A British Vanguard submarine returns to its Scottish dock today. British Prime Minister Tony Blair revealed plans today to modernize the British submarines (Jeff Mitchell/Getty Images). Blair Announces Plan to Replace British Missile Submarines, Reduce Warheads British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans today to replace British nuclear missile submarines with newer versions that could allow London to reduce its fleet from four to three boats (see GSN, Dec. 1). In a white paper released today, Blair also announced plans to cut the number of deployed British warheads by 20 percent, to fewer than 160 warheads, as the current submarines are retired. The long-awaited decision is intended to lay out British goals for its nuclear deterrent as its current force of four Vanguard submarines is expected to reach retirement in less than 20 years.  Members of Blair’s Labor Party have criticized him for being too hawkish and have called for significant reductions to British nuclear forces...Full Story

China Institutes New Nuclear Export Rules China has revised its nuclear export control regulations by amending previous rules to cover nuclear terrorism and additional nuclear technologies, Xinhua reported Friday (see GSN, Sept. 27, 2005)...Full Story

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton Resigns U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will leave office later this month, the White House announced today (see GSN, Nov. 13)...Full Story

	Monday, December 4, 2006

U.S. Ambassador John Bolton Resigns U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton will leave office later this month, the White House announced today (see GSN, Nov. 13). U.S. President George W. Bush named Bolton to the position last year during a congressional recess, thereby skipping the need for the Senate to approve the appointment but limiting Bolton’s official status to the end of the congressional term this month. Bolton, formerly a key policymaker at the State Department, drew considerable political fire from critics who said he had an abrasive character that was inappropriate for international diplomacy, the New York Times reported. The White House had submitted Bolton’s name for review again last month, but Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee (R.I.) indicated that he would oppose the nomination, thus killing the Republican majority on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Bush today lamented Bolton’s departure. “I am deeply disappointed that a handful of United States senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up or down vote he deserved in the Senate,” Bush said in a statement.  “They chose to obstruct his confirmation, even though he enjoys the majority support in the Senate, and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time” (Christine Hauser, New York Times, Dec. 4). Back to top

