The United States announced last week during a meeting of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (shown here) that it is looking to end a project to construct light water nuclear reactors for North Korea (AFP photo/Don Emmert). U.S. Wants to Cancel N. Korea Light Water Reactor Project State Department officials said the United States is set this year to cancel an international project to build two light-water nuclear reactors for North Korea, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, May 27). “The U.S. side sees no future for these light-water reactors,” one official said yesterday. “Come Dec. 1, it’s a dead project,” the official added...Full Story

China Invited to Join Nuclear Suppliers Group China yesterday was formally invited to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a multilateral export control regime that governs trade in nuclear-related technology, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, May 19)...Full Story

Kerry Outlines National Security Agenda By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidential election, said yesterday that if elected, his “No. 1 security goal” would be to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, March 30)...Full Story

	Friday, May 28, 2004

Homeland Security Surprised By Summer Attack Warning, Officials Say The U.S. Homeland Security Department was not represented in this week’s announcement that an al-Qaeda attack in the United States likely within the next few months, even though it is the department’s job to issue public terror warnings, officials said yesterday (see GSN, May 27). The department knew ahead of time about Wednesday’s press conference by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller, but expected the event to focus on seven suspected al-Qaeda operatives sought for questioning, officials said. Homeland Security officials said they were surprised when Ashcroft issued his attack warning during the press conference, which did not include Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. Ridge earlier in the day had said on ABC’s Good Morning America that the terror threats were “not the most disturbing that I have personally seen during the past couple of years,” Newsday reported. Some U.S. lawmakers yesterday criticized the apparent lack of participation by Homeland Security in the announcement, according to Newsday. “The reason that Congress created the Department of Homeland Security is that we need to merge the various parts of government responsible for pieces of the war on terrorism into one coordinated effort,” House Select Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Christopher Cox (R-Calif.) said (Thomas Frank, Newsday, May 28). A Justice Department official said, however, that Cox’s comments were “not worth responding to.” “This was coordinated at the highest levels,” the Justice official said of this week’s announcement. “I would say that everyone is on the same page,” the official added (Shaun Waterman, United Press International/Washington Times, May 28). Back to top

Kerry Outlines National Security Agenda By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), the presumptive Democratic nominee for the U.S. presidential election, said yesterday that if elected, his “No. 1 security goal” would be to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, March 30). In a speech in Seattle, Kerry outlined his national security agenda, which he said would place a high priority on creating and using alliances with other countries around the world to accomplish U.S. goals. Such alliances, Kerry said, were especially needed to combat the threat posed by terrorist groups. “Because al-Qaeda is a network with many branches, we have to take the fight to the enemy on every continent — smartly. And we have to enlist other countries in that cause,” Kerry said. He criticized the Bush administration’s handling of the war in Iraq and its aftermath, which he said “undermined the legacy of generations of American leadership” and damaged U.S. relations with other countries. “They’ve looked to force before exhausting diplomacy; they bullied when they should have persuaded. They’ve gone it alone when they should have assembled a whole team. They have hoped for the best when they should have prepared for the worst. They’ve made America less safe than we should be in a dangerous world,” Kerry said of the White House. In addition, more needs to be done to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, Kerry said, adding that such a scenario posed “the single gravest threat to our security.” He issued a warning to rogue states and terrorist groups that if elected, he would respond to a WMD attack on the United States with a severe military response. “Any potential adversary should know that we will defend ourselves against the possibility of an attack by unconventional arms. And if such a strike does occur, as commander in chief I will respond with overwhelming and devastating force,” Kerry said. He also said that he would develop a “layered strategy” of nonmilitary measures to stem WMD proliferation. Such measures would involve the creation of a “global initiative” to secure existing stockpiles of nuclear weapons material and control their production, changes in international treaties, increased intelligence sharing, new conditions for economic sanctions and efforts to interdict illegal shipments. “The key is for America to lead, to build an international consensus for early preventative action so that states don’t even think of taking the nuclear road and potential traffickers in nuclear/biological technology fear the consequences of getting caught,” Kerry said. Several of the nonproliferation measures outlined in Kerry’s speech, however, appear similar to those already proposed or implemented by the Bush administration. For example, the Energy Department this week announced creation of the Global Threat Reduction Initiative, which would work to recover U.S.- and Russian-origin fresh and spent highly enriched uranium fuel from research reactors around the world. In a speech in February, President George W. Bush proposed that members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a multilateral export control regime that governs trade in nuclear technology, refuse to sell enrichment and reprocessing technologies to any country that does not already possess full-scale, functioning enrichment and reprocessing plants. In addition, the administration launched the Proliferation Security Initiative last year, a multilateral effort designed to interdict shipments of WMD-related cargo. The Bush presidential campaign did not return calls for comment today on Kerry’s speech. During a press conference call yesterday, though, Senators George Allen (R-Va.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said the address offered no new proposals. The speech was “a pompous, ponderous pontification espousing more prevaricated political pap,” said Allen, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Kerry said yesterday that he would give a separate address within the next several days that would include “specific details” on his nonproliferation proposals. Back to top       PSI Effectiveness May Hinge on Law of the Sea Treaty Approval U.S. Senate failure to ratify the U.N. Convention on Law of the Sea this year could harm Bush administration efforts to promote the Proliferation Security Initiative in Europe, according to treaty supporters (see GSN, May 11). One ally, the Netherlands, has already threatened to reduce support for the WMD nonproliferation initiative if the maritime treaty is not ratified, the Scripps Howard News Service reported. Norway has also expressed concerns. Ratified by more than 140 countries and in effect since the early 1990s, the convention governs a broad range of ocean activity, including fishing, shipping and offshore oil drilling. The treaty is supported in the Pentagon and by industry and environmental leaders. The administration pushed for Senate ratification of the treaty earlier this year but dropped its support after several influential conservatives came out against it over concerns it would undermine U.S. sovereignty, according to treaty supporters. Senate Republican leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has refused to bring it to the floor for a vote, saying the floor schedule is too busy. However, the sea treaty has support among other Republicans. “Countries that are participating in PSI have told me ... they feel strongly that the administration must get on board ‘Law of the Sea’ because it provides an international legalistic framework for PSI,” said Mark Helmke, chief of staff to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar, (R-Ind.), a key supporter of the treaty. The United States is the only member of the Proliferation Security Initiative that has not ratified the treaty. The initiative was designed to be compatible with the treaty, but that situation could change in November when the treaty is open for amendment for the first time, Scripps Howard reported. China, India and several other parties to the sea treaty have said they believe the proliferation initiative undermines their sovereignty (Joan Lowy, Scripps Howard News Service/Record Searchlight, May 27). Back to top       Panel Hears Testimony on WMD Programs of Countries of Concern The U.S. presidential commission investigating criticism of prewar intelligence on Iraq and other intelligence-related issues ended its first two-day session yesterday after hearing from experts on the WMD programs of other countries of concern, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, May 27). During its first session, the commission heard from more than 20 current and former intelligence officials on the WMD efforts of nations such as India, Iran, Libya, North Korea, and Pakistan, according to the Post. On Wednesday, the commission heard from experts on prewar Iraq’s alleged WMD efforts. This week’s meeting is expected to be the first of a series of monthly meetings of the nine-member bipartisan commission, the Post reported (Walter Pincus, Washington Post, May 28). Back to top       NATO Set to Discuss Nuclear Proliferation, WMD NATO was to convene a meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia, today with plans to discuss the war against terror, nuclear proliferation and weapons of mass destruction, and the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other issues, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 14; Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar, May 28). Back to top

