British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday that there was international consensus that Iran should not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. British, French and German negotiators are set to meet tomorrow with Iranian representatives for further talks on a nuclear freeze by Tehran (AFP photo/Odd Andersen). Iran Considers Halting Some Nuclear Activities A freeze on some nuclear work in Iran might not be out of the question, Iranian officials hinted yesterday without specifying which activities would be included in such a moratorium, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 25). “We are trying to choose the best course of work,” Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, told state television. He said Tehran is still studying last week’s proposal from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, which includes access to civilian nuclear technologies in exchange for Iran’s halt of uranium enrichment activities...Full Story

Kerry Blasts Bush Over Missing Iraqi Explosives By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Reports that hundreds of tons of high explosives are missing from an Iraqi site became an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign yesterday as Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry (Mass.) accused the Bush administration of “unbelievable incompetence” in allowing the material to be lost (see GSN, Oct. 25)...Full Story

City Officials Say Information Lacking to Secure Toxic Chemical Shipments Through U.S. Capital By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Key information is lacking that could allow for better protection of controversial rail shipments of chlorine and other dangerous materials through the U.S. capital, local officials here indicated yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 20)...Full Story

	Tuesday, October 26, 2004

City Officials Say Information Lacking to Secure Toxic Chemical Shipments Through U.S. Capital By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Key information is lacking that could allow for better protection of controversial rail shipments of chlorine and other dangerous materials through the U.S. capital, local officials here indicated yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 20). The officials said at a District of Columbia Council Judiciary Committee hearing that they are not aware of any complete terrorism vulnerability and threat assessment for Washington and the surrounding area or of any comprehensive data on the characteristics — inspection status, for example — of rail cargo passing through the city. “It’s a troubling issue if there isn’t an answer to that question that anybody can provide,” District of Columbia Transportation Director Dan Tangherlini said of the latter information. City lawmakers and environmental groups have called for rerouting the shipments away from Washington to prevent an accidental or intentional release of substances such as chlorine gas, which some experts say could kill thousands within minutes. Opponents of the shipments point to a history of military use of chlorine as a chemical weapon and to reports that al-Qaeda has contemplated attacks on such trains. Council Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Kathy Patterson plans next month to introduce a new bill requiring a rail-vulnerability study and stronger notification mechanisms for the shipments, and Washington Mayor Anthony Williams said yesterday that he could sign such a measure if other options were exhausted. Rail industry leaders and officials in U.S. President George W. Bush’s administration contend that rerouting the trains could have dire economic consequences and create new security risks elsewhere. Questioned yesterday by Patterson, City Administrator Robert Bobb said he knows of no regional threat and vulnerability assessment. The federal Homeland Security Department is charged with producing such a plan for the entire country. The department’s Office of National Capital Region Coordination is required, under the 2002 law that created Homeland Security, to “develop a process for receiving meaningful input from state, local, and regional authorities and the private sector in the national capital region to assist in the development of the homeland security plans and activities of the federal government.” Tangherlini said he knew of no data showing whether truck and rail shipments passing through the city have been inspected or whether they are foreign or domestic in origin. He said tracking such information is a federal responsibility but that U.S. officials are reluctant to provide such data — in part because doing so could reveal that “the inspection system, particularly at our ports, is not as robust as it needs to be at this time.” The federal government plans in the “next several weeks” to announce a plan to secure the shipments, Bobb said. Council members, who have in the past floated unsuccessful legislative bids to reroute the shipments, are now focusing on stronger notification mechanisms and an assessment of the vulnerability of Washington’s rails. Patterson said yesterday that she plans to introduce her new bill Nov. 9. Williams said that he would prefer an administrative solution but that he could eventually sign Patterson’s bill — a move whose meaning would be unclear, since the federal government has review authority over Washington legislation. “If I were shown that there were no real willingness to move on this … then I would support the measure. You know, I mean we’d have no choice,” Williams said. Washington Police Chief Charles Ramsey and Fire Chief Adrian Thompson yesterday outlined several ways in which their agencies work to protect the shipments. Ramsey noted the existence of a “buffer-zone” system under which various Metropolitan Police Department branches are called upon to provide, for example, harbor- or air-based support when a dangerous shipment traverses the city. Thompson said Washington emergency responders held a drill last month in which the scenario was a large release of a “noxious gas.” Back to top

