U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill (left) met with South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon last month in Seoul to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis. North Korea has recently contacted the United States through its U.N. office in New York (AFP Photo/Ahn Young-joon). Pyongyang Contacts U.S., Possibly About Nuke Talks North Korea has contacted the United States in recent days, possibly indicating a willingness to resume negotiations on its nuclear program, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 6). Meanwhile, a senior Defense official traveling with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Singapore over the weekend said Washington was likely to decide within weeks whether to push for U.N. Security Council consideration of North Korea...Full Story

Senate Likely to Confirm Bolton as U.N. Ambassador Democrats in the U.S. Senate have conceded that U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton will likely be confirmed, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, June 1)...Full Story

Hussein to Face CW Charges in Later Trial Rounds Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is scheduled to go on trial by early fall on charges involving the 1982 killings of nearly 160 men from a Shiite village north of Baghdad, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, May 20)...Full Story

	Monday, June 6, 2005

Sept. 11 Commission Members to Request Information From White House on Federal Agencies Members of the Sept. 11 commission are expected to present a letter this week requesting White House permission to gather information from the CIA, the FBI, the Defense Department, the State Department and other federal agencies about their performance in addressing terrorist threats cited in the commission’s report last summer, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 3). Commission members are preparing for a series of public hearings scheduled to begin today, which are expected to result in a “report card” evaluating implementation of counterterrorism policies recommended in the earlier report, according to the Times. “We’re going to ask a lot of questions,” said Thomas Kean, chairman of the commission and former Republican governor of New Jersey. “There are a lot of our recommendations that have not been implemented.” The 9/11 Public Discourse Project, a lobbying organization on whose board Kean now sits, has scheduled eight public hearings. Commission members acknowledged that they no longer had authority to compel disclosure of information or witness testimony. But Kean said he was hopeful that the Bush administration would cooperate and that some senior officials would be willing to publicly answer questions (Philip Shenon, New York Times, June 6). Back to top

Senate Likely to Confirm Bolton as U.N. Ambassador Democrats in the U.S. Senate have conceded that U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton will likely be confirmed, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, June 1). When asked if Democrats had enough votes to filibuster the nomination, top Foreign Relations Committee Democrat Joseph Biden of Delaware said, “I’m going to be completely straight with you. I’m not at all certain we do.” President George W. Bush “will probably be able to win the vote somewhere between 45 and 47 votes against and he’ll think it's a victory,” Biden said. “He is making a mistake, a serious mistake, not only institutionally, but for his own naked self interest.” Fellow committee Democrat Senator Chris Dodd (Conn.) said Bolton would be confirmed if the White House turns over all information requested by the Senate. “John Bolton would probably have the votes for confirmation if we can get beyond this request for additional information,” Dodd said. “So I’m hopeful this week we can work out some compromise, vote on John Bolton.” Biden, however, is not confident the administration will turn over the documents. “The bottom line here is that the president can probably stiff us,” he said. “The president can probably refuse to give us this information, which we’re completely entitled to as United States Senate and that is the reason why we’re not letting the vote go forward” (Reuters/New York Times, June 5). Meanwhile, reports detailed Bolton’s role in the 2002 removal of the head of Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Bolton sought the official’s resignation and then maneuvered later to have him fired, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, April 23, 2002). Former Organization chief Jose Bustani, who was pushing to send chemical weapons inspectors to Iraq before the U.S. invasion, was removed because of what the United States characterized as poor management. The removal was condemned by the United Nations’ Adminstrative Tribunal of the International Labor Organization, which in 2003 called the U.S. allegations against Bustani “extremely vague” and his removal “unlawful” (see GSN, July 22, 2003).  “Many believed the U.S. delegation didn’t want meddling from outside in the Iraq business,” said retired Swiss diplomat Heinrich Reimann. “That could be the case.” Former Bolton deputy and career diplomat Avis Bohlen said Bolton pushed for Bustani’s ouster. “He was very much in charge of the whole campaign,” Bohlen said, adding that Bustani’s push for weapons inspections in Iraq was the reason Bolton wanted him removed (Charles Hanley, Associated Press/Washington Post, June 5). Back to top       Bush Administration Plays Down U.N. Report on Missing Iraqi WMD-Related Materials The Bush administration Friday played down a U.N. report indicating that more biological and chemical weapons-related materials and missile components have gone missing from sites in Iraq, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 3). The United States has assisted with removal of radioactive materials, offered jobs to former Iraqi WMD scientists, and helped Baghdad establish an independent radioactive source regulatory authority, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan. “Any looting was the work of uncoordinated elements rather than directed at an effort to try to export equipment to a country that might obtain or have a weapons of mass destruction program,” said McClellan, referring to findings by former chief weapons inspector Charles Duelfer and his Iraq Survey Group. Moreover, because the looted materials are easily obtained elsewhere, “other governments are not likely to look to Iraq to buy used versions of it,” said McClellan, again referring to Duelfer’s conclusions (Jennifer Loven, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, June 4). Back to top

