In an interview broadcast this weekend on Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor, U.S. President George W. Bush said the United States would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons (AFP photo/Stephen Jaffe). Bush Vows Iran Will Not Get Nuclear Weapon; EU Says Tougher Action on Iran Likely U.S. President George W. Bush this weekend said he hopes for a negotiated settlement to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, but that United States would never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 23)...Full Story

House GOP Leaders Unveil Intelligence Reform Bill By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives Friday unveiled a bill intended to implement the recommendations made this summer by the Sept. 11 commission, including the panel’s chief intelligence reform proposal — the creation of a national intelligence director (see GSN, Sept. 24)...Full Story

U.S. Navy to Deploy Aegis Destroyers in Sea of Japan The U.S. Navy is expected to deploy Aegis destroyers to patrol the Sea of Japan by the end of next week as a component of the U.S. missile defenses, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 16)...Full Story

	Monday, September 27, 2004

House GOP Leaders Unveil Intelligence Reform Bill By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The Republican leadership of the House of Representatives Friday unveiled a bill intended to implement the recommendations made this summer by the Sept. 11 commission, including the panel’s chief intelligence reform proposal — the creation of a national intelligence director (see GSN, Sept. 24). The bill would create a national director to serve as the “principal” intelligence adviser to the president, responsible for developing objectives and priorities for intelligence collection and analysis. The director would also have budgetary and personnel authority over the various agencies that make up the intelligence community  In addition, the director would oversee a National Counterterrorism Center and would have the authority to create other intelligence centers on specific topics such as WMD proliferation — measures also recommended by the Sept. 11 commission. As requested by the White House, a Cabinet-level Joint Intelligence Community Council would support the national intelligence director. “This legislation reflects the best thinking by those most knowledgeable about the problems in our intelligence community. The time for reform is now.  There can be no more business as usual in intelligence,” said Representative Christopher Cox (R-Calif.), chairman of the House homeland security committee. The bill came under fire from Democratic lawmakers, who charged that it was developed without their input. “Unbelievably, the Republicans claim to have introduced a bipartisan bill, as Senate leaders have done. It is simply not true,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was quoted by the Los Angeles Times as saying in a statement. The House intelligence reform bill differs in several ways from companion legislation approved last week by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, such as by providing a lesser degree of budgetary and personnel authority. For example, under the House bill the national intelligence director would have more of a consultative role in the nominations of various intelligence agency heads than in the Senate bill (see GSN, Sept. 23). Also contrary to the Senate bill, the House legislation does not contain a provision to create an ombudsman in the national intelligence director’s office intended to prevent the politicalization of intelligence. The House bill further differs from the Senate legislation and the Sept. 11 commission in keeping the amounts of the total intelligence budget requested by the president and appropriated by Congress classified. “In the past, liberal Democrats have sought to publicize that number in order to increase the pressure to cut intelligence spending in order to pay for other spending priorities. And I believe that telling our enemies how much we spend on certain intelligence programs diminishes our national security,” House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said. Relevant House committees are set to hold markup hearings on various sections of the bill this week, with a goal of moving the bill to the House floor next week, according to Hastert.  “This is clearly one of the items that our members want to complete before we take a break for the elections. And we will get that done,” House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said. The full Senate is also scheduled to hold debate beginning today on intelligence reform legislation. Last week, a group of former U.S. senior officials and lawmakers led by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger called on lawmakers to take a slower approach to the issue of intelligence reform (see GSN, Sept. 22). “Racing to implement reforms on an election timetable is precisely the wrong thing to do. Intelligence reform is too complex and too important to undertake at a campaign’s breakneck speed,” the group said in a statement released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Back to top       U.S. Boosts Antiterror Measures Ahead of Elections U.S. law enforcement and other federal agencies are taking added antiterror precautions ahead of the Nov. 2 election, including the use of equipment by U.S. Capitol Police to protect officers from biological or chemical attack, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, July 8). Efforts are expected to include heavy surveillance by the FBI, increased checks of terrorism watch lists by local police and heightened security at polling places on Election Day, officials said. An electronic communication is expected to be sent to FBI field offices this week, outlining tactics including aggressive surveillance, widespread interviews and arrests, officials said. “We are always asking ourselves the critical question, ‘Have we done everything we can to thwart the next attack?’” said Michael Mason, head of the bureau’s Washington field office. “We ask ourselves that every day.” U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer has ordered some officers to wear new “Level B Training” vests to protect them from a biological or chemical attack, the Post reported. The vest has a single-use hood with special filters attached to the side and contains a chemical-biological hazard suit, gloves and rubber boots. The officers received 40 hours of training before being issued the equipment, according to the Post (Eggen/Hsu, Washington Post, Sept. 27). Back to top       Bush Takes Iraq Off Terrorism-Sponsor List U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday removed Iraq from the U.S. list of terrorism-sponsoring nations (see GSN, May 11). The move was included in a memorandum sent to Secretary of State Colin Powell. According to the document, a “fundamental change in the leadership and policies of the government of Iraq” was a factor in the decision, along with the determination that Iraq is not supporting terrorism and assurances by the Iraqi government that it would not support terrorism in the future. Iraq was first placed on the State Department’s list of terrorism-sponsoring nations in 1990 (U.S. State Department release, Sept. 24). Back to top

