The IAEA is concerned about possible looting of materials from Iraqi nuclear sites, such as these bunkers at al-Tuwaitha (shown in a 2003 photo), in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion (AFP photo/Timothy Clary). United States to Investigate IAEA Concerns of Missing Iraqi Nuclear-Related Equipment The United States plans to investigate an International Atomic Energy Agency report that high-precision equipment is missing from Iraqi nuclear facilities, a U.S. diplomat said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 12). “Obviously we’ll do a full investigation, working with the Iraqis,” said Anne Patterson, U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations...Full Story

U.S. Considering Offer for Iran, Officials Say U.S. officials said they are ready to consider a proposal to offer inducements for Iran to suspend its nuclear work, with European powers expected to outline a package of “carrots and sticks” at a meeting of the G-8 Global Partnership on Friday in Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported (see GSN, Oct. 12)...Full Story

British Intelligence Withdraws Claim That Prewar Iraq Could Have Deployed WMD Within 45 Minutes The British foreign intelligence service MI6 has formally withdrawn its assessment that prewar Iraq could have deployed biological and chemical weapons within 45 minutes, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 28)...Full Story

	Wednesday, October 13, 2004

British Intelligence Withdraws Claim That Prewar Iraq Could Have Deployed WMD Within 45 Minutes The British foreign intelligence service MI6 has formally withdrawn its assessment that prewar Iraq could have deployed biological and chemical weapons within 45 minutes, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 28). The claim was included a September 2002 British government dossier released in an attempt to build public support for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Straw said yesterday, though, that the United Kingdom was right to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq. “I do not accept, even with hindsight, that we were wrong to act as we did in the circumstances which we faced at the time,” Straw told British lawmakers in response to a report released by the Iraq Survey Group, which has determined that prewar Iraq did not possess WMD stockpiles. “Even after reading all the evidence detailed by the ISG, it is still hard to believe that any regime could behave in so self-destructive a manner as to pretend it had forbidden weaponry when in fact it hadn’t,” Straw said (Ed Johnson, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 12). British Prime Minister Tony Blair told lawmakers today that while he was sorry for any prewar Iraq information “given in good faith that has subsequently turned out to be wrong,” he would not apologize for misrepresenting prewar Iraq intelligence “since I do not accept that I did.” “What I do not in any way accept is that there was any deception by anyone. I will not apologize for removing [former Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein. I will not apologize for the conflict.  I believe it was right then, is right now and essential for the wider security of that region and the world,” he said (CNN.com, Oct. 13). Back to top       Permanent U.N. Body Needed to Seek WMD, Panel Says By Jim Wurst Global Security Newswire UNITED NATIONS — Drawing on the lessons learned from weapons inspections in Iraq, a panel of nongovernmental arms-control experts said last week that a standing U.N. investigative body for weapons of mass destruction would lend “international legitimacy” to the campaign to control unconventional arms (see GSN, Oct. 7). It would be “in the objective interest of all governments” to have “unbiased assessments at hand” to settle disputes over any country’s WMD programs, said Henrik Salander, the secretary general of the WMD Commission. Such an initiative depends on the “international legitimacy” that “can only be derived from the United Nations,” he said. The WMD Commission is chaired by Hans Blix, the last U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq. The panel was held on Thursday, the day after the release of the report by chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer, who said that inspections and sanctions in place since 1991 had prevented Iraq from reconstituting its WMD programs. Duelfer said that by the time of the 2003 war, Iraq had no nuclear weapons or infrastructure and no significant chemical or biological weapons, thus confirming the basic positions of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency. “If there was any doubt that this issue is important, it was put to rest by the Duelfer report,” said W. Pal S. Sidhu of the International Peace Academy. Whether Iraq “is an exception or part of a trend,” he said, promoting nonproliferation or disarmament “has to result in a change of attitude in the [targeted] government.” The United Nations helped eliminate Iraqi weapons of mass destruction “through inspections and sanctions,” said Barbara Hatch Rosenberg, chairwoman of the chemical and biological weapons working group at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. “The success of the U.N. underlined the need for the U.N. to be