U.S. President George W. Bush, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, CDC Director Julie Gerberding and National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci announce the U.S. smallpox preparedness and vaccination program on Dec. 13, 2002 (AFP/Getty). Former U.S. Health Official Criticizes Top CDC Official for Undermining Smallpox Vaccine Program By David McGlinchey Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Julie Gerberding, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is undermining the national smallpox immunization program by playing down its importance, according to a public health expert who recently left a senior post at the Health and Human Services Department (see GSN, Nov. 18)...Full Story

United States Will Not “Sugarcoat” Concerns Over Chinese Proliferation By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States said yesterday that it would not play down its “ongoing” concerns about Chinese WMD proliferation and that they remain a subject of U.S.-Chinese dialogue — an announcement that came less than a week before Chinese premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to arrive here (see GSN, Dec. 3)...Full Story

Timing of Future Steps Threatens North Korean Nuclear Talks Six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear standoff could be delayed indefinitely if the United States refuses to accept a framework that Chinese officials have drawn up for the negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, Dec. 3)...Full Story

	Thursday, December 4, 2003

United States Will Not “Sugarcoat” Concerns Over Chinese Proliferation By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States said yesterday that it would not play down its “ongoing” concerns about Chinese WMD proliferation and that they remain a subject of U.S.-Chinese dialogue — an announcement that came less than a week before Chinese premier Wen Jiabao is scheduled to arrive here (see GSN, Dec. 3). “We don’t sugarcoat them. It’s an issue and it’s one that we are working cooperatively to address,” U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said yesterday, adding that such concerns are addressed “in a frank way between friends.” Yesterday, China released a detailed “white paper” outlining its nonproliferation stance and the efforts it has made both internationally and domestically to prevent WMD proliferation — a move that has been suggested to be intended to bolster U.S-Chinese relations before Wen’s visit. Jon Wolfsthal, deputy director of the Nonproliferation Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Global Security Newswire today that the paper’s release might also have been intended to defuse expected U.S. criticism. “China’s record on nuclear transfers, although it has improved, continues to worry the United States in several areas including links to Iran.  The white paper is a pre-emptive strike against U.S. criticism that China is not doing enough to control nuclear exports,” Wolfsthal said. In the paper, Beijing reiterated its strong opposition to weapons of mass destruction and their proliferation. “China has always taken a responsible attitude toward international affairs, stood for the complete prohibition and thorough destruction of all kinds of WMD, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, and resolutely opposed the proliferation of such weapons and their means of delivery.  China does not support, encourage or assist any country to develop WMD and their means of delivery,” the white paper said. Wolfsthal praised the Chinese policy statement, saying it demonstrated the progress Beijing has made in “developing and implementing a coherent nonproliferation policy.” “The fact that China has developed and is willing to trumpet a strong nonproliferation policy is a shining example of the policy of engagement undertaken over the past decade,” he said. Evan Medeiros, a China specialist at RAND, told GSN today that the white paper reflects China’s increasing view of nonproliferation as being in its own interest, and not merely a “gift” to the United States intended to improve relations. The paper also represents the first time Beijing has publicized all aspects of its national export control regulatory system, “and most importantly,” the standards used to grant export licenses, Medeiros said. For example, the paper describes which Chinese governmental agencies are involved in the export licensing process, he said. The fact that China has publicized its export licensing standards “means we can now hold China to those standards,” Medeiros said, adding that the paper comes in response to U.S. calls for greater transparency. China still needs to publicize, however, instances where entities were detected and punished for engaging in illegal transfers, he said. The United States “welcomes” Chinese nonproliferation efforts, Ereli said yesterday. He also repeated, however, long-standing U.S. concerns over Beijing’s enforcement of its national WMD- and ballistic missile-related export control regulations. “In a nutshell, we think that China has enacted good legislation on this issue, and the focus is on implementation and enforcement,” Ereli said. Last month, the CIA released an assessment of the WMD and missile activities of countries of concern to the United States that said the “proliferation behavior of some Chinese companies remains of great concern” — an assessment echoed several times throughout the past year by Bush administration officials. The United States has also sanctioned a number of Chinese entities over the past year, in some instances multiple times, for alleged proliferation activities. The State Department also said yesterday that China would not participate in a planned Dec. 16-17 meeting of experts from countries involved in the Proliferation Security Initiative (see GSN, Oct. 17). The 15-member effort, led by the United States, is intended to interdict cargo shipments of WMD-related materials.  Even though Chinese expert will not participate in the meeting, the United States will “continue to consult” with Beijing over the initiative, the department said in a brief statement. Back to top       Iraq Survey Group Has Not Shared Information With U.N. Inspectors, U.N. Says By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, which conducted weapons inspections in Iraq prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom, cannot verify WMD-related claims made by coalition weapons inspectors now operating in Iraq, according to an UNMOVIC report released yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 14). Since the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Iraq Survey Group, headed chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay and consisting of coalition personnel, has been working in Iraq to uncover evidence of prewar Iraqi WMD stockpiles and related programs, which were cited by the Bush administration as a justification for invasion. In early October, Kay testified before the U.S. Congress that his unit had not found evidence of Iraqi WMD stockpiles, nor had it found evidence of actual biological weapons production or of active chemical and nuclear weapons programs. Kay did testify, though, that the Iraq Survey Group had found “dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment” that had been concealed from UNMOVIC inspectors. For example, he cited the discovery of a “clandestine network” of laboratories operated by the Iraqi Intelligence Service that contained equipment capable of use in chemical and biological weapons research. In its latest quarterly report, however, UNMOVIC said that it has so far received no information on the Iraq Survey Group’s activities other than Kay’s publicly available testimony before Congress. “The actual report was not provided to UNMOVIC or to the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency],” says the commission report, which was submitted late last month. Without the actual report from the Iraq Survey Group, UNMOVIC said that it was “not in a position to properly assess” Kay’s findings — an assessment echoed today by commission spokesman Ewen Buchanan. “As a U.N. body, we shouldn’t be ‘best guessing,’” Buchanan told Global Security Newswire today. Without the actual documentation and materials used by the Iraq Survey Group to develop its assessments, UNMOVIC cannot determine if the unit has found evidence of previously unknown prohibited Iraqi WMD-related activities, Buchanan said. For example, Kay testified that his unit had discovered a network of laboratories that had never been declared to U.N. inspectors. Buchanan said, however, that laboratories in and of themselves did not need to be declared, only certain types of equipment that they might contain. Without the Iraq Survey Group’s documentation, UNMOVIC cannot determine if the equipment contained in the laboratories needed to be declared, Buchanan said. According to Buchanan, the United States and the United Kingdom are opposed to UNMOVIC involvement in the Iraq disarmament process. Buchanan described a recent exchange between a U.S. diplomat and a Russian diplomat, in which the Russian diplomat wondered why the United States had not provided UNMOVIC with the Iraq Survey Group’s actual report. The U.S. diplomat replied that while the United States was considering such an action, the time for doing so was not yet right, Buchanan said. A U.S official told GSN today that Kay’s testimony only dealt with an interim report prepared by the Iraq Survey Group, and when a final report is prepared, copies will be made available to all relevant parties. The official added that no deadline for a final report has yet been established. Yesterday’s UNMOVIC report also appeared to counter charges made by Kay in October concerning prewar Iraq’s ballistic missile efforts. In his congressional testimony, Kay said that his unit had found a “continuing covert capability” to manufacture propellant for banned Scud-type ballistic missiles. The Iraq Survey Group also found, according to Kay, evidence of prewar Iraqi efforts to develop missiles capable of traveling well beyond the U.N.-allowed range of 150 kilometers. In its report, however, UNMOVIC said that prior to withdrawing from Iraq in March, U.N. inspectors had found “no evidence” of the manufacture of Scud-specific missile fuel. The report also says that inspectors found no evidence of Iraqi efforts to modify the prohibited al-Samoud 2 missile to achieve a longer range. A U.N. spokesman said yesterday that the Security Council was scheduled to discuss the UNMOVIC report Monday. Back to top

