koreans are extracting spent fuel rods. Technical issues are an
additional possibility. The IAEA says that it cannot confirm if the
facility was actually shutdown, according to an Associated Press
report.
April 20 2005
[C] The U.S. Department of Defense plans to spend $300 million in
New Mexico and Kentucky for the construction of chemical weapon
neutralization sites. $700 million in program funds had been frozen
while the Department of Defense sought more cost-effective disposal
procedures for weapons scheduled for destruction per the Chemical
Weapons Convention.
April 22 2005
[N] The Belgian Senate unanimously approves the gradual removal of
all U.S. nuclear weapons from Kleine Brogel Air Base. The
facility contains 20 weapons deliverable by fighter aircraft s part
of a 400-weapon stockpile maintained by NATO.
April 22 2005
[N] Key centrifuge components originating from the
Khan network that were once destined for
Libya
remain unaccounted for. Khan’s association with Libya was
discovered in 2003, when Libya agreed to dismantle its WMD programs.
Information obtained from Libya led to the discovery of a worldwide
black market for nuclear technology directed by Pakistan’s Dr. A.Q.
Khan.
April 25 2005
[N] The U.S. Department of Energy and the Latvian Ministry of
Environment sign an agreement in Washington to allow collaboration
in nonproliferation and threat-reduction. The agreement will allow
the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to remove and
return highly enriched uranium of Soviet/Russian origin to Russia
from Latvia’s shutdown Salaspils reactor, as well as increase
security at the site and storage facility.
April 26 2005
[N, C, B] U.S. inspectors do not believe that Iraqi weapons of mass
destruction or weapons materials were transferred to Syria before
the 2003 invasion, according to the final report released by
U.S.-led
Iraq Survey Group in Iraq.
April 27 2005
[N, O] The International Atomic
Energy Agency has circulated a confidential report asking the 35
states on its Board of Governors to rescind the Small Quantities
Protocol, warning that it could be used as a loophole in the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. The protocol allows treaty members to
forgo declaring uranium stockpiles of less than 10 tons.
May 2 2005 [N, O] The nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) 2005
Review Conference begins at the United Nations Headquarters in
New York.
May 4 2005 [N] U.S. intelligence agencies
report that North Korea is constructing a nuclear test site. It is
not known whether this is bluff by Pyongyang to pressure the United
States to make concessions at the
Six-Party Talks.
May 4 2005 [N] Iran reaffirms its commitment to
negotiations regarding its nuclear program with the European team of
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
May 4 2005 [C] The U.S. Army begins disposal of VX nerve agent at Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana. The army plans
to neutralize 360 gallons of the agent at this facility in
compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons
Convention.
May 5 2005 [N] Prior to the 2005 NPT Review
Conference, non-nuclear weapon states renew their requests for
security assurances from the nuclear powers. The United States
maintains that it has the right to retaliate to chemical or
biological attacks with nuclear force.
May 5 2005 [N] Russia announces it is willing
to cut its nuclear arsenal more deeply than required by the
2002 Treaty of Moscow between Russia and the United States. The
treaty requires each country to reduce its arsenal to fewer than
2,200 nuclear warheads; Russia could reduce its arsenal to as low as
1,500 deployable nuclear warheads by 31 December 2012.
May 6 2005 [B] The National Academy of Sciences
warns that the U.S. military may be susceptible to biological
attacks that would incapacitate troops, but not cause fatalities.
May 9 2005 [N, C, B, M] India passes a bill
through its lower house of parliament forbidding illegal
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The bill must pass
through the upper house and president before becoming a law.
May 10 2005 [N] North Korea “successfully
completes” extraction of 8,000 spent fuel rods from its Yongbyon
reactor. North Korean defense officials state that North Korea will
continue to develop its nuclear arsenal for self-defense.
May 11 2005 [C] U.S. President George W. Bush
signs a bill prohibiting the transfer of chemical weapons across
state lines within the United States.
May 11 2005 [N] China accuses the United States
of undermining negotiation efforts with North Korea by making
negative comments about the country and its leader, Kim Jong-Il.
May 12 2005 [C] The United States announces
that it will close the chemical weapons facilities at Newport, Deseret, and Umatilla by 2011, when all VX agents stored at these
facilities is scheduled to be destroyed pursuant to the Chemical
Weapons Convention.
May 16 2005 [C] Japan pledges to build 12
chemical weapon disposal sites within China to deal with munitions
left behind by the Japanese Army following World War II. It is
estimated that as many as 650,000 chemical munitions were left
behind.