prepared for when the need arises. And the need will arise, there are suspicions aplenty.” She added investigations are useful not only for inspections but also for deterrence. Panelists said the general idea would be to have a permanent body within the United Nations that would have the expertise and authority to investigate charges that a country was engaged in illegal WMD activities. Rosenberg said this unit must be allowed “to go beyond the limits of existing treaties.” The International Atomic Energy Agency can conduct inspections of parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the Chemical Weapons Convention has its own verification body, but there are no verification provisions for the Biological Weapons Convention (see GSN, April 13). Salander outlined several scenarios under which such a body might be useful. Among them were a case such as Libya, in which a country renounces WMD ambitions “and wants it confirmed in a credible way,” and a North Korean model in which there are “accusations of noncompliance” with a nonproliferation treaty. Two related issues are how an inspection could be triggered — other than being requested by an accused country — and under whose authority the unit would be placed under: the U.N. Security Council or the General Assembly.  The Security Council already has the authority to order an inspection under its mandate to maintain international peace and security.  The General Assembly is more representative of the international community, thus any decision could be seen as more legitimate, but it has no enforcement powers under the U.N. Charter.  This means no country would be compelled to cooperate with an investigative arm of the assembly. Salander and Sidhu said the unit should be under the authority of the Security Council.  Salander said this approach “is not without its complications,” but the other options also have problems.  Sidhu said since most investigations are likely “to be exceptional and unusual,” requiring a flexible response.  “Like it or not,” he said, the council is the most flexible U.N. organ. Back to top

United States to Investigate IAEA Concerns of Missing Iraqi Nuclear-Related Equipment The United States plans to investigate an International Atomic Energy Agency report that high-precision equipment is missing from Iraqi nuclear facilities, a U.S. diplomat said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 12). “Obviously we’ll do a full investigation, working with the Iraqis,” said Anne Patterson, U.S. deputy ambassador to the United Nations. Based on satellite imagery, the agency determined that entire buildings that once held equipment that could be used for nuclear weapons have been dismantled since Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Reuters. The agency also said that neither U.S. officials nor officials in the interim Iraqi government appeared to have noticed that the equipment was missing (Irwin Arieff, Reuters, Oct. 12). Western diplomats said the agency is concerned that the missing Iraqi high-precision equipment could end up in the hands of a country or group seeking to develop nuclear weapons, according to Reuters. “If some of this stuff were to end up in Iran, some people would be very concerned,” a diplomat close to the agency said. “The IAEA’s big concern would be profiteering, people who would sell this stuff with no regard for who is buying it” (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, Oct. 12). Both U.S. and Iraqi officials, though, have sought to play down the IAEA’s concerns, according to reports. In Washington, the U.S. State Department yesterday said that while equipment may have been stolen from Iraqi sites during the immediate aftermath of the war, “most, if not all” items had been accounted for and adequate security was in place to prevent further looting. “This is a problem that did occur after the war,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. “We think though, that, through a variety of efforts that we and the Iraqis have been making, it has been brought under control” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 12). Iraqi interim Science and Technology Minister Rashad Omar said today that Iraq would fully cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, adding that IAEA inspectors are free to visit the sites of concern at any time. “The locations under my control are very well protected,” Omar told the Associated Press. “Not even a single screw is being taken away without my knowledge” (Alexandra Zavis, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 13). The U.N. agency said today that it was ready to send inspectors back to Iraq, according to Reuters. “We are ready, subject to [U.N.] Security Council guidance and the prevailing security situation, to resume our Security Council mandated verification activities in Iraq,” agency spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said (Reuters/Yahoo!News Oct. 13). Back to top       U.S. Considering Offer for Iran, Officials Say U.S. officials said they are ready to consider a proposal to offer inducements for Iran to suspend its nuclear work, with European powers expected to outline a package of “carrots and sticks” at a meeting of the G-8 Global Partnership on Friday in Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported (see GSN, Oct. 12). The Bush administration has not yet decided which particular incentives it might be willing to support. