International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei (shown in a Sept. 13 photo) said today that the agency has found no sign of nuclear-related activity at the Iranian Parchin military site (AFP photo/Joe Klamar). IAEA Postpones Debate on Iran Resolution as U.S., EU Powers Strike Compromise The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose Board of Governors meeting in Vienna was scheduled to conclude today, has postponed debate on a resolution addressing Iran’s nuclear activities, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 16). “Negotiations are still ongoing,” on the resolution, said a spokesman for meeting Chairwoman Patricia Espinosa Cantellano. “We hope in the next few days to deal with this item,” the spokesman said, adding that no specific time had been set for debate to resume. ..Full Story

New Iraq Survey Group Report to Describe Prewar Iraq’s Intent to Produce WMD, Officials Say A new report by U.S. chief weapons inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer is expected to say that while there is evidence that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had the intent to produce weapons of mass destruction once U.N. sanctions were lifted, there is no indication that any large-scale WMD programs had resumed by the time of the U.S. invasion, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 8)...Full Story

Diplomats Return From Alleged North Korea Blast Site; South Korea Offers Differing Accounts Diplomats escorted yesterday by North Korean officials to the alleged site of last week’s explosion near the country’s northern border with China said today that the site was a construction project, but South Korean officials said the reported explosion took place at a different location, Reuters reported (see GSN, Sept. 16)...Full Story

	Friday, September 17, 2004

White House Submits Intelligence Reform Plan to Congress U.S. President George W. Bush submitted an intelligence reform plan to Congress yesterday that would create a new national intelligence director as recommended by the Sept. 11 commission, but with less authority than the panel has proposed, according to Reuters (see GSN, Sept. 16). The White House plan would create a national intelligence director with the authority to “develop and determine” the budget of the National Foreign Intelligence Program. The new director would do so, though, based on the budget proposals of individual intelligence agencies and after “obtaining the advice” of Cabinet-level officials, including the defense secretary, Reuters reported. The national intelligence director would also have the authority to transfer or reprogram funding within the National Foreign Intelligence Program, but would first have to obtain the approval of the White House Office of Management and Budget and would have to consult with departmental heads, Reuters reported. In addition, intelligence funding would continue to go through the Defense Department, congressional aides said. “The president wants intelligence reform to be acted on and this is a good faith effort to work with the Congress in a bipartisan fashion to achieve those changes,” White House spokesman Trent Duffy said (Adam Entous, Reuters, Sept. 16). The White House plan came under criticism, however, from Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), the main Democratic sponsor of a bill in the House of Representatives to implement almost all of the recommendations put forth by the Sept. 11 commission this summer, according to the New York Times. “This is several years late and several dollars short of the full range of reforms the commission proposed,” she said in a statement (Philip Shenon, New York Times, Sept. 17). Back to top

New Iraq Survey Group Report to Describe Prewar Iraq’s Intent to Produce WMD, Officials Say A new report by U.S. chief weapons inspector in Iraq Charles Duelfer is expected to say that while there is evidence that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had the intent to produce weapons of mass destruction once U.N. sanctions were lifted, there is no indication that any large-scale WMD programs had resumed by the time of the U.S. invasion, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 8). According to U.S. officials, the report of the findings of the Iraq Survey Group will include details on a set of clandestine laboratories operated by the Iraqi Intelligence Service that could have produced small amounts of biological or chemical agents, likely for use in assassination attempts. The report, set to be made public in the next few weeks, is also expected to affirm that there is no evidence that prewar Iraq possessed large-scale WMD stockpiles at the onset of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of last year, the Times reported (see GSN, Sept. 14). In addition, the report is expected to say that a large amount of recovered documents still need to be translated and examined before any conclusions can be made on prewar Iraq’s WMD intentions and capabilities, the Times reported. U.S. officials said that the Iraq Survey Group would continue its work after the report is released, and may issue additional documents (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, Sept. 17). Annan Says Iraq War Was Illegal Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said for the first time Wednesday that he believed the U.S. invasion of Iraq was illegal. In an interview with the BBC, Annan said that the Iraq war had not been in “conformity” with the U.N. Charter because the United States and the United Kingdom invaded without Security Council authorization. “It was illegal, if you wish,” he said. “From our point of view and from the charter point of view it was illegal.” A spokesman for Annan, Fred Eckert, said that Annan believes his comments Wednesday are “no different from what he has been saying for more than a year” (Patrick Taylor, New York Times, Sept. 17). U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Danforth said, though, “We don’t agree with the secretary general on this point. Danforth noted that Iraq had violated numerous Security Council resolution. “It seems to me that it would undercut the rule of law had there been no action, had we just said, ‘Well, so we passed resolutions, but they’re so much waste paper,’” he said (Mark Matthews, Baltimore Sun, Sept. 17). Back to top       U.S. Energy Companies Close to Agreements With Libya Libya is close to completing agreements with U.S. energy companies on their return to Libya’s oil industry, Libyan officials said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 17). “Maybe in about a month’s time or probably sooner,” Libyan Oil Minister Fathi Omar bin Shatwan said. U.S. energy companies have begun exploring a return to Libya’s oil sector after the United States eased trade restrictions following Tripoli’s decision to abandon its WMD efforts, Reuters reported (Reuters, Sept. 16). Back to top

