The Bhabha Atomic Research Center in India, constructed with Canadian aid. Canada this week announced it would lift nonproliferation sanctions against India and resume nuclear cooperation (Image courtesy BARC). Experts Slam Canadian Nuclear Cooperation With India Canada’s decision to resume nuclear cooperation with India is a “sad mistake” that undermines nonproliferation efforts, a former Canadian foreign affairs minister told The Globe and Mail Monday (see GSN, Sept. 27). “Canada is abandoning its 40- to 50-year traditional diplomatic approach in how to deal with the dangers of nuclear weapons,” said Lloyd Axworthy, who was foreign affairs minister in 1998 when Ottawa halted nuclear cooperation with New Delhi...Full Story

Committee Urges Kill Vehicle Use in NFIRE Test By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A key Senate committee yesterday urged returning a missile defense interceptor, or “kill vehicle,” to a test scheduled for next year, which critics have said would be a controversial step toward deploying weapons in space (see GSN, July 22, 2004)...Full Story

Correction A story in yesterday’s Global Security Newswire incorrectly stated that the amount of highly enriched uranium involved in a 2003 trafficking incident was 170 kilograms. The correct amount, referenced by the International Atomic Energy Agency trafficking report and by Anthony Wier, a research associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, is 170 grams.   GSN regrets the error...Full Story

	Thursday, September 29, 2005

WMD-Related Materials “Readily Available,” Canadian Intelligence Report Warns A recent Canadian intelligence assessment warns that materials needed to manufacture chemical, biological and radiological weapons “are readily available on the open market,” the National Post reported today (see GSN, July 12). “It is clear that Islamic extremists remain intent on attacking targets on U.S. soil, and ... in Canada,” says the report by the Integrated Threat Assessment Center. However, the report adds that it is more difficult for terrorists to operate in North America than in many other parts of the world, despite the continent’s “wide range of soft targets,” the National Post reported. “The pre-eminent terrorist threat to North America emanates from the jihadist movement and Muslim extremist sympathizers who may take up jihadism or support terrorist operations,” the report says, warning that a “growing number of Canadian mosques and Islamic schools have come under the influence of Wahhabi radical Islamists” (Stewart Bell, National Post, Sept. 29). Back to top

Experts Slam Canadian Nuclear Cooperation With India Canada’s decision to resume nuclear cooperation with India is a “sad mistake” that undermines nonproliferation efforts, a former Canadian foreign affairs minister told The Globe and Mail Monday (see GSN, Sept. 27). “Canada is abandoning its 40- to 50-year traditional diplomatic approach in how to deal with the dangers of nuclear weapons,” said Lloyd Axworthy, who was foreign affairs minister in 1998 when Ottawa halted nuclear cooperation with New Delhi. “What we are witnessing is a major sea change in attitudes towards nuclear proliferation,” Axworthy said. He said India, which is not a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, is being “rewarded with recognition as a nuclear-weapon state.” Peggy Mason, a former Canadian ambassador for arms control issues, agreed. “This decision is a slap in the face to all of the other countries that have toed the line on nonproliferation,” Mason said. Brazil, South Africa and Argentina all once had advanced nuclear programs but signed the treaty, according to the Globe and Mail (Jeff Sallot, Globe and Mail, Sept. 27). India, meanwhile, pledged yesterday to take “reciprocal” measures, including “safeguards on facilities of a civilian nature,” as countries renew nuclear cooperation with New Delhi, the Press Trust of India reported. “This would be in keeping with the responsibilities and obligations of an advanced nuclear power with the objective of full civilian nuclear energy cooperation with international partners,” Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told the International Atomic Energy Agency. “Since some of these steps will also include safeguards on facilities of a civilian nature, selected by India on a voluntary basis, we will, at the appropriate stage, approach the IAEA in this regard,” he said. “We are happy that we are now feeling the winds of change,” he said, adding that he hoped India would obtain the “same benefits and advantages” other nuclear powers enjoy (Press Trust of India/Hindustan Times, Sept. 28). Back to top       Correction A story in yesterday’s Global Security Newswire incorrectly stated that the amount of highly enriched uranium involved in a 2003 trafficking incident was 170 kilograms. The correct amount, referenced by the International Atomic Energy Agency trafficking report and by Anthony Wier, a research associate at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University, is 170 grams.   GSN regrets the error. Back to top       Pakistan Shares North Korea Intelligence With Seoul Islamabad has shared its limited information on North Korea’s nuclear program with South Korea, Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said today (see GSN, Sept. 28). “As regards any limited information we had in the past it has been shared with the Korean government,” Aziz said during a visit to South Korea. “It’s a closed chapter.  Pakistan is against proliferation in any form.” “Pakistan believes that a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula is good for the world,” Aziz said. He added that he was “very encouraged” by the apparent progress made at six-nation talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, the Associated Press reported (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 29). Meanwhile, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi is scheduled to make a three-day visit to North Korea next week to discuss the nuclear issue and other matters, Agence France-Presse reported today (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 29). Back to top       Egypt Proposes Nuclear-Free Middle East The Egyptian delegation to the International Atomic Energy Agency this week proposed the creation of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East and criticized Israel for hindering such a move, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Sept. 7). “Egypt will be tabling a draft resolution on ... a nuclear-free zone” and hopes for “a serious international commitment in this area,” said Egyptian Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy. Israel announced it would join in consensus on the resolution, as it has in the past, in exchange for removal from this week’s IAEA General Conference meeting agenda of a resolution seeking discussion of “Israeli Nuclear Capabilities and Threat,” AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Sept. 28). “There is no basis for this agenda item, whose sponsors are motivated by extraneous considerations which are also evident in their efforts to challenge Israel’s credentials,” said Israeli Atomic Energy Commission head Gideon Frank, referring to the latter resolution. “Both actions are politically and cynically motivated and have little to do with the IAEA’s objective or mandate. They inevitably cast a serious doubt on the sincerity of its sponsors,” he said in a statement to the General Conference. “Israel ... will not be in a position to support agenda item 21,” which calls for a nuclear-free zone, “if any action is taken on agenda item 22,” which calls for discussion of Israel’s nuclear capabilities, Frank said (Francois Murphy, Reuters, Sept. 29). Syrian Atomic Energy Board General Director Ibrahim Othman complained that Israel was the only country in the region not a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, ArabicNews.com reported yesterday. “Israel’s singularity in owning nuclear weapons in a region where all states signed the … NPT is threatening the regional security in light of security balance absence, and great powers closing their eyes to Israel’s violation of all international legitimacy resolutions,” Othman said (ArabicNews.com, Sept. 28). Back to top       Energy Department Approves Y-12 Construction Plan The U.S. Energy Department has authorized the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Tennessee to proceed with a $100 million privately financed building plan, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, July 7). The proposal still requires congressional approval, according to AP. Two new buildings, proposed by plant manager BWXT Y-12, would consolidate personnel now working in more than 50 buildings. About 30 of those structures would be demolished to reduce maintenance and utilities costs, according to the plan.  The new buildings would be privately owned and leased to the government, AP reported. One would house engineering and administrative offices, while the other would contain laboratory space, a visitor center, museum and auditorium. Congressional review could take up to 60 days, according to AP. If groundbreaking begins this year, construction could be completed by summer or fall 2007.  “We’re hopeful Congress will get a little proactive on this one,” said plant manager Dennis Ruddy. “We’ve found no reason to believe there would be any resistance from the part of Congress on it, and obviously the entire Tennessee delegation is behind it and understands it” (Associated Press, Sept. 28). Back to top

