U.S. Energy Department personnel demonstrate loading highly enriched uranium into storage drums at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Y-12 facility. A nongovernmental group has recommended considering Y-12 as a site to consolidate U.S. nuclear weapons materials for improved security (DOE photo). Report Expected on U.S. Nuclear Material Consolidation The U.S. Energy Department expects to receive in June an advisory board report on consolidating nuclear materials at a few sites to improve security and cut costs, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 9). “The argument is by putting more of the materials in fewer places, you simply reduce security risks and therefore reduce the costs of securing materials,” said National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Anson Franklin...Full Story

Iranian Nukes Called Likely Result of Stalemate Iran is likely to gain nuclear weapons as a result of the current stalemate over the country’s atomic program, an expert said yesterday in testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (see GSN, May 19)...Full Story

U.S. to Court Europe on “Security Envelopes” By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff plans next week to ask European governments for help in speeding the movement of trusted travelers and cargo while better identifying terrorism risks in transit, he said here yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 28, 2004)...Full Story

	Friday, May 20, 2005

U.S. to Court Europe on “Security Envelopes” By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff plans next week to ask European governments for help in speeding the movement of trusted travelers and cargo while better identifying terrorism risks in transit, he said here yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 28, 2004). Confronting a global network of terrorists requires a parallel network of cooperation among the world’s governments, said Chertoff, who is slated to tour European countries next week on his first trip overseas since he took his post in March. Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, he outlined a set of initial priorities for international cooperation on weeding out high-risk from low-risk travelers and cargo. “We need to have a world that is banded with security envelopes, meaning secure environments through which people and cargo can move rapidly, efficiently and safely without sacrificing security,” Chertoff said. “In that kind of a world,” he said, “it would be possible — with the proper security vetting, with the proper technology, with the proper travel documents, with the proper tracking of cargo — to move relatively freely from point to point all across the globe, with the understanding that those within the security envelope, we have a high confidence and trust about, so that they don’t have to be stopped at every point mechanically and revetted and rechecked, and those outside the envelope would be those on which we could focus our resources in terms of the kind of in-depth analysis and the kind of in-depth vetting that is necessary to make sure bad people can’t come in to do bad things.” Chertoff said such an approach would “maximize” both freedom and security. He said he planned to discuss three specific elements of the approach with his European counterparts: better sharing of traveler and cargo information, made possible in part by finding a “congruence” of countries’ varying ideas about information and privacy; better and more compatible technology for screening people and cargo; and better intelligence sharing and law-enforcement cooperation among countries. The secretary said the globalized nature of al-Qaeda — the Sept. 11 attackers, for example, were drawn from several countries and planned, trained and secured resources in various parts of the world — demands a parallel response from the United States and its allies. “If we’re going to challenge the kind of interdependence that a terrorist network thrives upon, we have to be able to confront the network everywhere it operates, and that means we have to be able to function internationally and do it in partnership with overseas allies,” Chertoff said. Heritage Foundation national security expert James Carafano said today that the approach Chertoff outlined amounts to “repackaging” — “but actually, I think it’s repackaging the right way.” Where oft-used phrases such as “pushing out the borders” have at times disturbed countries that saw such language as implying they could be held responsible for U.S. security, Carafano said, Chertoff is offering “a better articulation of what we’re trying to do.” “This really should be mutual security,” Carafano said. Carafano supported Chertoff’s contention that more routine government access to existing personal information as a way of including travelers in, or excluding them from, “security envelopes” could reduce privacy invasion over time. “This is pretty gutsy and definitely something I’d agree with,” he said. Screening for entry into “security envelopes” would never be perfect, Carafano said, but it is only one part of a “multilayered” approach to security that also includes counterterrorism strikes and other “proactive” efforts. In any case, he said, it may be time to scale back some of the broader post-Sept. 11 restrictions