IAEA Postpones Debate on Iran Resolution as U.S., EU Powers Strike Compromise The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose Board of Governors meeting in Vienna was scheduled to conclude today, has postponed debate on a resolution addressing Iran’s nuclear activities, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 16). “Negotiations are still ongoing,” on the resolution, said a spokesman for meeting Chairwoman Patricia Espinosa Cantellano. “We hope in the next few days to deal with this item,” the spokesman said, adding that no specific time had been set for debate to resume. In line with the position of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the United States has agreed to abandon an ultimatum that would have sent Iran’s case to the U.N. Security Council, according to AFP. China, Russia and nonaligned nations, however, apparently still felt the proposed text was to harshly worded, AFP reported. The draft agreed to by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany sets a November deadline for a full review of Iran’s nuclear program and called on Tehran to “immediately” suspend all uranium enrichment activities, according to a copy obtained by AFP. Iran will decide within two to three days whether to respect the call for suspension or resume uranium enrichment efforts, according to Iran’s representative at the agency, Hossein Mousavian (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 17). “I don’t reject the possibility ... of continuing the suspension for an additional one or two months, but this will be decided by the policymakers,” Mousavian told Reuters. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said Iran’s talk of a possible suspension was an attempt to fend off its potential referral to the Security Council in November. “That is so transparent I do not believe anyone will fall for it,” Bolton said in a statement. Meanwhile, British, French and German diplomats met with officials from Russia, China and the nonaligned countries in an attempt to persuade them to accept the compromise draft, Reuters reported (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, Sept. 17). Elsewhere, IAEA inspectors are in talks with Iranian officials for access to as many as four military sites that have programs or equipment that could be diverted to nuclear weapons development, diplomats at the agency told the Washington Post yesterday. The talks have been underway since June, the diplomats said, adding that the agency has been collecting information for two years about the Parchin military installation, a site southeast of Tehran that some experts believe could be used for nuclear weapons development (Dafna Linzer, Washington Post, Sept. 17). The agency has thus far found no signs of nuclear-related activity at the Parchin site, Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said today. “We are aware of this new site that has been referred to. We do not have any indication that this site has nuclear-related activities. However, we continue to investigate this and other sites (in Iran),” ElBaradei said (Reuters, Sept. 17). Back to top       Diplomats Return From Alleged North Korea Blast Site; South Korea Offers Differing Accounts Diplomats escorted yesterday by North Korean officials to the alleged site of last week’s explosion near the country’s northern border with China said today that the site was a construction project, but South Korean officials said the reported explosion took place at a different location, Reuters reported (see GSN, Sept. 16). The group had been taken to a “large construction site” in the northern county of Samsu yesterday, said a Western diplomat who spoke with the observers. The North Koreans told them explosions took place last Wednesday and Thursday, not just on one day as reported by foreign media, the diplomat added. “There was lots of soil, debris and rocks being transported,” the diplomat said, adding that European Union ambassadors were meeting today and “findings of what was seen yesterday will be discussed.” A South Korean official said today, however, that Seoul believes the explosion occurred in a county west of Samsu. “It was in Kimhyungjik county where indications of an explosion originated,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo as saying (Reuters, Sept. 17). Reuters also quoted the minister today as saying that there had been no explosion at all. “There is no information to support an explosion in the area where there were indications of an explosion,” said Rhee. “It is likely the peculiar cloud was [a] natural cloud,” Rhee said, adding that there may have been seismic activity around Mount Paektu on the North Korean-Chinese border (Jack Kim, Reuters, Sept. 17). British officials said they would await further review of the evidence collected by the diplomatic team. The diplomats inspected and photographed the site for 90 minutes, British Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell said in a statement. “The information they gathered will be reported back to technical experts in capitals. We now need to await their findings,” Rammell said (Reuters, Sept. 17). Meanwhile, a Russian diplomat who visited North Korea said at least three explosions occurred on Sept. 8 and 9 in connection with a dam project, Agence France-Presse reported today. Another explosion was planned for later this month, he told RIA Novosti (Agence France-Presse, Sept. 17). Back to top       Democratic Republic of the Congo Set to Join Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Next Week By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Democratic Republic of Congo next week could become the latest country to ratify the global nuclear test ban treaty, reducing the number of holdouts impeding treaty ratification to 11 countries, the head of the organization that monitors treaty compliance told Global Security Newswire yesterday (see GSN, July 21). The parliament of the central African country recently passed a law allowing ratification and now the instruments of ratification await the signature of the