The United States last month removed radioactive sources and nuclear material from the Tuwaitha complex in Iraq (shown in a 2003 photo; AFP photo/Cris Bouroncle). U.S. Removes Radioactive Sources From Iraq Late last month, the United States removed about 1,000 radioactive sources and almost 2 tons of low-enriched uranium from the Tuwaitha complex in Iraq and moved the material to an undisclosed location in the United States, the U.S. Energy Department announced yesterday (see GSN, May 24)...Full Story

Australia Group Meets, Agrees to Consider New Controls on Chemical and Biological Exports By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Members of an multilateral export control regime on dual-use items capable of being used to make chemical or biological weapons agreed last month to begin discussions on new controls to prevent illicit exports aided by front companies and intermediaries (see GSN, March 19)...Full Story

Pyongyang Building Intermediate-Range Missiles, Testing Long-Range Missile Engines, South Korea Says North Korea is working to develop an arsenal of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and has been conducting tests of an engine for a long-range ballistic missile, the South Korean Defense Ministry said yesterday (see GSN, July 2)...Full Story

	Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Sept. 11 Commission Says It Had Same Information as Cheney on Alleged Iraq-Al-Qaeda Links U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was mistaken in stating that he “probably” had access to more information on the possible links between prewar Iraq and al-Qaeda than the U.S. national commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the panel’s leaders said yesterday (see GSN, June 22). Last month, the commission released a report saying that there was no evidence of a “collaborative relationship” between prewar Iraq and al-Qaeda. The White House, however, has continued to assert that there were relationships between the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the terrorist organization. A day after the commission released its report, Cheney said that he “probably” had access to more information than the commission on the subject, according to the New York Times. In a statement released yesterday, the commission’s chairman and vice chairman disputed Cheney’s claim. “After examining available transcripts of the vice president’s public remarks, the 9/11 commission believes it has access to the same information the vice president has seen regarding contacts between al-Qaeda and Iraq prior to the 9/11 attacks,” they said (Philip Shenon, New York Times, July 7). Back to top

Australia Group Meets, Agrees to Consider New Controls on Chemical and Biological Exports By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Members of an multilateral export control regime on dual-use items capable of being used to make chemical or biological weapons agreed last month to begin discussions on new controls to prevent illicit exports aided by front companies and intermediaries (see GSN, March 19). During this year’s annual plenary meeting, held June 7-10 in Paris, the 38 nations comprising of the Australia Group agreed to begin consideration of the issue of “brokering controls.” Such controls would require a person or a company in one country to obtain preapproval from that nation before arranging the transfer of controlled biological- or chemical-related items between entities in other countries. Such controls are already in place in the United States for munitions and in the event that a person or company knows that an export is intended for use in a WMD program, a U.S. State Department official said today. While Australia Group members “recognize” the growing risks posed by illicit exports facilitated by intermediaries and front companies, the official said, questions still remain on how to implement brokering controls within the national export control systems of the group’s various members. The official also said that brokering controls are likely to be discussed in the future by the members of other multilateral export control regimes, such as the Missile Technology Control Regime, which seeks to coordinate national export controls related to ballistic missile-related items. Group members also agreed to add five plant pathogens to the group’s common export control list, the first such additions in more than 10 years; and agreed to expand the medical exemptions for one of the toxins listed on the group’s control list. An Australian Group press statement did not detail, though, which plant pathogens were added to the group’s control list, nor did it specify for which toxin were medical exemptions expanded.  In addition, there was discussion of adding airborne spraying and fogging systems capable of being used to disseminate biological agents in aerosol form to the group’s common control list. While the group made “substantial progress” on such additions, the State Department official said, no final decision was made because of the technical issues surrounding such items, such as their wide variety of civilian uses. Australia Group members pledge to revise their export control systems based on additions made by the organization. In March, the United States added 14 human and animal pathogens to the U.S. Commerce Control List to reflect the decisions made during last year’s Australia Group plenary meeting (see GSN, June 11, 2003).  Last month’s meeting saw the addition of five new members to the group — Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia. In addition, members also discussed new assistance to nonmembers, including “key supplier and transshipping countries,” to improve their national export control systems.  Back to top       Too Early to Draw Conclusions on Iraqi WMD, Australian Prime Minister Says A day after British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Iraq’s alleged prewar weapons of mass destruction may never be found, Australian Prime Minister John Howard said today that it was too soon to draw such conclusions (see GSN, July 6). “We don’t just automatically follow something that may be said by either the American or the British government,” Howard said. “We believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction based on the intelligence, and nothing has happened since which has altered the fact that we have strong intelligence that built a very powerful circumstantial case,” he added (The Australian, July 7). Opposition spokesman Kevin Rudd today, though, called on Howard to follow Blair’s move. “British Prime Minister Tony Blair has acknowledged that weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have not been found — and may not be found,” Rudd said in a statement. “By contrast Prime Minister Howard maintains the absurdity of his prewar claim that the purpose of the Iraq war was to eliminate Iraq’s stockpiles of completed chemical and biological weapons,” he added (Australia Herald Sun, July 7). Back to top