Bush Vows Iran Will Not Get Nuclear Weapon; EU Says Tougher Action on Iran Likely U.S. President George W. Bush this weekend said he hopes for a negotiated settlement to the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program, but that United States would never allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 23). “My hope is that we can solve this diplomatically,” Bush said in a three-part interview with Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor, excerpts of which aired yesterday. “Let me try to solve it diplomatically first,” said Bush. “All options are on the table, of course, in any situation. But diplomacy is the first option.” “We’ve made it clear, our position is that they won’t have a nuclear weapon,” Bush said. “We are working our hearts out so that they don’t develop a nuclear weapon, and the best way to do so is to continue to keep international pressure on them.” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 26). The European powers are losing patience with Iran and could soon be ready to support U.S. demands to refer the Islamic republic to the U.N. Security Council in November, said Western diplomats familiar with negotiations between France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Iran said Friday, Reuters reported. “It looks like Iran is going to the Security Council,” said one diplomat. “People now are discussing what will happen when it goes there.” French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Iran must reassure the international community that its nuclear program is solely peaceful. “We are concerned that Iran is moving into research programs which might lead to nuclear weapons,” he said. “Assurances must be given that Iran that does not wish to and shall not acquire nuclear weapons.” “The other alternative, if we are not reassured, is naturally to submit this question to the Security Council,” Barnier said.  If the case were taken to the council, diplomats said permanent members Russia and China would probably back a strong statement urging Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Negotiations between Iran and the European nations are expected to continue, but diplomats close to the talks said Iran’s was unlikely to accept the IAEA call for a freeze of enrichment-related activities. Another diplomat said it would be “very Iranian” if Tehran agreed to a suspension immediately prior to the issue is discussed at the Nov. 25 IAEA board meeting, but added that such a move would now be insufficient. “The resolution called for an immediate suspension of the enrichment program,” said a Western diplomat on the IAEA board. “It is already too late” (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, Sept. 24). Meanwhile, Iranian officials said yesterday that the Islamic republic has no immediate plans to resume uranium enrichment, Reuters reported. “Resuming uranium enrichment is not in our agenda. We are still committed to the suspension,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said. “We have started some activities like building centrifuge parts.  No discussion about enrichment at all,” Asefi said. Asefi said Iran did not fear the prospect of sanctions if its case were referred to the Security Council. “In case of any sanctions on Iran, the international community will be harmed more than Iran,” Asefi said (Reuters, Sept. 26). Iran also called on European countries to negotiate, while displaying no signs of halting its nuclear work in accordance with this month’s resolution, according to AFP. “No negotiations with the Americans are on the agenda, but we call on the Europeans to discuss with us,” Asefi said. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer held “very blunt” talks with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharazi on the sidelines of last week’s U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York last week, according to AFP. “You are making a terrible mistake,” Fischer told Kharazi, according to one participant (AFP/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 26). Back to top       IAEA Completes Latest Inspections in South Korea Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency yesterday completed a weeklong investigation in South Korea prompted by Seoul’s disclosure of nuclear experiments involving small amounts of enriched uranium and plutonium, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Sept. 23). During the second round of IAEA inspections, agency experts visited the Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, a nuclear research center in Seoul and an abandoned uranium mine, AFP reported. The five inspectors reportedly gathered about 20 samples of nuclear material and waste. The inspectors “thanked the government for its active cooperation,” a South Korean Science Ministry official said (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 26). Back to top       Arrested German Businessman Reportedly Attempted to Sell Nuclear-Weapons Technology to Iran A German businessman arrested last week on suspicion of attempting to smuggle nuclear weapons-related technology reportedly planned to send the material to Iran, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Sept. 24). The German magazine Der Spiegel reported today that the 53-year-old businessman, identified as Helmut R., was arrested in connection with the foiled transfer of 24 long-distance detonators, which are used in nuclear weapons, AFP reported. While German authorities did not release the destination for the blocked shipment, Der Spiegel reported that the intended recipient was suspected to be Iran, according to AFP. Helmut R. has been released on bail, German prosecutors said (Agence France-Presse/TurkishPress.com, Sept. 25). Back to top       IAEA to Develop Procedures for Selecting Next Chief The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors is set to meet today in Vienna to establish procedures for electing a new agency director general, according to Agence France-Presse (see GSN, Sept. 10). Mohamed ElBaradei, the agency’s current leader, said earlier this month that he would seek a third four-year term. The United States and other top funders of the agency, however, have sought to limit the length of tenure for heads of international organizations to two terms, AFP reported. “This policy has nothing to do with the director general’s qualifications. The United States thinks that he’s done a very good job leading the agency at a very difficult time, but it’s simply a matter of principle and good governance,” a Western official familiar with the U.S. position said. ElBaradei’s candidacy is supported by the 13 nonaligned countries on the 35-member board, and could be strengthened if he wins the Nobel Peace Prize next month, AFP reported. An IAEA spokesman said the board would seek applications for the position until the end of the year and attempt to choose the next director general by June 2005 with a formal election in September 2005 (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 27). Meanwhile, a resolution adopted by consensus at the IAEA General Conference, held last week in Vienna, calls for the creation of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East (see GSN, Sept. 22). The resolution, which was presented by Egypt, “affirms the urgent need for all states in the Middle East to forthwith accept the application of full-scope agency safeguards to all their nuclear activities ... as a step in enhancing peace and security in the context of the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone” (Michael Adler, Agence France-Presse/Al-Jazeerah, Sept. 25). Also during last week’s meeting, IAEA members endorsed the agency’s efforts to prevent cyber attacks and “insider threats” on nuclear power plants. The agency is close to completing guidelines on improving the security of information technology equipment and software based controls at nuclear plants (IAEA release, Sept. 24). Back to top

