A Russian road-mobile, SS-25 ICBM. The United States and Russia recently completed a pilot program of security upgrades at two Russian Strategic Rocket Forces sites (Defense Department photo). Russia, U.S. Complete Initial Security Upgrades at Russian Strategic Rocket Forces Sites By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia last month completed initial projects to help improve security at Russian nuclear weapons sites, a U.S. Energy Department official said Friday (see GSN, Sept. 16)...Full Story

U.S. Won’t Block European Incentives Offer to Iran The Bush administration on Friday did not try to stop European nations from offering a package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to give up its plans for nuclear enrichment, the New York Times reported (see GSN, Oct. 15)...Full Story

U.K. Reportedly to Join U.S. Missile Defense System The United States would be allowed to place missile interceptors in the United Kingdom under a confidential plan approved by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the London Independent reported yesterday, but a U.S. official and an independent analyst questioned the report today (see GSN, Oct. 14)...Full Story

	Monday, October 18, 2004

Former CIA Senior Official Disputes Tenet’s “Slam-Dunk” Characterization of Prewar Iraq Intelligence Former CIA Deputy Director James Pavitt has said that prewar intelligence on Iraq’s alleged WMD efforts was not the “slam-dunk case” described by former CIA Director George Tenet, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Oct. 15). “I would not have used those words for the case against Iraq on weapons on mass destruction,” Pavitt said in an interview with NBC’s Dateline broadcast yesterday. “I in fact sat in a number of meetings and I said there may be a number of reasons for going to war, but I do not see the intelligence we have on weapons of mass destruction being the one that carries the day” (Agence France-Presse/Channel News Asia, Oct. 18). Back to top       Qadhafi Wants Thanks for Services to Peace Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi on Friday called on Western nations to express gratitude for his decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Oct. 15). Qadhafi said that Western nations should thank him “for his services to international peace,” and that “regardless what other nations were doing,” Libya would support international efforts against terrorism, according to AFP. Qadhafi made his comments during a visit by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to Libya. Schroeder said Libya was “on the right track,” AFP reported. “This country has changed politically and we can only welcome that,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Japan Today, Oct. 15). Back to top       Dugway to Expand for Counterterrorism Training The Utah facility used for biological and chemical defense testing is set to be expanded over the next seven years to encompass counterterrorism training against WMD attacks, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Saturday (see GSN, Feb. 25). Planned additions to the Dugway Proving Ground in Tooele County include a fake city for chemical and biological attack training, a building to test protective equipment and an annex for biological defense trials, the Tribune reported. The public has 30 days to review the plan, which will be sent to the U.S. Defense Department for approval (Dawn House, Salt Lake Tribune, Oct. 16) Dugway has been used to test and store anthrax and other pathogens since 1991 to better prepare the Untied States against attacks using WMD agents (Associated Press/Arizona Republic, Oct. 16). Back to top