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, who has advocated a tough approach in dealing with Tehran, is expected to attend Friday’s meeting, according to officials, indicating that the White House is not likely to make many compromises. Discussions on revising its approach to Iran “will be a battle” within the administration, said one official. U.S. officials are also expected to pressure parties at the meeting to join Washington in establishing a sanctions regime if Iran fails to cooperate, according to the Journal (Carla Anne Robbins, Wall Street Journal, Oct. 13). The United States still supports sending Iran’s case to the U.N. Security Council, but is also receptive to other approaches for dealing with the standoff, said Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage. “The Iranians ... have made a decision apparently to hide, to continue to hide their program and indeed, in addition to that, they have made some very scurrilous statements publicly,” Armitage said today. “We hold the view that Iran needs to be brought to account and we would like to move to the U.N. Security Council after the November (IAEA) Board of Governors’ meeting.” “But we’re open to all ideas that people have because one thing has become clear and that is that we all share — the G-8 — the same end, the desire, and that is that Iran should be free of nuclear weapons and be transparent and let the international community have sufficient confidence that that is the case,” he added (Reuters, Oct. 13). A source at Russia’s Foreign Ministry told Reuters yesterday that EU proposals for threats and incentives designed to induce Iran to give up its nuclear work would not work. “I would not say it is appropriate to advocate the carrots and sticks approach,” the source said. “(Russia’s foreign) minister has confirmed our position, stressing that it is in Iran’s interests to cooperate with the agency on all these questions. That is our position.” Russia has not yet made a formal statement on the European effort, according to Reuters (Maria Golovnina, Reuters, Oct. 12). Back to top       IAEA Explores Taiwan’s Past Nuclear Activity Recent inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency indicate that Taiwan performed plutonium experiments until the mid-1980s, diplomats said today (see GSN, Oct. 6). Inspections were conducted through the Taiwan’s IAEA safeguards agreement, diplomats told the Associated Press. Additional measures that Taiwan volunteered to accept grant the agency the authority to conduct more intrusive monitoring of a country’s nuclear efforts. IAEA officials refused to comment. A spokesman for the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said he was unaware of the reports and also refused to comment. One diplomat said that there were differences in the revelation of Taiwan’s plutonium experiments and the earlier revelation of nuclear experiments that South Korea conducted involving small amounts of enriched uranium and plutonium. While the South Korea experiments were previously unknown, Taiwan’s nuclear weapons program, which was launched in the 1960s, stopped in the 1970s and briefly revived in the 1980s, was more commonly known, the diplomat said (George Jahn, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 13). Back to top       Los Alamos Undergoes Operations Reorganization Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Peter Nanos announced that the laboratory has reorganized its operations directorate into two separate teams, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Oct. 1). The split, effective today, created a technical services directorate and a security and facility operations directorate, AP reported. No jobs are expected to be lost through the reorganization, according to Nanos. Technical services will manage environmental protection and compliance; project management; performance surety; engineering and standards; health, safety and radiation counterintelligence; and internal security, according to AP. Security and Facility Operations will handle nuclear and waste operations, security and emergency operations. “I am convinced that the reorganization of operations will result in improved operational efficiency and better alignment of professional services,” Nanos said. “As we continue to define our future, this is absolutely the right thing to do at the right time” (Associated Press, Oct. 13). Back to top       U.S. Official Says China Must Be Kept at North Korea Nuclear Negotiating Table China is a key participant in talks aimed at resolving the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear program, a senior U.S. official traveling in Tokyo said today (see GSN, Oct. 8 ). “I think the most effective way to deal with North Korea is a continuance of what we’ve been doing, that is, do our best, Japan and the United States, to keep China well in the game, and I believe China is keen for continuing her efforts,” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said. It is also important for the negotiations “that the North Koreans will not see us get impatient, or nervous, that we’re steady and in the long run