Judge Orders Retest of Suspected Ricin A federal judge has ordered a toxicity review of a substance believed to be ricin that was used to convict a former University of Virginia neurologist, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 18, 2001). Raymond Mettetal Jr. served seven years in prison on ricin possession charges before being cleared by an appeals court. Mettetal said he cannot find work because of the belief that he possessed ricin. He has maintained that the “bean dust” confiscated by police is nontoxic, according to the Times-Dispatch (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sept. 28). Back to top       Montana Postal Facility Gets Anthrax Detector The U.S. Postal Service mail-processing facility in Billings, Mont., last week began scanning mail with a system that can detect anthrax, the Billings Gazette reported (see GSN, Sept. 22). Billings Postmaster Dennis Kautz said the facility is the only mail-processing site in Montana expected to receive the Biohazard Detection System.   The Billings facility handles about 40 percent of Montana mail (Lorna Thackeray, Billings Gazette, Sept. 28).  Back to top

Senate Committee Sets $53 Million for CW Disposal U.S. Senate appropriators yesterday approved $53 million for developing chemical weapons disposal facilities at the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado and Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky, the Pueblo Chieftain reported (see GSN, Sept. 20). The money is included in the fiscal 2006 defense appropriations bill approved yesterday by the Senate Appropriations Committee. Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), who earmarked the funds for the depots, said the amount is $20 million more than requested by the White House. “While we have made significant progress over the last three months, more funding was needed to get this project moving forward,” Allard said. “This bill also gives the program manager greater flexibility to use the funding provided to be used either for research and development, or for actual construction of the chemical weapons depots.” Bechtel, the contractor at Pueblo, has submitted plans to the U.S. Defense Department for a scaled-down weapons destruction plant and made other changes to cut costs.   Design work on the project is expected to be completed by February and the project’s cost is expected to be below the budgeted $1.7 billion, according to project manager Joe Nemec.  “Everything looks positive at this point,” he said. “The fiscal year ’07 funding is the big question mark.” Undersecretary of Defense Kenneth Krieg is reviewing the changes made by Bechtel and has yet to announce how much funding he will request for the next fiscal year, according to the Chieftain (John Norton, Pueblo Chieftain, Sept. 29). Back to top       Bush Eases Limits on Business With Libya U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday issued an order allowing U.S. companies to work with Libya to destroy its chemical weapon stockpiles, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 1). The order is in response to Libya’s voluntary disarmament efforts, according to AP. The presidential order waives specific restrictions of the Arms Export Control Act, which stops defense-related exports to Libya because it is designated as a state sponsor of terrorism (Associated Press/Khaleej Times, Sept. 28). Back to top

