U.S. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) has dropped his opposition to a bill that would create a national intelligence director. Hunter Drops Opposition to U.S. Intelligence Reform Bill, Opens Way For Final Approval By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) yesterday dropped his opposition to the stalled intelligence reform bill after an agreement was reached to resolve concerns surrounding the legislation’s impact on the military chain of command (see GSN, Dec. 6)...Full Story

Dutch Police Arrest Man Suspected of Aiding Iraq’s Past Chemical Weapons Program A Dutch businessman was arrested yesterday in the Netherlands on charges of helping former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein develop chemical weapons used in the infamous 1988 attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 9)...Full Story

U.S. Envoy in China to Discuss North Korea U.S. special envoy Joseph DeTrani is in Beijing today for talks with senior Chinese officials on reviving six-party negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 6)...Full Story

	Tuesday, December 7, 2004

Hunter Drops Opposition to U.S. Intelligence Reform Bill, Opens Way For Final Approval By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) yesterday dropped his opposition to the stalled intelligence reform bill after an agreement was reached to resolve concerns surrounding the legislation’s impact on the military chain of command (see GSN, Dec. 6). Hunter said he had feared the bill, which would create a national intelligence director, would jeopardize the ability of military commanders to receive battlefield intelligence due to disputes between the director and the defense secretary over the use of spy satellites and other assets. Hunter’s opposition played a large role last month in House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) decision to defer a vote on the bill. The two main Senate negotiators on the bill — Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) — announced yesterday that they had crafted a new provision intended to address Hunter’s concerns. The new language “clarifies the chain of command language while preserving the strong budget and other authorities that the director of national intelligence needs to fight the war on terrorism and counter other emerging threats,” they said in a joint statement. The language requires the president to issue “guidelines to ensure the effective implementation and execution” of the authority of the national intelligence director “in a manner that respects and does not abrogate the statutory responsibilities of the heads of the departments of the United States government.” While noting that the bill is “not a done deal,” Hunter said yesterday he would support it with the new provision. “Our aspect of this bill — that is, protecting the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States and protecting the chain of command — is an area where we have received what we feel is a satisfactory provision that protects them. And as a result of that, we are going to support this bill,” he said during a press conference with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.).  Warner, who had also expressed chain-of-command concerns about the legislation, said yesterday he would support the bill with the new provision. Vice President Dick Cheney was a “vary major figure” in reaching the agreement, Warner said, by “carefully listening and balancing the various interests in this, and then … drawing on his own experience as former secretary of defense.” Hunter described his previous opposition to the bill as stemming from his “obligation” to “the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States.” During a press conference held earlier yesterday with families of some of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, however, Representative Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) alleged that bureaucratic turf battles might have played more of a role. “There is no problem with chain of command. That’s being used, I believe, as a ruse … for those who simply don’t want to give up the power that they have on the Armed Services Committee,” Shays said. Collins and Lieberman yesterday praised Hunter’s endorsement of the bill, saying they now hoped a vote could quickly be held. “We hope that this support will provide the final momentum necessary to take intelligence reform across the finish line. We are confident there are enough votes in the House and Senate to pass the conference report and send it to the president for his approval,” they said. House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) has also opposed the bill, saying he is concerned about the lack of provisions concerning illegal immigration. The House Republican leadership, however, reportedly plans to move ahead on the intelligence reform bill despite Sensenbrenner’s concerns, which are set to be addressed in separate legislation next year. Both houses of Congress could vote on the bill either today or tomorrow, which would allow President George W. Bush to sign it into law by the end of the week.  “We are very close to a significant achievement that will better protect our country for generations to come, and now is the time to finish the job for the good of our national security,” Bush stated in a letter sent yesterday to congressional leaders and House and Senate negotiators expressing his support for the bill. Back to top

United States, Russia Agree to Increase Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism Cooperation Top U.S. and Russian law enforcement officials yesterday signed an agreement intended to strengthen cooperation in efforts to fight terrorism and WMD proliferation, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Oct. 15). The head of the Russian FSB security service, Nikolai Patrushev, signed the document in Moscow with FBI Director Robert Mueller. The agreement “will make our cooperation and the joint work of our experts more effective,” Patrushev said.   He did not discuss details of the agreement. (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Dec. 6). Back to top

