U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (shown in an August photo) said yesterday that he had not seen evidence of a “strong” connection between prewar Iraq and al-Qaeda (AFP photo/Alexander Drozdov). No “Strong, Hard Evidence” of Cooperation Between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, Rumsfeld Says By Jim Wurst Global Security Newswire NEW YORK — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday seemingly played down the connection between al-Qaeda and the former Iraqi regime led by President Saddam Hussein. A working relationship between the two had been offered as part of the Bush administration’s case for war (see GSN, July 9)...Full Story

China Confirms North Korean Attempt to Enrich Uranium, According to Japanese Report Chinese officials have told other participants in the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs that North Korea attempted to enrich uranium, Kyodo News reported Sunday (see GSN, Jun 10)...Full Story

U.S. Senators Propose Improvements for Congressional Oversight of Intelligence, Homeland Security By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. senators yesterday released recommendations to modify the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and other committees to improve congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence issues (see GSN, Sept. 30)...Full Story

	Tuesday, October 5, 2004

No “Strong, Hard Evidence” of Cooperation Between Iraq and Al-Qaeda, Rumsfeld Says By Jim Wurst Global Security Newswire NEW YORK — U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld yesterday seemingly played down the connection between al-Qaeda and the former Iraqi regime led by President Saddam Hussein. A working relationship between the two had been offered as part of the Bush administration’s case for war (see GSN, July 9). Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations prior to the third anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, Rumsfeld said that progress has been made against terrorism and that Iraqis are “determined to fight terrorists and build a peaceful society.” “Terrorist safe havens have been reduced and major training camps eliminated. Their financial support structures have been attacked and disrupted, and intelligence and military cooperation with countries around the world have dramatically increased,” Rumsfeld said. When asked if Hussein really cooperated with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda, Rumsfeld said, “I’m not going to answer the question. I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the intelligence community over the period of a year in the most amazing way.” “I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two,” Rumsfeld added. While Hussein aided terrorists, Rumsfeld said, “the relationships between these folks are complicated, they evolve and change over time.” Rumsfeld issued a statement later in the day saying his remark at the council “regrettably was misunderstood. I have acknowledged since September 2002 that there were ties between al-Qaeda and Iraq.” The Sept. 11 commission also “described linkages between al-Qaeda and Iraq as well,” Rumsfeld said in his statement. However, the commission report said there was no “collaborative relationship” between bin Laden’s group and the Hussein government. In addition, a Knight Ridder report today says a new CIA study indicates there is no evidence that the Jordanian-born terrorist blamed for many acts of violence in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, ever had a working relationship with Hussein.   President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and others often cited such a relationship as proof of a link between Hussein and al-Qaeda. In New York yesterday, Rumsfeld said he did not believe that Zarqawi, the principal leader of the network in Iraq, has sworn an oath [of allegiance to bin Laden].” Rumsfeld, in his speech to the council, also acknowledged the absence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. He said he was “not in a position to say” why the intelligence was wrong about Hussein’s WMD arsenals, “but the world is a lot better off with Saddam Hussein in jail” (see related GSN story, today). Rumsfeld accused Syria and Iran of interfering in Iraq’s recovery. “Syria has been noticeably unhelpful” by not releasing Iraqi funds thought to be banked in the country, by cooperating with Iran and the Islamic militant group Hezbollah, occupying Lebanon, and by allowing terrorists to move across the border.  Iran, Rumsfeld said, is involved in “a lot of meddling. They have a very big interest in the outcome in Iraq.” He added that “senior al-Qaeda” officials have been in Iran. “We also have the impression that there are senior al-Qaeda there now, but there is at least the impression that they are not fully free to do anything they want at the moment,” said Rumsfeld. There have been setbacks in Afghanistan and Iraq, where coalition forces continue to face fierce opposition from insurgents, Rumsfeld acknowledged. “It is often, on some bad days, not a pretty picture at all. In fact, it can be dangerous and ugly,” the defense secretary said. “But the road from tyranny to freedom has never been peaceful or tranquil. On the contrary, it has always been difficult and dangerous. The enemy cannot defeat us in a conventional war on the battlefield. … They know that if they can win the battle of perception, we will lose our will and leave.” Afghanistan and Iraq “are interesting to look at through a soda straw, but they are part of something much bigger — and it is a global struggle between extremists and moderates” in the Muslim world, Rumsfeld added. “Failure in Afghanistan and Iraq would exact a terrible toll. It would embolden the extremists and would make the world a far more dangerous place.” Coalitions are crucial in the struggle against terrorism, Rumsfeld said. He noted that there are upwards of 90 nations involved in the “broad global war on terror.” About 30 countries have personnel in Afghanistan, and 33 countries are working to secure Iraq, he said. That includes Iraq itself, which has 105,000 “fully trained and equipped” people providing security, Rumsfeld said. The United States has 133,000 troops in the country.  “The Iraqis will pass us sometime in the next month or two,” he added, using figures similar to Bush’s statement last week that “we got 100,000 [Iraqis] trained now, 125,000 by the end of this year, over 200,000 by the end of next year.” Recent news reports put the number of trained Iraqi troops at 53,000. Asked about his statement last month that elections in January may not be possible throughout Iraq, he said, “That’s up to the Iraqis. They have a sovereign country.  