Iran’s uranium centrifuge facility at Natanz is at the heart of EU-Iranian discussions beginning today (AFP photo/Henghameh Fahimi). EU-Iran Nuclear Talks Resume British, French, German and Iranian officials met today in Brussels to prepare for senior-level on Tehran’s nuclear program, scheduled to begin tomorrow in Geneva, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 20)...Full Story

Diplomats Charge Nuclear States Hamper NPT Talks Diplomats say the reluctance of nuclear states to take disarmament seriously is hampering talks at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference at the United Nations, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, May 23)...Full Story

WHO Forms Committee to Handle Global Health Crises The World Health Organization is establishing a committee of public health experts to advise the international body during global health crises, including those resulting from a biological weapons attack, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, May 23)...Full Story

	Tuesday, May 24, 2005

Experts Warn of New Weapons through Nanotechnology Experts fear that nanotechnology could produce the next generation of biological weapons and chemical weapons, United Press International reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 21). “There is a very good possibility of weapons developed on the most recent advancements in nanotechnology in the next 10 years or so,” said Juan Pablo Pardo-Guerra, a social scientist at the National University of Mexico. “Nanotechnology does have a lot of potential benefits, especially in terms of preventing chemical and biological attacks with more effective sensors, and with more effective means of containing chemical or biological releases,” Pardo-Guerra added. “But it is important to keep in mind advances in nanotechnology that can enter the military sphere, in case some actually crystallize in the future.” Nanotechnology exploits the behavior of materials in the size range of 1 to 100 nanometers, visible only through the most powerful microscopes. Pardo-Guerra said nanotechnology could increase the potency of a substance like nicotine to fatal levels, allow for new modes of attack against the body, and allow biological and chemical weapons to be controlled once they enter the body. “There are some medical applications under development that involve nanocapsules that deliver a drug when activated by temperature, or go to tumors and heat up when beamed with microwaves. The strategic advantage of those weapons is that you can contaminate as many people as possible and then selectively activate them," said Pardo-Guerra. “This scenario is quite difficult, but not impossible.” Pardo-Guerra conceded that nanotechnology is still too young a field to make any predictions about how likely these weapons are to be developed. “It's not clear what the costs of producing these are. They might not be economically viable,” he said. Mark Wheelis, a University of California at Davis microbiologist, shared Pardo-Guerra’s concerns. “There is a streak of alarmism in the communities concerned about these things that isn't really helpful because it tends to alienate those knowledgeable about the threat and make otherwise sympathetic people more skeptical,” Wheelis said.  “Still, I and most other people in the arms control field do feel nanotechnology has a lot of significant potential for use in novel weapons. This is somewhat a threat in the future, but we ignore emerging future threats at our very grave peril,” he added. Wheelis eventually expects to see regulations governing the use of nanotechnology. “The nanotechnology community can get ahead on this now and largely determine the nature of the regulatory apparatus if they take as one of their responsibilities the mapping out of harmful applications of nanotechnology and suggest rational and effective ways of reducing and mitigating that harm to the public sector,” Wheelis said. Pardo-Guerra recommended that industry groups and politicians begin programs to train weapons inspectors on potentially dangerous nanotechnology applications (Charles Choi, United Press International/SpaceDaily.com May 23) Back to top