Japan Hosts Multinational WMD Interdiction Exercise Naval vessels and approximately 900 troops from the United States, France, Australia and Japan took part in a WMD interdiction exercise today in waters south of Tokyo, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 25). This morning a crew operating a U.S. ship simulated a transfer of mock chemical weapons to a Japanese vessel in Sagami Bay, AFP reported. Australian, French, Japanese and U.S. ships, assisted by five helicopter crews, then chased and intercepted the ships. Inspectors in chemical-proof suits searched and seized suspicious materials, AFP reported. The drill officially does not target a particular nation, according to Reuters. However, U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton, who observed the “Team Samurai” drill from aboard the Japanese coast guard vessel Izu, noted North Korea’s involvement in weapons proliferation. “North Korea is a serious proliferation problem. It’s the world’s foremost proliferator of ballistic missile technology,” he said (George Nishiyama, Reuters/Yahoo!News, Oct. 26). He added, however, that the exercise was not designed to provoke anyone, according to AFP. “Only people who have anything to worry about from the PSI are the proliferators,” he said. Pyongyang, however, said the exercise revealed “a U.S. strategy to militarily blockade and stifle” North Korea. “This is a serious infringement upon the sovereignty of the D.P.R.K. and an intolerable military provocation to it,” the official Korean Central News Agency announced yesterday. Australian Army Col. Mark Hoare, a participant in the exercises, said “this is not an exercise targeting any country.” “Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is a big concern for the international community and Australia,” Hoare said. The “Team Samurai” drill was the 12th held under the auspices of the Proliferation Security Initiative and the first of its kind in Asia, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, Oct. 26). Meanwhile, China today said it did not join the exercises due to “reservations” about the U.S.-sponsored initiative, AFP reported. “The activities may entail military interception, so we have reservations about PSI,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said. “That’s why we don’t take part in this initiative.” (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 26). Back to top

