Iranian presidential spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham said today that U.S. and European efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program have backfired (Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images). Iran to Resist U.N. Pressure Iran said today that the threat of United Nations sanctions would have no effect on its decision on whether to continue enriching uranium, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Aug. 11). “The threats of sanctions do not have any effect on us. The double-standard approach employed by the Europeans has resulted in the loss of their credibility,” said government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham...Full Story

Exporter Says Equipment to North Korea Was Peaceful A South Korean man arrested in Japan last week for illegally exporting a freeze dryer to North Korea has said he believed the equipment was intended for peaceful purposes, United Press International reported Saturday (see GSN, Aug. 10)...Full Story

U.S. and British Officials Lower Threat Level; Chertoff Praised for Response to Airline Threat The United States and United Kingdom reduced the security threat level for airline flights yesterday, but officials stressed that they remain on guard after British authorities last week arrested 24 individuals suspected of plotting to blow up a number of U.S.-bound airliners (see GSN, Aug. 10)...Full Story

	Monday, August 14, 2006

U.S. and British Officials Lower Threat Level; Chertoff Praised for Response to Airline Threat The United States and United Kingdom reduced the security threat level for airline flights yesterday, but officials stressed that they remain on guard after British authorities last week arrested 24 individuals suspected of plotting to blow up a number of U.S.-bound airliners (see GSN, Aug. 10). “We are remaining vigilant for any signs of planning within the U.S. or directed at Americans,” U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a statement yesterday. “As we speak right now, we have not found any indication of active planning in the U.S. or plans to conduct operations within the U.S.,” he told CBS’ “Face the Nation” yesterday.  Despite the British arrests, “we do have to be concerned about other groups that may seek to exploit the opportunities to do their own activities or their own operations because they believe we are distracted,” Chertoff added (Josh White, Washington Post I, Aug. 14). Meanwhile in London, British authorities lowered their assessment of the terrorist threat from “critical” to “severe,” thereby easing restrictions on air travelers. Dozens of flights were canceled over the weekend because passenger screening efforts took so much time, the Post reported. The lowered threat level would allow security personnel to reduce the number of passengers who receive intensive review. The U.S. and British ban on passengers carrying liquids or gels remains in place, as the suspected plotters reportedly planned to use liquid explosives to craft onboard explosives (Joshua Partlow, Washington Post II, Aug. 14). The Homeland Security Department’s response to the new threat received general praise from previous critics of the department, the New York Times reported today. “Until this threat, the department had fallen short of the promise that its creation held,” said Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). “This time we saw a crisp, confident and competent response, and Secretary Chertoff was clearly front and center.” The department had taken heavy criticism a year ago for its response to Hurricane Katrina. Chertoff, in particular, was charged with being too distant from situation. “There were obvious frustrations in Katrina that I relied on others to do something and that turned out that that reliance was misplaced,” he told the Times yesterday. “So I guess to some extent, I have incorporated some of that lesson into what I do going forward.” After learning of the airline plot from British authorities earlier this month, Chertoff and his aides prepared reaction plans, the Times reported. The contingency plan for a successful British intervention of the plot called for imposing the no-liquids ban, deploying additional air marshals on flights to and from the United States and using airport screeners to watch airport passengers and detect suspicious behavior (Eric Lipton, New York Times, Aug. 14). Back to top       India Steps Up Security for National Holiday In the wake of terrorist bombings last month, India has stepped up security precautions as the nation prepares to mark its Independence Day tomorrow, Agence France-Presse reported Saturday (see GSN, July 12). Additional security measures are typically implemented for the annual holiday, but concern this year has increased following last month’s train bombings in Mumbai that killed 183 people and injured more than 800. In addition, airport security forces intensified their effort after the United Kingdom last week arrested 24 individuals suspected of plotting to detonate bombs on U.S.-bound aircraft (see related GSN story, today). The U.S. Embassy also warned Indian officials Friday that the al-Qaeda terrorist network could attack New Delhi and Mumbai, AFP reported (Parul Gupta, Agence France-Presse/Gulf Times, Aug. 12). Back to top

