U.S. President George W. Bush last night spoke during a televised press conference on the situation in Iraq and the war on terrorism (AFP photo/Paul Richards). WMD or Not, Iraq Was a Threat, Bush Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Iraq was a threat justifying the U.S.-led war begun last year, even though no WMD stockpiles have yet been found, President George W. Bush said in a televised news conference last night (see GSN, March 31)...Full Story

Bush Misstates Libyan “Turkey Farm” Declaration By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — In arguing that cleverly hidden weapons of mass destruction may still be uncovered in Iraq, President George W. Bush last night said that Libya had successfully hidden “50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm” before voluntarily disclosing its stockpile (see related GSN story, today)...Full Story

Cheney Presses China on North Korea Nuclear Issues; South Korea, U.S. Study Khan Disclosures U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney told Chinese leaders today that new information indicating that North Korea has at least three nuclear weapons increases the urgency to resume multilateral discussions on that country’s nuclear program, a senior Bush administration official said (see GSN, April 13)...Full Story

	Wednesday, April 14, 2004

WMD or Not, Iraq Was a Threat, Bush Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Iraq was a threat justifying the U.S.-led war begun last year, even though no WMD stockpiles have yet been found, President George W. Bush said in a televised news conference last night (see GSN, March 31). “Even knowing what I know today about the stockpiles of weapons, I still would’ve called upon the world to deal with [former Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein,” he told reporters during a question-and-answer session. More than a year after the invasion, a CIA-led inspection team has reported finding no weapons stockpiles or evidence that Iraq had active WMD programs. Chief inspector Charles Duelfer told Congress last month the Iraq Survey Group’s focus would now be on finding evidence of Iraqi intent to build such weapons, though the search for actual weapons would continue. “Saddam Hussein was a threat. He was a threat because he had used weapons of mass destruction on his own people. He was a threat because he coddled terrorists. He was a threat because he funded suiciders. He was a threat to the region.  He was a threat to the United States,” Bush said. “That’s the assessment that I made from the intelligence, the assessment that Congress made from the intelligence. That’s the exact same assessment that the U.N. Security Council made with the intelligence,” he said. ‘They Could Still be There’ Bush said it remains possible that Iraq did have weapons of mass destruction just before the war and that those weapons remain at large. “See, I’m of the belief that we’ll find out the truth on the weapons. That’s why we set up [an] independent commission. I look forward to hearing the truth as to exactly where they are. They could still be there.  They could be hidden, like the 50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm,” he said, referring to Libya’s recent disclosure of a hidden chemical weapons stock. Libya, in an initial declaration to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons last month, said it had stored 23 metric tons of mustard agent (see related GSN story, today). Bush cited Duelfer’s testimony that Iraqi scientists were intimidated against cooperating with U.S. authorities. “They’re worried about getting killed, and therefore they’re not going to talk. … We’ll find out the truth about the weapons at some point in time,” he said. “However, the fact that he had the capacity to make them bothers me today just like it would have bothered me then. He’s a dangerous man,” he said. Potential Threats Echoing previous statements, Bush said Iraq presented a potential threat to the United States that justified the war. “The lesson of Sept. 11 is when this nation sees a threat, a gathering threat, we’ve got to deal with it,” he said. Elsewhere in his remarks last night, Bush said the United States was not on a “war footing” against al-Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and said an August 2001 intelligence briefing warning of long-standing al-Qaeda interest in attacking within the United States did not prompt him to respond because it lacked information indicating a specific threat. “Had there been a threat that required action by anybody in the government, I would have dealt with it. In other words, had they come up and said this is where we see something happening, you can rest assured that the people of this government would have responded, and responded in a forceful way,” he said. Back to top