U.N. Atomic Watchdog Discussing Return to Iraq With Interim Government, United States The International Atomic Energy Agency is in discussions with the new Iraqi government and the United States on resuming inspections in Iraq, an agency spokesman said today (see GSN, June 29). “We’re working on (finding) the time to go back when the security situation is right,” IAEA spokesman Mark Gwozdecky said. The agency is talking to “the two governments involved, the U.S. government and the Iraqis” about “preparing for their visit,” he added. In April, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said the agency’s “mandate for the inspection of weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq) is still in force.” The agency would also need approval from the U.N. Security Council to return to Iraq (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, July 7). Back to top       Iran Parliament Committee Approves Uranium Enrichment Bill An Iranian parliamentary subcommittee has approved a bill requiring the government to resume uranium enrichment, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, July 6). “The committee approved the bill a few days back,” lawmaker Kazem Jalali said yesterday. “If approved by the parliament, the government will be required to restart enrichment,” he added. The bill is set to be considered next week by parliament’s national security and foreign policy committee, Jalali said. If approved, the full parliament would next vote on the legislation. If passed by parliament, the bill would then come under scrutiny by the Guardian Council, a hardline body that must approve all legislation. The council is unlikely to reject the uranium enrichment bill, according to the Associated Press (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/Gainesville Sun, July 6). Meanwhile, the country’s defense minister warned that Iran would abandon its commitments to the International Atomic Energy Agency if its nuclear installations were ever attacked, the Islamic Republic’s official news agency IRNA reported today. “Today the IAEA holds every detail on Iran’s nuclear program,” Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani said, according to Agence France-Presse. “If there is a military attack, that would mean that the IAEA has been collecting this information to prepare for an attack. Naturally, after such an action, it would be necessary to renounce all of our nuclear commitments,” he added. “The United States and the other enemies of the Islamic Republic must know that we will respond to a military action against our country with all our force,” Shamkhani said (Agence France-Presse/Middle East Online, July 7). Back to top       ElBaradei Visits Israel, Discusses Iran International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei arrived in Israel yesterday to find his hosts looking to discuss Iran’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, July 6). “We’re discussing all issues of proliferation concern in the Middle East,” ElBaradei said. “If people want to raise the Iranian issue, I’ll tell them where we are and what we’re doing,” he added. Aharon Zeevi, head of Israeli military intelligence, told the Jerusalem Post that Tehran could have a nuclear weapon by 2008 if its nuclear activities were not curtailed, according to AFP. ElBaradei yesterday said he had “no illusion” that there would be a quick resolution to efforts to persuade Israel to unveil its long-suspected nuclear arsenal and eventually to create a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East. “I believe that the earlier we start a security dialogue, the better,” ElBaradei said. “People need to understand that this is something that has been discussed for over 30 years,” he added. ElBaradei is expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tomorrow and to urge Israel to notify his agency about its imports and exports of nuclear-related material. “We need to take the first step,” he said, adding that this could be Israel “concluding an Additional Protocol [to its limited safeguards agreement] with the agency.” “We need to understand the different viewpoints of Israel, of the other parties in the Middle East and that’s what I’m asked to do — consult with all the parties and see how we can move things forward,” he said (Michael Adler, Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, July 7). Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell held talks yesterday in Washington with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and said the United States had been calling the world’s attention to Iran’s nuclear weapon capability for the last 3 1/2 years. Powell said European foreign ministers had been unsuccessful in persuading Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program “even though they have received some commitments which have been unfulfilled.” “So the United States will continue to press in every way that we can, use all of the diplomatic and other resources at our disposal, to make sure the international community stands unified behind the effort to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons development, or worse, acquiring a nuclear weapon,” Powell added (Agence France-Presse/Australian Broadcasting Corp., July 7). Elsewhere, Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu demanded yesterday that he be allowed to speak with ElBaradei, who he said is failing to adequately investigate and criticize Israel’s nuclear program, the Washington Times reported. The former technician at Israel’s Dimona nuclear plant urged ElBaradei to demand entrance to the reactor. “I think ElBaradei is operating in secret with (the Israelis),” Vanunu said. “All he’ll hear in his planned meetings with Prime Minister Sharon and the others will be propaganda and disinformation,” he added (Paul Martin, Washington Times, July 7). Back to top