May 17 2005 [B] The World Health Organization
approves genetic modification experiments on the smallpox virus. The
tests will be undertaken with the intent to discover new detection
methods and treatments.
May 25 2005 [N] Iran agrees to extend its
suspension of its highly enriched uranium (HEU) program while it
waits for the European Union to propose new incentives for Iran to
forgo HEU processing.
May 26 2005 [N, O] The 2005
NPT Review Conference ends in deadlock; the states parties fail
to make any substantial recommendations.
May 26 2005 [N] Latvia returns three kilograms
of highly enriched uranium used in a decommissioned nuclear facility
to Russia.
May 26 2005 [N] Pakistan transfers uranium
centrifuge components to the International Atomic Energy Agency in
order to assist with its investigations of allegations that Iran is
pursuing a nuclear weapons program.
May 31 2005 [N] The Iranian Guardian Council
passes a law to mandate continued nuclear development. This new law
decreasing significantly the possibility that the European Union
delegation will succeed in convincing Iran to permanently freeze its
nuclear program.
May 31 2005 [M] Iran successfully tests a
2,000-kilometer medium-range solid fuel missile.
June 3 2005 [M] Syria tests 3 SCUD missiles
capable of delivering chemical weapons over Turkey. Syria reports
that targeting over Turkey was a “technical mishap.”
June 6 2005 [C] China and Japan agree on a
location in the Jilin Province of China to construct a chemical
weapons disposal facility to deal with chemical munitions left
behind by Japan following World War II.
June 8 2005 [N] The U.S. Congress denies
funding to the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator or “Bunker
Buster” program.
June 9 2005 [N] IAEA tests confirm Iranian
claims that traces of highly enriched uranium on centrifuges used in
Iran were a result of acquiring the equipment from Pakistan.
June 13 2005 [O] The IAEA Board of Directors
approves a third term for Mohammed ElBaradei as chief of the IAEA.
June 14 2005 [O] The United States refuses to
use language requested by North Korea as a condition of resuming the
Six Party Talks. Pyongyang has requested that the United States
pledge that it has no “hostile intent” and desires a “peaceful
coexistence” with North Korea.
June 16 2005 [N] Iran admits to making false
reports to the IAEA regarding its past experiments involving
plutonium. Iran’s claims that experiments had ceased in 1993 was
contradicted by evidence that experiments were conducted as late as
1998.
June 16 2005 [N] Saudi Arabia signs the Small
Quantities Protocol. The protocol allows parties to the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty with small civilian nuclear programs to
forgo reporting on amounts of uranium under 10 tons, and plutonium
less than 1 kilogram. The protocol also allows new nuclear
facilities to remain undisclosed until 6 months prior to opening.
June 16 2005 [N] A U.S. Senate committee votes
to halt construction on a multi-billion dollar nuclear research
facility known as the National Ignition Facility. The facility would
carry out experiments in nuclear fusion in conjunction with
high-powered lasers.
June 17 2005 [O] The IAEA establishes an
advisory committee on safeguards and verification to develop ways of
strengthening the nonproliferation regime. The committee is given a
two-year mandate “to consider ways and means to strengthen the
safeguards system,” and was unanimously approved by the IAEA board
of directors.
June 17 2005 [N] Following Congress’ refusal to
fund it, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approves money for
the Air Force to continue research on the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator (“Bunker Buster”) program through the 2006 Energy and
Water Appropriations Bill.
June 17 2005 [C] A $56.1 million shortfall
threatens to disrupt scheduled destruction of chemical weapon
stockpiles in Russia. Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Russia
is expected to destroy the first 20 percent of its CW stockpile by
April 2007, and complete the project by 2012.
June 21 2005 [N] The United States promises
mutual respect to North Korea should it voluntarily choose to rejoin
the Six Party Talks.
June 24 2005 [N] Iran pledges to continue
uranium enrichment regardless of the outcome of its presidential
election. Iran has temporarily halted uranium processing while it
continues negotiations with the European Union on incentives for
permanently halting its HEU program.
June 24 2005 [M] Taiwan is scheduled to receive
an Early Warning Surveillance Radar from the U.S. Air Force. The
missile defense radar will be built under a $752 million Air Force
contract by Raytheon Co.
June 27 2005 [N] Iranian President-elect
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vows to continue civilian nuclear work
for “Energy, medical and agricultural purposes, and our scientific
progress.” It remains unclear when Iran would resume sensitive work
frozen during negotiations with the European Union.