Pyongyang Contacts U.S., Possibly About Nuke Talks North Korea has contacted the United States in recent days, possibly indicating a willingness to resume negotiations on its nuclear program, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 6). Meanwhile, a senior Defense official traveling with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in Singapore over the weekend said Washington was likely to decide within weeks whether to push for U.N. Security Council consideration of North Korea. The Security Council option “is something we’re giving increased study to,” said the official, who added that “probably we’ll come to a decision in the next few weeks,” after a scheduled visit by South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun (Sanger/Shanker, New York Times, June 6). Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, refuted that comment yesterday, the Washington Post reported. “The idea that within weeks we are going to decide one way or another is a little forward-leaning,” said Rice (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, June 6). Rumsfeld today also played down the comments on expedited Security Council referral, Reuters reported. “There’s been no decision with respect to that at all,” said Rumsfeld. “The secretary of state (Rice) has spoken on it. I’ve spoken on it.  The president (Bush) has spoken on it. The government of the United States is on the path of six-party talks and that’s where it is,” he said. Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura, however, said today that taking the issue to the U.N. for action short of economic sanctions or other penalties would be appropriate. “A statement by the Council president or a resolution, saying as a representative of international society to North Korea that they should return to the talks as soon as possible — this would have plenty of diplomatic meaning,” said Machimura (Carol Giacomo, Reuters, June 6). The recent U.S.-North Korea contacts indicating a possible return to dialogue were made through the North Korean mission to the U.N., the Times reported. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State and special envoy on the issue Christopher Hill is asking for leeway to offer Pyongyang incentives to return to talks, according to officials close to Hill. However, administration officials remain resistant to the idea. “How many times do you bid against yourself?” said one senior administration official. “How many times do you do that?” Richard Haass, director of policy planning at the State Department during Bush’s first term, was critical of the administration’s approach in a newly published book. Haass writes that the Bush approach is a “diluted hybrid” of diplomatic options that lost “valuable time” to keep North Korea from further developing its nuclear capability. A vague U.S. proposal put forth in June, largely drafted by Stephen Hadley, now the national security adviser, fell “short of what the North would accept” but also failed “to include any clear penalties for refusing to cooperate,” Haass wrote. Haass has also said Washington should make clear to Pyongyang that any retaliation for a potential U.S. decision to attack its nuclear sites would “lead to a war that would end with regime change, that is their removal from power, and the effective end to North Korea as a separate state.” South Korea, however, is opposed to such a warning, the Times reported. Roh is expected to present Bush with a new set of more detailed incentives for North Korea during his visit (New York Times, June 6). Meanwhile, some portion of the 15 F-117A Nighthawks which the United States is deploying to South Korea has arrived, Reuters reported today. Pyongyang has denounced the deployment, saying it is part of U.S. plans for an invasion of the North Korea. “The deployment has begun but it has not been completed,” a U.S. Forces Korea spokesman said without providing further details on the deployment schedule (Reuters, June 6). Back to top       U.S. Invests in More Nuclear Detectors; Critics Say Government May Be Buying Flawed Technology The United States is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to screen cargo at U.S. ports, test radiation detectors and develop other countermeasures against a potential nuclear terrorist event on U.S. soil, USA Today reported today (see GSN, May 25). The Homeland Security and Energy Departments last week broke ground on a nuclear and radiological countermeasures center at the Nevada Test Site. In addition, Homeland Security plans to provide Los Angeles and Long Beach, the two busiest seaports in the country, with enough radiation monitors to screen every container by the end of the year, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced last week. Homeland Security also has plans to purchase hundreds of radiation detectors, at $250,000 apiece, to screen cargo from abroad at 314 ports each day, but the monitors are notorious for false alarms, USA Today reported. Some legislators and nuclear specialists have faulted Washington for relying on detectors that cannot distinguish between highly enriched uranium and naturally occurring radiation in cat litter. By purchasing flawed equipment, Washington is “wasting money with good intentions,” said homeland security expert Randall Larsen, a former National War College faculty member. White House science adviser John Marburger, however, has said Washington must enact plans, however costly, to counter a potential nuclear terrorist event.  Although unlikely, such an event would be “the most catastrophic thing that could happen to us,” said Marburger (Mimi Hall, USA Today, June 6). Back to top