Cheney Presses China on North Korea Nuclear Issues; South Korea, U.S. Study Khan Disclosures U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney told Chinese leaders today that new information indicating that North Korea has at least three nuclear weapons increases the urgency to resume multilateral discussions on that country’s nuclear program, a senior Bush administration official said (see GSN, April 13). “Time is not on our side,” Cheney was quoted as saying concerning North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the Associated Press reported. According to the U.S. official, Cheney also told Chinese leaders that the increase in U.S. sales of arms to Taiwan occurred in response to a missile buildup on the Chinese side of the Taiwan Strait (see GSN, April 6). Cheney said he was satisfied with his talks in Beijing but indicated there were no breakthroughs. “It would be a mistake for all of us Americans to underestimate the extent to which there are differences,” Cheney said. But common ground could be found in some areas that could help to “avoid the kind of conflict that would be a tragedy for all of us,” he added (Tom Raum, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 14). Details on the reputed number of North Korean nuclear weapons came from Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan during investigation of his international nuclear network. Washington “has received significant amounts of information from Pakistan about the network, about Mr. Khan’s activities, about the activities of his associates, about others who were involved” in the illicit nuclear arms trade, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday. Pakistani Information Minister Rashid Ahmed said yesterday that Pakistan has shared information from its investigations of Khan with other countries, but did not disclose details to the press, according to the Associated Press. “We have investigated scientists,” Ahmed said. “We are in touch with the world,” he added (Associated Press/Los Angeles Times, April 14). Meanwhile, South Korea said the new information from Khan does not alter Seoul’s estimate of North Korea’s nuclear capability, Reuters reported. Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said the five countries participating in nuclear talks with North Korea already assume Pyongyang has an advanced plutonium weapons program, as well as a highly enriched uranium program. “Our assessment of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs remains unchanged, although there needs to be a final confirmation of all reports,” he said. “We believe the testimony by Khan that he transferred information and technology to the North,” Ban added. (Reuters, April 14). Back to top       Israel to Impose Security Restrictions on Nuclear Whistleblower Upon Release From Prison Israel plans to impose a set of security restrictions on nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu when he is released from prison next week, an Israeli security official said today (see GSN, April 5). Vanunu is expected to be freed April 21 after serving 18 years for providing pictures and descriptions of alleged Israeli nuclear weapons facilities to the London Sunday Times in 1986.  Israeli authorities have selected security restrictions recommended by the Shin Bet security service, the Israeli official said. The restrictions would prevent Vanunu from leaving Israel, from approaching border terminals and foreign embassies, from communicating with foreigners and from discussing his work at the Dimona nuclear plant or the circumstances of his capture, the official said. The restrictions are set to be re-evaluated after six months, and might be eased if Vanunu fulfills his obligations, the Israeli security official said (Peter Enav, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, April 14). Back to top       United Kingdom Considering Expanding Russian Nuclear Submarine Dismantlement Aid By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The United Kingdom is considering expanding its assistance to Russian nuclear submarine dismantlement efforts, a British Department of Industry and Trade official told Global Security Newswire last week. The United Kingdom has already agreed to provide Russia with more than $20 million to aid in the dismantlement of two Oscar-class submarines, according to Steve Truswell, assistant director of the department’s Northwest Russia projects. The project is being conducted at a northeastern Russian shipyard and is expected to be completed later this year, Truswell said in a written statement. British funding for the dismantlement of the two submarines is part of the United Kingdom’s $750 million pledge to the Group of Eight’s Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Under the effort, initiated in 2002, G-8 members agreed to pledge $20 billion over 10 years to help fund nonproliferation projects, primarily in Russia.  The United Kingdom is considering additional submarine dismantlement projects and plans to establish a dismantlement rate of as many as two submarines per year, Truswell said. Such additional projects are estimated to cost about additional $7 million per year “depending on the circumstances [and] specifics,” he said in an e-mail message. Last week, the Russian news agency Interfax reported British and Russian officials in Moscow earlier this month discussed a proposal for London to help fund the dismantlement of a Victor-class nuclear submarine and to help clean up a former Russian naval base. Interfax incorrectly reported, though, that the United Kingdom had agreed to provide Russia with almost $4 billion for Russian nuclear submarine dismantlement efforts (see GSN, April 7).  Back to top       Bahrain Ratifies Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Bahrain on Monday deposited its instrument of ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, according to the CTBT Organization (see GSN, March 29).  To date, 171 countries have signed the pact and 111 have ratified it, including 32 of the 44 nations whose ratifications are necessary for the treaty to enter into force (CTBT Organization release, April 14). Back to top