Russia, U.S. Complete Initial Security Upgrades at Russian Strategic Rocket Forces Sites By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia last month completed initial projects to help improve security at Russian nuclear weapons sites, a U.S. Energy Department official said Friday (see GSN, Sept. 16). Upgrades at two Russian military bases are part of an effort by the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration to improve security at 17 sites controlled by the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces. Work at the pilot projects, which were those Moscow felt “comfortable with starting off with,” began in late-summer 2003, the Energy Department official said. The NNSA program, set to be completed by fiscal 2008, involves installing “rapid” and “comprehensive” security upgrades at some of Russia’s “most sensitive” nuclear weapons sites, according to the Energy Department official. The official refused to provide detail on what the upgrades entailed, describing them in general terms as “physical protection” improvements.  Russian contractors and NNSA teams design the security upgrade for a particular site; the measures are installed by Russian contractors and take about 28 months to complete, according to the Energy Department. Once the upgrade is complete, the National Nuclear Security Administration contracts with Russian firms for preventive maintenance, repairs and personnel training. Cost estimates for work at each of the 17 sites range from $10 million to $15 million “to do a complete job,” the official said. The Energy Department official said a “very positive working relationship” was established with Moscow in the program’s early stages. “We haven’t experienced any difficulties,” the official said. “I can’t see any hurdles in the process.” All of the 17 sites where security upgrades are to be installed have been selected by Moscow, the Energy Department official said. No effort has been made to prioritize work at the sites, the official said, adding that the security level was “pretty uniform.” According to a report released in May by Harvard University’s Project on Managing the Atom, U.S.-funded efforts to date have installed rapid security upgrades at about 50 percent of Russian sites containing nuclear weapons and comprehensive security upgrades at about 5 percent of those sites. One of the report’s authors, Matthew Bunn, said today that the pilot projects were “a very promising development” and that they demonstrated that “a genuinely cooperative approach … can get the job done.” While noting that “on average,” security at Russian nuclear warhead sites was considered better than security at sites housing nuclear materials, Bunn said that it was “very urgent” to install security upgrades at warhead-related sites. He added that Russian officials have confirmed that terrorists groups have conducted reconnaissance missions on such sites. Russian officials have not specified whether such sites included those controlled by the Strategic Rocket Forces, Bunn added. The Energy Department official said that negotiations are under way on contracts to conduct security upgrades at Strategic Rocket Forces sites beyond the initial 17. In addition to Energy Department efforts, the U.S. Defense Department is conducting work at one Strategic Rocket Forces site, the official said. The official declined to say how many sites exist in Russia. The work to improve security at Russian Strategic Rocket Forces sites builds on the “success” achieved in a U.S.-funded effort to install security upgrades at about 50 Russian Navy-related sites, the Energy Department official said.  The National Nuclear Security Administration began work at Russian Navy sites in the late 1990s and is set to complete final security upgrades by fiscal 2006, according to the Energy Department. Back to top       U.S. Won’t Block European Incentives Offer to Iran The Bush administration on Friday did not try to stop European nations from offering a package of incentives aimed at persuading Iran to give up its plans for nuclear enrichment, the New York Times reported (see GSN, Oct. 15). U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, the White House representative at Friday’s talks of the Group of Eight global economic powers, nevertheless clear that the Bush administration has doubts about the plan, a European envoy said. His comments were made with “the minimum courtesy imaginable” and “bordered on the unacceptable,” the envoy said. In the end, however, Bolton did not attempt to stop the initiative led by France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the Times reported. “They didn’t jump on the train physically,” a European official said. “But there was nobody who told us, don’t go ahead.” Representatives of the three European powers could meet with Iranian officials as early as Thursday to discuss the offer, which is expected to include a nuclear fuel supply for civilian power reactors, improved trade and commercial ties and a place for Iran in trying to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The plan also includes the threat of referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions if it rejects the European offer, the Times reported. An Iranian official at the United Nations said the meeting would probably occur next week. U.S. officials, who have pressed to bring Iran to the Security Council, said they do not believe much will come of the incentives offer. “We’ve been a broken record on this since the beginning of the process,” an administration official said. “It’s safe to say that American expectations are fairly low, based on Iran’s miserable track record, including its almost