Islamist Group Claims Senate Ricin Attack An Islamist group affiliated with al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the ricin attack on a U.S. Senate office earlier this year, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Feb. 24). The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigade posted a statement on its Web site yesterday claiming it was responsible for the traces of ricin found on a mail-sorting machine in the office of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) in February. The group said that incident was a test for a future attack, according to the Associated Press.  The brigade takes its name from a top al-Qaeda lieutenant killed in a U.S. air strike on Afghanistan in 2001 (Maggie Michael, Associated Press, July 6). Back to top       Interpol Launches Bioterrorism Training Program Interpol announced yesterday that it would begin a two-year antibioterrorism training program for police and experts from around the world, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 7, 2003). The international police agency based in France plans to fund the program with a $943,000 grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which has provided more than $20 million in grants to various organizations for the fight against bioterrorism, according to the Associated Press. The grant will finance a conference in 2005; regional training programs in Africa, Asia and the Americas; technical support and training materials; and efforts by Interpol to uncover gaps in bioterrorism legislation (Associated Press/KCTV5, July 6). Back to top

Kyrgyzstan Taking Steps Against Chemical Attack Kyrgyzstan is preparing to respond to possible chemical attacks, the Central Asian nation’s public television reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 23). The country’s National Security Service mentioned possible terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens deployed at military bases in Kyrgyzstan and neighboring Uzbekistan some days ago. There are 49 waste dumps and 20 chemically dangerous sites in the country, according to the report (BBC Monitoring, July 6). Rescue workers from Kyrgyzstan this week joined their counterparts from Central Asian neighbors Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in a five-day chemical and radioactive rescue training session sponsored by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, according to the Kyrgyz Emergencies Ministry. The training began Monday, the Associated Press reported (Associated Press, July 6). Back to top

Pyongyang Building Intermediate-Range Missiles, Testing Long-Range Missile Engines, South Korea Says North Korea is working to develop an arsenal of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and has been conducting tests of an engine for a long-range ballistic missile, the South Korean Defense Ministry said yesterday (see GSN, July 2). The ministry detailed North Korea’s military capabilities in a report to the South Korean National Assembly’s Defense Committee, according to the Korea Herald. In the report, the ministry said that North Korea possesses a missile arsenal of up to 600 Scud missiles, with a range of up to 500 kilometers, along with 100 Rodong 1 missiles, which have a range of about 1,300 kilometers (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News , July 7). The ministry also said that North Korea was building and deploying an intermediate-range missile, but did not say how many or where they may be based, the Korea Herald reported. North Korea has also been conducting tests of engines for the Taepodong 2 ICBM, which has a range of 6,000 kilometers, according to the ministry. Engine tests are seen as the last step before actual flight-testing of a missile, the Korea Herald reported (see GSN, June 10). The ministry also said in its report that North Korea had constructed about 80 underground missile bases since the U.S. invasion of Iraq last March (Korea Herald, July 7). Back to top

U.S.-Australian Missile Defense Pact Expected Today Australia is expected to sign an agreement today with the United States on aiding U.S. missile defense efforts, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, June 22). The memorandum of understanding set to be approved in Washington by Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill would have Australia offer research assistance and other aid to the United States over 25 years, AFP reported. “From an Australian perspective, we’re looking well into the future,” Hill said yesterday. “We don’t have any threat against us from ballistic missiles at this time, but the day might come when we have,” he added (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, July 6). Meanwhile, Hill said yesterday that the latest tests of the Australian Jindalee over-the-horizon radar system demonstrated that it could detect ballistic missile launches, according to the Associated Press. The latest tests of the system were conducted in April near the northern Australian city of Darwin, he said (Associated Press, July 6). Back to top

U.S. Removes Radioactive Sources From Iraq Late last month, the United States removed about 1,000 radioactive sources and almost 2 tons of low-enriched uranium from the Tuwaitha complex in Iraq and moved the material to an undisclosed location in the United States, the U.S. Energy Department announced yesterday (see GSN, May 24). The material was moved in a joint operation by the Defense and Energy departments, according to the New York Times. While none of the materials removed from Iraq were weapon-grade, they could either have been further enriched or used to make a radiological weapon such as a “dirty bomb,” said National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Bryan Wilkes. He added that some of the removed sources were in powdered form, making them easily used for a radioactive weapon. In addition, the Energy Department “repackaged” some of the “less sensitive” remaining nuclear materials at the Tuwaitha complex and left them there, the department said. The radioactive sources that were left behind included those “that continue to serve useful medical, agricultural or industrial purposes,” the department said (Matthew Wald, New York Times, July 7). U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham called the operation “a major achievement” (BBC News, July 7).   Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

© Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.