Iran to Resist U.N. Pressure Iran said today that the threat of United Nations sanctions would have no effect on its decision on whether to continue enriching uranium, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Aug. 11). “The threats of sanctions do not have any effect on us. The double-standard approach employed by the Europeans has resulted in the loss of their credibility,” said government spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham. “We are prepared for all (possible) scenarios and it [is] the West and especially the United States which will lose more, because we control the energy sources,” Elham added. Iran’s parliament speaker, Gholam-Ali Hadad-Adel, said yesterday that “Iran doesn’t accept suspending its uranium enrichment.” “If the result of our being part of international organizations and the International Atomic Energy Agency is to be deprived of our absolute right (in nuclear matters), there is no reason for us to continue to be part of such organizations,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Aug. 14). Meanwhile, a top Chinese diplomat is expected in Tehran today for meetings on the nuclear standoff, Reuters reported. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai would discuss the issue with Iranian officials (Reuters, Aug. 14). In Washington, Bush administration officials are convinced that hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon amount to a proxy war between the Unite States and Iran, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. It was no coincendence that the Hezbollah raid which sparked the current crisis in Lebanon came the day after Iran effectively turned down a U.S. offer of nuclear talks, according to U.S. officials. That view, however, has not been universally adopted. “We get clear indications the Bush administration sees this crisis in black and white terms,” said a senior European diplomat involved in U.N. negotiations over the Lebanon fighting. “There is a widespread view that U.S. diplomacy is a prisoner of its own starkly moral framework.” Meanwhile, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s argument for an earlier ceasefire was reportedly overruled by President George W. Bush. She and other foreign policy “realists” have argued that the United States should hold talks with Syria, which also backs Hezbollah, according to the Times. “Syria knows what we think,” Bush said this week. “They know exactly what our position is.” Some members of Bush’s own party have said that a refusal to talk to unfriendly regimes could spark a wider conflict. “There was no suggestion Bush wanted to know what Syria thinks,” said John Hulsman, a foreign policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation until last month. “This administration continues to believe talking is a sign of weakness. In spite of Iraq, the neocons are still in charge” (Edward Luce, Financial Times, Aug. 12). Back to top       South Korea Resumes Aid Deliveries to North South Korea has offered North Korea “strictly humanitarian” aid totaling at least $60 million after three major storms caused deadly flooding in the North last month, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (see GSN, Aug. 11). While South Korea’s Unification Ministry rejected Pyongyang’s request for rice and fertilizer aid in the wake of last month’s missile tests, it has now offered the aid in spite of U.S. demands that the North resume six-party nuclear talks before receiving further aid. “The government has no expectations” of anything in return, Shin Eon-sang, vice minister of unification, said on Friday, calling the aid package “strictly humanitarian.” However, South Korean officials have expressed hope that the offer could restore contacts suspended or canceled in light of the missile tests. “The South Korean government is looking for opportunities to ameliorate the situation,” said Paik Hak Soon, director of inter-Korean studies at the Sejong Institute. Seoul “sees the necessity of treating this inter-Korean relationship as a tool for dealing with problems like nuclear weapons and missiles,” he said, and such aid “constitutes the foundation for inter-Korean dialogue, cooperation, and social relations.” Meanwhile, Pyongyang has set up a new missile command center and is building launch pads along its east coast, said Yun Duk Min, professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, affiliated with South Korea’s Foreign Ministry (Donald Kirk, Christian Science Monitor, Aug. 14). South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon today urged patience in attempts to persuade Pyongyang back to nuclear talks, Reuters reported. “We need to be at this time to be patient, not to take any premature actions which may press North Korea to take negative responses,” he said. Ban said the other five parties should continue talks. “The international community should continue to send out a strong and firm message and take firm positions so that North Korea cannot take any further negative actions. At the same time we need to employ this diplomacy and for dialogue to continue,” he said. Ban added that the five should continue to emphasize that U.S. actions against the North’s illicit activities are separate from the nuclear standoff. “We have urged North Korea that this is a separate issue,” he said (Paul Tait, Reuters/Washington Post, Aug. 14). Back to top       USEC Faces High Energy Costs in Blending Down Former Russian Nuclear-Weapon Material High energy costs have spurred USEC Inc. to push forward with plans to replace its dated uranium enrichment facility in Kentucky with a modern site in Piketon, Ohio, the Paducah Sun reported yesterday (see GSN, June 29). The company operates the only commercial uranium enrichment program in the United States and participates in the 20-year “Megatons to Megawatts” program in which highly enriched uranium removed from Russian nuclear weapons is blended down to produce nuclear power plant fuel. USEC has estimated that 10 percent of the electricity generated in the United States comes from the Russian-origin material. Despite the program’s record, rising energy costs from operating outdated gaseous diffusion technology to enrich uranium have reduced USEC profits, and the company plans to open a more efficient centrifuge enrichment facility in 2013. Electricity expenses at the current facility total more than $300 million a year, according to the Sun — about 60 percent of the plant’s operating costs — and a new contract with a utility raised electricity costs by 50 percent. Still, the program has remained cost effective, said spokeswoman Elizabeth Stuckle, and is expected to remain so while the new enrichment site is built (Joe Walker, Paducah Sun, Aug. 13). Back to top       Indian Leader Seeks to Ease Scientists’ Concerns Over Pending Technology Deal With U.S. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to meet later this week with members of the country’s scientific community who have expressed concern over the pending civilian nuclear technology sharing agreement with the United States, the Hindustan Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 8). New conditions considered by the U.S. Congress since the deal first emerged last year have sparked heightened criticism in India. Parliament is scheduled to discuss the deal next week, according to the Times (Hindustan Times/Yahoo!News, Aug. 13). Back to top