June 29 2005 [O] President George W. Bush
issues the “Blocking Property of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Proliferators and Their Supporters”
executive order. The order will allow U.S. Department of
Treasury officials to freeze assets of suspected front companies and
proliferators operating within the United States.
June 29 2005 [O] President Bush calls for new
National Counter Proliferation Center to coordinate U.S. efforts to
halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
June 29 2005 [B] Stanford University
researchers conclude that milk supplies are vulnerable to
bioterror attacks. As little as 10 grams of botulinum toxin
inserted into a milk tanker truck could kill hundreds of thousands
of people and cost billions of dollars.
June 29 2005 [O] The United States and India
sign a joint 10-year defense agreement authorizing joint missile
defense work as well as the possible sharing of sensitive military
technologies. Officials agreed to the creation of a “defense
procurement and production group” to overlook defense-related
exchanges and sales.
June 30 2005 [N] According to Japan’s Nihon
Kezai Shimbun, construction resumes on two nuclear reactors in
North Korea. Work on these reactors had been suspended under the
1994 Agreed Framework.
July 1 2005 [C] A form of dioxin known as
TCDD used to poison Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko during
last year’s presidential election was traced to a chemical weapons
laboratory in Ukraine by local authorities. According to Yuschenko’s
administration, the persons alleged to be responsible for the
poisoning are said to belong the former Soviet Union security
services. The production of this chemical violates the
Chemical Weapons Convention.
July 1 2005 [C] The U.S. Army halts destruction
of VX gas at its Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Indiana
after the flammability of a chemical byproduct to the process raises
safety concerns.
July 5 2005 [M] South Korea announces the
purchase of Patriot missiles to replace Nike air-to-ground missile
systems. South Korea is likely to purchase an undisclosed number of
U.S.-made Patriot missiles from Germany in 2006.
July 5 2005 [B] A new report finds that
approximately half of U.S. Army personnel offered anthrax vaccines
refuse them. While no explanation has been given for the high
refusal rates, they have occurred along with criticism by service
people and nongovernmental experts that the vaccine sometimes
causing debilitating side effects.
July 6 2005 [C] The U.S. Congressional Research
Service releases a
report listing 23 chemical plants at risk of being attacked by
terrorists; such attacks could potentially harm nearly 1 million
people in surrounding areas. The report uses data from the
Environmental Protection Agency to determine potential targets.
July 7 2005 [N] Intelligence reports obtained
by Reuters indicate that Iran has received assistance on its nuclear
program from North Korea. Senior North Korean scientists and
technicians have provided technical and practical information
regarding dual-use technology, which could be used in civilian or
military nuclear programs.
July 8 2005 [O] The Group of 8 Summit in
Scotland ends with little headway in the field of nonproliferation.
The meeting concludes early to allow U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair
to return home and respond to terrorist bombings in London. A
statement released following the summit praised existing
initiatives related to prohibiting weapons of mass destruction,
although few recommendations were made regarding new initiatives.
July 11 2005 [O, N] Members of the 1979
Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material adopt
measures that would require parties to create a competent regulatory
body and legislation to protect nuclear material. Moreover, they
broaden existing rules to cover in-country transportation and
storage of materials. The implementation of the new rules could take
several years; the changes will become effective after a two-thirds
vote of the 112 member states.
July 11 2005 [O, N] At a dinner meeting in
Beijing, North Korea agrees to a new round of Six Party Talks on
Pyongyang’s nuclear program beginning the week of July 25.
July 12 2005 [N] North Korea announces plans to
continue work on two reactors to be completed next year. The
announcement further declares that any military attack against the
facilities would result in “all-out” war.
July 15 2005 [N] A U.S. Department of Energy
task force recommends upgrades to the U.S. nuclear arsenal to
provide safer and more reliable warheads. The
report notes that a Cold War era nuclear arsenal could be
outdated and the U.S. nuclear arsenal needs to be more “responsive”
and “robust.”
July 18 2005 [N] U.S. President Bush and Indian
Prime Minister Singh announce plans to pursue nuclear cooperation by
easing domestic and international restrictions on the export of
nuclear technologies.
Critics question the cooperation on nuclear technology with
India, which is not a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
and which tested nuclear weapons in 1974 and 1998.
July 19 2005 [C, N] Russia signs an agreement
with Canada to receive technical and financial support for
eliminating chemical weapons and decommissioning nuclear submarines,
as well as protecting nuclear materials.
July 19 2005 [C] Russia approves a chemical
weapons disposal plan that will allow it to comply with the Chemical
Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC requires Russia to destroy
chemical weapons and stockpiles by 2012, a five-year extension of
the original 2007 deadline. Under the plan, 20 percent of Russia’s
40,000-ton chemical weapons arsenal will be destroyed by 2007, 45
percent by 2009, with completion by 2012.
