U.S. Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Gregory Schulte, shown here in March, said today the United States supported efforts to deny Iran’s request to the agency for aid in building in Arak heavy-water reactor (Dieter Nagl/Getty Images). CIA Sees No Clear Sign of Iran Nuclear Weapons Drive The CIA reported in a classified assessment this fall that it has found no evidence that Iran is pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons program parallel to its declared energy research, The New Yorker reported today (see GSN, Nov. 15). The agency’s conclusions were based on measures including intelligence gathered by satellites, radioactivity measurements from water samples and industrial smoke plumes, and radiation detectors inserted by U.S. and Israeli agents near suspected Iranian nuclear weapons sites.  They did not find notable levels of radioactivity, according to the magazine...Full Story

North Korea Could Receive New Disarmament Incentives The Bush administration has indicated that it is ready to offer new incentives for North Korea to end its nuclear weapons effort, the New York Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 17)...Full Story

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Russian Company The United States has agreed to end sanctions issued earlier this year against a Russian company suspected of supplying WMD-related material to Iran, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 7)...Full Story

	Monday, November 20, 2006

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Russian Company The United States has agreed to end sanctions issued earlier this year against a Russian company suspected of supplying WMD-related material to Iran, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 7). Jet maker Sukhoi was among seven companies from Cuba, India, North Korea and Russia accused of violating the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000.  All were barred from doing business with the U.S. government. “The issue has been discussed.  (U.S. President George W.) Bush said that after additional investigation of the problem, it was decided to lift the sanctions from Sukhoi,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday. “We are still waiting for the decision on [weapons exporter] Rosoboronexport,” the other Russian firm sanctioned in August, Lavrov said. Russia has denied any wrongdoing by its companies.  Lavrov said he expected that both companies ultimately would be freed from the sanctions. Washington’s move to lift sanctions against Sukhoi after only a few months is likely aimed at persuading Russia to support U.S. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, analysts said. Moscow had indicated last week that the sanctions against its companies were a barrier to its support for proposed U.N. Security Council penalties against Iran, AP reported. “The U.S. met Russia halfway and eliminated these complications,” said independent defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer.  “In response Russia could also meet the U.S. halfway” (Alex Nicholson, Associated Press/NASDAQ.com, Nov. 19). Back to top