They are going to decide what their elections are and make every call.” Back to top       U.S. Senators Propose Improvements for Congressional Oversight of Intelligence, Homeland Security By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. senators yesterday released recommendations to modify the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and other committees to improve congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence issues (see GSN, Sept. 30). Under the recommendations, the Senate intelligence panel’s membership would be reduced from 17 to 15, term limits for members would be eliminated, the majority party would only be allowed to have a one-member advantage on the committee and the leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee would be given nonvoting membership. In addition, the Senate intelligence committee would be given “a strong role” in reviewing civilian intelligence nominees, an oversight subcommittee would be created and the panel would be required to present regular reports to the full Senate. The recommendations also call for changes in the structure of the Senate Appropriations Committee through the creation of an intelligence subcommittee and the consolidation of the Military Construction and Defense subcommittees. The senators also proposed creating a permanent Homeland Security/Government Operations Committee — a homeland security authorization committee that would be created by converting the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The recommendations were prepared by a 22-member Senate working group convened in August to examine ways to implement the recommendations proposed this summer by the Sept. 11 commission to improve congressional oversight (see GSN, Sept. 16). The group is led by Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Minority Whip Harry Reid (D-Nev.) McConnell said yesterday that the new structure would help simplify the oversight process. “If you’re the secretary of Homeland Security you’d make two stops, one at the authorizing committee, one at the appropriating committee that we already set up, the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. And if you’re the national intelligence director, you could make two stops, one at the Intelligence Committee, one at the Intelligence Appropriations Subcommittee,” he said. “This is really… quite significant,” Reid said. The working group’s proposals, though, do not go as far as those of the Sept. 11 commission, which backed either the creation of a joint House-Senate intelligence committee or the creation of separate committees with both appropriations and authorization authority. The working group did not recommend that the Senate intelligence panel be given both appropriations and authorization authority, according to Reid, in order to prevent “a few individuals” from gaining too much power. “It goes without saying that you change it here and then Armed Services is going to want it changed, and then Commerce Committee,” Reid added. McConnell and Reid said they expected a full vote on the recommendations by the end of this week, once the Senate completes work on intelligence reform legislation. They also said that they expected an amendment to be offered to the recommendations to consolidate appropriation and authorization powers in the Senate intelligence committee. During a separate press conference yesterday, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) criticized the recommendations for failing to already do so. “There are three kinds of senators here in the United States Senate: Republican senators, Democrat senators, and appropriators. And the appropriators are desperately trying to protect their turf,” McCain said. “If we make no change, if we do not give this new permanent intelligence committee the appropriation authority that they need, then there will be no reform, and a vital part of the 9/11 commission recommendations will be neutered,” he added. Intelligence Reform Bill Meanwhile, the full Senate yesterday continued its debate on the intelligence reform bill, which would create a national director of intelligence to oversee the U.S. intelligence community, as recommended by the Sept. 11 commission. The Senate voted 62-29 to reject an amendment offered by Senator Robert Byrd (W.Va.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, that would have limited the amount of funds the national intelligence director could transfer among various intelligence programs. Senators also voted 55-37 against an amendment offered by Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) that would have removed a provision from the intelligence reform bill to declassify the total amount of the intelligence budget requested by the president and appropriated by Congress. The White House has raised concerns about such disclosure (see GSN, Sept. 29). The authors of the Senate intelligence reform bill, Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine) and top committee Democrat Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), yesterday praised the earlier defeat of two amendments that would have significantly altered the national intelligence director position beyond that envisioned in the bill. One amendment, offered by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) would have provided the director with direct authority over several intelligence agencies currently under the control of the Pentagon. The other, offered by Senator Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) sought to replace the national intelligence director with a national intelligence coordinator with far less authority. Lieberman said that additional amendments are likely to be offered to the bill in an attempt to “weaken our basic recommendation in terms of the national intelligence structure.” “These are going to be important votes, and I urge our colleagues to stick with us on this and do what our national security requires and the 9/11 commission recommended,” he said. A full vote on the bill is expected by Thursday, according to Collins and Lieberman. Collins warned, though, that some opponents of the bill might attempt to delay its consideration by offering numerous amendments. “There are a lot of people who do not want any change. There are a lot of people who believe that if they delay consideration by filing countless amendments that we will go home without doing anything. And if we do not complete action on this legislation, I will predict right here and now that it will never pass, if we delay until next year,” she said. “We have produced a bipartisan bill. It’s a carefully crafted bill. … There is no reason not to move forward to pass this bill early this week. There is every reason to do so,” Collins added. Back to top