Timing of Future Steps Threatens North Korean Nuclear Talks Six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear standoff could be delayed indefinitely if the United States refuses to accept a framework that Chinese officials have drawn up for the negotiations, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, Dec. 3). Beijing’s plan calls for an announcement from Pyongyang renouncing nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula followed quickly by a pledge from Washington not to attack North Korea. The plan has not generated enthusiasm in Washington or Pyongyang, the Journal reported. “Nobody wants another round of empty talks,” a U.S. State Department official said. “But we want a clear statement from North Korea renouncing its nuclear program. And until we get that, the idea of taking simultaneous or sequential steps is pretty much a nonstarter,” the official added. Pyongyang officially announced this week that it would not take the first step toward defusing the standoff, and Washington has been equally stubborn behind the scenes, according to a South Korean diplomat. “They gave us very detailed ideas on what they expect from Pyongyang,” the diplomat said. “But on the items they can provide in response, they gave us only some vague principles and objectives,” the diplomat added (Wall Street Journal, Dec. 4). Pyongyang is also reportedly seeking a pledge from the United States to resume shipments of heavy fuel oil to North Korea, but the United States has no interest in meeting Pyongyang’s demands, Asahi News Service reported (Nobuyoshi Sakajiri, Asahi News Service, Dec. 4). South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun called for the two adversaries to soften their positions. “North Korea should stop pressing its demands too hard. The United States is also required to ease its stance for the momentum of dialogue,” Jeong said (Lim Chang-won, Agence France-Presse, Dec. 4). U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday, however, that the movement toward talks had not stalled. “There is no deadlock,” Powell said. “We are working on various proposals, and in due course, when the schedule firms up and we have a better idea of the outline of the talks, we’ll make an announcement,” he added (Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times, Dec. 4). “I am still optimistic that they will take place in the near future,” Powell said. “I don’t recall someone announcing when the talks will take place,” he added (Reuters/Financial Times, Dec. 3). Back to top       China Seeks to Purchase Plutonium Processing Plant China is currently engaged in negotiations with Germany to purchase an unused plutonium processing facility, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Dec. 2). The plant, built by the German firm Siemens, was completed in 1991 but was never used and was abandoned in 1995. It is currently estimated to be worth more than $60 million, AFP reported. “At present a Chinese company is in talks with Siemens to buy this plant,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said. “This is completely a question of civil purposes and has no military goal,” he added (Agence France-Presse/EUbusiness.com, Dec. 4). Back to top       U.S. Developing Better Cargo Screening Technology to Detect Nuclear Weapon Materials U.S. scientists are working to develop a new method of screening cargo containers to determine if they contain a hidden nuclear weapon, the (Pleasanton, Ca.) Tri-Valley Herald reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 3). The new method, known as active neutron interrogation, fires a stream of neutrons into a cargo container. If weapon-grade materials are present inside, the neutron stream triggers a tiny amount of nuclear fission that briefly releases gamma rays, which can be used to identify the material inside the container. Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California are currently conducting computer modeling of the new method to determine its effectiveness. “This is the best game in town, I think,” said Dennis Slaughter, head of a team of scientists from Lawrence Livermore and the University of California at Berkeley investigating the active neutron interrogation method. There are some concerns surrounding the interrogation method, including the time needed to scan each container and the effects of lingering radiation, the Herald reported. “My nightmare — the place I don’t want to be — is to do an interrogation of a container of French wine and then have to tell the importer, ‘What you’ve got is a container of radioactive waste,’” Slaughter said (Ian Hoffman, (Pleasanton, Ca). Tri-Valley Herald, Dec. 3). Back to top

