U.S. envoy Joseph DeTrani (shown in a 2004 photo) met with North Korean officials yesterday in New York (Getty images/Chung Sung-Jun). North Korea, U.S. Officials Meet in New York North Korean officials told their U.S. counterparts yesterday that Pyongyang intends to resume talks on its nuclear program but was not yet ready to set a date for a new round, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, June 6). Pyongyang requested the meeting, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. A U.S. official familiar with the one-hour discussion and two Asian officials briefed by the U.S. side said the North Korean message was noncommittal...Full Story

Iran Eager to Resume Nuclear Talks With EU Tehran is seeking to begin a new round of negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom before the end of July if the EU nations want Tehran to maintain a freeze on nuclear activities until then, a top Iranian official said yesterday (see GSN, June 1)...Full Story

Democrat Proposes Compromise to Allow Bolton Vote A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrat said his colleagues would drop objections to a vote on U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton if the director of national intelligence will provide assurances that certain names were not included in intercepted communications requested by Bolton, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 6)...Full Story

	Tuesday, June 7, 2005

U.S. Intelligence Reorganization Criticized The rush to reorganize the U.S. intelligence community after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has resulted in greater bureaucratic confusion, a former top intelligence official yesterday told a panel organized by members of the 9/11 commission, USA Today reported (see GSN, June 6). “We have, unfortunately I think, confused the CIA mission to some degree,” said John Gannon, former chairman of the National Intelligence Council and former head of CIA intelligence analysis.  “We’ve done some things which I would argue have increased the problems,” he said. Gannon said the primary difficulty remains uncertainty about who has the main responsibility for homeland security — the FBI, the Terrorist Threat Integration Center, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Counterterrorism Center or the director of National Intelligence. “We’ve actually divided accountability more because we have more people doing it,” said Gannon. The FBI’s staff retention rate was also questioned. The agency has had six counterterrorism chiefs in four years and has lost 361 analysts since the Sept. 11 attacks, said Jamie Gorelick, a 9/11 commission member who presided over yesterday’s panel. The turnover issue, however, can be explained by “lucrative salary offers” to experienced law enforcement officials from the private sector, FBI spokesman Bill Carter told USA Today (John Diamond, USA Today, June 7). Back to top

Democrat Proposes Compromise to Allow Bolton Vote A U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrat said his colleagues would drop objections to a vote on U.N. ambassador nominee John Bolton if the director of national intelligence will provide assurances that certain names were not included in intercepted communications requested by Bolton, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 6). Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), in a letter sent to intelligence director John Negroponte, said he was “obviously open to other suggestions for resolving this impasse.” “It is not my intention to prevent an up-or-down vote on the Bolton nomination,” Dodd wrote in the letter. “I stand ready to work with you to find a way to satisfy the legitimate needs of the Senate, while at the same time addressing the administration’s concern about the sensitivity of the information being sought.” The Bush Administration has said it has enough votes to confirm Bolton without making a compromise, and Republican officials on Capitol Hill expect the White House to push for a vote this week (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, June 7). However, the Associated Press reported yesterday that Senate Republican leader Bill Frist (Tenn.) said a vote might not take place this week because of planned debate on judicial nominations (Lolita Baldor, Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, June 6). Despite the continued discussion on Bolton’s nomination, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said Bolton would probably be confirmed regardless of Democrat’s reservations. “I don’t think we should send a U.N. ambassador who is confirmed by the tiniest margin,” said Leahy. “It will send a signal to the rest of the world that he does not have the kind of strong support he needs.” “I think that it is unfortunate, and I have no doubt that Mr. Bolton is a very intelligent person, but I think we would be better served had he been nominated for a position other than this one,” Leahy said after meeting with U.N. Secretary -General Kofi Annan. Leahy also came out against legislation to enable the United States to withhold half of its dues to the United Nations unless changes are made at the assembly. “I know there are a lot of members, unfortunately it’s sometimes been both parties, who find it very easy to get applause lines back in their home states or districts by blasting the U.N. or blasting the idea of foreign aid,” Leahy said.  Leahy added that lawmakers see the U.N. as “an easy place to beat up” and cautioned against unilateral action without approval from the assembly (Reuter/New York Times, June 7). Back to top