New ISG Report to Describe Prewar Iraqi Attempts to Undermine U.N. Sanctions, Officials Say A new report to be released tomorrow by chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer is expected to describe attempts by the prewar Iraqi government to weaken U.N. sanctions with the aim of relaunching WMD efforts once the sanctions were lifted, Bush administration officials said Monday (see GSN, Oct. 4). The new report by Duelfer, head of the Iraq Survey Group conducting the search for evidence of prewar Iraq’s WMD efforts, does not describe specific plans by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to develop weapons of mass destruction once U.N sanctions were lifted, the officials said. The report does provide details, though, on prewar Iraq’s efforts to violate and reduce international support for sanctions, according to the New York Times. “He was trying to break the sanctions, not for the purpose of applying to be Soldier of the Month, but for the purpose of going back and developing these kinds of weapons,” U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday, referring to Hussein. Duelfer’s 1,500-page report is also expected to reiterate the previously reported findings of the Iraq Survey Group that Iraq did not possess WMD stockpiles, nor had it resumed large-scale production efforts, at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the officials said. The report is expected to note that Iraq still had the ability to resume weapons production, and that the Iraqi Intelligence Service was apparently producing small amounts of chemical and biological weapons for assassinations (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, Oct. 5). Back to top

China Confirms North Korean Attempt to Enrich Uranium, According to Japanese Report Chinese officials have told other participants in the six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs that North Korea attempted to enrich uranium, Kyodo News reported Sunday (see GSN, Jun 10). North Korea has denied trying to enrich uranium, and China previously expressed doubts about U.S. claims that Pyongyang had an ongoing enrichment program. Chinese officials told their Japanese counterparts and other panel members that North Korea “at least has attempted to enrich” uranium, Kyodo reported, citing an unidentified source close to the talks. Some analysts said China’s assertion could pressure North Korea to admit it has a low-level nuclear enrichment program for energy use, according to Kyodo (Kyodo News Service/BBC Monitoring, Oct. 4). Back to top       United States Will Not Offer Iran Incentives to Halt Nuclear Efforts, Official Says The United States has no plans to offer incentives to Iran to halt its nuclear development, a U.S. official said today (see GSN, Oct. 4). “At this point a grand bargain is not where we are heading,” said the official, who was in Brussels for talks on the Iran standoff with EU and Canadian officials. He added that Iran has firmly rejected any proposal similar to a plan offered by U.S. Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, whereby the United States would supply Tehran with nuclear fuel for power reactors in exchange for Iran renouncing its own development of the technology. “We haven’t seen any Iranian recognition that (a bargain) is in their interest,” the official said, adding that the United States would monitor future signals that Tehran would be open to such an offer. “That would be a new factor we would look at very seriously. We don’t have that now,” he said. The United Kingdom, France and Germany have continued to hope for a negotiated settlement with Iran but have made no progress, particularly since last month’s announcement by Tehran that it had resumed uranium enrichment activities, Reuters reported. The U.S. official said the United States and Europe should define a common position on Iran’s nuclear work, but said none of the parties currently had a solution. “How do you ... elicit from Iran a readiness to engage? I don’t know the answer and I don’t think the Europeans do either,” he said (Reuters, Oct. 5). Back to top       South Korea Seeks Quick Resolution to IAEA Investigation of Uranium, Plutonium Experiments South Korea today called on the International Atomic Energy Agency to quickly resolve its investigation of Seoul’s past nuclear experiments, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Oct. 4). South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, now visiting Seoul, that South Korea’s past experiments involving small amounts of enriched uranium and plutonium had become “obstacles” to ending the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, according to AP. Chung said he hoped the issue could be resolved by next month, when ElBaradei is expected to present a report on South Korea’s nuclear experiments to the IAEA Board of Governors. “We plan to continue to give full cooperation to the agency, and through this, we strongly hope that the issue will end at the Board of Governors’ meeting in November, and that it doesn’t come to a situation in which this issue is turned over to the [U.N.] Security Council,” Chung said (Soo-Jeong Lee, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 5). The U.N. agency is set to conduct a third round of inspections in South Korea before ElBaradei presents his report to the IAEA Board of Governors, Reuters reported (Jack Kim, Reuters, Oct. 4). Back to top       Powell to Discuss Brazilian Nuclear Program U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he does not believe that Brazil is developing nuclear weapons, but that Brazilian leaders should cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s efforts to set up inspections, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Oct. 1). “The IAEA has worked out these kinds of differences in the past; I expect they will work it out this time with Brazil,” Powell said yesterday on his way to a two-day visit to the South American nation. “It’s a question of how much visibility they get in certain aspects of their facilities but that’s something to be worked out” (Stan Lehman, Associated Press, Oct. 5). Powell is expected to raise the issue during discussions with Brazilian leaders (Colitt/Dinmore, Financial Times, Oct. 5). Back to top       IAEA Needs $20 Million for IT Overhaul The International Atomic Energy Agency has asked its member states to contribute $20 million so the U.N. agency can replace its 20-year-old computer system, the London Independent reported Sunday (see GSN, Oct. 1). “Our workload is rising faster than available resources. (The current system) has been maintained for over 20 years, increasing the risk of errors. With our current IT system, extracting information can take hours and days, making timely analysis of relevant data difficult. (And) without renewal of the IT system, implementation of integrated safeguards will be very difficult,” said an agency spokesman. The Safeguards Information System is used to process, store and analyze data received from inspectors, according to the Independent. The agency is looking to develop a system that provides inspectors with secure online access to information on nuclear movements. The United States has offered $9 million and the United Kingdom has provided $3.1 million toward the purchase of the new system, according to the Independent (Clayton Hirst, London Independent, Oct. 3). Back to top