Ricin Suspect Threatened Public Water Supply The 37-year-old Washington state man arrested last week on a charge of possession of the deadly toxin ricin threatened to poison public water supplies, according to court documents (see GSN, April 13). Robert Alberg of Kirkland, Wash., sent letters and e-mails to family and friends threatening to poison water supplies and saying that he hoped to die on “Federal Death Row,” Reuters reported. “It’s so exciting working with poisons perhaps I’ll find a way to end all life on Earth through some interesting items,” Alberg wrote to his sister by e-mail in July, according to the documents. Alberg’s family said he has psychological problems and may be autistic. Court records said Alberg was making ricin from 4.7 pounds of castor seeds he bought by mail. FBI agents reportedly found a 14-step recipe for making the poison in his apartment, along with chemicals and a coffee grinder to process the seeds (Reuters, April 13). The public was not at risk from Alberg’s activity, an FBI spokeswoman said (Sara Jean Green, Seattle Times, April 13). Back to top       Scientists Object to Planned Boston Bioterror Lab A letter of protest signed by 150 scientists and researchers was submitted yesterday to Boston city councilors in response to plans for a top-level security laboratory to be built near Boston Medical Center for the study of bioterrorism agents (see GSN, Oct. 2, 2003). The laboratory would be designed to facilitate research on such biological agents as anthrax, smallpox, plague and viral hemorrhagic fever.  Planned safety measures aren’t enough to protect the community, said Elliot Mishler, a Harvard Medical School psychology professor and one of the letter’s authors. “It’s a disaster in the making,” Mishler said. “They’re not willing to acknowledge what the risks are,” he added. Supports of the facility countered that the center would bring jobs to the city while supporting research on deadly diseases. Boston Medical Center has community support for the project, said spokeswoman Ellen Berlin.  “We have held more than 60 meetings and spoken with hundreds of Boston residents about the laboratory,” said Berlin. “We have garnered significant support and will continue our community outreach,” she added (Jennifer Heldt Powell, Boston Herald, April 13). Back to top