Portugal to Open Biological Terrorism Laboratory Portugal plans to open by March 2005 a new “bioterrorism laboratory” in response to “a new strategic environment characterized by … risks and threats of great unpredictability,” the Portuguese Defense Ministry said Friday (see GSN, Aug. 16). The facility, along with a separate food science laboratory, is set to cost more than $600,000 (Agence France-Presse, Sept. 25). Back to top

Iran May Have Tested Shahab 4 Missile Last month’s test-launch of an Iranian missile appears to have been an early version of the expected Shahab 4, an upgrade of the existing medium-range Shahab 3, Jane’s Defense Weekly reported (see GSN, Aug. 11). Former Israeli Ballistic Missile Defense Organization director Uzi Rubin claimed the new design bears a significant resemblance to a Soviet-era intercontinental ballistic missile, which is no longer used in Russia. “This kind of layout used to be a hallmark of Soviet ballistic missiles of the 1960s, such as the liquid fuel, silo-launched SS-9 ICBM,” said Rubin. “The new Shahab is longer by 1 [meter] than its predecessors,” he said. “Combined with the space freed by relocating the instrument section, the new Shahab carries about 15 percent more propellant, enabling a range of 1,450 [kilometers]” (Alon Ben-David, Jane’s Defense Weekly, Sept. 27). Iranian officials said Saturday that they have added a “strategic missile” to their military arsenal after a successful test earlier this month, the Associated Press reported. “This strategic missile was successfully test-fired during military exercises by the Revolutionary Guards and delivered to the armed forces,” Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani told state-run radio. Officials did not specify whether the test involved the new version of the Shahab 3 or another missile, according to AP (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/ABCNews.com, Sept. 26). “Mr Shamkhani intentionally spoke in an ambiguous way and we want this ambiguity to remain,” government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh said today (Agence France-Presse/ SpaceWar.com, Sept. 27). Back to top       Potential North Korea Missile Test Worries U.S. A U.S. Air Force commander said yesterday that he continued to worry about signs that North Korea might be preparing for a missile test and about the potential for a major missile technology development by Pyongyang (see GSN, Sept. 24). “We all remember that in 1998 they fired that missile that went across the northern part of Japan ... and landed out in the Pacific Ocean,” said U.S. Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Paul Hester. “So that is of great concern to this area of the Pacific, and ... it’s of great concern to our friends in Japan,” Hester said of possible North Korean preparations for a new test (Linda Sieg, Reuters, Sept. 26). Suspicious movements continuing at missile sites in North Korea, however, may be due to routine maintenance rather than launch preparations, South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told Reuters. “We’re not quite sure what their intentions are, whether they are to fire missiles or [are] simply maintaining their missile sites,” Ban said Friday. He said a missile launch would be a setback to cooperation between his country and the North and to the stalled six-party talks on North Korea’s nuclear efforts (Carol Giacomo, Reuters, Sept. 25). Japanese officials expressed “serious concern” about the potential launch test to their North Korean counterparts at a meeting Saturday in Beijing, Reuters reported. The North Korean officials did not respond, head of the Japanese delegation Akitaka Saiki was quoted by the Kyodo news service as saying (Reuters, Sept. 25). A senior North Korean official in New York dismissed reports of missile launch preparations as speculation, Reuters reported. Asked by Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi about reports that Pyongyang was preparing to fire a missile, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon said such information was “conjecture, rumor and speculation,” Kyodo reported Saturday, quoting a Japanese official. Choe also told Kawaguchi that Pyongyang would only take part in six-party nuclear talks when the situation allowed, according to Reuters (Reuters, Sept. 25). Back to top