Committee Urges Kill Vehicle Use in NFIRE Test By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A key Senate committee yesterday urged returning a missile defense interceptor, or “kill vehicle,” to a test scheduled for next year, which critics have said would be a controversial step toward deploying weapons in space (see GSN, July 22, 2004). In a report accompanying a record $440 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal 2006, the Senate Appropriations Committee directed the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to “complete development and mission integration of the deployable NFIRE Kill Vehicle,” and to use it in the 2006 test. It approved $13.7 million for the NFIRE program. The test of the NFIRE, or Near Field Infrared Experiment, involves launching a vehicle with sensors from a satellite to approach and observe an in-flight ballistic missile to collect data on its appearance, according to the Defense Department. Critics in the past have charged that NFIRE was part of a Bush administration plan to “weaponize” space, noting the 2006 test originally involved launching the sensors on a kill vehicle from a satellite toward the missile target. The Missile Defense Agency said there was no plan to hit the target. Nevertheless, Congress in 2004 said the agency must take steps to avoid hitting the target during the test. The agency reportedly later last year took the kill vehicle out of the experiment, saying it posed a risk of technical failure. The new report language urges the agency to gather the data in the test “with the kill vehicle.” “It sounds to me like the Senate majority wants to run the NFIRE experiment as originally designed,” said Stephen Young, a senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Indication of Intent Critics said the report language also appears to support suspicions that NFIRE was intended all along for developing a space-based antimissile capability, rather than for simply gathering information on missile plumes. “They’re talking about a deployable kill vehicle, suggesting it’s an actual weapons system. … Those are fighting words,” said Victoria Sampson, a research analyst for the Center for Defense Information. The report’s recommendation to move the program into a new budget category, one funding the development of new technologies and concepts for use in U.S. missile defenses, is “more damning” in that regard, University of Maryland arms control analyst Jeffrey Lewis said. The report calls for moving NFIRE into the Ballistic Missile Defense Technology Program. “If you wanted to use NFIRE as the foundation for a space-based interceptor, you would … put it into the technology program. … Basically, that’s saying we eventually want these for space-based interceptors,” he said. With the release of its fiscal 2006 budget request this year, the Bush administration disclosed plans to field in space some initial interceptor satellites for testing beginning in fiscal 2008 and possibly deploy an initial, operational constellation in the next decade. The idea is widely opposed internationally, including by governments friendly to the United States such as Canada. Consistent with its defense subcommittee recommendations, the Senate committee also yesterday approved the administration’s overall $7.8 billion request for the Missile Defense Agency, as well as $200 million more for “testing and enhancements” of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program.  As with last year, it approved no funding for a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator study (see GSN, Sept. 27). The Senate defense appropriations bill is scheduled for a floor vote today. The House version was approved in June. Back to top       Lockheed Delivers Orbiter for Use in Space-Based Infrared System Missile Defense Program Lockheed Martin announced yesterday that it had delivered a payload that will play a critical part in the United States’ next-generation missile warning system (see GSN, May 26). The Highly Elliptical Orbit payload will be integrated with a host satellite and launched into space to scan the globe for missile launches and other infrared incidents as part of the Space-Based Infrared System, according to a company release. The Space-Based Infrared System supports missile defense by giving early warning of ballistic missile attacks and providing information to support interceptors, Lockheed said. Once fully operational, the Space-Based Infrared System will comprise four satellites in geosynchronous orbit, two in highly elliptical orbit, and fixed and mobile ground-based components to receive information (Lockheed Martin release, Sept. 29). Back to top       India, U.S. to Discuss Missile Defense in November The Indo-U.S. Defense Policy Group is expected to meet Nov. 21 and 22 in Washington to discuss the sale of missile defense systems to India, the Indian Express reported (see GSN, Sept. 7). This will be the group’s first meeting in 16 months. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Eric Edelman will lead the U.S. delegation and Defense Secretary Shekhar Dutt will lead the Indian team, according to the Express (Shiv Aroor, Indian Express, Sept. 29). Back to top

Ukraine Uncovers Stolen Chernobyl Nuclear Material Ukrainian authorities discovered a plastic bag containing 14 pieces of nuclear fuel during a routine perimeter search of the now-defunct Chernobyl reactor, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, July 1). The pieces of a fuel rod and small pipes found last week were believed taken in 1995, when several people were convicted of stealing nuclear fuel from the destroyed reactor, said plant spokesman Stanislav Shektela. Experts are working to identify the material, Shektela said. There have been various warnings that radioactive material from Chernobyl and from Ukraine’s 15 operational reactors could be acquired by terrorists, according to AP (Aleksandar Vasovic, Associated Press/ABCNews.com, Sept. 28).       Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

© Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.