Blair Announces Plan to Replace British Missile Submarines, Reduce Warheads British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced plans today to replace British nuclear missile submarines with newer versions that could allow London to reduce its fleet from four to three boats (see GSN, Dec. 1). In a white paper released today, Blair also announced plans to cut the number of deployed British warheads by 20 percent, to fewer than 160 warheads, as the current submarines are retired. The long-awaited decision is intended to lay out British goals for its nuclear deterrent as its current force of four Vanguard submarines is expected to reach retirement in less than 20 years.  Members of Blair’s Labor Party have criticized him for being too hawkish and have called for significant reductions to British nuclear forces. Blair, however, said uncertainties about nuclear proliferation and terrorism require the United Kingdom to retain robust nuclear forces for years to come. “The number of states with nuclear weapons continues to grow, and may grow further,” he wrote in a forward to the white paper.  “And we need to factor in the requirement to deter countries which might in the future seek to sponsor nuclear terrorism from their soil.” “We must assume that the global struggle in which we are engaged today between moderation and extremism will continue for a generation or more,” he added. Some critics of the plan have argued that the submarines’ life expectancy should allow more time to assess future British security needs, but the white paper argues that the time needed to design and deploy a new submarine requires a decision today.  The submarines are a British version of the U.S. Trident submarine. “It will take around 17 years to design, manufacture and commission a replacement submarine,” the paper says.  The existing missiles on the submarines can have their life expectancies extended, the paper says, so there are no plans to replace them as yet (Greg Webb, GSN, Dec. 4). The British Parliament is now expected to debate Blair’s plan over the next few months in advance of an expected formal vote in March, the London Guardian reported today.  Blair will be out of office by then, so the plan will lack his direct support, but members of the conservative Tory party are solidly behind it, according to the Guardian. More than 50 lawmakers of Blair’s own party, however, have indicated that they favor scrapping the submarines altogether as they reach retirement age. One critic of the Blair plan said it was too early, too expensive and misdirected. “There’s absolutely no reason why we can’t take this decision next year or in five years’ time,” said former environment minister Michael Meacher (see GSN, Nov. 1, 2005).  “It will severely restrict much more needed conventional defense expenditure, it will undermine the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty worldwide and drain off a colossal sum of money from where it is most needed: dealing with the real threats we face from terrorism, climate change and long-term energy security” (Matthew Tempest, London Guardian, Dec. 4). Back to top       China Institutes New Nuclear Export Rules China has revised its nuclear export control regulations by amending previous rules to cover nuclear terrorism and additional nuclear technologies, Xinhua reported Friday (see GSN, Sept. 27, 2005). “These regulations are formulated for the purposes of strengthening the control of nuclear export, preventing proliferation of nuclear weapons [and] guarding against nuclear terrorist acts,” say the revised regulations as they were released by Xinhua. The new rules apply to technologies that can produce nuclear weapon materials. “The state strictly restricts export of such sensitive items involved in nuclear proliferation as uranium enrichment facilities and equipment, irradiated fuel reprocessing facilities and equipment, heavy-water production facilities and equipment, and their related technologies, as well as materials that can be used in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosion devices,” the rules say. The rules also require China’s nuclear customers to obtain Beijing’s approval before transferring technology to third parties or using Chinese equipment to enrich uranium to levels exceeding 20 percent uranium 235 (Greg Webb, GSN, Dec. 4). Back to top       U.N. Powers to Resume Iran Sanctions Negotiation Six leading U.N. nations are scheduled to meet tomorrow in Paris to resume discussions on possibly sanctioning Iran for its refusal to curb its nuclear activities, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Dec. 1). France, Germany and the United Kingdom, with the apparent backing of the United States, last week circulated a revised set of measures intended to capture the support of China and Russia (see GSN, Nov. 29).  Those two countries balked at an earlier draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would have frozen some Iranian assets and banned the international travel of some Iranian officials. The next version would ease Chinese and Russian concerns, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said today. “I think we can now reach agreement on the text,” he said.  “We are in agreement with Russia to adopt sanctions against the Iranian program of proliferation” (Reuters I, New York Times, Dec. 4). Russian Ambassador the United Nations Sergei Lavrov also offered limited optimism.  “We are not against sanctioning Iran,” he said during a visit to Jordan Saturday.  “We have to concentrate in the U.N. Security Council on prohibiting supply to Iran of technologies, materials and services related to the areas of concern. Still, other diplomats doubted that sanctions would be imposed in the near future. “It’s a work in progress,” said British Ambassador to the United Nations Emyr Jones Parry.  “It’s premature to imagine there is a new text” (Evelyn Leopold, Reuters II, Dec. 2). Back to top       U.S. Makes Four Demands of North Korea The United States last week set four major preconditions for North Korea to meet before six-nation talks can resume to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, Yomiuri Shimbun reported Saturday (see GSN, Dec. 1). In talks last week in Beijing, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill met with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan (see GSN, Nov. 29).  The unusual meeting was intended to find a way to resume multilateral talks between China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Russia and the United States. Hill delivered four demands, according to Yomiuri.  North Korea must: -- close its nuclear test by filling existing tunnels or by other means; -- declare all nuclear facilities and activities; -- open all sites to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors; and -- suspend all plutonium production. “North Korea needs to accept the preconditions before the six-party talks resume, and show a willingness not to let the situation deteriorate further,” said a Japanese official.  “Then we’ll enter full-fledged negotiations to discuss practical measures for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” (Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 2). Back to top       Four Japanese Admit Guilt in Illegal Export of Nuclear-Related Technology Exports Four former employees of a Japanese firm today admitted their guilt in charges that they illegally exported equipment that could be used to produce nuclear weapon materials, the company announced (see GSN, Oct. 16). The four former Mitutoyo Corp. workers, including former company president Kazusaku Tezuka, shipped precision-measurement technology to Malaysia without an export license more than three years ago (see GSN, Sept. 15).  The equipment could be used to help fabricate uranium enrichment centrifuges, the Associated Press reported. The firm has acknowledged its culpability and has pledged to refrain from similar export in the future. “We deeply regret the inconvenience and problems this matter has caused,” said company spokesman Kazutoshi Sato.  “We are continuing our restructuring efforts to prevent it from happening again” (Carl Freire, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Dec. 4). Back to top       U.S. to Boost Nuclear Forensics Funds, Official Says The United States plans to increase spending to improve its ability to identify the source of nuclear blasts, the Kyodo news agency reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 20). A senior U.S. official said ensuring such a capability, a process called attribution, would help Washington deter countries, particularly North Korea now that it has tested a nuclear weapon, from supplying nuclear materials to terrorist groups. “Obviously we have to consider now the possibility that the North Koreans, who have shown no interest in constraining proliferation, would be willing to either sell materials or sell a warhead to the highest bidder,” said John Harvey, of the National Nuclear Security Administration.  “That really concerns me.” “I would like to have a capability that says, ‘If you do that, we’ll find out that it’s you, and we will respond appropriately,’” he added. Harvey said he expected more funds would be allocated to improving U.S. attribution capabilities.  Currently the United States spends about $5 million on its nuclear forensics program, he said. “Before the North Korean test, we were planning to increase resources on attribution,” Harvey said.  “But after the nuclear test, we got quite a bit of attention.  There was quite a bit of interest in our attribution capabilities, both inside and outside the government” (Kyodo News, Dec. 3). Back to top

Hussein Trial Nears End of Witness Testimony Only one witness remains to testify in the genocide trial of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Nov. 29). Hussein and six other former Iraqi officials are accused of killing thousands of Kurds in 1988, including many by chemical weapons. A witness today recounted finding his dead mother. “I saw a woman lying on her face near a stream,” said Abdel Qader Abdullah, a former rebel who said he lost 22 family members to a chemical weapons attack.  “When I turned her over I discovered she was my mother.  I wanted to kiss her, but I knew I could be infected by the chemicals.” Abdullah said he was able to rescue his wife and two others by injecting them with atropine. The trial is expected to recess tomorrow and resume Wednesday, when the last of more than 70 witnesses is scheduled to testify.  The prosecution is then expected to begin presenting documentary evidence, AFP reported (Paul Schemm, Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Dec. 4). Back to top

India Wants Working Missile Defenses in Four Years India plans to develop a two-tiered defense system that can intercept enemy ballistic missiles at high and low altitudes, the nation’s top missile defense scientist said yesterday (see GSN, Nov. 27). India successfully tested a high-altitude interceptor last week, when a modified Prithvi ballistic missile shot down a standard version of the Prithvi, the Associated Press reported. A low-altitude interceptor would be tested within four months, said Vijay Kumar Saraswat of India’s Defense Research and Development Organization.  Six or seven additional tests would be required over the next four years before the system could be come operational he said. “This is being done to increase the killing probability of our intercepting missile and to leave no leakage in the air defense system,” Saraswat said at a press conference. Once operational, the missile defense system would fire five interceptors, two seconds apart, at each target to ensure that at least one interceptor would be successful, Saraswat said.  Using this method would mean India would have a 99.8 percent chance of successfully intercepting the enemy warhead, he said. Eventually, India could produce 200 missile interceptors annually, costing $1.3 million each, Saraswat said (Omer Farooq, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Dec. 4).   Back to top

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