CIA Sees No Clear Sign of Iran Nuclear Weapons Drive The CIA reported in a classified assessment this fall that it has found no evidence that Iran is pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons program parallel to its declared energy research, The New Yorker reported today (see GSN, Nov. 15). The agency’s conclusions were based on measures including intelligence gathered by satellites, radioactivity measurements from water samples and industrial smoke plumes, and radiation detectors inserted by U.S. and Israeli agents near suspected Iranian nuclear weapons sites.  They did not find notable levels of radioactivity, according to the magazine. The White House has been critical of the report, a senior intelligence official told the magazine.  The lack of evidence is taken as an indication of a hidden program. However, the CIA analysis argues against that conclusion.  The United States was able to acquire details during the Cold War of the Soviet nuclear and missile programs, despite Moscow’s best efforts, a former intelligence official noted. Vice President Dick Cheney vowed last month that a Republican loss in the midterm election — in which Democrats captured control of both houses of Congress — would not stop planning for military action against Iran, the New Yorker reported. “They’re not looking for the smoking gun,” the intelligence official said.  “They’re looking for the degree of comfort level they think they need to accomplish the mission” (Seymour Hersh, The New Yorker, Nov. 20). Meanwhile, indications are growing that nations at the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors meeting this week will reject Iran’s application for support for construction of a heavy-water nuclear reactor at Arak, the Associated Press reported.  Iran says it would use the facility to produce medical isotopes, but the reactor would also produce plutonium that could be used in weapons. Diplomats say the move to deny Tehran technical assistance has gained enough support to be approved by 35-nation board when it meets in Vienna. However, Iran is only seeking support for ensuring the environmental safety of the reactor.  Denying assistance in that area would cause minimal delays in construction and would not affect Iran’s uranium work. France is also urging the U.N. nuclear watchdog to consider seven other nuclear projects submitted by Iran and to reject some or all of them if they are found to be proliferation risks. Differences persist among IAEA board members on the level of penalties to be assessed against Iran for its continued disregard for calls to suspend its uranium enrichment efforts, AP reported. (George Jahn, Associated Press I/Washington Post, Nov. 19). The United States indicated today it would support Iran’s seven other requests if the agency rejected aid for Arak, AP reported. Once it opens, within the next 10 years, the reactor would be “capable of producing plutonium for one or more nuclear weapons each year,” said Gregory Schulte, lead U.S. envoy to the agency. “Given past board decisions, continued questions about Iran’s nuclear program, and the risk of plutonium being diverted to use in weapons, the United States joins with others who cannot approve this project,” he said (George Jahn, Associated Press II/Washington Post, Nov. 20). The United States on Friday urged China and Russia to “accelerate the pace” of negotiations over U.N. Security Council sanctions against Iran, Agence France-Presse.  Beijing and Moscow have steadfastly opposed a Western sanctions plan. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns decried the lagging talks on sanctions in the face of Iran’s continued refusal to heed U.N. demands to halt its enrichment activities. “We’ve had a lot of debate, a lot of discussions, it’s time to get on with it,” said Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns.  “We hope very much that the Russian and Chinese governments will accelerate the pace of work in New York.” Burns said Moscow and Washington faced “tactical disagreements” over which sanctions to levy on Iran now and which to hold in reserve if Iranian defiance persists.  “No one is taking the position that there will not be sanctions, the only question is:  What is the framework of this first sanctions resolution and then where do we go from there?” he said (David Millikin, Agence France Presse/Yahoo!News, Nov. 17). Back to top       North Korea Could Receive New Disarmament Incentives The Bush administration has indicated that it is ready to offer new incentives for North Korea to end its nuclear weapons effort, the New York Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 17). Delegates from Washington discussed their plans during meetings with officials from China, Japan, Russia and South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Vietnam. Details of the discussions were limited.  U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated that one incentive might be North Korea’s eventual admission into the 21-nation economic cooperation group. U.S. officials have also previously indicated that the United States might sign a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War. Pyongyang is likely to demand more to eliminate its decades-old nuclear weapons program, diplomats said.  The five nations negotiating with North Korea in the six-party talks are developing “more immediate elements” of an incentives offer, a senior Bush administration official told the Times. U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley said the North must take “concrete steps.”  He would not specifically address three potential actions being debated by U.S. and Asian officials:  immediate closure of a 5-megawatt North Korean reactor, shuttering a reprocessing site that produces plutonium fuel, and resumption of international inspections of North Korean nuclear sites. “Generically, those are the kinds of things one might think about,” Hadley said (Cooper/Sanger, New York Times, Nov. 19). APEC nations, in an informal statement, labeled Pyongyang’s Oct. 9 nuclear test and its missile launches in July “a nuclear threat” to global peace and security, the Los Angeles Times reported.  Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, reading the statement, urged complete implementation of the U.N. Security Council sanctions issued against North Korea following the nuclear detonation (James Gerstenzang, Los Angeles Times, Nov. 20). Washington had hoped the APEC nations would issue an official, written document on North Korea, the Washington Post reported.  Deputy national security adviser David McCormick said the statement constituted movement in the right direction and illustrated a “common view on the importance of successful implementation of the [U.N.] resolution” (Michael Fletcher, Washington Post I, Nov. 20). President George W. Bush was also unable to persuade South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun to fully institute the U.N. sanctions, the Post reported. “Although the Republic of Korea is not taking part in the full scope of the [U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative], we support the principles and goals of the PSI and will fully cooperate in preventing WMD material transfer,” Roh said. The initiative is aimed at intercepting unconventional weapons and material on the high seas.  Seoul has refrained from fully joining out of concern over heightened tensions with Pyongyang (Michael Fletcher, Washington Post II, Nov. 19). Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, lead U.S. envoy to the six-party talks, is scheduled to visit China this week for additional talks on the “concrete steps” Pyongyang must take to prove its commitment to disarming, Reuters reported. Beijing and Washington appear to be moving toward agreement on what would be expected of North Korea at the next set of negotiations, which could occur next month. “We are doing very well with the five parties (other than North Korea) in terms of what we want the North Koreans to do,” a U.S. official said (Arshad Mohammed, Reuters/Washington Post, Nov. 19). Meanwhile, Japanese authorities are investigating whether Korean nationals living in Japan might have passed on technological secrets to North Korea, Agence France-Presse reported Saturday. Investigation of the “Kaken” science and technology group began after documents were found indicating that the association functioned under the direct control of the North Korean national science institute, according to the Sankei Shimbun newspaper. Some leaked Japanese scientific knowledge might have aided North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests this year, according to the newspaper. Roughly 1,200 Koreans work as researchers in Japan in areas such as atomic engineering, nuclear physics, semiconductors and biochemistry, Sankei reported (Agence France-Presse, Nov. 18). Pyongyang yesterday blasted a suggestion made this month by professors at South Korea’s air force academy that Seoul should prepare a military strategy that allows for offensive operations.  South Korea’s present strategy allows only for defense, the Associated Press reported. “The pre-emptive attack on the North means provocation of a nuclear war,” according to the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (Associated Press I/International Herald Tribune, Nov. 19). Elsewhere, the Group of 20 developing nations yesterday criticized North Korea for carrying out its nuclear test, AP reported. “All of the countries at the G-20 deplore that test and the instability that it threatens of the Korean Peninsula,” Australian Treasurer Peter Costello said following the end of the two-day meeting in Melbourne of finance ministers and central bankers (Kelly Olsen, Associated Press/ABC News, Nov. 19). Back to top       India Cautiously Optimistic on Nuclear Deal Indian officials Friday expressed guarded optimism about the future of the country’s planned nuclear trade deal with the United States, noting that significant issues remain in its development, the New York Times reported (see GSN, Nov. 17). There is “still a long way to go before nuclear cooperation between India and the U.S. becomes a living reality,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Senate last week approved legislation that would exempt India from nuclear export control laws that ban nuclear trade with nations that have not joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.  The House approved a separate version of the bill in July. The two versions must be reconciled and a final bill approved.  Congress would also have to sign off on the deal itself, along with the international Nuclear Suppliers Group. “This undoubtedly reflects the very broad bipartisan support which this initiative enjoys,” Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement.  “We must await the final version before drawing any conclusions on the legislation.” Singh stressed that the ultimate product must be in line with the “mutual commitments” made by New Delhi and Washington in July 2005.  The Senate leadership worked assiduously to prevent “deal-killing” amendments from being attached to the bill, but sticking points might remain. They include an amendment making the deal contingent upon a determination that India is “fully and actively” participating in efforts to “dissuade, sanction and contain” Iran’s nuclear program. Iran is a major supplier of energy to India, which has a significant Shiite Muslim population, the Times reported. “It makes it appear as though we are being required to gang up with the United States against Iran,” said Lalit Mansingh, a former Indian ambassador to the United States.  “It will be politically difficult of the government to accept” (Amelia Gentleman/New York Times, Nov. 17). Back to top        “Divine Strake” Still Set for Nevada After considering several other locations, the U.S. Defense Department has returned to the Nevada Test Site as the probable spot for the “Divine Strake” explosion, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Friday (see GSN, Nov. 3). The Defense Threat Reduction Agency considered sites in California, New Mexico and Utah.  It determined that it would cost too much and take too much time to prepare the site for the detonation of 700 tons of chemical explosives.  The test would cost $100 million in any of those states, compared to less than $30 million in Nevada. Also considered was a smaller test in Indiana that would cost $10 million. The explosion is intended to model a low-yield nuclear stroke against a hardened target, a Pentagon official said in April.  It would be the final test of “targeting tools” for weapons against underground facilities, according to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The Pentagon plans to release a revised environmental assessment of the test early next month, followed by a public meeting and a 30-day comment period.  A decision on whether to move ahead with the explosion would be made by mid-January, according to the Review-Journal. The test was initially scheduled for June 2, but has been delayed in the face of strong opposition and a lawsuit from Western Shoshone tribe members and people who live downwind of the test site.  Their concern is that the explosion could stir up radioactive material left from nuclear weapons tests of the past. The National Nuclear Security Administration, which operates the test site, is also conducting an environmental safety review of the explosion.  It was not known when that assessment would be finished, a spokesman said. Representative Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) expressed doubt that the test would ever occur. “They haven’t reached the first hurdle yet,” she said.  “They are no further along today than they were six months ago” (Keith Rogers, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Nov. 17). Back to top