July 20 2005 [N, M] The U.S. Defense Department
reports
that China is upgrading nuclear and missile capabilities
to effectively target all of the United States. Within two years,
China could develop a legitimate second-strike capability.
July 21 2005 [O, N] The U.S. Senate increases
potential funding for the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by $5 million to $19.4 million. If
approved, the Senate proposal will partially counteract a budget cut
proposed by the Bush administration for 2006. The Bush
administration remains opposed to the ratification of this treaty.
July 22 2005 [N, B, C] The U.S. Senate votes to
remove several restrictions on the
Defense Department Cooperative Threat Reduction Program. The
plan works to reduce and destroy unconventional weapons in Russia
and other countries. The removal of the restrictions makes it easier
for the United States to support nations destroying WMD;
specifically, annual certifications will no longer be required
before funding can be authorized.
July 25 2005 [C] Six U.S. Army chemical weapon
destruction depots are on schedule to meet the 2012 destruction
deadline set in the Chemical Weapons Convention. However, two
projected depots in Kentucky and Colorado have yet to be constructed
and risk jeopardizing U.S. adherence to the already extended 2012
deadline.
July 28 2005 [O, N] In the Six Party Talks in Beijing, North Korea
officially declines the 2004 U.S. proposal to end the standoff on
North Korea’s nuclear program. In the June 2004 talks, the United
States offered security guarantees in return for Pyongyang agreeing
to verifiably dismantle its nuclear programs. Negotiations continue
as the United States and North Korea hold one-on-one talks, a
significant change in previous U.S. official policy of not
negotiating directly with North Korea.
July 29 2005 [O, N] For the first time, the
U.S. delegation presents North Korea with specific evidence
supporting accusations that Pyongyang is pursuing a clandestine
uranium enrichment program alongside its plutonium reprocessing
program. Included in the U.S. testimony is evidence that Pyongyang
received technology and assistance from Pakistani nuclear scientist
Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan.
August 3 2005 [B] University of Chicago
scientists discover the possibility that the protein used by
plague to spread can be utilized to create a safe and effective
vaccine. While plague occurs naturally, an aerosol dispersal attack
is an ongoing fear, and an effective vaccine would greatly limit
loss of life in the event of an attack.
August 8 2005 [O, N] The Six Party Talks
dealing with North Korea’s military nuclear program recess without
agreement, although all parties pledge to resume negotiations during
the week of August 29.
August 10 2005 [N] The deputy head of Iran’s
atomic energy agency announces that IAEA seals have been removed
from the Isfahan nuclear facility. The alteration will allow Iran to
resume uranium conversion work at full capacity.
August 11 2005 [O, N] The IAEA board of
governors adopts a
resolution urging Iran to resume the freeze on its nuclear
activities.
August 17 2005 [N] In the 2005 edition of the
SIPRI Yearbook (published by the Stockholm International
Peace Research Institute), experts report that nuclear stockpiles
are decreasing. An estimated 13,470 nuclear weapons are deployed
worldwide by eight countries, with another 14,000 weapons in
reserve. The number of total nuclear weapons dropped from 31,500 in
2004 to 27,600 this year.
August 22 2005 [N] A U.S. surveillance
satellite detects steam coming out of a boiler connected to a
building housing the reactor at North Korea’s Yongbyon reactor,
indicating that the reactor has been restarted. An Asahi Shimbun
article reports this information, citing a source close to the Six
Party Talks.
August 23 2005 [N] Research reactors at the
University of Missouri and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
remain among the 31 reactors worldwide that cannot switch from using
highly enriched uranium due to technical issues, according to an
Associated Press report. Converting to non-nuclear-weapon usable
fuel at Missouri has been complicated also by plans to upgrade the
reactor to 20 megawatts. The reactors would be used to provide
isotopes used for medical purposes.
August 23 2005 [O, N] The European Union
cancels the next round of negotiations with Iran in response to
Iran’s decision to suspend the
Paris Agreement, which requires Iran to freeze all uranium
enrichment activities.
August 24 2005 [N] An IAEA investigation
determines that highly enriched uranium particles found on
centrifuges in Iran originated from Pakistan, vindicating Iran’s
claim that it had not produced the HEU.
August 24 2005 [B] The U.S. Department of
Homeland Security announced in a
press release
that it would build a new disease center somewhere
near Long Island, N.Y. to replace the Plum Island Animal Disease
Center currently at that location. The Plum Island facility has
worked with some of the deadliest animal diseases for the last 50
years.