president, said Ambassador Wolfgang Hoffmann, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization. “Now it is up to the president to sign and I think we are able to accelerate this process a little,” he said. Hoffmann just returned from an invited visit to the capital of Kinshasa, where he met with advisors to DRC President Joseph Kabila, the foreign and science ministers and the president of the parliament. “I think they might ratify next week,” he said. The country signed the treaty in October 1996 but has failed to ratify it, observers have said, probably because of its preoccupation with civil war and ethnic conflict in the country. Hoffmann expressed a degree of skepticism about securing ratification any time soon from three of the other 11 holdouts whose ratification is required by the treaty before entry into force — Israel, Iran and Egypt. The “political situation in the Middle East ... is part of our problem,” he said. “These countries are waiting for each other.” He asserted, though, that securing ratification from the United States is a key to persuading other holdouts to ratify. “The importance of this cannot be overestimated,” he said. “Once the United States ratifies this treaty, then the other parts of the puzzle will fall into place,” he said. While the Bush administration this year requested funding to reduce the preparation time necessary for conducting a nuclear test, and is pursuing research and development of new nuclear weapons capabilities, officials have said there are no plans to resume testing and break a decade-old U.S. moratorium on testing. They also have said, however, that President George W. Bush does not support ratification of the treaty. Bush’s Democratic challenger for president, Senator John Kerry (Mass.), has indicated he favors ratification. That would require first, however, overcoming largely Republican opposition in the Senate that voted against ratification in 1999. Back to top       Earth Fully Covered by Nuclear Test Surveillance System, Official Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — An international network being built to monitor for and discourage illicit nuclear weapons testing now covers every inch of the globe, the director of the organization that administers that system told Global Security Newswire yesterday (see related GSN story, today). Created in 1997, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization’s International Monitoring System has grown to include more than 100 seismic, hydroacoustic and infrasound monitoring stations, along with radionuclide laboratories, worldwide, with an ultimate goal of networking 337 such sites (see GSN, July 21). Last year, according to Executive Secretary Wolfgang Hoffmann, the organization was able to cover two remaining patches of the Earth that could not be adequately monitored for seismic activity, one in the South Atlantic near Antarctica and another northeast of Australia. Hoffmann said yesterday that in 2002, he had discouraged his staff from including a map showing the state of global coverage in the organization’s annual report, with uncovered areas showing up in red and most of the world in blue. “There were two spots on the globe where we were not covering and I did not want to invite anybody to do secret testing there,” he said.  Seismic stations have since been added that better cover those areas, he said.  “Last year we closed this gap, so this year you will see in our yearly report a map with perfect colors all over,” he said. Furthermore, the science has improved so that stations have greater capabilities, he said. “We are very good because science is advancing so much,” he said. According to the CTBTO in its 2003 annual report, at issue is the degree of confidence with which suspicious seismic activity can be detected in an area.  “An event is considered detected when its signal exceeds the noise level by a factor of three at three or more stations,” it said. The map in CTBTO’s annual report did not factor measurements by other types of stations, hydroacoustic, infrasound and radionuclide, which also can give evidence of an illegal test. Hoffmann said both Iran and China have not been providing data to the organization from stations on their territory. He also said, though, that increasing redundancy in the system has made it such that global coverage should not be interrupted were a participating treaty member to withhold or alter the submission of data it collects and sends to the organization. Hoffmann said he is obligated not to comment on any conclusions his organization has drawn regarding an apparently sizable explosion in North Korea last week, which experts so far have discounted as a nuclear weapons test. The gathered data is distributed to treaty signatories for them to make their own judgments, he said. “This is what we are doing and they of course have the possibility to compare these data with their own national data. What we cannot do is do a final analysis,” he said, citing the treaty requirements. But thanks in part to the organization’s surveillance capability, wrote Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analysts Joe Cirincione and Joshua Williams in an analysis published Monday, “If last week’s startling explosion in North Korea were really a nuclear test, it is certain that the world would know it by now.” Back to top       Activists Invade French Naval Bases to Protest U.S. Plutonium Shipment Activists from the Greenpeace environmental group yesterday broke into a French naval base in the city of Cherbourg to protest a planned shipment of U.S. plutonium to France, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Aug. 25). The protest “passed off without any injuries and only lasted a few minutes,” a French naval spokesman said. The Greenpeace activists were protesting a shipment set to occur later this year of more than 100 kilograms of U.S. plutonium to France to be converted for use in testing at a U.S. nuclear power plant as possible reactor fuel (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 16). Back to top