EU-Iran Nuclear Talks Resume British, French, German and Iranian officials met today in Brussels to prepare for senior-level on Tehran’s nuclear program, scheduled to begin tomorrow in Geneva, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 20). “Nobody wants a crisis on our side. We want the talks to continue,” said one EU diplomat. Both sides were talking tough in the walkup to tomorrow’s meeting. European negotiators must deliver “positive” proposals, said Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi. “Iran is standing by its previous position and expects the Europeans to take positive measures,” he said. “We want to resolve the problem with an approach that guarantees our interests.” France, Germany and the United Kingdom warned Tehran to maintain its freeze on sensitive nuclear work. “Iran should be in no doubt that any such change to the suspension would be a clear breach of the Paris agreement” reached in November, the three European powers said in a letter to Iranian negotiator Hassan Rohani. “It would bring the negotiating process to an end. The consequences beyond could only be negative for Iran,” says the letter. Iranian negotiators may boycott the Geneva talks if a suitable offer is not made today in Brussels, Ali Agha Mohammadi, spokesman for Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said yesterday (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, May 24). “Nothing special would happen” if the talks fail, Mohammadi said. He said Iran would simply continue the “natural process” of its nuclear work. “We would reach the conclusion that we haven’t got along with them,” Mohammadi said (Agence France-Presse/Times of Oman, May 23). Washington said yesterday that Iran must meet basic “commitments” before it could be admitted to the World Trade Organization, AFP reported. Such commitments include meeting Tehran’s obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to refrain from nuclear weapons development and transparency in upcoming elections, according to AFP “We expressed support for the European efforts as they worked to reach an agreement with Iran to get Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions, and that was one part of it,” said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. “Obviously there are certain commitments you have to make when you seek to join the World Trade Organization, and that is something we pointed out at the time as well,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 23). Back to top       Diplomats Charge Nuclear States Hamper NPT Talks Diplomats say the reluctance of nuclear states to take disarmament seriously is hampering talks at the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference at the United Nations, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, May 23). “The whole process is going nowhere,” said a European diplomat. “It’s basically a failure.” A high-level U.S. Energy Department official argued that the United States does take its disarmament responsibility seriously. “Since 1990, the U.S nuclear stockpile has decreased by more than 50 percent,” said Paul Longsworth, deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Russia is also “committed to fulfilling its obligations under the treaty, including disarmament,” said conference delegation chief Anatoly Ivanovich Antonov. He added that weapon destruction would not take place “ahead of schedule.” Other delegates to the conference said they believe progress is being made in developing initiatives to strengthen the treaty’s provisions for advancing disarmament, blocking proliferation and addressing access to nuclear technology. “We regret that our work started so late but now that it’s started we are making good progress,” said Abdul Minty, head of the South African delegation and chairman of the South African Council for the Nonproliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. South Africa hopes the conference yields a strong statement signed by all participating countries on issues including disarmament and a nuclear-free Middle East. Egypt has been pushing for the conference to address the Middle East — specifically Israel, which reportedly has more than 200 nuclear weapons — but the United States and others have opposed broaching the topic (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters, May 23). Ambassador Jackie Sanders, who leads the U.S. delegation to the conference, joined Longsworth in defending the United States’ disarmament activity, according to a State Department release. Speaking before one of the conference committees on Friday, she addressed U.S. efforts to comply with NPT Article 6, which requires nuclear powers to work toward disarmament. Critics charge that the consideration by Washington of new nuclear weapons research and additional testing undermines the article. Sanders said the United States has eliminated more than 13,000 nuclear weapons since 1988, plans to reduce its operationally deployed strategic warheads to between 1,700 and 2,200 by 2012 under the 2002 Moscow Treaty, and has shrunk its number of nonstrategic nuclear weapons systems from 13 to two, among other efforts. However, Sanders argued that the review conference is not an opportunity to change treaty obligations. “Review conferences, however, are not amendment conferences, and any declarations or decisions or other text emanating from them neither supersede, nor reinterpret, nor add onto the explicit legal obligations of all parties under the treaty,” Sanders said (U.S. State Department release).  Back to top       Brazil Shuns Nuclear Cooperation With Venezuela A potential Venezuelan nuclear energy program is unlikely to receive support from Brazil if Iran is involved, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 29, 2004). Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Sunday his country might begin discussions with Tehran about possible nuclear energy projects, according to Reuters. “Brazil has an accord for developing energy for peaceful ends with Argentina and the United States. There is no accord with Iran or Venezuela,” Brazilian Vice President Jose Alencar said yesterday. Venezuela has not submitted a formal request to its neighbor for nuclear energy cooperation, said a Brazilian Science and Technology Ministry spokesman. “In the view of possible Iran participation, as President Chavez suggested, such a partnership would be risky for Brazil,” said the spokesman. “Brazil is not interested in cooperating with countries that do not follow international treaties and whose nuclear programs are not monitored by competent authorities,” he said (Andrei Khalip, Reuters, May 23). Back to top       Bush, Roh to Discuss North Korea Nuclear Standoff South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush are scheduled to meet next month in Washington to discuss the North Korean nuclear standoff, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, May 23). The top U.S. negotiator yesterday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the stalled six-party talks aimed at resolving the standoff. “We want the six-party process to work. It’s the right format.  It’s really the right way to deal with this issue,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, May 24). Meanwhile, North Korea today warned that it could launch a pre-emptive attack, the Associated Press reported. “The United States should be aware that the choice of a pre-emptive attack is not only theirs,” the official KCNA news agency quoted the state-run newspaper Minju Joson as saying. North Korea often has heightened its anti-American rhetoric before engaging in negotiations, according to AP. The statement also said North Korea “will continue to closely watch the U.S. side’s attitude, and when the time comes we will officially deliver to the U.S. side our position through the New York contacts,” referring to a U.S.-North Korean diplomatic channel at the United Nations in New York (Associated Press/USA Today, May 24). Responding to recent media reports, a senior Chinese Foreign Ministry official today said Beijing has no evidence that Pyongyang is planning a nuclear test, Reuters reported. “We … saw some reports that North Korea is going to conduct a nuclear test, however there is no hard evidence proving that,” Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang told Reuters. “If there would be such a nuclear test, it is a serious issue. If it does happen, China will make corresponding responses, but up to now there is no sign that it is conducting such a test,” Shen said. Shen added that the next few weeks would be critical for deciding the fate of six-party talks (Paul Holmes, Reuters, May 24). A top Russian military official said yesterday that Pyongyang must not be allowed to conduct a nuclear test, AP reported. “Today it is necessary to do everything possible in order not to allow North Korea to conduct (nuclear) tests,” said Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of the general staff of the armed forces. Baluyevsky also called for a return to six-party talks (Steve Gutterman, Associated Press/ABCNews.com, May 23). Russia’s ambassador to Japan yesterday said the nuclear impasse is a “full-scale international crisis” and expressed little hope that the multilateral negotiations would resume, Reuters reported. “We have on the Korean Peninsula a full-scale international crisis possessing enormous potential of deteriorating,” said Alexander Losyukov. A former envoy to the six-party talks, Losyukov expressed doubts that progress was possible even if Pyongyang returned to the negotiations. “Resumption is desirable, but not the sole or most possible (outcome),” he said. “It is extremely important to show resolve ... and to prepare contingency plans” (Linda Sieg, Reuters, May 23). Back to top