Annan Urges Action on Biological Weapons Convention The rising threat of terrorism and developments in biotechnology require increased protection against biological weapons, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said today (see GSN, Nov. 15). “Advances in biological science and technology continue to accelerate, promising enormous benefits for human development, but also posing potential risks,” he said as the sixth Biological Weapons Convention review conference began in Geneva. “We see today a strong focus on preventing terrorism, as well as renewed concern about naturally occurring diseases such as SARS and avian flu,” Annan said, according to Agence France-Presse. The international agreement, which prohibits the use, development and stockpiling of biological weapons, will need to be molded around evolving challenges, he said. Annan on Saturday called for a more expansive effort to reign in and harness the power of biotechnology, suggesting that the world was on the cusp of a new era similar to the dawn of nuclear power, AFP reported. While suggesting that biotechnology could hold tremendous benefits for medicine, the environment and food security, Annan also cautioned that it poses significant dangers. In the hands of terrorists, biotechnology could produce a biological weapon, he said. “We find ourselves at a point akin to the one in the 1950s when far-sighted citizens, scientists, diplomats and international civil servants recognized the enormous potential of nuclear power,” Annan said.  “The challenge then was to harness the power of nuclear energy for civilian use, while preventing the spread of nuclear weapons” The review conference continues through Dec. 8 (Agence France-Presse/INQ7.net, Nov. 20). Back to top