Exporter Says Equipment to North Korea Was Peaceful A South Korean man arrested in Japan last week for illegally exporting a freeze dryer to North Korea has said he believed the equipment was intended for peaceful purposes, United Press International reported Saturday (see GSN, Aug. 10). A former president of Meisho Yoko, a Tokyo trading firm, Kim Young Gun told investigators he thought the device was intended for medical use at a clinic in Ponghwa, where Kim Jong Il and other top North Korean leaders are treated. However, the facility is also suspected of being a military biological research installation, according to UPI. Gun used a Taiwanese business to circumvent Japanese trade laws, according to investigators (United Press International, Aug. 12). Japanese police sources said Saturday that funds for purchase of the equipment were transferred from North Korea to Japan via Banco Delta Asia, a Macao-based bank suspected of links to North Korean money-laundering activities, Kyodo News Agency reported (see GSN, Aug. 9). North Korea sent approximately $4,500 for the equipment and $9,000 in related fees to the bank, the sources said (Kyodo News Service/Yahoo!News, Aug. 12). Back to top

Tokyo Subway Gasser Tests Japanese Legal System The Japanese cult founder sentenced to hang for a sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 has presented a major challenge to the country’s justice system, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, June 29). Japan’s Supreme Court is considering a defense motion demanding that Shoko Asahara be treated for “prison psychosis.” A decision is expected at any time, according to AP. “I have heard these kind of problems can be treated in a matter of months,” said Takeshi Matsui, who heads the defense team. “The court is rushing to condemn him,” said Hisataka Kogi, a psychiatrist hired by the defense. “To do so, the authorities don’t want to stamp him as insane because that makes it impossible to execute him. ... I think the court deliberately avoided a mental evaluation that would lead to that possibility.” Japanese prisoners cannot be executed if mental illness has impaired their ability to understand their punishment. A stay of execution must be granted until the person recovers, said Justice Ministry official Hiroyuki Tsuji. However, there is no record of any such prior case, Tsuji added. Founded in 1984, the Aum Shinrikyo cult claimed some 10,000 members in Japan and another 30,000 in Russia at the height of its growth and became increasingly focused on prompting armageddon, according to AP. The group recruited members with scientific and medical expertise to manufacture chemical and biological weapons, including anthrax and sarin. They also sought uranium for use in a radiological “dirty bomb,” according to court documents. Two months after the subway sarin attack, police raided the cult’s compound, confiscated weapons and rounded up its leaders, including Asahara. Eleven other top Aum leaders have been sentenced to hang, and three remain at large. The cult, renamed Aleph, still has some 1,650 followers in Japan and 300 in Russia, according to authorities (Talmadge/Yamaguchi, Associated Press/Washington Post, Aug. 13). Back to top

Singapore, U.S. Hold Dirty Bomb Security Workshop Singapore is hosting a threat reduction workshop this week on radiological “dirty” bombs, Xinhua News Agency reported today (see GSN, Aug. 4). Singapore’s Defense Science and Technology Agency and the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency are hosting the event, which is expected to cover topics such as safeguarding radiological materials and consequences of radiological releases in ports and metropolitan areas, according to Xinhua. Singapore Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee said there is growing concern that terrorists hope to use weapons of mass destruction. “Experts have also assessed that the intention of deploying such a device is intended more at creating hysteria, instilling fear, and disrupting the social and economic system,” Ho said (Xinhua News Agency/People’s Daily, Aug. 14). Back to top       NRC Fines Nuclear Utility for Security Lapses The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has proposed fining a major utility for security lapses at a New Hampshire nuclear power station, United Press International reported Friday (see GSN, April 4). Following a spring 2005 special inspection, the commission informed Florida Power and Light last month that the utility had failed to “maintain complete and accurate records of test results” regarding security measures at the power plant (United Press International, Aug. 11).  After the company first received notice of the commission’s concerns last year, “the issues were corrected immediately and the plant remains secure,” says a commission release Still, the commission has proposed the utility pay a $65,000 fine “to emphasize the importance of oversight and corporate support of the installation and testing of equipment, as well as maintaining complete and accurate records of such testing,” the release says. Florida Power and Light has 30 days to pay or protest the fine (NRC release, July 27) The events mark another setback for Seabrook’s security contractor Wackenhut Corp., which provides security personnel to about half of U.S. nuclear power plants, UPI reported. The company has suffered many reports of security problems (see GSN, Aug. 6, 2004) and recently lost its contract to protect the Homeland Security Department headquarters, UPI reported (see GSN, Mar. 6). “Wackenhut has again demonstrated an ability to play by the rules and provide adequate security,” said Service Employees International Union Director of Property Services Stephen Lerner. “Until the NRC takes action against this irresponsible contractor, the public can have little confidence that our nation’s nuclear facilities are safe and secure” (UPI).   Back to top

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