U.S. Wants to Cancel N. Korea Light Water Reactor Project State Department officials said the United States is set this year to cancel an international project to build two light-water nuclear reactors for North Korea, the Washington Times reported today (see GSN, May 27). “The U.S. side sees no future for these light-water reactors,” one official said yesterday. “Come Dec. 1, it’s a dead project,” the official added. The United States announced its intention last week in New York during a meeting of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, which is managing the project. The organization is comprised of representatives from the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. KEDO suspended plans for the reactors last year over North Korea’s uranium-enrichment efforts, U.S. officials said. The organization agreed during its May 20 meeting to maintain the suspension, according to a KEDO spokeswoman.  However, canceling the project altogether would require a decision of the organization’s board. South Korea favors keeping open the possibility of resuming construction as a way to influence North Korea in negotiations on the communist nation’s nuclear program, according to officials (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, May 28). Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he is set to travel to South and North Korea this summer, Interfax reported. The trip is scheduled to follow the regional forum of the Association of Southeast Nations in late June, Lavrov said. “The purpose of the visit is to discuss the relations between South and North Korea and to resolve the (issue of) North Korea’s nuclear program,” he added (Interfax, May 28). Back to top       China Invited to Join Nuclear Suppliers Group China yesterday was formally invited to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a multilateral export control regime that governs trade in nuclear-related technology, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, May 19). China was asked to join the 40-member regime during a two-day meeting set to end today in Goteborg, Sweden, AP reported. Estonia, Lithuania and Malta also received invitations to join the group of nations seeking to promote nuclear nonproliferation. Critics have questioned China’s inclusion in the organization, particularly given its nuclear work with Pakistan, home of the former black market network that supplied nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. China built one nuclear reactor in Pakistan and has plans for another. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton yesterday, however, praised the decision to extend an invitation to China. “This means all five nuclear powers are NSG members,” Bolton said. “We’re looking forward to cooperating with China on several important issues,” he added. The NSG meeting was closed to the public, but Bolton said the organization remains committed to identifying countries that bolster proliferation of nuclear technology, singling out North Korea (see GSN, May 25). “We’re also worried about other countries, but we can’t name them now,” Bolton said. “We have information,” he added (Matt Moore, Associated Press, May 27). Back to top       U.S. Says Iran Attempting to “Intimidate” IAEA The U.S. State Department said yesterday Iran is attempting to intimidate the International Atomic Energy Agency by suggesting it would resume uranium enrichment and halt snap inspections before the agency’s board meeting next month (see GSN, May 27). “We don’t think it’s appropriate to try to intimidate the [International] Atomic Energy Agency or its board into overlooking the many failures of Iran to meet its nonproliferation commitments,” department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday.  However, U.S. and European officials said Iran was unlikely to follow through with its threat, al-Jazeera reported. “Iran is clearly trying to up the ante ahead of IAEA meeting but I don’t take the threats too seriously,” said a senior U.S. official. Another official noted that, if Iran were to withdraw from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, it “would become a pariah to everyone” and ally itself with North Korea. A European diplomat added that the Iranians are further “digging themselves into a hole” with such rhetoric (Al-Jazeera, May 28). Back to top       Israeli Authorities Release British Journalist Israeli authorities last night released Peter Hounam after he had been detained in connection with work he was doing with Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, May 27). Hounam, who was not charged with a crime, said that Israeli security agents interrogated him for more than four hours after he had been detained Wednesday on suspicion of espionage.  The freelance journalist was in Israel working on a documentary on Vanunu, who was released from prison last month after serving 18 years for leaking information on Israel’s nuclear program. Israel TV reported that the Shin Bet security service suspected that Vanunu had passed on additional nuclear secrets to Hounam, AP reported. Hounam, however, denied the allegations. “All the information that Mordechai Vanunu knew about in 1986 was published at the time,” Hounam said. “He has no more secrets, and it’s time the authorities here realized that,” he added. Hounam was expected to voluntarily leave Israel today (Aaron Keith Harris, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, May 28). Back to top