North Korea, U.S. Officials Meet in New York North Korean officials told their U.S. counterparts yesterday that Pyongyang intends to resume talks on its nuclear program but was not yet ready to set a date for a new round, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, June 6). Pyongyang requested the meeting, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. A U.S. official familiar with the one-hour discussion and two Asian officials briefed by the U.S. side said the North Korean message was noncommittal. “This is their effort to show they are still in the game,” said the U.S. official. A senior Asian diplomat said “nothing spectacular” occurred. “It is a gesture” by North Korea, “a very neutral thing,” he said. U.S. special envoy Joseph DeTrani, and James Foster, director of the State Department’s Office of Korean Affairs met with North Korea’s U.N. ambassador, Pak Gil Yon, and deputy U.N. ambassador, Han Song Ryol, the Post reported (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, June 7). Meanwhile, North Korea has indicated through Chinese intermediaries willingness to hold three-way nuclear talks with China and the United States, a State Department official told Reuters today. While Washington wants Tokyo and Seoul at the table, it has not ruled out pursuing three-way talks, the official said. “We will continue to press for five, but we will keep talking (and) keep in very close touch with the Chinese,” the official said, adding that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo was expected in Washington later this week. Dai has just completed a four-day visit to Pyongyang and is expected to meet with former Secretary of State Colin Powell, according to Reuters. Powell said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing briefed him on Dai’s Pyongyang trip during a “long conversation” yesterday (Reuters, June 7). Back to top       Iran Eager to Resume Nuclear Talks With EU Tehran is seeking to begin a new round of negotiations with France, Germany and the United Kingdom before the end of July if the EU nations want Tehran to maintain a freeze on nuclear activities until then, a top Iranian official said yesterday (see GSN, June 1). “If the negotiators do not give us a response, this will mean an end to all of this,” said Ali Agha Mohammadi, head of the Supreme National Security Council’s Propaganda Office. “This current round of negotiations is the last chance.” Iran had agreed last month to resume talks in August, but has since complained that the European powers have been attempting to stall the process, thereby pushing Iran to extend its nuclear suspension, Agence France-Presse reported (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 6). Back to top       Los Alamos Whistle-Blower Assaulted New Mexico police are trying to determine if an assault on a Los Alamos National Laboratory whistle-blower is related to testimony he was preparing to give to Congress on problems at the facility, the Los Angeles Times reported today (see GSN, Aug. 21, 2003). An FBI spokesman said the bureau would take jurisdiction over the case from the Santa Fe Police Department if the assault was related to whistle-blower Tommy Ray Hook’s testimony.  Hook filed a lawsuit against the laboratory in which he claimed his supervisors from the facility’s manager, the University of California, retaliated against him and a coworker after they alleged financial mismanagement. According to an account of the incident from Hook’s wife, Hook was asked late Saturday night to come to a Sante Fe nightclub by a person who said they had information of financial problems at the laboratory. Once at the club, he was pulled from his car and beaten, according to his wife. “When they were beating him, they said he needed to start keeping his mouth shut,” Susan Hook said. Hook’s attorney Bob Rothstein said laboratory management “has created an atmosphere in which it is uncomfortable to speak the truth.   The university has not encouraged whistle-blowers and, in fact, has created an atmosphere in which whistle-blowers are regarded as enemies.” Hook remains in the hospital with a fractured jaw and spinal injury. He is one of a number of Los Alamos employees who have made allegations in recent years about poor security, financial problems and safety concerns. University of California officials released a statement Monday which says they are “outraged that a laboratory employee was the victim of a weekend assault in Santa Fe.” Robert Kuckuck, laboratory director, says in the statement that “any form of physical violence towards an individual is unacceptable. The laboratory is in contact with the Santa Fe Police Department and is providing the laboratory's full support and cooperation with the ongoing investigation.” The U.S. Energy Department, which oversees the facility, said the matter was being examined by the department’s inspector general (Ralph Vartabedian, Los Angeles Times, June 7). Back to top