Pyongyang Blasts South Korean Export Restrictions North Korea today criticized South Korea for tightening export rules on a chemical that can be used to manufacture WMD materials, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 24). “The attitude taken by the South Korean authorities towards the export of sodium cyanide is related to a fundamental issue showing whether they stand for national cooperation or cooperation with the outside forces,” North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper announced. Sodium cyanide is used to extract precious metals from ore, and North Korea said its imports of the chemical from its neighbor were conducted “on the principle of meeting each other’s needs for their economic performance and progress.” South Korea restricted the chemical exports last month after entities were found to have shipped sodium cyanide from South Korea to the North through third countries, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 5). Back to top

Japan Should Consider Joining U.S. Missile Defense Program, Experts Tell Prime Minister Japan should consider joining the U.S. missile defense program, an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 29). Japan plans to complete a large-scale defense review by the end of the year based on recommendations by the panel of academics and business leaders, Reuters reported. “A comprehensive judgment should be made after carefully verifying the effectiveness of a deterrent from the United States and the credibility of a missile defense system,” the 10-member panel said. Japan should loosen its ban on arms exports to the United States, and possibly other countries, the group recommended.  That would be necessary for Japan, with an eye to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, to join the United States in producing a missile defense system, according to Reuters. North Korea fired a missile over Japan in 1998 and experts believe it could have as many as 200 Rodong missiles capable of hitting nearly any site in Japan. Tokyo has been participating in joint research with Washington to develop missile defenses, but has not moved to the development stage for fear of angering China, according to Reuters. Japanese officials, however, explicitly said they did not consider China a threat to Japan’s security. “China, by definition, is not a threat,” said a Japanese government official in reference to the report. Although experts believe Japan has the technology to develop nuclear weapons, the panel opposed doing so. “Japan’s own security efforts must work effectively for the defense of Japan and they must not pose a threat to other countries, and Japan must not possess nuclear weapons,” the report said (Teruaki Ueno, Reuters, Oct. 4). Back to top

State Department Offers $5 Million Reward for Al-Qaeda Dirty Bomb Plotter Who Attempted to Enter U.S. The U.S. State Department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for the capture of a top al-Qaeda cell leader seen in Mexico and Canada who is suspected of working to develop a radiological “dirty bomb” and smuggle it into the United States, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 17). Adnan El Shukrijumah, who worshipped at the same South Florida mosque as Jose Padilla (see GSN, June 2), used false passports in failed efforts to enter the United States, according to federal authorities. The names of both El Shukrijumah and Padilla came to light during an interrogation of captured senior al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who has been called a mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Times reported. El Shukrijumah posed as a student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario last year, according to Canadian authorities. The United States supplies fuel rods for the university’s five-megawatt nuclear research reactor, according to the Times. There has been no security breach of the facility, Canadian officials said, but an FBI informant claims Shukrijumah was seeking to acquire radioactive materials from the reactor. El Shukrijumah is believed to be about 5-feet-4-inches in height and is known to law enforcement officials as the “diminutive terrorist,” according to the Times. He has met with alien smugglers in Mexico and Honduras, seeking assistance in bringing al-Qaeda operatives into the United States, authorities said.  He is also believed to have taken part in surveillance efforts by al-Qaeda of the financial districts in New York this summer, leading to an increase in the terror alert level from Code Yellow to Code Orange in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J., authorities said. An FBI bulletin in March said El Shukrijumah was born in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government, however, has denied that he is a citizen (Jerry Seper, Washington Times, Oct. 5).   Back to top

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