Powder in Australian Parliament Letter Harmless Australian law enforcement officials have determined that powder in a letter sent to Parliament was harmless, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported Saturday (see GSN, June 2).  The letter was addressed to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer. The powder was discovered during an X-ray screening process. Forensic tests are being conducted to determine if a link exists between the package sent to Parliament and a letter sent last week to the Indonesian embassy containing a similar powder. Indonesian police representatives have arrived in Australia to assist in the investigation (Ian McPhedran, Alison Rehn, Daily Telegraph, June 4).   Meanwhile, a public health official has warned that Australia is ill prepared to deal with a terrorist attack, the Herald Sun reported Sunday. David Caldicott of the Royal Adelaide Hospital told the World Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine in Scotland that a recent survey indicates most Australian hospitals are not confident that they would be able to respond to a mass casualty incident resulting from a chemical or biological attack. Nicholas Edwards, an intensive care specialist in Australia, called the survey a “huge concern” and sad the government cannot ignore the problem (Ian Haberfield, Herald Sun, June 5). Back to top       U.S. Cities Stockpile Bioterror Countermeasures Cities and counties throughout the United States are creating stockpiles of anthrax countermeasures that mirror the drugs available in the Strategic National Stockpile, the Baltimore Sun reported today (see GSN, June 3). The drugs, purchased with federal money given to cities to prepare for a terrorist attack, are meant to immediately treat first responders in the event of an anthrax attack without having to wait for drugs from the National Stockpile. “It makes a difference knowing that you can take the medicine immediately and not put your family at risk through exposure,” said fire fighter Randall Owens. However, one bioterrorism expert was critical of the practice. “The idea is kind of nuts,” said William Stanhope of the Institute for Bio-Security at St. Louis University. “It presumes it is going to be an anthrax attack, and it presumes that we will know in an instant. ... A bioterrorist attack will not be white powder floating out of the sky. It will not be obvious. It will be covert.” Stanhope also feared that distributing countermeasures for only anthrax gives first responders a false sense of security. “There’s a good chance it won’t be anthrax,” he said. Baltimore, Md., Health Commissioner Peter Beilenson said the city would not distribute any countermeasure before the situation is carefully analyzed. “I’m a doctor. My first concern is to do no harm,” said Beilenson. “We’re just trying to be proactive and do the right thing with this [homeland security] money in a very smart, targeted way.” A second public health official said the stockpile was necessary because it would take too long to distribute countermeasures from the National Stockpile. “There is a difference between getting several trailer-loads of drugs to a central location in a state and then unpacking trailers and boxes and dividing the drugs into county sizes and dispersing them to the public,” said Diane Matuszak of the Baltimore Health and Mental Hygiene Department. “You would want the [antidotes] in the hands of every citizen within 48 hours” (Greg Barrett, Baltimore Sun, June 6). Meanwhile, researchers from Canada and the United States said post-attack anthrax immunization and antibiotic therapy is more effective than pre-attack vaccination. In the event of an anthrax attack, “post-attack prophylactic vaccination and antibiotic therapy is the most effective and least expensive strategy,” said researcher Robert Fowler (Biotech Week, June 8). Back to top