U.S. Envoy in China to Discuss North Korea U.S. special envoy Joseph DeTrani is in Beijing today for talks with senior Chinese officials on reviving six-party negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 6). China remains in favor of a return to the negotiating table, according to the Foreign Ministry. “We hope to continue the process and settle the issue through dialogue and consultations. Such an approach is in the interest of all parties concerned. We hope all parties can display flexibility and sincerity,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 7). A U.S. official told Reuters that, despite North Korean hopes for a change in U.S. policy toward Pyongyang, the Bush administration remains committed to a proposal it presented at the last round of six-party talks in June (see GSN, June 24). “So that position is still there and the people who put that position forward are still in the government and most importantly, the president who put that position forward has just been re-elected,” he said (Carol Giacomo, Reuters, Dec. 6). DeTrani has met with North Korean representatives on several occasions, most recently on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 in New York, according to the U.S. State Department. “While we do not wish to discuss the specifics or get into details regarding our occasional exchanges, we did at these routine meetings last week indicate to the North Koreans –— as we have repeatedly stated publicly — that we remain ready to resume the six-party talks at an early date, without preconditions, and, as we do publicly, we called on North Korea to follow through on its commitment to continue with the six-party talks,” department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said (U.S. State Department briefing, Dec. 6). North Korea may be considering resuming the nuclear negotiations, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said today, AFP reported. “North Koreans fully recognize the usefulness of the six-way talks,” said Ban. South Korea uses indirect channels to monitor the North Korean position on resuming the negotiations, he added (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 7). Meanwhile, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said that neither Seoul nor Beijing favored a collapse of the Pyongyang regime, the South China Morning Post reported today. “Some have said that North Korea will collapse, but I believe there is almost no such possibility,” said Roh. “If something happens in North Korea and millions of North Koreans go over the Yalu River border with China, then it will become a very difficult, almost unmanageable problem for China,” he added (Khang Hyun-sung, South China Morning Post, Dec. 7). Back to top

Experts Gather in Geneva to Discuss Strengthening Biological Weapons Convention A weeklong experts-level meeting on strengthening the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention began yesterday in Switzerland, swissinfo reported (see GSN, Nov. 18). Experts from dozens of countries are expected to discuss enhancing surveillance of infectious diseases and improving the response to biological or chemical attacks. Signatories to the convention are concerned about the prospect of terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda acquiring biological agents, according to swissinfo. “Pathogens can be easily transferred,” said Francesco Quattrini of the Swiss Foreign Ministry. “So scientists must be made aware of the ethical importance of their work.” An international code of conduct for scientists is being planned, swissinfo reported. Switzerland still favors development of a verification protocol for the treaty, and an increased focus on eliminating biological weapons, Quattrini said “The problem is that we are focusing on surveillance and not on disarmament,” he said. “It’s not a program that will improve the effectiveness of the convention” (Scott Capper, swissinfo, Dec. 6). Back to top       United States Conducts Plague Research in Uganda The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting plague research in the Nebbi district of Uganda, the Xinhua News Agency reported today (see GSN, Oct. 8). Plague could become a biological weapon for terrorists, U.S. Ambassador Jimmy Kolker said. Nebbi is one only three areas in the world where people are still infected with the plague, Xinhua reported. “In America, we do not know the symptoms and which drugs work best on plague cases. We have a team working in Nebbi to identify the best drugs,” Kolker said. “It’s this district that is doing something that will help the world fight terrorism” (Xinhua News Agency, Dec. 7). Back to top

