Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad speaks to the U.N. General Assembly yesterday (Timothy Clary/Getty Images). Bush, Ahmadinejad Spar at U.N. The U.S. and Iranian presidents took the U.N. floor yesterday to present their visions for improving international security and, more specifically, resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis (see GSN, Sept. 19). Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in the early afternoon, U.S. President George W. Bush spoke directly to Iranian citizens...Full Story

U.S. Committed to Iranian Diplomacy, Burns Says By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. State Department official yesterday reaffirmed a U.S. commitment to a diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis (see GSN, Sept. 18)...Full Story

U.S.-Russian Nuclear Cities Plan to Dissolve Friday A U.S.-funded program to help former Soviet nuclear weapon scientists find peaceful work is set to fully expire Friday as Washington and Moscow have failed to longstanding disagreements over the arrangement (see GSN, Sept. 19, 2003)...Full Story

	Wednesday, September 20, 2006

U.S. Fines Company for Computer Exports to Iran A California firm has pleaded guilty to illegally selling computer components to Iran, a British technology Web site reported today (see GSN, Feb. 17, 2005). San Jose-based Supermicro Computer Inc. agreed to a $150,000 fine for exporting 300 computer motherboards in 2001 and 2002 to the Dubai firm Super Net, but knowing that Iran was the final customer. “The company agrees that at the time that the (motherboards) were shipped, they were controlled for export purposes,” said a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Francisco.  “The company also agrees that at the time of the export it knew that the United States had imposed an embargo against the Islamic Republic of Iran” (Ashlee Vance, the Register, Sept. 20). Back to top       Senators Seek to Release More of Iraq Intel Report A group of U.S. senators yesterday asked permission to declassify more of the Senate intelligence committee’s report on U.S. intelligence prior to the Iraq War (see GSN, Sept. 15). The group, committee members from both parties, asked the Public Interest Declassification Board to consider whether more of the report could be released. It was the first ever request of the board, which was created in 2004 to field congressional requests to release material classified by federal agencies (Washington Post, Sept. 20) Back to top

