Analysts said that recent comments about the destruction of Israel by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pictured earlier this month in Tehran, have hurt negotiations to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran (Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images). Iran Claims Progress in Latest Round of Talks on Nuclear Program An Iranian official yesterday claimed that significant progress was made in talks this week with three European Union nations on resolving the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 22). “The impasse over the nuclear file has been broken” and "from now on we sense a clear perspective for arriving at a compromise,” Hossein Entezami, spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said of Iran’s negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom. “The very fact that the dangerous process, which began with the resolution of Sept. 24, has stopped constitutes a diplomatic victory,” he said, referring to the passage of an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution that opened the door to referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council (Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times, Dec. 22)...Full Story

Van Anraat Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison A Dutch court today sentenced businessman Frans van Anraat to 15 years in prison for supplying ingredients for chemical weapons that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein used to kill thousands of Kurds in Iraq and Iran (see GSN, Dec. 9)...Full Story

Boeing, U.S. Missile Defense Agency Install 10th Ground-based Midcourse Defense Interceptor The 10th operational missile interceptor for the U.S. Ground-based Midcourse Defense system was installed last weekend at Fort Greely in Alaska, Boeing announced Wednesday (see GSN, Sept. 22)...Full Story

	Friday, December 23, 2005

Bush Notes 2005 Anti-WMD Moves U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday issued a list of his accomplishments for 2005, including several measures aimed at reducing the threat posed by terrorists and weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Oct. 14). Noted accomplishments include: selection of John Negroponte as the nation’s first national intelligence director (see GSN, April 22); freezing the assets of suspected WMD proliferators (see GSN, June 29); creation of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to coordinate the monitoring of radioactive material (see GSN, April 26); and development of a comprehensive plan to secure nuclear material in Russia (see GSN, Feb. 24; White House release, Dec. 22). Back to top

Iran Claims Progress in Latest Round of Talks on Nuclear Program An Iranian official yesterday claimed that significant progress was made in talks this week with three European Union nations on resolving the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 22). “The impasse over the nuclear file has been broken” and "from now on we sense a clear perspective for arriving at a compromise,” Hossein Entezami, spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said of Iran’s negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom. “The very fact that the dangerous process, which began with the resolution of Sept. 24, has stopped constitutes a diplomatic victory,” he said, referring to the passage of an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution that opened the door to referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council (Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times, Dec. 22). Diplomats and analysts, however, said that Iran’s insistence on producing nuclear fuel and the European Union’s suspicion that this fuel would be used for weapons undermines opportunities for compromise at the next round of talks in January. “I don’t know that it (resuming talks) means much more than that the date of confrontation is postponed as long as Iran is not yet resuming its enrichment work,” Mark Fitzpatrick, a nonproliferation analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Agence France-Presse. “The Europeans can be patient and I’m sure that they appreciated that the confrontation was postponed beyond the Christmas season. But it will likely come in the not-too-distant future,” he added. Recent comments by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against Israel have hurt talks, according to French political analyst Francois Heisbourg. “I think that the Iranian delegation (to the talks) has to be careful not to break off with the Europeans because the somewhat crazy declarations of Ahmadinejad have made the situation fragile,” he said. European officials have warned Iran against making any moves on uranium enrichment before the next set of talks. An Iranian diplomat said, though, that Tehran does not consider manufacturing or research connected to centrifuges to be “a subject of the discussion.” “The main issue is the feeding of the gas into the centrifuges in Natanz,” said the diplomat, referring to the last step of uranium enrichment. A Western diplomat said Iran is using the talks to stall while moving ahead with its nuclear program. “The Iranians pretend they're talking and just get a little more,” the diplomat said (Agence France-Presse/IranMania.com, Dec. 22). Back to top       U.S. Says Counterfeit Bills Came from North Korea U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow said today that counterfeit $100 bills found in South Korea came from North Korea, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 28). South Korean authorities earlier this year said that the “supernotes” were being used in the country. At the time they did not say where the bills originated. “We are quite convinced that the origin of these supernotes can be traced to North Korea,” Vershbow said. The issue of counterfeit money has been a point of contention between the United States and North Korea, stalling six-party talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Pyongyang has called allegations that it is producing fake cash a “sheer lie.” Vershbow, while saying the United States would take measures to “protect ourselves,” said the counterfeit issue was not related to the nuclear standoff. “This does not in any way reduce our determination to resolve the nuclear issue through the six-party talks,” he said (Jae-Soon Chang, Associated Press/Malaysia Star, Dec. 23). Meanwhile, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe ordered the Japanese Financial Services Agency to increase anticounterfeit efforts, the Associated Press reported. Abe’s instructions come as Japanese and North Korean officials prepare to meet this weekend in Beijing to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear program and other issues.  This is the first bilateral meeting between the two countries since early November (Carl Freire, Associated Press, Dec. 23). Back to top       Five Los Alamos Workers Exposed to Plutonium Five workers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico were placed under medical observation after being exposed to plutonium on Monday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported (see GSN, Dec. 22). The incident occurred two days before the announcement that the University of California would continue to lead the facility it has managed since the 1940s. The university was forced to compete for a new contract and take on several partners following a series of security and safety mishaps at the nuclear weapons research facility. Plutonium was found inside the noses of laboratory workers in building TA-55 after an alarm indicated that there had been a release of the material, the Chronicle reported. Four other employees working nearby were not contaminated, and the plutonium 239 did not enter the outside environment. The exposed workers have not become ill. “As a standard precaution, (they) are being monitored by the laboratory’s Occupational Medicine group,” said Los Alamos spokesman Kevin Roark. Plutonium 239 is used in nuclear weapons, and is particularly dangerous if it enters the lungs. There was no word yesterday whether the material had reached any of the workers’ lungs. Incoming Los Alamos chief Michael Anastasio said he had not heard about the incident. The new management team led by the university and Bechtel Corp. takes over on June 1, 2006. Anastasio pledged to take responsibility for any problems that occur afterward. “I’ll be responsible … absolutely,” he said. “The board of directors will oversee me and ensure that I’m doing the right thing in fulfilling our responsibilities under this contract,” said Anastasio, presently director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. “But they look to me to run the laboratory … and they will hold me accountable for my success or lack of success.” Also this week, the Energy Department levied a $192,5000 fine against a contractor after several workers suffered “a series of low-level plutonium uptakes” into their bodies from April to August 2004 at Lawrence Livermore, the Chronicle reported. “The violations reflected [Washington TRU Solutions’] limited understanding of the design and operational limitations of the MOVER facility, a portable waste processing facility designed to be transported to and operated at various DOE sites,” the agency said in a press release. “Two to three” company employees were exposed while preparing Lawrence Livermore plutonium waste to be shipped to a salt mine cave in New Mexico, said Washington TRU spokesman Jack Herrmann. The exposure level was “not at the level that is life-threatening,” he said. However, Washington TRU plans to continue to monitor the employees at least for “as long as they work” for the Carlsbad, N.M., company, he said. Washington TRU does not plan to appeal the fine, Herrmann said (Keay Davidson, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 23). Back to top       China Punishes General for Nuclear Threat China has given an “administrative demerit” to a general who said that any U.S. military intervention in Taiwan could lead China to use nuclear weapons against the United States, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 4). Maj. Gen Zhu Chenghu cannot be promoted for one year, according to sources. “He misspoke,” a source said. “But the punishment could not be too harsh or we would be seen as too weak toward the United States.” The demerit, while potentially damaging to a career, is the second-lightest punishment an officer could receive.  “His chances for promotion in the future are extremely slim,” said a second source (Reuters/International Herald Tribune, Dec. 22). Back to top       India, Pakistan to Discuss Nuclear Weapons Talks between India and Pakistan next month are expected to include discussions of confidence-building measures for nuclear and conventional weapons, the Pakistani newspaper The News reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 3). Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan is expected to lead Pakistan’s delegation, while Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran would head up the Indian side. The meeting is scheduled to take place Jan. 17-18 in New Delhi (The News/Pakistan Link, Dec. 22). Back to top