Rare Case Causes Doctors to Question Anthrax Effects Symptoms of a patient exposed to anthrax in the 2001 attacks have caused physicians to questions their assumption about the biological agent’s effect on the body, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, June 2). Bill Paliscak was exposed to anthrax when changing a mail-sorting machine filter at Washington, D.C.’s Brentwood Postal facility. He has never tested positive for anthrax, but continues to experience fatigue, convulsions and swelling — conditions synonymous with anthrax exposure. Paliscak’s experience is leading doctors to question how anthrax affects the body. “I come down strongly on the side that this is anthrax,” said Johns Hopkins University’s Tyler Cymet. “Few diseases cause ‘whole-body symptoms.’” However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has refused to change its criteria for diagnosis of anthrax, which requires an individual to test positive for the biological agent. “Case confirmation is based on laboratory results and is an essential starting point in any public health investigation and for medical treatment,” the Centers said in a statement. Other experts agree with the Centers’ assessment of Paliscak’s case.  “You cannot make the diagnosis without laboratory confirmation,” said Ken Alibek of George Washington University. Leonard Cole of Rutgers University said the Centers should at the least label Paliscak case “suspect,” adding that Paliscak could provide insight into the nature of anthrax’s affects. “It's more than just an academic question,” Cole said. “The bigger our base of knowledge about this disease, the better off we'll be” (Scott Shane, New York Times, June 7). Back to top

Coast Guard Allows Tampa Fireworks Despite Concerns U.S. Coast Guard officials have decided to allow Tampa, Fla., to ignite fireworks each Friday over the summer despite concerns that the displays could provide cover for terrorists, the St. Petersburg Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 9, 2004). Tampa Coast Guard officials originally said fireworks created “a repetitive and predictable diversion terrorists could exploit to mask their activities,” according to Capt. Mike Farley, a Coast Guard safety official. Farley said last week that industrial areas in Tampa’s port were prime targets for terrorists. While he did not specify sites as targets, emergency preparedness officials said the Coast Guard was probably concerned about threats to tanks of anhydrous ammonia. However, appeals from local businesses changed the Coast Guard’s view.  “We’re making an effort to be accommodating and look at measures that could mitigate the risk,” the Coast Guard’s Mark O’Malley said. Florida’s Law Enforcement Department and the Tampa Port Authority would work with the Coast Guard to monitor the ports during fireworks displays. “The U.S. Coast Guard regularly asks for the port’s input ... and any concerns of the port would be taken into consideration,” said Port Authority spokesman Steven Valley. “The Port of Tampa will abide by the Coast Guard's decision” (Steve Huettel, St. Petersburg Times. June 7). Back to top

Japan Hopes to Expand Missile Defense Cooperation With U.S. Next Year, Official Says Japan plans to embark next year on the development stage of a joint missile defense system with the United States, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, May 24). The Japanese defense agency is expected to include tens of millions of dollars for the project in next year’s budget, agency chief Yoshinori Ohno told the Asahi Shimbun Sunday. “We have completed the joint technology research stage,” Ohno said. “We are now moving toward the development stage.” “We would like to expand the scope of the missile defense system so we will have the capability to respond to decoys that are used to avoid interceptors against ballistic missiles,” he was quoted by Kyodo News as saying. Production is scheduled to begin following a five-year development phase, Ohno told the Yomiuri Shimbun. Ohno also said Tokyo and Washington have plans to conduct the first joint test of the sea-based Standard Missile 3 interceptor next March in Hawaii, according to AFP (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 6). Back to top       Defense Department Schedules Sea-Based X-Band Radar Modifications for Next Year The U.S. Missile Defense Agency plans early next fiscal year to begin expanding the sea-based X-band radar’s ability to communicate with missile defense systems other than the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program, Inside the Army reported yesterday (see GSN, April 25). The work was deferred when Congress cut the agency’s budget last year, a senior agency official said last week. “Until the interface is designed, developed and delivered, the SBX utility to the BMD mission is limited to a single element,” the agency said in a statement. “The warfighter will not have the option to employ the SBX in any engagement sequences other than those involving GMD until this interface is delivered to the BMDS” (Thomas Duffy, Inside the Army, June 6). Back to top

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