Bush Misstates Libyan “Turkey Farm” Declaration By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — In arguing that cleverly hidden weapons of mass destruction may still be uncovered in Iraq, President George W. Bush last night said that Libya had successfully hidden “50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm” before voluntarily disclosing its stockpile (see related GSN story, today). The details of the president’s statement, though, were not correct, a State Department spokesperson said today. In March, Libya disclosed possessing 23 metric tons of mustard agent to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), according to the spokesperson. In addition, what was found stored at the turkey farm was a stash of empty shells that could have been used to deploy the mustard agent, the spokesperson said. Libya had 3,563 such shells; all were destroyed under OPCW supervision by March 3, according to an organization release. In addition, Libya said it had more than 1,300 metric tons of precursor chemicals, a deactivated chemical weapons production facility, and two chemical weapons storage facilities, the OPCW said. Bush’s 50-ton assertion may have been based on the reported seizure by Italian authorities in late 2002 of nearly 50 tons of a mustard agent precursor believed headed for Libya (see GSN, Jan. 21, 2003). The shipment, ostensibly for pesticide production, was released by Italy after it was determined that “the products were found to be as stated on the manifest,” an Italian port official reportedly said. Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association, criticized Bush’s error. “These are important distinctions that any president of the United States should be able to grasp and pay attention to,” he said. Kimball also challenged the president’s conclusion about potential Iraqi capabilities. “Bush has consistently failed to acknowledge the reality that the U.N. weapons inspectors did not find evidence of prohibited chemical, biological or nuclear weapons prior to the war and had warned against confusing ‘unaccounted for’ weapons-related materials with the ‘presence of’ weapons,’” he said. Back to top       United States Suspends Chemical Weapons Disposal Aid, Russian Official Says The United States is needlessly suspending financial aid for Russia’s chemical weapons disposal efforts, Russian Audit Chairman Sergei Stepashin said Monday (see GSN, April 6). The United States planned in 2004 to provide Russia with $130 million for chemical weapons destruction beginning this month, Stepashin told Interfax. “But for various reasons, this funding has been suspended,” he said shortly after finishing a trip to the United States. During the visit, U.S. officials accused Russia of mishandling international aid and of failing to fully disclose its chemical weapons stockpiles, Stepashin said. He denied both charges. “Therefore, the U.S.A. has no grounds for suspending resources allocated for the disposal of chemical weapons in Russia,” Stepashin said (Interfax/BBC Monitoring, April 13). Back to top       Pine Bluff Arsenal Fined for Environmental Violations The U.S. Army and a contractor hired to incinerate chemical weapons at the Pine Bluff Arsenal were fined more than $20,000 for environmental violations at the Arkansas facility, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported yesterday (see GSN, March 31). The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality imposed $22,389 in fines on the Army and Washington Group International as the result of a chemical leak into the facility’s storm water system and the disabling of two monitoring devices during testing of a chemical weapons incinerator last year. The two latter incidents involved disabled waste-feed cutoffs, devices that monitor quantities of waste fed into incinerators to keep them working below capacity. “It seems to me that’s an extraordinarily serious violation,” said Craig Williams, director of the Chemical Weapons Working Group and a critic of chemical weapons incineration. “If you have compromised a critical system within the facility during surrogate trial burns it seems to me inappropriate to allow the facility to move to the next step until they go back and repeat surrogate trial burns with all systems fully engaged as designed,” he added. The equipment was functioning during state-monitored test runs of the incinerator in June and November 2003, said Chris West, a spokesman for Washington Group International. “The problems were discovered and corrected before the trial burns,” West said (Austin Gelder, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 13). Back to top       Anniston Chemical Weapons Incinerator Cited for Administrative Violations, Army Says A chemical weapons incinerator in Alabama has been cited by state environmental regulators, the U.S. Army said yesterday (see GSN, April 9). Regulatory violations noted at the Anniston Army Depot by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management are “primarily administrative in nature,” Timothy Garrett, incinerator site manager, said in a prepared statement. The Army has 30 days to respond to the report (Associated Press/al.com, April 13). Back to top       Indonesia Will Meet CWC Obligations, Official Says A senior Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry official said that Indonesia is committed to fulfilling its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Xinhua News Agency reported today (see GSN, May 12, 2003). Indonesia signed the convention in 1993, ratified it in 1998 and later that year enacted the treaty into national law, according to Makmur Widodo, director general for multilateral political, social and security affairs at the Foreign Ministry.  “As a party to the CWC, Indonesia is legally bound to fully implement the provisos of the convention. Indeed, Indonesia is now in the process of doing just that,” Makmur was quoted in today’s Jakarta Post as saying. Makmur also said, though, that Indonesia still needs to establish a permanent national authority related to its CWC obligations and to pass a “unified robust national legislation” to cover all aspects of chemical use (Xinhua News Agency, April 14). Back to top

United States Seeks to Reassure Allies on MEADS The U.S. Defense Department last month sent a letter to reassure Italian and German officials that a “fair and balanced” Medium Extended Air Defense System can be developed, Inside Missile Defense reported today (see GSN, Sept. 3, 2003). In the past two months, Italy and Germany have sent letters to the Pentagon criticizing proposed cuts to their work share on the MEADS program, Inside Missile Defense reported. Since a U.S. decision last year to combine the MEADS program with the Patriot missile interceptor, the United States, Italy and Germany have been negotiating how to proceed to the design and development phase, Inside Missile Defense reported. The MEADS program has already been delayed by seven months and there are concerns over additional delays, sources said. The Pentagon hopes to reach an initial agreement on program development this month and to sign a memorandum of understanding among the three nations in July, Inside Missile Defense reported (Emily Hsu, Inside Missile Defense, April 14).   Back to top

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