U.S. Army Set to Delay VX Destruction at Newport Depot The U.S. Army expects to delay destruction of its VX nerve agent stockpile at the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana due to the discovery that approximately half of the chemical agent contains a stabilizing agent that takes more time to process, the Terre Haute, Ind., Tribune-Star reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 24). Of the 1,269 tons of VX stored at Newport, about 46 percent contains DIC stabilizer, while the remainder contains DCC or a blend of the two compounds, said Army site manager Jeff Brubaker. “The difference, as it applies to the neutralization process, is that it may be necessary to process the DCC or DCC-DIC blended stock for longer periods,” he said. “This factor has the potential to extend our schedule for destroying the entire Newport stockpile, but should not affect our ability to begin destruction operations.” Once neutralization is complete, the Army still plans to ship the approximately 4 million gallons of resulting VX hydrolysate to a commercial hazardous wastewater treatment plant run by DuPont in New Jersey. In August, the Army had expected VX destruction to begin between October and December, Brubaker said. Due to a series of delays, Newport Chemical Depot is not expected to meet the requirements of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which mandates the destruction of such weapons by 2007. “Though the United States will not meet the original treaty deadline set for April 2007, the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has granted an extension of the 45 percent destruction milestone from April 2004 to December 2007,” Brubaker said. “The United States, the Army and workers at the Newport Chemical Depot are committed to eliminating the chemical weapon stockpile as safely and expeditiously as possible, thereby eliminating the risk these weapons pose to our community, our workers and our environment” (Patricia Pastore, Terre Haute, Ind., Tribune-Star, Sept. 16). Back to top

Two With Alleged Links to Dirty Bomb Suspect Indicted The U.S. Justice Department yesterday announced the indictment of two men for allegedly providing financial support and recruitment assistance to al-Qaeda, including helping suspected “dirty bomb” plotter Jose Padilla attend terrorist training camps in Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, June 10). Adham Amin Hassoun and Mohamed Hesham Youssef were each charged in a Florida court with two counts of providing material support to terrorists. Hassoun also faces eight previously filed charges, while Youssef is serving a sentence in Egypt on other terrorism-related charges. While “enjoying all the freedoms that our society has to offer,” Hassoun was “secretly plotting to support murder and terror by violent jihadists overseas,” Attorney General John Ashcroft said yesterday in a news conference (Dan Eggen, Washington Post, Sept. 17).                         Back to top

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