August 24 2005 [N] Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf announces for the first time that top Pakistani nuclear
scientist A.Q. Khan had passed centrifuge technology and know-how to
North Korea. To date, North Korea denies having a uranium-based
weapons program.
August 25 2005 [M] The
U.S. Missile Defense Agency says it is again delaying intercept
testing of its flagship anti-ICBM program until next year, even as
it continues to deploy additional interceptors in Alaska. The
Ground-based Midcourse Defense system has not yet demonstrated,
through realistic flight testing, that it could ever be effective
against a real attack.
August 29 2005 [B] The United States and
Ukraine sign an agreement allowing U.S. assistance to prevent the
spread of biological weapons and improve security at Ukrainian labs
where harmful biological microbes are kept. The agreement was
announced by U.S. Senators Barack Obama and Richard Lugar.
August 30 2005 [O, N] North Korea delays
returning to the Six Party Talks, citing disapproval of a joint
U.S.-South Korean military exercise as the cause.
Sept 1 2005 [N] Under provisions of the
“U.S.-Indian
Next Steps for Strategic Cooperation,” six Indian nuclear and
space facilities are now able to purchase sensitive technologies
from the United States without special licenses. The three nuclear
facilities in question remain under IAEA safeguards and inspection.
Sept 3 2005 [B] More than 60 dangerous and
deadly bacterial strains that are a legacy of the former Soviet
Union's elaborate biological weapons program are transferred to the
United States from Azerbaijan as part of the two countries' joint
fight against the threat of biological terrorism. The transfer of
the strains is part of the
Cooperative Threat Reduction Program.
Sept 12 2005 [N] France and India agree to
resume nuclear cooperation with a loosely worded public statement.
The statement reads, “France acknowledges the need for full
international civilian nuclear cooperation with India and will work
towards this objective.” According to sources on both sides, France
will resume nuclear fuel supplies to India in accordance with the
statement.
Sept 15 2005 [O, N] Fifty nations sign the UN
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism at
the UN summit meeting in New York. The treaty outlaws possession or
trade of nuclear weapons and radiological materials by non-state
actors with the intent to cause death, injury, or damage to property
or the environment.
Sept 15 2005 [N] After a talk with the Prime
Minister of Turkey, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces
that Iran would help Middle Eastern nations develop nuclear
technology. The admission comes amid criticism and tense
negotiations with the European Union over Iran’s nuclear program.
Sept 15 2005 [M] The U.S. State Department’s
congressionally mandated “Adherence to and Compliance with Arms
Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and
Commitments”
report, a review of international disarmament pacts, declares
Russia in violation of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, among
others. Russia has prevented U.S. inspectors from examining ICBMs to
ensure that Moscow is meeting treaty obligations. The report was
rejected by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Sept 15 2005 [N] At
the six-party talks, North Korea tentatively commits to
abandoning all its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and to
returning to the NPT and allowing IAEA inspections. The DPRK also states that it
has a right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In return, the United States
agrees not to attack the DPRK, and all parties agree to undertake economic and
energy cooperation. The parties agree to hold
another round of talks in November to work out the details and timetable for
implementing the agreement.
Sept 16 2005 [B] Three plague infected mice go
missing at a New Jersey bioterrorism laboratory, the Public Health
Research Institute. The facility suspects that the mice were eaten
by other mice in the same experiment group, and do not suspect foul
play.
Sept 27 2005 [N, R] The IAEA releases the
latest statistics on reported illicit trafficking of nuclear and
radiological materials. 121 cases were reported by countries in
2004. The report notes a substantial increase in 2003 and 2004
compared with previous years.
Sept 30 2005 [N, O] The
IAEA General Conference adopts measures to implement safeguards
in North Korea and increase application of IAEA safeguards in the
Middle East. The resolution was adopted without a vote.
Oct 3 2005 [M] India and Pakistan sign a
Missile Notification Pact, an agreement to notify each other in
advance of ballistic missile flight tests. Under the accord, the
country’s defense ministries will provide their counterparts at
least 72 hours of notice before conducting a ballistic missile
flight test.
Oct 6 2005 [B] The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration finalizes a
rule requiring all domestic and foreign facilities that pack,
store, manufacture, or process food in the United States to register
with the agency. Acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said
in a statement, “This rule is one of our critical tools for
safeguarding the American food supply.”