Former U.S. Health Official Criticizes Top CDC Official for Undermining Smallpox Vaccine Program By David McGlinchey Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Julie Gerberding, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is undermining the national smallpox immunization program by playing down its importance, according to a public health expert who recently left a senior post at the Health and Human Services Department (see GSN, Nov. 18). “She is distancing herself from the program to try to protect herself,” said Jerome Hauer, who until November was the acting assistant secretary for public health emergency preparedness at HHS. Hauer made his comments in an interview yesterday at George Washington University, where he is now the director of the Response to Emergencies and Disasters Institute. “It’s unfortunate that Julie has chosen to distance herself. … This is a program that needs to continue, CDC needs to push and get more people vaccinated,” he said. Gerberding is currently traveling in Africa with a delegation led by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and she was unavailable for comment. Tom Skinner, a spokesman for the CDC director, said that she is firmly behind the immunization program. “As head of the CDC, Dr. Gerberding has repeatedly stated her strong support for the smallpox vaccination program,” Skinner said. In an effort to protect the nation against possible bioterrorism, U.S. President George W. Bush launched the smallpox immunization effort last December and health officials hoped to immunize hundreds of thousands — if not millions — of emergency workers in 2003. To date, however, fewer than 40,000 civilian health care workers have volunteered to receive the vaccine. In comments last month, Gerberding said that the United States was building broad defenses against bioterrorism but had not launched an immunization program. The United States “didn’t actually have a vaccination program, we had a comprehensive smallpox preparedness program,” Gerberding said in a Nov. 14 speech. She said that within the preparedness program, there needed to be “some pre-event vaccination of the people who would be most necessary to investigate smallpox cases and treat the initial cases.” Some critics have said that Gerberding’s comments, and similar ones from other CDC officials, are intended to minimize the public relations fallout from what is commonly viewed as a failed program. CDC spokesman Skinner said that critics have misinterpreted Gerberding’s comments. “She has also stated repeatedly that the vaccination program is but one part of a larger smallpox prevention and preparedness program. If some have taken these comments out of context and think she is wavering in her support of the vaccination program then that is unfortunate because nothing could be further from the truth,” he said. Hauer said that Gerberding’s most recent comments were typical of her efforts to play down the immunization program. “I think her comments are nonsense. … She was involved in the program, she led the program. To say now that there was no program, one has to wonder what planet she has been on,” Hauer said. He agreed with Gerberding that the United States needs a multifaceted defense against smallpox, but he described the immunization program as paramount. “Vaccination is only one part of our preparation, but it is fundamental,” he said. Hauer said the threat of a smallpox attack remains, and that he is concerned by “the feeling of complacency the further we get away from Sept. 11” (see GSN, June 23). Spokesmen from the CDC and the Homeland Security Department have said that the United States has vaccinated enough health care workers to respond to a smallpox attack (see GSN, Oct. 28). Hauer disagreed. “The president announced a program. The president also wanted to ensure we could cope with an outbreak, he made that clear at a number of meetings,” Hauer said, adding that “38,000 or 39,000 [vaccinated medical personnel] is not enough.” Back to top       U.S. Court Convicts Waagner in Anthrax Hoax Case A U.S. federal court yesterday convicted Clayton Lee Waagner of sending hundreds of anthrax hoax letters to abortion providers in the aftermath of the 2001 anthrax attacks, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Dec. 2).  It took the jury only about three hours to find Waagner guilty on 51 of 53 charges, including threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, AP reported. Waagner could be sentenced to decades in prison (David Caruso, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Dec. 3). Back to top