we’ll prevail on this, and they’ll come to know it,” he added. China announced yesterday that North Korea’s second in command, Kim Yong Nam, was expected to visit next week, according to Reuters (Reuters, Oct. 13). China’s top envoy on North Korea said today the standstill in efforts to end North Korea’s suspected nuclear weapons drive was temporary and that new talks could begin in short order, Agence France-Presse reported. “There were some reasons for the failure of the talks to take place as scheduled [last month] but current difficulties are merely temporary,” Ning Fukui, Beijing’s special envoy for Korean Peninsula affairs, was quoted as saying by the Yonhap news agency as he met with top South Korean Foreign Ministry officials in Seoul. “I believe an early resumption of the talks will be possible should the United States and North Korea show sincerity, flexibility and patience,” he added. Ning is expected to depart the South Korean capital for the United States tomorrow, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 13). Back to top       Nuclear Power Plants to Continue MOX Program Officials at Duke Power nuclear plants near Charlotte, S.C. said this week they plan to continue their mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) program, despite environmental groups’ claims that it is unsafe and could make the plant a terrorist target (see GSN, Oct. 7). The plant early next year plans to begin testing the fuel, which is being produced at a French reactor by converting weapon-grade plutonium into mixed uranium-plutonium oxide. The mixture still contains low levels of weapon-grade plutonium, according to the Associated Press. Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League Executive Director Janet Zeller told the AP yesterday that her group remains opposed to the tests at the South Carolina nuclear power plant. “Our organization is dedicated to stopping Duke from endangering the people around Charlotte,” she said.  “They are saying, ‘Trust us,’ and I don’t think we should,” she added. “They have given no reasons to trust them and they have made the Charlotte area a greater terrorist target.” The fuel tests are to be conducted at the Catawba Nuclear Power Station in York, S.C., and the McGuire Nuclear Power Station in Huntersville, N.C. The plants would be the first U.S. facilities to use MOX, which is used throughout Europe in more than 30 power reactors. Duke officials said using MOX to generate electricity could consume surplus plutonium from nuclear weapons while reducing the risk of terrorist groups acquiring the radioactive materials. Initially, MOX fuel would be used in only four of 193 fuel assemblies at the plants. If the tests are successful, the company could seek approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for expanded MOX use beginning around 2010, said Steven Nesbit, Duke Power’s MOX fuel project manager. Bulletproof doors and a moat have been added around the Catawba plant since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to AP. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to hold a hearing on security concerns raised by project opponents, Nesbit said (Paul Nowell, Associated Press/York County, S.C., Herald, Oct. 13). Back to top

Kyrgyzstan Works to Join Biological Weapons Pact Kyrgyzstan is preparing to join the Biological Weapons Convention and swear off the development and stockpiling of biological agents, ITAR-Tass reported yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 28). Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aytmatov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, yesterday during a meeting in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, exchanged documents concerning Kyrgyzstan joining the treaty (ITAR-Tass/BBC Worldwide Monitoring). Back to top       Monkey Study Could Aid With Smallpox Cures Results of a study documenting how the smallpox virus attacks an infected monkey on a molecular level could play a role in developing new diagnostics, vaccines and drugs that would be needed in case of a terrorist attack using the disease, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 7). “In light of today’s concerns about bioterror attacks, we have an urgent need to know as much as possible about the workings of the smallpox virus and other bioterror agents,” said NIAID Director Anthony Fauci. “This new research fills in some of the gaps in our understanding of smallpox. Now we are better positioned to speed the development of protective measures.” The study was funded by the institute and led by David Relman of Stanford University. Experts said the findings of how smallpox acts on cells could hasten development of smallpox countermeasures, according to a National Institutes of Health press statement (National Institutes of Health release, Oct. 12). Back to top