U.S. Navy to Deploy Aegis Destroyers in Sea of Japan The U.S. Navy is expected to deploy Aegis destroyers to patrol the Sea of Japan by the end of next week as a component of the U.S. missile defenses, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 16). The ships, assigned to the Navy’s 7th Fleet, are part of a system designed to detect and intercept missiles launched by “rogue nations,” according to AP. “We are on track,” Vice Adm. Jonathan Greenert, commander of the 7th Fleet, said Wednesday. “We will be ready to conduct the mission when assigned.” (Eric Talmadge, Associated Press/Seattle Times, Sept. 26). The ships are to watch for missile attacks and send data to land-based interceptors in Alaska, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported yesterday. Critics of the program have said the Defense Department has exaggerated the capability of the missile-defense system. “It’s a little bit like testing a new military aircraft without the wings, tail and landing gear,” said Philip Coyle, formerly the Pentagon’s top testing official and now a senior adviser at the Center for Defense Information. “That’s not the fault of Aegis,” which Coyle said can be effective against shorter-range missiles. “Too many other important pieces are missing,” including a floating radar expected to be installed on a platform off the Alaska coast. Retired Rear Adm. Wayne Meyer disagreed, saying the Aegis system had shot down four of five intercontinental ballistic missiles in tests since 2002. A failed intercept in June 2003 was caused by a problem with the intercepting missile, not the Aegis system, Meyer added (see GSN, June 19, 2003). Critics said none of the tests were conducted under realistic conditions. “It all remains to be seen if it will function as they hope it will,” said Wade Boese, research director at the Arms Control Association in Washington. The next test of the Aegis system is scheduled for early next year, according to the Missile Defense Agency (Harold Brubaker, Philadelphia Inquirer, Sept. 26). Back to top

Four Arrested Trying to Buy Radioactive Material Four men were arrested Friday in London after authorities received a tip from a British newspaper that the men had attempted to purchase radioactive material, British police said (see GSN, Aug. 25). “All four were arrested under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism,” London police said in a statement. Police arrested the four men after receiving information from the News of the World newspaper, which said one of its reporters had infiltrated a gang attempting to purchase radioactive material for a Saudi national suspected of being linked to al-Qaeda, according to Reuters. The newspaper said that the Saudi was prepared to pay more than $500,000 for a kilogram of “red mercury,” an otherwise unidentified radioactive material. One gang member told the reporter that the material was to be used in a radiological “dirty bomb” in the United Kingdom or United States, Reuters reported. All four men remain in police custody, Reuters reported. British authorities may detain the men for 14 days without filing charges (Friedel Rother, Reuters, Sept. 26).   Back to top

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