in order to direct resources to areas of greatest risk. “In a sense, we are trying to go back to a pre-9/11 world where we’re worried less about things that cross the borders from places that we’re less concerned about,” Carafano said. Chertoff Sees Common U.S., European Goal; Praises Ridge Asked about differences in U.S. and European assumptions in combating global terror, particularly with respect to the concept of a “war” against terrorism, Chertoff said he believes a war against al-Qaeda is under way but that conceptual differences among allies should not hinder cooperation. “I think, at the end of the day, even if there are different ways of talking about this in Europe and other parts of the world, we can get beyond that, because I think we all want to achieve the same result,” the secretary said. The effort is a “multidisciplinary” one, he added, in which the “first line of defense” is military action but other “tools” —law enforcement, technology, action against terrorist finances and diplomacy, for example — must also be used. The secretary also took the opportunity to praise his predecessor, Tom Ridge, who was frequently under fire as he struggled to cobble together the massive new department. Chertoff said his initiation upon taking office of an overall departmental review does not indicate Ridge did a poor job. “Although we are currently engaging in a review, looking to making some adjustments in terms of maybe organization and mission, the fact that we can be in a position to take this kind of review two years into it is a testament to the very fine foundational work that was done that leads us up to this point,” Chertoff said. Back to top

Four Democrats Could Back Bolton Four Democrats in the U.S. Senate could be prepared to support Undersecretary of State John Bolton’s appointment as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Bloomberg News reported today (see GSN, May 19). The undecided Democrats are Mary Landrieu (La.), Joe Lieberman (Conn.), Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Mark Pryor (Ark.). “Senator Lieberman remains undecided about Mr. Bolton’s nomination,” said spokesman Matt Gobush. “As a general rule, he believes the president should have the latitude to choose his own Cabinet, except in the most extraordinary cases. The senator is studying the issues raised by the [Foreign Relations Committee] to determine whether this is one of those cases.” Nelson has not decided on Bolton, but is “leaning in favor of the nomination,” spokesman David DiMartino told Bloomberg. Support from a few Democrats could further boost Bolton’s chances in the Republican-controlled Senate. Only one GOP senator, George Voinovich (Ohio), has expressed his intention to vote against the nomination. Meanwhile, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has placed a hold on the nomination. The Senate battle over President George W. Bush’s judicial selections and the filibuster could also slow Senate action on Bolton, said Steve Clemons, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation who opposes the appointment. “There are too many senators who want to be with Voinovich,” Clemons said. “Time kills the White House’s plan” (Bloomberg News, May 20). Back to top

Report Expected on U.S. Nuclear Material Consolidation The U.S. Energy Department expects to receive in June an advisory board report on consolidating nuclear materials at a few sites to improve security and cut costs, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 9). “The argument is by putting more of the materials in fewer places, you simply reduce security risks and therefore reduce the costs of securing materials,” said National Nuclear Security Administration spokesman Anson Franklin. U.S. plutonium and weapon-grade uranium are now housed at 13 facilities across the country (Christopher Smith, Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, May 20). Project on Government Oversight spokeswoman Beth Daley said that a recent report by her organization shows that consolidating nuclear materials into secure bunkers could save $3 billion and improve national security. Additional reports from the government are not needed, she added. “It’s simply time for the Department of Energy to just do it,” Daley said. “There’s simply no reason from a homeland security or budget perspective to keep nuclear materials at these sites. It’s time to get this done.” The POGO report, entitled U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex: Homeland Security Opportunities, recommends removing nuclear material from the Lawrence Livermore, Oak Ridge, Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories and Hanford Site immediately because of poor security. These materials should be placed in bunkers with adequate security measures, according to the report (David Francis, Global Security Newswire, May 20). Back to top       Iranian Nukes Called Likely Result of Stalemate Iran is likely to gain nuclear weapons as a result of the current stalemate over the country’s atomic program, an expert said yesterday in testimony before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee (see GSN, May 19). “We ought to get used to the idea of thinking about what it would be like to live with an Iranian nuclear bomb,” said Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control. U.S. and European officials should not expect to persuade “a proud country of 70 million people with abundant resources” to stop pursuing nuclear weapons, said Geoffrey Kemp, a former National Security Council official. Without “fundamental change in the Iranian leadership, combined with a willingness on the part of the Bush administration to take big risks, the United States is on course for a serious crisis with Iran at some point in the coming months,” Kemp said. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told the committee that there is “no sign Iran has made the necessary strategic decision to abandon its nuclear ambitions.” Iran must “maintain suspension of all nuclear-related activities and negotiate in good faith the eventual cessation and dismantling of all sensitive nuclear fuel cycle activities” or European nations currently negotiating with Tehran would refer the issue to the U.N. Security Council, Burns said (Sonni Efron, Los Angeles Times, May 20). Burns cautioned that “anything could happen” if Iran is referred to the Security Council, USA Today reported today However, Iran’s growing ties with China could make it difficult for the Security Council to take any action, Burns added (Barbara Slavin, USA Today, May 20). Burns also ruled out economic incentives as a way to persuade Iran to drop its nuclear program, the Associated Press reported. “There is no reason to believe that extra incentives offered by the United States at this point would make a real difference,” Burns said. Normal diplomatic and trade relations between Iran and European nations have done little to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he said. Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) said economic incentives, regime change, military action and a decision to accept Iran’s nuclear programs are the only options available to the United States (George Gedda, Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle, May 19). Meanwhile, Iran recently proposed sending nuclear materials to Russia for enrichment. This idea is expected to be the focus of next week’s talks between Iran and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the Financial Times reported today. Russia has been reaching out diplomatically to all parties involved in negotiations (Dombey/Dinmore, Financial Times, May 20). Back to top       U.S. Withholds Food Shipments from North Korea The United States has not sent any food aid to North Korea this year, but denies it is using the shipments as leverage on Pyongyang’s nuclear program, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, May 19). Assistance is being withheld due to concerns on whether the food is reaching the people who need it, and to competing aid demands in Africa, administration officials said. “Our policy is to help the North Korean people with humanitarian assistance, regardless of any political dispute,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher. North Korea is not likely to agree, experts said. “On face value, it looks like (food is being used as) a weapon,” Joel Wit, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The U.S. Agency for International Development sent nearly 700,000 tons of aid to North Korea in 1999. Last year, the government sent 50,000 tons of wheat, maize, beans and other foodstuff. “The administration has made no decision about food-aid contributions for North Korea for 2005,” the agency said (Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal, May 20). Meanwhile, the Russian Interfax news agency reported that North Korea might be willing to return to the six-nation negotiations in June, according to the Associated Press. While South Korean officials could not confirm the report, they expressed optimism following talks this week with their counterparts from Pyongyang, the Associated Press reported. The two nations agreed in a statement to “cooperate for peace on the Korean Peninsula.” They also plan Cabinet-level meetings within a month in Seoul, according to AP. “Not only did the North listen, but they have expressed understanding of our government’s stance [on the nuclear issue], and said that it will give the issue more study,” said chief South Korean delegate Rhee Bong-jo (Paul Alexander, Associated Press/Yahoo!Asia, May 20). Elsewhere, a U.S. Senate advisory committee said China must step up pressure on North Korea if efforts to halt its nuclear weapons work are to succeed, Reuters reported. Washington “must demand that (China) make a choice — either help out or face the possibility of other nuclear neighbors,” according to a report from the Republican Policy Committee. “Helping the United States would include participating fully in the quarantine of North Korea; tolerating Japanese, South Korean and Taiwanese missile defense programs and doing nothing to pressure the South Koreans to agree to a confederation with North Korea,” the report states. A North Korean nuclear missile test could lead to increased cooperation on missile defense by the United States and its allies in Asia, permanent placement of additional U.S. sea and land forces in the region, and South Korean military mobilization and arms purchases, according to the report. Alternately, Seoul out of fear might develop “some kind of confederation with the North” and