Oct 7 2005 [O, N] The Norwegian Nobel
Committee announces that the International Atomic Energy Agency and
its director general Mohamed ElBaradei will jointly receive the 2005
Nobel Peace Prize. The
committee commended the IAEA “for their efforts to prevent
nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure
that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest
possible way.”
Oct 11 2005 [N] Kazakhstan’s plan to
destroy weapon-useable uranium by converting it to nuclear fuel
nears completion. Kazakhstan inherited more than 1,400 nuclear
warheads from the former Soviet Union. Kazakh President Nursultan
Nazarbayev praised the progress, looked forward to future efforts,
and called on the United States to consider reducing its uranium
stockpiles as well.
Oct 20 2005 [C] A former Iraqi tank
commander releases information regarding a 1988 chemical attack on
the Kurdish town of Halabja. Rahee Karim surrendered to invading
coalition forces in 2003 and was told he would not be prosecuted if
he provided detailed information on Halabja. The attack used sarin,
tabun, VX, mustard gas and cyanide, killing approximately 5,000
people and injuring 7,000 more.
Oct 20 2005 [N, O] The
Nuclear Suppliers Group postpones to an undetermined date a
decision on whether or not to allow the United States’ request to
hold India exempt from international rules preventing nuclear
cooperation. Under the Next Steps for Strategic Cooperation, the
United States plans to share sensitive technology with India,
including peaceful nuclear information.
Oct 21 2005 [N] Iran provides
International Atomic Energy inspectors with sensitive documents and
allows interviews with a senior Iranian nuclear program official.
Iran has not yet granted the IAEA access to key military sites.
Iran’s cooperation might detract from the United States’ efforts to
refer Iran to the UN Security Council for violations of its
obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Oct 21 2005 [N, O] After four days of
talks with North Korea, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson
announces that North Korea is willing to allow International Atomic
Energy Agency inspectors to return and will also rejoin the nuclear
Non_Proliferation Treaty. Richardson warned, however, that a “very
strong regime of verification” would be needed given Pyongyang’s
track record of developing a nuclear weapons program.
Oct 21 2005 [N] The Bush administration
is likely to modify a controversial nuclear war-fighting document by
dropping language that describes scenarios in which the United
States could use nuclear first-strikes against enemy WMD
capabilities. A section of the
text as it appeared on the Internet says U.S. regional
commanders could request presidential authorization to use nuclear
weapons against an adversary “using or intending to use” weapons of
mass destruction, a biological attack, or WMD-related facilities.
Oct 26 2005 [N] The Bush administration
has decided to shelve research on a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator
or “Bunker-Buster” warhead in favor of developing a conventional
weapon to reach deeply buried, hardened targets. An administration
official confirmed that the administration would now focus on a
conventional alternative to the bunker buster.
Oct 28 2005 [B] The scramble to ready
the United States for the possibility of a deadly influenza pandemic
will yield long-term gains for bioterrorism preparedness, according
to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt. The
preparations have resulted from concern over the spread of the bird
flu virus, and fear that it could evolve into a form transferable
from human to human.
Oct 28 2005 [N] The United States is
behind schedule in securing ports from nuclear smuggling. In
November 2002, President George W. Bush signed a law setting a July
1, 2004 deadline for security improvements. While the Coast Guard
has accomplished much of the work, many steps are overdue, including
a report on a grant program for shippers and ports, a report on
cargo container security and a maritime national security plan,
according to the Associated Press.
Oct 31 2005 [C] A U.S. Army chemical weapons off-shore
dumping program that ended in 1970 was much more extensive than
originally thought. The Army has admitted that from 1944 to 1970, it
dumped 64 million gallons of nerve and mustard gas agent; 400,000
chemical-filled rockets, bombs, and landmines; and more than 500
tons of radioactive waste into the oceans. These weapons were dumped
off the shores of 11 states, six on the East coast, two on the Gulf
Coast and Alaska, Hawaii, and California. Of the 26 dump zones, none
has been examined in the last 30 years.
Nov 2 2005 [N] Iran allows new inspections at a
key military complex at Parchin. Both diplomats and inspectors were
admitted to the facility, which the United States suspects conducts
clandestine military nuclear research. Inspectors found no traces of
radiation after being allowed into numerous buildings from which
they were previously barred.
Nov 3 2005 [N] In exchange for the nuclear
disarmament of North Korea, the United States has proposed a plan to
retrain North Korean nuclear scientists and normalize relations with
Pyongyang. “The U.S. is committed to participating on the economic
side of the ledger — retraining of scientists, bilateral relations,
lifting sanctions,” Joseph DeTrani, U.S. special envoy for North
Korea, said during a panel discussion at the CATO Institute.