U.S. Backs Libyan Bid to Modify Chemical Treaty to Permit Conversion of Weapons Facilities The United States supports a Libyan proposal to modify the Chemical Weapons Convention to allow countries to convert former chemical weapons facilities to peaceful purposes, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 12). The United States issued its support for Libya’s proposal yesterday during a meeting in The Hague of the executive council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, which oversees the treaty, according to AP. Libya, with the support of 17 other treaty members, wants to convert its former Rabta mustard gas facility into a pharmaceutical plant, AP reported. Under the treaty’s current rules, however, former chemical weapons sites must either remain closed or be destroyed. Libya hopes to use the plant to manufacture low-cost drugs for AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, according to AFP. “This is not a matter we can defer,” said Eric Javits, head of the U.S. delegation to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. “The proposal will work not just for Libya, but for any future acceding state that may possess a chemical weapons production facility and legitimately wish to convert it for purposes not prohibited by the convention” (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, Oct. 12). Meanwhile, French President Jacques Chirac said yesterday that he planned to visit Libya later this year, according to Agence France-Presse. Chirac’s visit would be the first by a French president to Libya in more than 20 years (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Oct. 12). Back to top

MTCR Members Discuss Work to Slow Missile Spread By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Representatives from the 34 members of the Missile Technology Control Regime met last week in Seoul to discuss further efforts to prevent the spread of ballistic missiles (see GSN, Oct. 4). The regime is a multilateral export control system that seeks to establish common rules for exporting ballistic missiles and related technologies. Under the regime’s guidelines, members agree to use a “strong presumption of denial” for exports of items in Category 1 of the regime’s annex, including complete missile systems capable of carrying a 500-kilogram payload to a range of at least 300 kilometers and related production facilities.  Exports of items in Category 2 of the annex, which includes missile-related items and technologies and some other missile systems, are considered on a case-by-case basis. A U.S State Department official today characterized the session, held Oct. 6-8, as a “good meeting,” but said that no “blockbusters” occurred. One topic of discussion was the addition of new items to the regime’s annex. Among the “most significant” additions, the official said, were certain kinds of precision ball bearings useful in liquid-propelled rocket engines. Regime members also discussed the issues of preventing “intangible” transfers of missile-related technologies, such as electronic transmissions of missile designs; transit, trans-shipment and brokering controls; and the need to curtail illicit proliferation-related activities by intermediaries and front companies, according to a statement released by the South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry. During last year’s plenary meeting in Argentina, regime members agreed to implement restrictions on intangible technology transfers (see GSN, Sept. 30, 2003).    The State Department official said that discussions on how to control front companies were only in the initial stage and that no specific adjustments to the MTCR guidelines were yet being considered. “The regime is trying to figure out where to go” on the issue, the official said. U.S. officials and experts previously suggested that one topic of last week’s meeting might be China’s attempt to join the regime, which has involved several meetings between Chinese and regime officials over the course of the year. While saying that “all countries” seeking membership into the regime were discussed, the State Department official declined to identify them or comment on the results of such discussions. “They know who they are,” the official said. No decision was taken last week to admit new members, which would require the consensus of current regime members, the official said. Bulgaria was admitted as the newest member to the regime in June (see GSN, Aug. 9). Regime members also expressed during last week’s meeting “serious concern” over missile proliferation in Northeast Asia, the Middle East and South Asia, the South Korean statement said. In the past week, there have been reports of Pakistan conducting its third test this year of its nuclear-capable Ghauri missile, which has the ability to hit targets in Islamabad’s regional rival India; as well as reports of Iranian officials claiming to possess missiles capable of hitting targets within Europe. A South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry official was quoted last week by the Yonhap news agency as saying that regime members maintained a “common position” that North Korea should continue to abide by its self-imposed moratorium on missile testing. Earlier this week, North Korea denied speculation that it was preparing to conduct a missile test, according to reports (see GSN, Oct. 12). Regime members also “welcomed” the adoption of U.N. Security Council resolution 1540, which states that all countries should establish and enforce national export control regulations to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and related technologies, according to the South Korean statement. Regime members called upon those outside of the agreement to follow the regime’s guidelines and annex, the statement said. Spain is set to assume the MTCR chair next year and to host the regime’s next plenary meeting in the fall of 2005. Back to top