seek removal of U.S. forces from South Korea, the paper states (Reuters/New York Times, May 20). Back to top       NPT Violators Must Be Held Accountable, U.S. Says Parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty must hold nations accountable for violating the pact, the head of the U.S. delegation said yesterday at the NPT review conference in New York (see GSN, May 19). Ambassador Jackie Sanders called on North Korea to resume compliance with the treaty, to return to the six-party talks on its nuclear program and to fully and permanently end all its alleged weapons efforts. Iran should agree to permanently halt its nuclear fuel cycle work, ratify the Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, and “provide objective and verifiable guarantees” that it is not hiding a military program behind a civilian nuclear program, she said during a speech before a review conference committee. Sanders said NPT nations could take various actions to halt future violations of the treaty. Treaty members “must make clear that there will be significant consequences if any NPT party strays from its nonproliferation obligations,” she said. Action should be taken early after a violation is found; otherwise, “it will be more difficult to dissuade the proliferator and we will have less time to do so.” Nuclear-weapon states must enact effective export controls on nuclear technology and dual-use items, along with guarding their atomic weapons and materials and preventing potential theft of nuclear equipment or materials, Sanders said. Non-nuclear states must remain so, and open peaceful nuclear programs to examination, she said. “NPT supplier states, both nuclear and non-nuclear-weapon states, should not authorize the export of any nuclear-related item unless they are satisfied that the transfer would not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Sanders said. “When in doubt about a possible diversion risk, it is best to forgo the export.” Sanders called on treaty members to “remain vigilant” for black market nuclear networks like that previously operated by Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan (U.S. State Department release, May 19). U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Andrew Semmel said at the conference that “the time is long overdue” for the International Atomic Energy Agency to report suspected Iranian nuclear weapons work to the U.N. Security Council, the Associated Press reported. “We must be prepared to use all the tools of international diplomacy and statecraft to ensure that violators abandon their nuclear weapons programs,” Semmel said.  Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu called for a firm conference call that North Korea must not pursue any nuclear weapons work. Time is running out at the monthlong conference. A few nuclear and non-nuclear nations tried to slow organizing at the session because “they prefer this conference to have no positive, substantive, effective outcome,” said Rebecca Johnson, executive director of the Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy. The United States wants to block the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty from entering into force and to halt any discussion on development of new nuclear weapons, Johnson said. Iran, meanwhile, is concerned by possible action on the treaty rules on uranium enrichment (Edith Lederer, Associated Press, May 19). Even as the conference enters its last week, the Russian delegation believes there is a chance for passage of a worthwhile document on nonproliferation goals, chief envoy Anatoly Antonov told ITAR-Tass. The statement should address disarmament, nonproliferation and peaceful nuclear programs, he said. “Certainly, this should be done with consideration for the real situation in the world,” Antonov said. “For example, nuclear disarmament should, in our view, happen in the conditions of keeping and strengthening strategic stability, and all countries should create a favorable atmosphere for that” (Vladimir Kikilo, ITAR-Tass, May 20). Back to top       U.S. Energy Department Releases Los Alamos Proposal The manager of Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico would be paid $79 million annually —10 times the current management fee — and would be required to develop a pension plan and assume more risks under the Energy Department’s request for proposals released yesterday, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 17). “I think that what people will see over time is good operations and good business aren’t the enemies of great science, they enable it,” said Tyler Przybylek, chairman of the board of National Nuclear Security Administration. Proposals are due back on July 19, with an announcement of the winner expected Dec. 1. The manager, determined by the National Nuclear Security Administration, would assume control of the laboratory in July 2006 (Erica Werner, Associated Press/Monterey Hearald, May 20). At least one lawmaker is unhappy with the proposal. Representative Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.) said the Energy Department ignored her suggestions for the proposal. She blasted the department for requiring the development of a pension plan and said the increased management fee was overblown and a burden to taxpayers. “Finally, I want to warn the DOE about what appears to be a warming toward bids offered by defense industry companies,” Tauscher stated in a press release. “Our national labs have a long and proud history of being run by academic institutions with an unquestionable commitment to the highest standards of science. I want to caution the DOE and urge officials there to carefully guard against the corporatization of science” (Representative Ellen Tauscher press release, May 19). Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) said defense contractor Lockheed Martin is the favorite over Bechtel Group and Northrop Grumman to win control of Los Alamos, Bloomberg reported today. “Bechtel has some experience, but then you have Lockheed Martin, which is [managing] Sandia [National Laboratories], which is very similar to Los Alamos,” said Stupak, a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which has oversight over the laboratory. Stupak was less optimistic about the University of California’s chances to retain management of the laboratory it has operated since World War II. “UC probably has an uphill climb here, but we're not making the decision,” Stupak told Bloomberg. “It's the Department of Energy. But Lockheed has really been aggressive on this.” Kathleen McInnis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said Bechtel’s partnership with the university is a disadvantage because of unhappiness on Capitol Hill with the laboratory’s recent operations. Former Los Alamos Associate Director Thomas Meyer agreed that the University of California has done a poor job of managing the facility. “Strategic investments of time and resources to meet commonly accepted standards in safety, security and business systems have not been met,” Meyer wrote in a letter posted online in February. “The laboratory has fallen behind industry and other facilities in the DOE complex in these areas” (Jon Steinman, Bloomberg, May 20). Back to top

Umatilla Fire Prompts Pine Bluff to Stop Incineration The U.S. Army’s Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas has suspended chemical weapon incineration until the cause of a fire at the Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot in Oregon is determined, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 19). Washington Group International, the company contracted to destroy weapons at both sites, is investigating the fire. A team from Pine Bluff has been sent to assist in the investigation, AP reported. Work will not resume in Arkansas until the inquiry is complete. Operations at Pine Bluff were stopped last week following a small fire, but resumed a few days later (Associated Press/Oregonian, May 19). Back to top       Iraq Admits Starting War Against Iran The Iraqi government acknowledged yesterday that former leader Saddam Hussein had initiated the eight-year war against Iran in 1980, the New York Times reported (see GSN, July 6, 2004). Hussein and other former Iraqi officials must be tried for acts of “military aggression against the people of Iraq, Iran and Kuwait,” according to the statement issued during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi. “The file of the war, we want to put it behind us,” said Iraqi Foreign Ministry official Labeed Abbawi, who helped prepare the statement. “We want to open a new path of cooperation.” One expert said the joint statement seemed to be aimed at addressing Iraq’s use of chemical weapons during the war. Iran has sought to have Hussein prosecuted for using such weapons, but the new Iraqi government chose not to charge the former leader with crimes that occurred outside of Iraq, the Times reported. “The issue for Iranians is not whether or not Iraq is identified as the aggressor,” said Farideh Farhi, a professor of Iranian politics at the University of Hawaii. “That was something that had been settled before. The issue that is not settled for them is the issue of war crimes. During the time the Iraqis were using chemical weapons on Iran, the international community was not willing to take a side on that issue” (Sabrina Tavernise, New York Times, May 20). Back to top       Russian CW Destructions Lags, OPCW Chief Says The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons expressed concerns Wednesday about the pace of chemical weapons disposal in Russia, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 13, 2004). “The degree of progress has been considerably less” in Russia than it has been in the United States, said OPCW Director General Rogelio Pfirter, noting that Russia has the largest chemical weapon stockpile in the world. “We have no doubt about the political commitment of the government. But, I think Russia will be the first one to agree with us that much more work would be desirable,” Pfirter said in a speech in Kuala Lumpur. He added that he was confident Russia would meet the 2012 Chemical Weapons Convention deadline to destroy its stockpile. Pfirter said he expects the new Iraqi government to sign the treaty and says Cambodia has expressed interest. Myanmar has been adverse to joining the treaty, and North Korea was “reluctant to participate in treaties or organizations that look for transparency and restraint,” Pfirter said (Associated Press/Khaleej Times, May 19).     Back to top

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