Van Anraat Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison A Dutch court today sentenced businessman Frans van Anraat to 15 years in prison for supplying ingredients for chemical weapons that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein used to kill thousands of Kurds in Iraq and Iran (see GSN, Dec. 9). While the court in The Hague convicted the 63-year-old van Anraat on war crimes counts, it found him not guilty of genocide charges, Reuters reported. “His deliveries facilitated the attacks and constitute a very serious war crime. He cannot counter with the argument that this would have happened even without his contribution,” the presiding judge said. The prison term was the maximum allowed by law, and the sentence sought by prosecutors. “Even the maximum sentence is not enough to cover the seriousness of the acts,” the judge said. Prosecutors charged that van Anraat shipped 1,000 tons of thiodiglycol — a dual-use chemical that can be used to produce mustard agent — to Iraq. Hussein used more than 800 tons of the chemical in weapons, they charged. Van Anraat had argued that he did not know his materials were being used in munitions, according to Reuters. Prosecutors disputed that claim  (Reuters, Dec. 23). Back to top       Congress Approves Funding for Pueblo, Blue Grass The U.S. Congress this week approved $51 million for work on planned chemical weapons disposal facilities at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky and the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, the Pueblo Chieftain reported today (see GSN, Dec. 9). President George W. Bush still must sign the $453.3 billion fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill that includes the money. The $51 million would be available for research, design and construction work related to planned weapons neutralization facilities, according to the Chieftain. Language in the appropriations bill will allow for more flexibility in how the money is used, according to Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.). “Bureaucratic impediments cannot be allowed to interfere with this project,” he said (John Norton, Pueblo Chieftain, Dec. 23). Lawmakers from Kentucky and Colorado beat back efforts to move oversight of the planned neutralization sites in their states from the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives to the U.S. Army office that manages weapons incineration, according to the Chemical Weapons Working Group. The transfer had been proposed in an amendment to the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill, according to the organization. “I am disappointed that some members in the House sought this misguided change,” Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a CWWG press release. “Fortunately, those of us who know and understand this program were able to defeat the measure before it became law which helps ensure that cleanup efforts continue to proceed safely and efficiently with full community involvement” (Chemical Weapons Working Group release, Dec. 22). Back to top       Russian Illnesses Not Caused by CW, Doctor Says A Russian doctor said illnesses experienced by at least 70 people in Chechnya, initially suspected to be caused by nerve gas, are psychosomatic, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 21). Many of the victims, whose symptoms include headaches and breathing trouble, are children. Musa Delsayev, chief of Chechnya’s narcology service, said, “the picture we are observing does not point to any form of illness whatsoever” (Associated Press, Dec. 22). Back to top

Boeing, U.S. Missile Defense Agency Install 10th Ground-based Midcourse Defense Interceptor The 10th operational missile interceptor for the U.S. Ground-based Midcourse Defense system was installed last weekend at Fort Greely in Alaska, Boeing announced Wednesday (see GSN, Sept. 22). This is the eighth interceptor placed in a silo at Fort Greely. Vandenberg Air Force base in California has two interceptors, according to a Boeing press statement. Boeing and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency plan to install more interceptors and continue flight-testing in 2006. They plan next year to integrate the sea-based X-band radar into the agency’s overall Ballistic Missile Defense System (see GSN, Aug. 2; Boeing press release, Dec. 21). Back to top

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