Deseret CW Disposal Faces Further Schedule Troubles The Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Utah, which is already due to finish weapons disposal years after the international treaty deadline, is facing further schedule troubles in meeting state environmental requirements, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Saturday (see GSN, May 15). While the Chemical Weapons Convention requires all member nations to fully dispose of banned weapons by April 2012, the plant at the Deseret Chemical Depot is not scheduled to complete its work until 2016. The plant began weapons disposal in 1996 and is now on its final campaign — elimination of 6,200 tons of mustard agent (see GSN, Aug. 21).  U.S. Army officials still hope to finish work by 2012, the Tribune reported. A monitored trial burn required by the state of Utah had been scheduled for this fall.  Plant officials asked that the test be pushed back to this winter, according to documents filed with the Utah Environmental Quality Department.  The test is designed to show that the facility furnace is capable of operating safely and cleanly over an extended period of time. While the state supported the request, environmentalists argued that extending the “shakedown period” before the test increased the potential for emissions of harmful materials. “It allows them time to tweak the system until they can get the results they need to achieve a clean trial burn,” said Vanessa Pierce, director of the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah. Utah Solid and Hazardous Waste Division official Martin Gray said the depot is monitoring for mustard agent and mercury emissions, but not for dioxin or other potentially harmful byproducts.  Operations are being conducted safely, Gray said. “They’re operating in a manner protective of human health and the environment,” he said (Matthew LaPlante, The Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 18). Back to top       U.S. Should Consider Other Chemical Weapons Disposal Technologies, Report States The United States could eliminate recovered chemical weapons at an increased pace with technologies used by other countries, the National Research Council said in a report last week (see GSN, Aug. 25). The study commissioned by the U.S. Army found that the other systems are equally safe and potentially better for the environment than technology used here, the Associated Press reported. “If the U.S. Department of Defense decides to expedite the destruction of the large amount of chemical weapons still buried in many parts of the country, using one of these technologies will be essential,” Richard Ayen, who led the committee that conducted the study, said in a press release. The United States now uses to Explosive Destruction System to eliminate chemical munitions that are found outside of weapons stockpiles. The committee recommended three technologies for consideration, AP reported.  They are: —The Controlled Detonation Chamber, which uses explosives to detonate munitions within a sealed chamber.  The system was developed by DeMil International of Alabama and has been used in Europe; —The similar Detonation of Ammunition in a Vacuum-Integrated Chamber system, produced in Japan by Kobe Steel; and —The system prepared by Dynasafe of Sweden, which detonates weapons inside a kiln at temperatures of 720 to 1,080 degrees Fahrenheit (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Nov. 16). The CDC system is able to eliminate more than 10 times the number of weapons at once than the Explosive Destruction System, while producing little to no waste.  The other technologies also have benefits over the system now in use, the press release states. The report calls for the Army to assess the performance, safety and expense of the systems to find which would provide the best service (National Academies release, Nov. 16). The Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, which uses the Explosive Destruction System to eliminate mustard agent mortar rounds and other nonstockpile weapons, has no plans to use one of the other technologies, Stephens Media reported. “I would emphasize we have successfully deployed the EDS there and it’s going very well,” said Army spokeswoman Karen Drewen. The greatest number of nonstockpile weapons are found in Alabama, Colorado, Maryland and Utah, Stephens reported (Aaron Sadler, Stephens Media, Nov. 17). Back to top       Aberdeen Worker Exposed to Mustard Agent Three Aberdeen Proving Ground staffers were placed under medical observation Friday after a vial of mustard gas broke at a laboratory, The Baltimore Sun reported (see GSN, Oct. 31). One worker was exposed to diluted mustard agent Friday morning at the Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland. That employee was decontaminated and sent to a base clinic, an Aberdeen spokesman told the Sun.  Two other workers, who were not believed to have been exposed to the agent, were also taken to clinic for observation.  They were later released. Base officials closed the gate to the research facility for a short period of time, but it was determined that no agent escaped the laboratory. The Edgewood Chemical Biological Center is a 1.5-million-square-foot research and engineering center used to develop defenses to chemical and biological weapons (Justin Fenton/The Baltimore Sun, Nov. 18). Back to top