instantaneous breaking of the last agreement we had with them” (Steven Weisman, New York Times, Oct. 16). An Iranian official said yesterday his country had not yet received the European offer, but that it reserved the right to enrich uranium, Associated Press reported. “Tehran will accept only proposals that meet Iran's national interests and its legitimate right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said, according to Iranian state television. (Associated Press/Houston Chronicle, Oct. 17). Back to top       Concern Growing in United States Over Possible Taiwanese Nuclear Plans, Analyst Says A recent inquiry by a Taiwanese lawmaker as to whether Taipei was conducting secret nuclear weapons planning has led to growing concerns about possible nuclear activity in Taiwan, David Albright, head of the Institute for Science and International Security, said Friday (see GSN, Oct. 14). Last week, a Taiwanese legislator asked in parliament if there was a five-member team conducting nuclear weapons planning. Premier Yu Shyi-kun denied that Taiwan is working on nuclear weapons, according to Agence France-Presse. In the United States, though, “'there is presently concern that Taiwan may be doing nuclear weapons planning now or thinking about it, particularly after the comment in the Taiwanese parliament,” Albright said. Washington is committed, Albright said, “to stop something in terms of even feasibility studies of secret nuclear weapons development before it develops” (Michael Adler, Agence France-Presse, Oct. 15). Nuclear weapons development could cause Taiwan to lose support from the United States and lead the island into a losing arms race with China, according to analysts. “Developing nuclear weapons will only force Taiwan into an arms race with a powerful nuclear country like China. There is no return if we walk down that road,” said retired Taiwanese Lt. Gen. Shuai Hua-min (Amber Wang, Agence France-Presse, Oct. 18). Back to top       IAEA Inspectors to Visit Brazilian Enrichment Site International Atomic Energy Agency experts are expected to visit Brazil this week to inspect uranium enrichment centrifuge components at a plant northwest of Rio de Janeiro, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Oct. 7). The Brazilian weekly newsmagazine Veja reported, citing two government officials, that Brazil approved the IAEA inspection request and that an agency team is set to visit the Resende plant tomorrow, AP reported. During the visit, inspectors will be allowed to see a portion of the centrifuge equipment. The purpose of the inspection is to show the U.N. agency that Brazilian uranium is not being enriched to weapon-grade levels or being diverted to locations other than Resende (Stan Lehman, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 17). Back to top       U.S. Seeks to Restart Six-Party Talks on North Korea U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to visit three Asian countries beginning Friday in an effort to relaunch negotiations aimed at ending the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to the Financial Times (see GSN, Oct. 15). Powell is set to travel to Japan, China and South Korea — three of the countries involved in the six-party talks, the Times reported. The six-party talks stalled last month after North Korea refused to attend a fourth meeting. According to the U.S. State Department, Powell “expects to hold discussions with senior officials in the three countries on bilateral matters, regional security and stability, and issues such as the global war on terrorism, Iraq, North Korea and the six-party talks” In addition, South Korea is considering sending an envoy to Pyongyang to help restore the talks, according to the Times. The probable envoy is former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung (Anna Fifield, Financial Times, Oct. 17). Meanwhile, North Korea’s second-ranking official, Kim Yong Nam, arrived in Beijing today for a visit expected to be used by Chinese officials to persuade North Korea to resume the six-party talks, according to the Associated Press. China’s efforts to relaunch talks “is expected to be one of the most important” topics on the agenda during meetings between Kim and Chinese President Hu Jintao and other Chinese officials, according the China Daily newspaper. Chinese officials have refused to provide details on the talks, AP reported (Joe McDonald, Associated Press/Washington Post, Oct. 18). U.S. and Chinese officials Friday failed to make progress on resuming the six-party talks, according to Agence France-Presse. “Unfortunately, as far as we know, the situation remains stalled, with North Korea not prepared to live up to its commitments to come back to talks ,” State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. Boucher made his comment following meetings between Chinese special envoy for North Korean affairs Ning Fukui and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly and special envoy for North Korea Joseph DeTrani (Agence France-Presse/Channel News Asia, Oct. 15). Back to top       Iraqi Science and Technology Ministry Has No Information on Missing Nuclear Equipment The Iraqi Science and Technology Ministry has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it has no information on nuclear-related equipment stolen from two facilities, ITAR-Tass reported today (see GSN, Oct. 15).  The looted sites were identified in a message to IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei as Tuwaitha and al-Vardiya. The ministry also told the agency that remaining equipment and materials were secure and that there would be no further incidents of theft (Vyacheslav Anichkov, ITAR-Tass, Oct. 18). Back to top