U.S. to Install Sixth Missile Interceptor; Russian Defense Expert Calls Deployment “PR Stunt” The U.S. Defense Department is preparing to deploy a sixth missile interceptor to Fort Greely, Alaska, by the end of the month, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 12). Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. is expected to receive its first two interceptors in November, according to AP. Two more are expected to be deployed there and 10 more at Fort Greely next year. “We’re going through this shakedown period to make sure everything is working properly,” Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency, said yesterday. U.S. military command officials are expected to select a date for activation before the end of the year and then to brief the defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for final approval, said Mike Kucharek, a spokesman for the Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Rachel D’Oro, Associated Press/Boston Globe, Oct. 12). Meanwhile, a Russian defense expert told Interfax yesterday that the U.S. missile-defense deployment was a propaganda move and that the system was not technologically sound, MosNews.com reported. “This became clear as early as in the ‘80s when the SDI system was discussed. The deployment of the first missile interceptors in Alaska, prepared for the presidential elections in the U.S., is nothing but a PR stunt,” said Igor Ostretsov, deputy director of the All-Russian Institute of Nuclear Energy Machine Building (MosNews.com, Oct. 12). Back to top       Congressional Authorizers Agree on Fiscal 2005 Missile Defense Funding for KEI, Airborne Laser U.S. Senate and House authorizers last week cut $163 million from the Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal year 2005 budget for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, while approving the full $474 million budget for the Airborne Laser program, Inside Missile Defense reported (see GSN, Sept. 15). Lawmakers questioned the agency’s progress in defining a deployment plan for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, for which the agency had sought $511 million for fiscal 2005. “Recent justifications for the KEI ground-based variant suggest that it might serve as the basis for midcourse intercept capability in Europe,” the conferees’ report says. “At the same time, however, the budget request included $35 million for additional ground-based interceptors for the ground-based midcourse defense element that could be deployed in Europe.” The legislators also asked the agency to report by Feb. 15, 2005 on the status and long-term plans for the Airborne Laser (Thomas Duffy, Inside Missile Defense, Oct. 13). Back to top       U.S. to Study Air-Launched Missile Interceptors The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is examining whether two types of missile interceptors — the Patriot Advanced Capability 3 interceptor or the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor — could be launched from fighter jets in flight, Defense Daily reported today (see GSN, Sept. 30). The study would “determine the potential technical and engineering challenges that could be associated with providing ascent or terminal missile defense using THAAD and/or PAC-3 interceptors carried by existing fighter aircraft, possibly the F-15 and F-16,” Defense Department sources said, adding that “there has been no decision made to pursue this type of missile defense.” The study is expected to last about nine months and cost less than $3 million, according to Defense Daily. Results are expected to be reported to the agency director next year (Ann Roosevelt, Defense Daily, Oct. 13). Back to top

Radiation Levels From Soviet Nuclear Tests, Chernobyl Declining in Arctic, Study Says Radiation from Soviet nuclear weapons tests and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident is beginning to decline in the Arctic, according to a study released yesterday by the international Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (see GSN, Sept. 10). The group conducted its study between 1991 and 2002, according to the Associated Press. “The levels are going down in the Arctic, which is a good thing. But it has taken much longer than in the rest of the world,” said Per Strand of the Norwegian Nuclear Protection Authority, whose agency led the study in cooperation with the Russian environment and meteorology agency Roshydromet. Experts added, however, that the far northern part of the region is still threatened by sizable stockpiles of aging post-Soviet nuclear weapons, submarines, power plants and waste in northwest Russia. “The Arctic is the most sensitive region for nuclear fallout, yet parts of the Arctic have the world’s greatest concentration of nuclear materials,” Strand told the Associated Press. The Kola Peninsula in northwest Russia, site of the world’s highest concentration of nuclear materials, poses the greatest risk, according to Strand (Doug Mellgren, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 12). 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.