Vaccine Protects Mice Against Airborne Pox Virus By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — An experimental smallpox vaccine immunized mice from an airborne pox virus, indicating that the same drug could someday protect humans facing a biological attack, researchers said this week (see GSN, March 10). The vaccine candidate, LC16m8, is being tested in the United States for potential use on up to 20 million people whose health conditions could leave them medically unable to use the existing inoculation. The new vaccine is “attenuated,” meaning it does not reproduce and would be safer for people suffering from heart problems or suppressed immune systems. In a study earlier this year at the St. Louis University School of Medicine, three groups of mice respectively received the modified vaccine, the current DryVax drug or a placebo. Each group was then exposed to an aerosolized mouse orthopoxvirus through inhalation. Nine of the 10 placebo mice died, while all the mice that received vaccines survived. The testing mirrors the fashion in which smallpox might be applied in a bioterror attack, said Mark Buller, one of the researchers in the study funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. One theorized scenario would have a terrorist spreading an aerosol version of the virus through a building’s air system, he said today. A separate study by scientists from several universities and the California biopharmaceutical firm VaxGen found that both the existing and modified smallpox vaccines protected groups of rabbits from lethal doses of intradermal rabbit pox, the company said Wednesday. The pox is “a nasty” and often fatal virus for rabbits, said researcher Richard Moyer of the University of Florida College of Medicine. The success of the vaccine indicates it could provide similarly strong protection for humans, he said. “I think what this does is shows that this [new] vaccine … behaves as well as the DryVax vaccine which was used to eradicate smallpox,” Buller said of the studies. “That’s really the gold standard,” he added. The alternate vaccine has been licensed for use in Japan since 1980, and is being developed here by VaxGen and a Japanese institute. This work is separate from research being done on another attenuated treatment, modified vaccinia virus Ankara, researchers said. VaxGen plans to perform human trials for Lc16m8 later this year, along with a large-scale safety trial and further preclinical studies. The process of testing and approval of a new smallpox vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could take years, researchers have said. “The FDA has a huge long list of things you have to do. All these things take time,” Buller said. Back to top

Anniston to Stop Incinerating Chemical Munitions for Maintenance The U.S. Army’s Anniston chemical weapons incinerator will stop burning sarin-filled rockets for up to three weeks during a maintenance check on the facility, Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, May 10). Site manager Tim Garrett said rocket incineration would stop Tuesday so crews can perform preventive maintenance and inspect the facility. Maintenance sessions are expected about once a year, Garrett said. No malfunctions or operational concerns prompted the check, he added. Garrett said the maintenance check would likely coincide with destruction of the last drainable sarin rocket. “It just so happens the stars aligned and we can do it,” he said. Garrett also said the incinerator will dispose of Anniston’s entire sarin rocket stockpile by August or September if the current schedule is kept and that all the depot’s sarin and VX munitions are set to be destroyed by July 2006 (Associated Press/Tuscaloosa News, May 27). Back to top       Japanese Court Sentences Cult Member to Death A Japanese appeals court today increased the sentence handed down to the convicted former intelligence chief of the Aum Shinrikyo cult from life in prison to death, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Feb. 27). In 2000, Yoshihiro Inoue received a life sentence for aiding Aum Shinrikyo’s 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway that killed 12 people and injured thousands. While acknowledging his involvement in the attack, Inoue claimed that he had not actually released the nerve agent, AFP said. Japanese prosecutors appealed and the Tokyo High Court today sentenced Inoue to death, overturning the lesser sentence. Inoue’s lawyers filed an appeal of the High Court’s decision to the Japanese Supreme Court (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 28).         Back to top

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