Hussein to Face CW Charges in Later Trial Rounds Deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is scheduled to go on trial by early fall on charges involving the 1982 killings of nearly 160 men from a Shiite village north of Baghdad, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, May 20). Officials of the Iraqi Special Tribunal have said Hussein will eventually face similar trials for other atrocities, including chemical weapons attacks in the 1980s against dozens of Kurdish villages and towns, including Halabja. The Iraqi transitional government has long favored an early trial for Hussein, while U.S. officials have said they preferred trying at least some of his aides first, in order to build a pattern of “command responsibility” leading to Hussein — an approach likely to have delayed the trial until 2006, according to the Times. The Baghdad government led by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said yesterday it wanted the Hussein trial to begin within two months. “It is the government’s view that the trial of Saddam should take place as soon as possible,” said Laith Kubba, spokesman for Jaafari. He added that the government preferred to concentrate on 12 “fully documented cases,” which he said would guarantee Hussein a death sentence. U.S. officials, who have provided more than $75 million for the court, offered no comment on the decision. While the move to hasten the trial was understandable, it contains drawbacks, Cherif Bassiouni, a law professor and expert on Iraqi law at DePaul University said yesterday.   Instead of waiting for Iraqis to enact their own laws, Bassiouni said the Baghdad government would have to use laws established by U.S. authorities, which “would lack credibility and legitimacy in the eyes of the Iraqi people and other Arabs.” In addition, whether or not Hussein will face trial for his role in Iraq’s war with Iran in the 1980s — in which the Baghdad government used chemical weapons — remains decided, tribunal officials said yesterday. The Jaafari government last month signed a joint communique with Tehran accepting Hussein’s responsibility for starting the war, the Times reported. U.S. officials wrote a provision for war-crimes investigations into the statute establishing the tribunal last year, but they have also cautioned that charging Hussein with violations involving the Iran-Iraq war would expose Baghdad to demands for heavy reparations (John Burns, New York Times, June 6). Back to top       Japan, China Agree on Weapons Destruction Site Japan and China have agreed on China’s northeastern Jilin Province as the site for a chemical weapons destruction facility, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, May 16). Japan has until 2007 to destroy chemical weapons buried in China since World War II.   Japanese officials are promising to step up destruction efforts. “This is an extraordinary problem and we are taking responsibility to dispose of these weapons,” said Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda.  “We'll try to resolve the issue as soon as possible.” Japan has agreed to pay $1.9 billion for construction of the facility. Foreign contractors would be permitted to work at the site. Japanese officials would not confirm details of the agreement. “We are trying to estimate the construction cost for the factory and how long it would take to complete the project,” said Cabinet Office official Morikazu Yamada. “We are doing our best to complete the cleanup as soon as possible, but we must admit it would be difficult to meet the 2007 deadline” (Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press/The Star Online, June 6) Back to top       Umatilla to Resume Weapon Destruction This Week Destruction of rockets filled with the nerve agent sarin is scheduled to resume later this week at Umatilla Chemical Weapons Depot in Oregon despite the expectation of facility officials that the occasional fires that suspended operations over the last few weeks would probably continue, the Oregonian reported Saturday (see GSN, June 2). “I have to expect this will continue. It would not be prudent for me to expect this will go away,” said facility manager Don Barclay. “The key is, are we protecting our workers? Are we protecting the public? And we are.” Investigators from the Oregon Environmental Quality Department and the Army have yet to determine the cause of three fires that halted weapons destruction at Umatilla. Officials are resuming rocket destruction because they believe the fires pose less danger to workers than the weapons being destroyed. The investigation into the cause of the fires will continue after weapon destruction has resumed (Andy Dworkin, Oregonian, June 4). The Associated Press reported that additional steps are being taken to ensure worker safety, including the addition of more spray nozzles to cool the blade that cuts the rockets. The fires all occurred during the cutting stage. Four other chemical weapons disposal facilities have experienced fires at the same step in the destruction process (Associated Press/Oregon Live, June 4). Back to top       Army Completes Destruction of VX in Utah Destruction of land mines containing VX nerve agent at Deseret Chemical Depot in Utah was completed Friday, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, June 3). “By destroying the entire stockpile of GB and VX agent stored at DCD, we have tremendously reduced the risk to the surrounding community,” said project manager Ted Ryba. The Depot would now begin processing neutralized chemicals and destroying weapons containing mustard gas (Deseret Morning News, June 4).     Back to top

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