Nov 4 2005 [N] Work on the United States
Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator or “Bunker Buster” may continue
under a new name. The House and Senate conferees for the fiscal 2006
Energy and Water Appropriations bill agreed to withhold $4 million
requested by the Bush administration for the Robust Nuclear Earth
Penetrator study.
Nov 8 2005 [N] At the
Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference, the United
States advances the idea of a “nuclear fuel bank” to dissuade more
countries from pursuing nuclear developments with potential military
applications. The approach would assure nuclear fuel for the energy
programs of countries without fuel-production facilities in return
for their commitment not to seek uranium-enrichment or
plutonium-separation technology.
Nov 8 2005 [N] The United States plans to
eliminate 200 metric tons of highly enriched uranium (enough for
10,000 nuclear weapons) in the coming decades by converting the
uranium to nuclear fuel useable by the U.S. Navy. The program is
similar to “Megatons to Megawatts,” which has converted 250 tons of
Russian HEU to nuclear fuel. The program will reduce the U.S.
stockpile of HEU by half when it is finished.
Nov 8 2005 [N] The U.S. government is waiting
for India to produce a “credible, defensible” plan for separating
military and civilian nuclear facilities before pressing forward
with a potential nuclear technology transfer deal, a State
Department official said. The
“Next
Steps for Strategic Cooperation” outlines plans for the United
States and India to share sensitive technology, including nuclear
know-how.
Nov 8 2005 [N] The U.S. National Nuclear
Security Administration announces that the Czech Technical
University’s research reactor has become the first Russian-supplied
reactor to convert successfully from using highly enriched uranium
to the more proliferation resistant low-enriched uranium.
Nov 9 2005 [N] British authorities discover an
Al-Qaeda sponsored website describing how to assemble nuclear,
radiological, and biological weapons. The site is more detailed than
previous knowledge-sharing attempts, containing more than 80 pages
of detailed information.
Nov 10 2005 [N] France, Germany, the United
Kingdom, and the United States have formulated a new proposal that
would allow Iran to conduct limited nuclear activities while
outsourcing all uranium enrichment to Russia, the New York Times
reports.
Nov 10 2005 [B] Scientists call for greater
oversight of efforts to recreate the Spanish flu, which killed up to
50 million people in 1918. The virus could be live within six
months. Canadian scientists plan to reproduce the virus at the
National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, in order to study the
lethality of the agent.
Nov 11 2005 [C] The U.S. Senate restates its
policy on using tear gas in combat. The amendment, which passed in a
98-1 vote, says that riot control agents “are not chemical weapons”
and “are legitimate, legal, and nonlethal alternatives to the use of
lethal force.” Therefore, they “may be employed by members of the
Armed Forces in defensive military modes to save lives.”
Nov 11 2005 [N, O] The latest round of Six
Party Talks, while reaffirming North Korea’s desire to denuclearize
the Korean peninsula, ends without further progress.
Nov 13 2005 [B] A NATO report issued today
finds that Russian biological weapons are poorly guarded and could
be obtained by terrorists. The report was presented to the science
committee at NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly session. It concludes
that stopping terrorists from accessing the Russian weapons is
Europe’s greatest security challenge.
Nov 16 2005 [B] Parties to the Chemical Weapons
Convention gave their fellow member countries an additional year to
enact the domestic legislative and administrative measures required
to implement the treaty. The new deadline is December 2006. In
addition, Libya was given more time to eliminate its chemical weapon
stockpiles.
Nov 17 2005 [N]
Iran is again processing uranium, despite an International
Atomic Energy Agency resolution in September calling on it to halt
all sensitive nuclear activities. Tehran notified the International
Atomic Energy Agency that it would begin converting 150 drums of
yellow cake at the Isfahan facility. The conversion is a beginning
step in the uranium enrichment process. The move ignores a Sept. 24
IAEA Board of Governors resolution calling on Tehran to suspend all
uranium enrichment-related activity.
Nov 18 2005 [N] The International Atomic Energy
Agency reports that for the first time, Iran has conceded receiving
documents on nuclear weapon production from the black-market nuclear
network operated by former top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Nov 17 2005 [M] A U.S. Navy Aegis warship shoots down a mock
warhead over the Pacific Ocean. It is the sixth successful intercept
for the sea-based missile defense system since testing began in
2002. Previous intercept tests have used Scud-like missiles carrying
mock warheads; this trial is the first using a warhead that had
separated from a medium-range missile.