Arizona Postal Center Receives Anthrax Detector The mail processing and distribution center in Phoenix, Ariz., has become the 35th such U.S. Postal Service facility to receive an anthrax detection system, the Associated Press reported Saturday (see GSN, Oct. 6). Letters and packages beginning next week will be placed on a conveyer belt leading to a testing compartment, where the system will sample the air around each parcel, AP reported. The system is set to be placed in 283 U.S. mail-sorting sites by November 2005 (Associated Press/KVOA.com, Oct. 16). Back to top

Jordan Indicts Al-Zarqawi and Others Suspected of Planning Foiled Chemical Attack Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and 12 other suspected terrorists were indicted yesterday in Jordan for planning to attack government buildings and the U.S. Embassy in Amman with chemical and conventional weapons, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Aug. 2). Nine of the suspects are in custody, while al-Zarqawi and three others will be tried in absentia if they do not surrender during a 10-day grace period granted this week. The trial expected to begin in mid-November. The seven charges against the defendants include conspiring to commit terror attacks in Jordan, possessing and manufacturing explosive material and affiliation with a banned group, AP reported. Suspects could be executed if convicted on all counts. Jordanian authorities said the suspects planned to use chemical and conventional weapons to attack the U.S. Embassy, the prime minister’s office, the Jordanian secret service agency and other sites. A series of police raids in March and April led to the arrests or deaths of the alleged terrorists before the attacks could occur. Suspects and Jordanian security personnel have said the cell linked to al-Qaeda organized the foiled plan (Jamal Halaby, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 17). Back to top

U.K. Reportedly to Join U.S. Missile Defense System The United States would be allowed to place missile interceptors in the United Kingdom under a confidential plan approved by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, the London Independent reported yesterday, but a U.S. official and an independent analyst questioned the report today (see GSN, Oct. 14). British diplomats in May agreed “in principle” to allow the U.S. missile-defense interceptors to be installed at Fylingdales Royal Air Force base in North Yorkshire, the Independent reported. British officials, however, denied that the United States has made any formal request regarding interceptors. “The U.K. has not yet decided whether we need our own missile defense,” a Defense Ministry spokesman said. “This is a decision for the future when the U.S. system has evolved further.” The Independent, however, reported that diplomats requested that a formal request be made only after the next British general election (Elliott/Carrell, London Independent, Oct. 17). “[I] have never heard anything regarding basing interceptors in U.K. MDA’s only role is upgrading the Fylingdales early warning radar for integration into the [Ground-based Midcourse Defense] system next year,” he wrote in an e-mail (see GSN÷ Feb. 6, 2003). Nigel Chamberlain of the British American Security Information Council in London said that Fylingdales would not be a likely site for basing the missiles. “My understanding is that the issue of basing an interceptor battery in the United Kingdom has been raised but that any potential site is more likely to be an existing military base, other than on Fylingdales Moor in Yorkshire,” said he said (David Ruppe, Global Security Newswire, Oct. 18). Opposition politicians and members of Blair’s own Labor Party expressed strong reservations about the reported agreement, the Independent reported. “These reports, if true, are a source of grave concern that a decision appears to have been taken behind closed doors before a full public debate on the costs and strategic implications,” said Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrats. “This could have major implications for the defense posture of the U.K., our relationship with NATO countries and other allies, and the strategic balance of nuclear weapons around the world.” In seeking political and public support for the plan, British leaders will stress to their U.S. counterparts that the system must be strictly defensive and be installed at no cost to the United Kingdom. Blair is expected to note that the island nation has received an added defense, free of cost. Poland and other Eastern European countries have already expressed interest in housing missile interceptors (Elliott/Carrell, London Independent). The next British general election is expected to be held in May 2005, the Press Association reported (Gavin Gordon, Press Association/Scotsman.com, Oct. 17). Details of the agreement were to be included in a memorandum of understanding to be placed in the British House of Commons library, the London Guardian reported today. Defense Minister Geoff Hoon said parts of the memo were missing at the request of U.S. officials (Richard Norton-Taylor, London Guardian, Oct. 18). Back to top       United States Offers to Sell Patriot System to India India has the opportunity to buy the Patriot missile defense system from the United States, the Hindustan Times reported Saturday (see GSN, Sept. 22). The offer was made during talks between U.S. and Indian officials last month on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meeting, according to sources. They said that the purpose of the U.S. offer may be to encourage India to participate in U.S. national missile defense efforts (Saurabh Shukla, Hindustan Times, Oct. 16).     Back to top

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