WHO Forms Committee to Handle Global Health Crises The World Health Organization is establishing a committee of public health experts to advise the international body during global health crises, including those resulting from a biological weapons attack, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, May 23). The committee would make decisions that were formerly made internally at the organization. The international health organization included the committee in a set of regulations approved yesterday. The rules for first time address public health threats resulting from bioterrorism, chemical spills and nuclear accidents. Some countries, including Iran, initially resisted including this language. Countries are now formally required to be transparent about disease outbreaks. The rules do allow the organization to investigate against a country’s wishes, but add pressure for the country to share information. “WHO now has more power to demand information,” said Guenael Rodier, head of communicable disease surveillance and response at the organization. “And countries realize that even if they don’t tell us we will find out anyway.” The rules take effect in two years. Countries are automatically required to obey the regulations, unless reservations are expressed. The United States supports the rules, but said U.S. armed forces would not follow them if they undermine national security. Despite having the force of international law, there are no specific penalties for noncompliance with the new rules. Officials believe the rules increase the organization’s authority. “We hope to get a more secure world,” Rodier said. Rodier believes the rules strengthen the organization’s ability to fight outbreaks. The organization can now act on information from nongovernmental groups as well as governments. This is helpful when governments are reluctant to share disease information, as was the case during the initial outbreak of SARS in China. The rules require countries to provide the organization with a list of diseases that could become a global threat (Uta Harnischferger, Associated Press/Jamaica Observer, May 23). Back to top       Five More Postal Processing Centers to Receive Anthrax Detection Equipment This Summer Four U.S. Postal Service facilities in South Carolina and one in Indiana are scheduled to have anthrax detection equipment installed this summer, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 29). Equipment is expected to be in stalled in Columbia, Charleston, Florence and Greenville, S.C., between July and August, according to AP (Associated Press/Myrtle Beach Online, May 24). Meanwhile, the Kokomo postal processing center in Indiana is expected to receive the equipment in June, AP reported. “This raises the comfort level, not only of those receiving mail, but of the employees,” said Kim Yates, a Postal Service spokeswoman. Postal sites in Gary and Indianapolis have received the equipment, and a system is set to be installed in Muncie (Associated Press, May 22). The United States plans to spend $400 million to install anthrax detectors at 114 U.S. mail facilities, according to AP (Associated Press, May 24). Back to top

Republican Senator Asks for GAO Oversight of Pentagon Chemical Weapons Disposal Plans U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday asked the Government Accountability Office to ensure that the Defense Department obeys new legislation meant to expedite construction of chemical weapons disposal facilities at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 11). “I told the residents of Madison County that I would watch DOD like a hawk and I am fulfilling that promise,” McConnell said. “We have broad authority to follow the federal dollar wherever it goes,” said Laura Kopelson, a GAO spokeswoman (Associated Press/Wave3.com, May 24). Back to top       Incineration Resumes at Pine Bluff Chemical weapons disposal resumed Sunday night at the Pine Bluff Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Arkansas following a fire that halted operations earlier that day, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 23). The facility eliminated 35 M55 rockets carrying the nerve agent sarin after workers adjusted some weapons-cutting equipment. This was the second fire at Pine Bluff in the last two weeks (Associated Press/KATV.com, May 24). Back to top

Japan-U.S. Missile Defense System Should Not Trigger Arms Race, Russian General Says The United States and Japan should avoid creating an arms race as they develop their joint theater antiballistic missile system, a top Russian military officer said yesterday after meeting with a Japanese defense official in Moscow (see GSN, March 18). Army Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said he came “to an understanding” with Hajime Massaki, chairman of Japan’s Joint Staff Council, “that this regional system should not lead to an arms race and the development of new types of weapons.” “We must ensure that the antimissile system which is being developed does not initiate the development of new, cheaper and more exotic systems of weapons — ones like biological weapons — whose use would have highly negative consequences,” said Baluyevskiy, chief of the Russian armed forces general staff. “Each country chooses its own ways of ensuring security. Japan and the USA have chosen to develop this system,” he said (Interfax/BBC Monitoring, May 24).   Back to top

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