India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile India yesterday conducted a test launch of a short-range, nuclear-capable missile, Reuters reported.  New Delhi’s test comes on the heels of a similar missile launch by Pakistan (see GSN, Nov. 16). India fired off its single-stage Prithvi 2 missile, which has already been tested on at least 10 occasions, from the coast of the eastern state of Orissa. “Today’s test-fire appears to be successful and more trials of the missile will be conducted later this month,” a top defense official said. Pakistan on Thursday launched its medium-range, nuclear-capable Ghauri 5 missile.  The test came the same week as the nuclear rivals struck an agreement on reducing the risks of an atomic accident or accidental launching of a nuclear warhead. The Ghauri has a range of 800 miles.  India’s Prithvi 2 has a range of 90 miles (Reuters/New York Times, Nov. 19). Back to top

Russia Warns Against Space-Based Missile Defenses A senior Russian military official has called on the world’s nuclear powers to prevent the deployment of missile defenses in space, Interfax reported today (see GSN, Oct. 26). “According to the modern understanding of models of comprehensive missile defense systems, it is the space component that can make the largest contribution to their efficiency by intercepting most missiles at their active and post-boost trajectories, regardless of the depth of the territory from which the missiles are launched, unlike analogous capabilities of sea-, aerial-, and ground-based missile defense systems,” said Gen. Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian air force. “In building missile defense systems, both for the European continent and the U.S., that is, creating them against the relatively small number of ballistic missiles of any type, control over the level of development of missile defense systems plays a significant role,” he said. “This concerns above all the U.S., Russia, France, the United Kingdom and, in the future, China.  The key goal for such control should be to prevent the undermining of strategic stability if one or several states build a highly efficient missile defense system that would serve as a shield to deliver an unreciprocated nuclear strike upon another nuclear power,” Mikhailov said. “The need for agreements on such control exists already now, because the U.S. programs of building nonstrategic missile defense systems envision the development and testing of space-based weapons,” he said (Interfax, Nov. 20). Back to top

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