Iran Considers Halting Some Nuclear Activities A freeze on some nuclear work in Iran might not be out of the question, Iranian officials hinted yesterday without specifying which activities would be included in such a moratorium, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 25). “We are trying to choose the best course of work,” Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Hassan Rohani, told state television. He said Tehran is still studying last week’s proposal from Germany, France and the United Kingdom, which includes access to civilian nuclear technologies in exchange for Iran’s halt of uranium enrichment activities. Iran is not now enriching uranium, but it has continued with centrifuge production and other related activities and has rejected calls to end all enrichment work. Rohani yesterday, however, seemed to be suggesting some willingness to compromise, according to AP. “Indefinite doesn’t mean permanent,” Rohani said. “[The Europeans] called for indefinite suspension as long as talks are under way. They say, for instance, that if negotiations are to last six or seven months, then Iran should not violate the suspension for that period.” Iran wants “to give European countries guarantees and assurances that it will not deviate in the direction of acquiring nuclear weapons,” Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi added. Iran is expected to resume negotiations with the European powers tomorrow. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday there is an international consensus that Iran not be allowed to develop nuclear arms. “I don’t think dialogue has been exhausted on this,” Blair said. “But we do need the Iranians to understand that the international community does not find it acceptable that they develop nuclear weapons” (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/USA Today, Oct. 26). U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage expressed skepticism Friday in Kuwait about the potential effectiveness of European negotiations with Iran. “We are skeptical of it, but we'll be glad to have them go make their presentation,” Armitage said, adding that he believes the Europeans also had doubts about Iran’s cooperation. He said there is concern among other nations in the Persian Gulf region about Iran’s nuclear work. “We consult quite often with all our friends in the Gulf and we hear a lot about Iran,” he said. “If they feel a threat, and they’re the ones in the immediate neighborhood, then I think we should feel a threat” (State Department release, Oct. 25). In Jerusalem yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Iran is “making every effort to arm itself with nuclear weapons, with ballistic means of delivery, and it is preparing an enormous terrorist network with Syria and Lebanon” (Reuters, Oct. 25). Meanwhile, an Iranian scientist said yesterday his country had made another nuclear breakthrough. “Iranian scientists have achieved the technology to design and produce zirconium, the world’s most sophisticated nuclear metal,” Mansour Habashizadeh, head of the Iranian Center for Research and Production of Nuclear Fuel in the city of Isfahan, told state-run radio. He added that the metal has applications in the core of a nuclear reactor, as well as other nuclear-related uses (Dareini, Associated Press, Oct. 26). A senior Iranian energy official said Iran should consider constructing nine nuclear plants in addition to the one being built in Bushehr with Russian assistance, Asia Pulse reported. The plants are necessary for energy production, said Chairman of the Majlis Energy Commission Kamal Daneshyar (Asia Pulse, Oct. 26). Back to top       Kerry Blasts Bush Over Missing Iraqi Explosives By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Reports that hundreds of tons of high explosives are missing from an Iraqi site became an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign yesterday as Democratic challenger Senator John Kerry (Mass.) accused the Bush administration of “unbelievable incompetence” in allowing the material to be lost (see GSN, Oct. 25). The Iraqi interim government reportedly informed the International Atomic Energy Agency earlier this month that about 380 tons of conventional explosives capable of being used to detonate nuclear weapons were missing from the al-Qaqaa facility, about 30 miles south of Baghdad, and were believed to have been lost in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion. The missing explosives had been kept under IAEA seal at the site, which was associated with Iraq’s pre-1991 nuclear weapons program. While concern over the missing explosives is focused on their potential use in conventional attacks by insurgents in Iraq and terrorists, experts today also noted their potential value for those seeking to develop nuclear weapons. One of the types of missing explosive, known as HMX, is near “the top of the list” of items needed to build a nuclear weapon, after weapon-grade nuclear material, said Joseph Cirincione, director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Nonproliferation Project. It is “hard to assess” the proliferation risk of the missing explosives because it is not known who might now possess them, said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. Kerry yesterday seized on the reports of the missing explosives to criticize rival President George W. Bush’s record on national security and handling of the war in Iraq. “The unbelievable incompetence of this president and his administration has put our troops at risk. George W. Bush has failed the essential test of any commander in chief to keep America safe,” Kerry said in a statement. In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Kerry campaign adviser Susan Rice described the incident as “evidence of incompetence of the highest order” and warned that the missing explosives may be “the tip of the iceberg.” Neither Bush nor his running mate, Vice President Dick Cheney, directly addressed the issue of the missing explosives yesterday during a set of campaign appearances. According to reports today, the U.S. Defense Department has said that coalition forces searched the al-Qaqaa site in the aftermath of the invasion and discovered no explosive materials that were under IAEA seal. Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that “it’s very possible — certainly it’s plausible that it was the Saddam Hussein regime that last had control of these things.” Experts today, though, disputed suggestions that the explosives had been lost prior to the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003.  “The Pentagon is blowing smoke,” Cirincione said. “They are caught in a failing that borders on criminal negligence.” Kimball said that it was unlikely that the Hussein regime lost control of the explosives due to the intense international scrutiny that Iraqi weapons sites were subjected to prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Administration officials yesterday sought to play down the 380 tons of missing explosives, noting the large number of munitions coalition forces had successfully secured in Iraq. “As of mid-September, more than 243,000 tons of munitions have been destroyed since Operation Iraqi Freedom. Coalition forces have cleared and reviewed a total of 10,033 caches of munitions; another nearly 163,000 tons of munitions have been secured and are on line to be destroyed. … That puts this all in context,” White House press secretary Scott McClellan said. McClellan also noted the wide array of issues coalition forces had to tackle in the aftermath of the war. “At the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom there were a number of priorities. It was a priority to make sure that the oil fields were secure, so that there wasn’t massive destruction of the oil fields, which we thought would occur. It was a priority to get the reconstruction office up and running. It was a priority to secure the various ministries, so that we could get those ministries working on their priorities,” he said. Since learning of the missing explosives, the Bush administration has been “actively engaged” in trying to determine how they were lost, State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said yesterday. “We, from the very beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, did everything we could to secure arms caches throughout the country. But given the number of arms and the number of caches and the extent of militarization of Iraq, it was impossible to provide a hundred percent security for a hundred percent of the sites, quite frankly,” he said. With news of the missing explosives following reports earlier this month of missing nuclear-related equipment from Iraqi sites, experts said today that it was time for the United States to allow the return of IAEA and U.N. inspectors. The U.S. occupation of Iraq, according to Cirincione, “started in chaos and continues in chaos to this day.” “The U.S. needs all the help it can get at this point,” he said. Back to top       Powell Finds Support From Key Asian Nations on Resuming North Korea Nuclear Talks Representatives from Japan, China and South Korea all pledged to pressure North Korea to resume negotiations on its nuclear program during U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell’s trip to Asia that ended today, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 25). “Clearly, everybody wants to see the next round of six-party talks get started,” Powell said in Seoul. Powell did not offer dates when talks might resume, according to AFP, but a South Korean spokesman said Powell told officials that he expected North Korea to rejoin the discussions after next week’s U.S. presidential election. Meanwhile in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing said that the United States should show greater “flexibility” in the standoff. “We wish the U.S. side would go further to adopt a flexible and practical attitude on the issue,” Li told the Xinhua News Agency (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Oct. 26). Powell also said yesterday in an interview with CNN International that North Korea would benefit from reaching a security agreement with its neighbors in the region, instead of with the United States alone. “I would argue to the North Koreans that they’re better off getting a security agreement from all of its neighbors and the United States, as opposed to just from the United States,” Powell said. He added that Washington would not fall into the “trap” of operating bilateral talks with North Korea. “The North Koreans desperately want to make this a U.S.-North Korean problem to see what else they can ask us for, to pay them, to reward them for their misbehavior. And we have chosen not to do that, not to get caught in their trap again,” he said (State Department release, Oct. 25). Meanwhile, Pyongyang today lashed out at Powell and other U.S. officials over who is to blame for the freeze in talks, AFP reported. “It is preposterous for the U.S. to try to lay the blame for the delayed talks at the D.P.R.K.’s door,” the Korean Central News Agency announced. “Mandarins of the U.S. State Department vied with one another to assert that the next round of the six-party talks failed to open due to the ‘delaying tactics’ of the D.P.R.K. watching for the outcome of the U.S. presidential election,” it added. “This is nothing but a foolish attempt to shift the blame for the stalemate of the talks on to the D.P.R.K.” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 26). Back to top       Bush Administration Achieves Mixed Success in Facing Variety of Nonproliferation Crises In nearly four years, the Bush administration has achieved a mixed record of success in resolving a number of international nuclear proliferation issues, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Oct. 1). Since coming to office in 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush has achieved little success in resolving the crises surrounding the nuclear efforts of Iran and North Korea, in part because of disputes within his administration as to the right path of action, according to the Post. Such disputes resulted in three secret overtures from Tehran going unanswered, as well a presidential directive on Iran remaining unsigned after 31 months of development, the Post reported. The Bush administration has also worked since coming into office to shut down the international nuclear network orchestrated by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and used to transfer nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The administration’s efforts, however, walked a thin line between moving to prevent Khan’s activities and waiting in order to learn more about the network as a whole, according to the Post. “It was a 51-49 call every day we were going through this,” said U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton. Former Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, though, criticized the Bush administration for failing to move sooner to pressure Pakistan into halting to Khan’s activities. “They made no attempt to get a handle on his activities abroad,” Wolf said. Bolton defended the administration’s nonproliferation record, noting Libya’s decision to dismantle its WMD efforts and the revelation of the Khan network and efforts to dismantle it. Bolton also said that Iran and North Korea’s nuclear programs may have become more developed than their current states if not for the administration’s efforts. “The question is not, ‘Is the status of the pursuit of nuclear weapons more advanced?’” he said. “The question is, ‘What would have happened and how much worse would it have been if we hadn’t pursued a more aggressive policy?’” (Gellman/Linzer, Washington Post, Oct. 26). Back to top       Indian, Pakistani Prime Ministers to Meet Next Month Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz is expected to meet with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a visit to India scheduled to be held next month, officials said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 20). “He (Aziz) is coming here for SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] business, but will also hold bilateral meetings,” Pakistan High Commission spokesman Rai Riaz Hussein said. “There will be a meeting between the two prime ministers” (Neelesh Misra, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 25). Back to top