Dutch Police Arrest Man Suspected of Aiding Iraq’s Past Chemical Weapons Program A Dutch businessman was arrested yesterday in the Netherlands on charges of helping former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein develop chemical weapons used in the infamous 1988 attack on the Kurdish village of Halabja, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, July 9). The man, identified as Frans van Anraat, is suspected of supplying to Iraq “thousands of tons of base materials for chemical weapons between 1984 and 1988,” according to Dutch authorities.  Van Anraat was arrested in 1989 in Italy at the request of the United States, which had launched its own investigation into his activities, but he escaped to Iraq where he remained until Operation Iraqi Freedom last year, Dutch authorities said. At that point, Van Anraat fled to the Netherlands, where he was arrested yesterday, AFP reported. Van Anraat is the first Dutch national to be investigated on charges of aiding genocide, and also faces war crimes charges, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/TurkishPress.com, Dec. 7). Back to top       Malaysia Expected to Enact Severe Penalties to Counter Chemical Weapons Proliferation Malaysia plans to enact new laws imposing harsh penalties for production and acquisition of chemical weapons, the country’s foreign minister said today, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, July 9). “It is just a matter of carrying out our responsibility in helping to reduce the proliferation of chemical weapons,” said Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar. Parliament is expected to enact the laws — which would call for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison and a $263,000 fine for developing or possessing chemical weapons — by March, said Albar. Imports and exports of toxic chemicals would also be monitored by a new national agency, according to AP (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Dec. 7). Back to top       Chemical Scare Shuts Down Washington Subway Stop By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Washington subway stop that serves the Pentagon in northern Virginia was briefly closed yesterday due to a chemical scare (see GSN, Aug. 5). The Pentagon Metrorail station was shut down at about 10 a.m. after a sensor detected the possible presence of chemical agents, said Lisa Farbstein, spokeswoman for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The shutdown prevented trains from passing through the station. Metro transit police, Pentagon security and local first responders responded to the incident, according to Farbstein, who said Metro was “pleased” with their response. After “extensive on-site trials,” she said, no harmful chemicals were found. She described the material that triggered the sensor as having test characteristics similar to some types of cleaning solvents. The station reopened around 12:20 p.m. There were no customers in the station at the time of the incident. Of the two Metro employees who were present, one complained of a runny nose and tight chest, Farbstein said. One person was transported to a nearby hospital and is now “fine,” she said. The chemical sensors were installed in the Washington subway system following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to Farbstein. She refused to say whether yesterday’s incident was the first time the sensor at the Pentagon stop, or at any subway station, had been activated. The fact that the incident occurred at a stop that serves the Pentagon did not cause additional concern, Farbstein said. “We treat every station with the same level of response,” she said. Back to top       Iran Stages Chemical Warfare Defense Exercises Iranian infantry units yesterday conducted chemical warfare response exercises, the country’s state television reported (see GSN, July 20). Troops carried out mock chemical cleanup and medical relief efforts, according to Iranian television (Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1/BBC monitoring, Dec. 6). Back to top

Israel Deploys Patriot Battery Against UAV Fears of possible attacks by the militant group Hezbollah using unmanned aerial vehicles led Israel to deploy a battery of Patriot air- and missile-defense interceptors near the northern city of Haifa, the Daily Star reported today (see GSN, Oct. 20). The decision to deploy the Patriots was reportedly made after the Israeli military determined that a UAV flown by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israeli airspace last month was capable of carrying about 50 kilograms of explosives, according to the Daily Star.  Some defense experts have said, though, that Israel was unlikely to use the Patriot to shoot down UAVs. The Patriot missile is designed to destroy fast moving jet aircraft and short-range ballistic missiles, as opposed to unmanned aerial vehicles moving slowly at low altitudes, they said. “It is inconceivable that they are using the Patriot for the drone,” said a Western defense attache in Beirut. “It’s like using a hammer to crack a nut” (Nicholas Blanford, Daily Star, Dec. 7). Back to top

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Completes Rules to Protect Food Supply Against Bioterrorism The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has completed rules developed since the Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaeda attacks to protect the U.S. food supply against biological terrorism and other threats, USA Today reported today (see GSN, Dec. 6). The new rules are designed to enable the agency to deal with food-related emergencies, “such as deliberate contamination of food by terrorists,” acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said yesterday. The regulations would require companies to retain records of food origins and destinations from six months to two years, depending on a product’s shelf life. Larger companies have a year to comply with the regulations, while smaller companies are being given 18 months to two years, USA Today reported. FDA rules already in effect require registration of food producers, prior notice of food importation and impoundment of suspect food, according to USA Today (Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, Dec. 7).   Back to top

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