MDA Awards Boost-Phase Interceptor Contract to Northrop Grumman The U.S. Missile Defense Agency yesterday awarded a contract to defense contractor Northrop Grumman to develop and test a Kinetic Energy Interceptor ballistic missile defense system (see GSN, Sept. 9). Defense officials hope the KEI system will be able to intercept enemy missiles in the boost phase of their flight, from three to five minutes after launch. The contract is worth about $4.5 billion over the next eight years, according to a Defense Department release. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin had both led teams developing KEI concepts over the last eight months. Each team was awarded $10 million for their concept work (U.S. Defense Department release, Dec. 3). Included in the Northrop team are defense contractors Raytheon and Orbital Sciences. Raytheon will lead the interceptor development while Orbital will conduct booster vehicle design, development, testing and early production (Orbital Sciences release, Dec. 3). “KEI is critical to our country’s overall defense and will also serve as a visible, deployable deterrent to those who would threaten us,” said Ronald Sugar, Northrop Grumman’s chairman and chief executive. The system, set to be deployed in 2010, will include satellites to detect enemy missile launches and 36-foot-long ground-based interceptors (Jesus Sanchez, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 3). A Lockheed Martin spokesman said the company was “disappointed” but will “continue to support our Missile Defense Agency customer without question” (Lynn Lunsford, Wall Street Journal, Dec. 4). Back to top       Australia Decides to Join U.S. Missile Defense Shield Australia has decided to take part in the development of a U.S.-led missile defense shield, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said today (see GSN, July 14). “This is a strategic decision to put in place a long-term measure to counter potential threats to Australia’s security and its interests from ballistic missile proliferation,” he said in a speech to the Australian Parliament. The plan faces criticism from Australia’s Asian neighbors who view Canberra as Washington’s lackey, according to Reuters. Downer said Australian officials had briefed countries in the region on the decision. “Our long and vigorous alliance with the United States benefits the security of both countries and will be strengthened by our participation in missile defense,” he said (Reuters/New York Times, Dec. 4). Some skeptics are also wary of the untested technology and high price tag associated with the prospective shield, Reuters reported. “It is a mistake to spend billions of dollars developing technology that may never work and will just encourage others to create new weapons,” said Andrew Bartlett, chief of the Australian Democratic Party (Belinda Goldsmith, Reuters, Dec. 4). There are no plans for Australia to field ground-based missile defense equipment on its soil, the Australian Associated Press reported today. Washington might call on Australia to use its communications and research facilities, according to AAP (Australian Associated Press/Melbourne Age, Dec. 4). Back to top       Japan Set to Approve Missile Defense System Japanese officials will soon approve the development of a missile defense system to defend against the North Korean threat, the Mainichi Shimbun reported today (see GSN, Nov. 24). In a meeting Wednesday, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told senior ministers that he is approving a joint missile defense project with the United States. He intends to have the system formally approved soon in a meeting with top government officials, according to the Mainichi (Associated Press/Hindustan Times, Dec. 4). Japanese defense officials plan to spend $4.62 billion between fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2008 on a two-stage missile defense program developed by Washington. Part of the system would be deployed in 2007 and it would be fully operational by fiscal 2011 at the earliest (Reuters/CNN.com, Dec. 4). “I understand there will be a move in that direction in the course of budget planning,” Koizumi said of a missile defense plan. “We will make a full study,” he added. The prime minister said he had instructed defense officials to investigate “Japan’s comprehensive defense system with a new era in mind” (Agence France-Presse, Dec. 4). Back to top

U.S. Proposes Fine for Lost Radioactive Material The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed a $3,000 fine against ABB Inc. for the loss of a small amount of strontium 90 in July, Energy Daily reported today (see GSN, Oct. 24). The commission said that ABB’s loss of a sealed capsule containing a small amount of the material violated commission regulations and posed a public health concern, but the material itself could not be used to produce a “dirty bomb.” ABB has been unable to locate the container and has said that it probably ended up buried in a landfill, the commission said (Energy Daily, Dec. 4).   Back to top

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