Nov 21 2005 [N] An exiled Iranian dissident alleges that Iran is
working on nuclear warheads and nuclear-capable missiles at a
single, large-scale site under Tehran. Former National Council of
Resistance of Iran spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh presents the
allegations at a press conference organized by the Iran Policy
Committee.
Nov 23 2005 [N] The United States and its partners in the Korean
Peninsula Energy Development Organization terminate a 10-year-old
project to build a light-water reactor in North Korea. The
Agreed Framework had been frozen since 2002 after the United
States charged Pyongyang with having a clandestine nuclear weapons
program.
Dec 1 2005 [C] Russia opens a new chemical
weapons destruction facility in the Udmurtia region of the country.
The facility, the second to begin operation in Russia, is scheduled
to destroy 6,349 tons of
lewisite
(a blistering chemical agent) by the end of 2007. The site’s
destruction capacity is 2,500 tons of lewisite per year. Operations
are scheduled to begin by the end of the year.
Dec 2 2005 [C] Iranian victims of an alleged
1987 Iraqi chemical weapons attack testify this week in the trial of
a Dutch businessman suspected of supplying precursor agents to the
regime of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Frans van Anraat, 63,
is charged with complicity in war crimes and genocide carried out by
Hussein against Kurds in Iraq and Iran. He faces up to 20 years in
prison if convicted.
Dec 5 2005 [N] Top Iranian nuclear negotiator
Ali Larijani reaffirms Tehran’s intention to maintain its uranium
enrichment program within the country. He adds that meetings are
still planned with Great Britain, Germany, and France to address
fears that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapons program.
Dec 6 2005 [N, O] North Korea announces that it
would not participate in six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons
programs unless the United States ends sanctions against several of
its firms suspected of illicit activities, including supporting WMD
proliferation.
Dec 12 2005 [N, O] International Atomic Energy
Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei calls on the United States
to pledge that it would not attack Iran, as an incentive for a
negotiated solution to Tehran’s nuclear standoff with the West.
Dec 13 2005 [N, O] The Korean Peninsula Energy
Development Organization has been ordered to withdraw all workers
from a nuclear reactor site in North Korea by early next month, the
JoongAng Daily reports. The order from Pyongyang will force
the organization to abandon equipment and materials at the
construction site for the unfinished Kumho nuclear energy plant,
South Korean and KEDO officials tell the newspaper.
Dec 14 2005 [R] The U.S. National Nuclear
Security Administration removed 220 radioactive samples from the
Georgia Institute of Technology to ensure that the material could
not be stolen to produce a radiological weapon. The material was
shipped to the Nevada Test Site for disposal.
Dec 19 2005 [N] Henk Slebos is sentenced to one-year in prison for illicit transfers of dual-use nuclear technology
to Pakistan between 1999 and 2002. A Dutch court rules that the
Dutch businessman sold prohibited equipment to former top Pakistani
nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan for use in Islamabad’s nuclear
weapons program.
Dec 20 2005 [N] North Korea announces plans to
build a light water nuclear reactor construction project. North
Korea claims that this undertaking will come from indigenous nuclear
technology, and the facilities will be entirely of North Korean
design. South Korean experts remain skeptical as to whether or not
this will be feasible for North Korea.
Dec 22 2005 [N] The University of California
will continue to manage Los Alamos National Laboratory; it won the
recent seven year contract for control of the facility in a
competition that included the University of Texas and Lockheed
Martin, The University of California has managed the facility since
the 1940s when the United States designed and built the first
nuclear weapons.
Dec 23 2005 [N] Five people were exposed to
Plutonium-239 at Los Alamos National Laboratory after an alarm
indicated that there had been a release of the material. Plutonium
239 is particularly dangerous if inhaled; the extent of
contamination has not yet been determined.
Dec 23 2005 [N] A Dutch court sentences
businessman Frans van Anraat to 15 years in prison for supplying
ingredients for chemical weapons that former Iraqi leader Saddam
Hussein used to kill thousands of Kurds in Iraq and Iran. The court
convicts Van Anraat of war crime charges, but found him not guilty
of genocide.
Dec 27 2005 [C, M] The United States places
sanctions on six Chinese government-run companies, two Indian firms,
and one Austrian company, for supplying missile goods and
chemical-arms materials to Iran. The sanctions were imposed under
the
Iran Nonproliferation Act, imposed by the U.S. Congress in 2000.
Dec 28 2005 [N] Pakistan begins constructing a
new nuclear power plant in Punjab province. Pakistani officials say
that Chashma-2, located south of the capital Islamabad, is for
peaceful purposes and will follow International Atomic Energy Agency
safeguards.
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