Man Charged With Attempt to Acquire Chemical Weapons, Attack U.S. Government Buildings A Tennessee man was charged yesterday in federal court with attempting to acquire chemical weapons with the intent to attack U.S. government buildings, the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun reported (see GSN, March 15). Federal authorities said Demetrius “Van” Crocker, 39, was arrested yesterday after meeting with an undercover federal agent in an attempt to purchase sarin nerve agent and conventional explosives.  Crocker told the agent on Sept. 16 of his hatred for the U.S. government and said “it would be a good thing if somebody could detonate some sort of weapon of mass destruction in Washington, D.C., while both the U.S. Congress and Senate were in session,” according to the FBI arrest affidavit. Yesterday’s operation followed a seven-month investigation that began when the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was told that Crocker was attempting to acquire “nuclear waste and/or nuclear materials,” according to the affidavit. Crocker faces individual charges of attempting to obtain chemical weapons, receiving stolen explosives and attempting to receive explosives in interstate commerce with the intent to damage and destroy a building and real property. If convicted on all charges, Crocker faces more than 20 years in prison and fines of up to $750,000, according to the Sun (Jamie Page, Jackson Sun, Oct. 26). Back to top       Iranian Cabinet Advances Domestic Rules for Complying With Chemical Weapons Convention Iran’s cabinet ministers have approved legislation for implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention, Iran’s official news agency reported today (see GSN, July 20). “Based on one of the articles of the draft, except the materials listed in the treaty, production, proliferation, stockpiling, use, threat to use, direct or indirect transportation of chemical weapons as well as assistance in setting up the related production units by anyone is banned,” government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said yesterday. The draft now moves to parliament for finalization, he added (IranMania.com, Oct. 26).   Back to top

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