Bush, Ahmadinejad Spar at U.N. The U.S. and Iranian presidents took the U.N. floor yesterday to present their visions for improving international security and, more specifically, resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis (see GSN, Sept. 19). Addressing the U.N. General Assembly in the early afternoon, U.S. President George W. Bush spoke directly to Iranian citizens. “The United States respects you; we respect your country. … You deserve an opportunity to determine your own future,” he said.  “The greatest obstacle to this future is that your rulers have chosen to deny you liberty and to use your nation’s resources to fund terrorism, and fuel extremism, and pursue nuclear weapons” (White House release, Sept. 19). Later in the day, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad railed against U.S. international policies. “Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats,” he said.  “Some powers proudly announce the production second and third generations of nuclear weapons.  What do they need these weapons for?” He reaffirmed that Iran is pursuing a peaceful nuclear power program and has a right to do so as a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. “Which governments object to these rights?  Governments that themselves benefit from nuclear energy and the fuel cycle,” he said (Federal News Service transcript, Sept. 19). Bush’s speech reflected a modified U.S. policy toward Iran, which Washington once argued had no credible need for nuclear power.  Yesterday, however, Bush said to Iranians, “Despite what the regime tells you, we have no objection to Iran’s pursuit of a truly peaceful nuclear power program.  We’re working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis.” Bush’s ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, however, continued to question Iran’s nuclear ambitions. “The idea that they want a peaceful program for energy purposes is just inconsistent with reality,” he told Fox  News yesterday.  “This is a country with huge reserves of oil and natural gas.  Our Department of Energy estimates those reserves could extend for 300 or 400 years, so the idea that [Iran] needs civil nuclear power now is hard to credit.” Iran clearly has nuclear weapon aspirations, he said. “We’re 100 percent sure that Ahmadinejad is seeking a nuclear weapon?” asked Fox News interviewer Shepard Smith. “There’s simply no other explanation for the vast range of activities that they’ve undertaken concerning the nuclear fuel cycle and the activities they’ve taken with the A.Q. Khan proliferation network,” Bolton replied, referring to the nuclear smuggling network once led by former top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan (see GSN, Sept. 18; Federal News Service transcript, Sept. 19). Back to top       U.S. Committed to Iranian Diplomacy, Burns Says By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A senior U.S. State Department official yesterday reaffirmed a U.S. commitment to a diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis (see GSN, Sept. 18). Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns expressed faith in the current course of diplomacy and said he believed the international community, including Russia and China, would back the U.S. push for sanctions on Iran. Tehran has defied a U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend its uranium-enrichment program by Aug, 31, and Burns said he believes Security Council members will make good on their pledge to pursue punitive action. “The big question will be what type of sanctions,” he said. Burns remained sanguine about the prospect of consensus among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council despite comments from French President Jacques Chirac that seemed to paint a less-than unified front on the issue (see GSN, Sept. 19). During an interview Monday, Chirac said he is “never in favor of sanctions” and suggested talks with Iran may begin before Tehran has verifiably suspended its enrichment program. The United States has been unwavering in its demand that Iran suspend enrichment as a prerequisite for negotiations.  Washington has steadfastly asserted that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons, but Iran contends its goal is simply civil nuclear energy. When asked by Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) under what conditions the Bush administration would consider military action against an intransigent Iran, Burns declined to answer. While saying military strikes remain an option, the administration is aggressively pursuing a peaceful resolution, he said.  “We are on a diplomatic path.  That is the focus of our energies” (see related GSN story, today). Speaking later in the day at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, President Bush reinforced a U.S. investment in the diplomatic process, echoing Burns’s comments. Prefacing his words as an address to the people of Iran, Bush said the current regime in Tehran is subverting the nation’s resources to “fund terrorism and fuel extremism and pursue nuclear weapons.” “Iran must abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions,” he said.  “We’re working toward a diplomatic solution to this crisis.  And as we do, we look to the day when you can live in freedom, and America and Iran can be good friends and close partners in the cause of peace” (see related GSN story, today). Burns told the committee that as recently as Monday afternoon there was agreement among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany to impose sanctions on Tehran if needed.  “We believe we have unity,” he said. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was scheduled to hold a meeting with French, German, Russian and Chinese diplomats Tuesday evening at which possible sanctions would be discussed, Burns said. Sanctions imposed on Iran would likely be part of a graduated regime with the first focus on limiting civilian products that Iran might also be able to incorporate into its developing nuclear program — so-called dual-use items.  Sanctions could also include limits on travel for Iranian leadership and scientists, he said.  “I think there’s a core of agreement and that’s probably the area.” A second panel testifying before the committee gave a remarkably less optimistic outlook on diplomacy resulting in an outcome amenable to the United States — one that would include zero enrichment on Iranian soil. Ray Takeyh, an Iran expert with the Council on Foreign Relations, called the idea of eliciting a regime of progressively stiffer sanctions from the Security Council “far fetched.” “The sanctions that we can get will not be effective, and the sanctions that would be effective we will not get,” said Ashton Carter, former assistant secretary of defense under President Bill Clinton. Even the limited sanctions on nuclear trade and travel that are now being proposed by the United States are unlikely to be supported by Russia and China, Marin Indyk, former assistant secretary of state for near east affairs, noted in his testimony. “Sanctions are really not an effective weapon,” said Indyk, now with the Brookings Institution He suggested it is almost certain that Russia would seek an exception to any nuclear trade sanctions for the completion of Bushehr nuclear reactor that it is building in Iran. That reactor, which is scheduled to go online in November 2007, will be fueled by Russian uranium that will be transferred back to Russia for processing and storage once it has been used (see GSN, Sept. 19). Briefly addressing the U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear agreement, Burns said he hoped for a Senate vote on enabling legislation “shortly” and called it “a major priority” for the Bush administration. Back to top       U.S.-Russian Nuclear Cities Plan to Dissolve Friday A U.S.-funded program to help former Soviet nuclear weapon scientists find peaceful work is set to fully expire Friday as Washington and Moscow have failed to longstanding disagreements over the arrangement (see GSN, Sept. 19, 2003). The Nuclear Cities Initiative was initiated in 1998 and called for supporting scientists in Russia’s closed nuclear research cities to help them resist any temptation to perform weapons work for rogue nations.  The five-year program was not renewed in 2003 as the two nations were unable to resolve a dispute over liability protection for U.S. personnel involved with the program.  The deal’s terms, however, allowed already-started projects to continue for three additional years, until this week. Russian and U.S. officials plan to meet this week in Vienna, where they are attending the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual meeting, to see if the program can be salvaged, the Christian Science Monitor reported today. While the movement has been achieved in the liability dispute, Russia had other concerns about the program as well, in particular the amount of access it was willing to provide to U.S. personnel, according to the Monitor. “Access to closed cities was the biggest stumbling block,” said Russian physicist Gennady Pshakhin of the Institute for Physics and Power Engineering at Obninsk.  “Russian secrecy paranoia still exists.” The Russian economy has also improved, giving scientists more financial security. “We thank the U.S. for its help, which was greatly needed in the 1990s,” said Valentin Ivanov, a member of the Russian parliament’s energy committee.  “But this is a new time.  Russia has a budget surplus now, and (U.S. help) is not necessary anymore.” Pshakhin concurred that the risks of scientists working for other nations has decreased. “A lot of nuclear scientists are still underemployed, but things are a bit better,” he said.  “Nuclear scientists are under very strong monitoring.   We are not allowed to move freely.  Any attempt by a foreign power to recruit Russian scientists would immediately come to the attention of [Russian security services].” Private nonproliferation experts, however, said the program’s demise would hurt progress toward improving security over Russia’s nuclear weapon complex. “If we eliminate this program we will be losing a major nonproliferation agreement,” said Kenneth Luongo, executive director of the Russian-American Nuclear Advisory Council (Weir/Clayton, Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 20). “This is another unsettling sign of the slow erosion of U.S.-Russian nuclear security cooperation,” he added (RANSAC release, Aug. 29). Some of the initiative’s projects have been continued through other U.S. Energy Department programs that direct research funds to more than 13,000 Russian scientists.  The specific focus on the nuclear closed cities, could be diffused, Luongo said. “If you put money through different channels, it’s not the same,” he said.  “The program’s underpinnings and momentum … are lost” (Weir/Clayton, Christian Science Monitor). The Nuclear Cities Initiative’s accomplishments included re-employing 1,600 workers developing and expanding 26 businesses in closed Russian cities, according to RANSAC fact sheet (RANSAC release). Back to top       Egypt Could Seek Nuclear Power, Mubarak’s Son Says The son of Egypt’s president yesterday called for the nation to consider building nuclear power plants to meet future energy needs (see GSN, Sept. 13).  The move could raise Middle Eastern tensions as the Iranian nuclear crisis simmers nearby, the New York Times reported. “Many developing countries have proposed and started to execute the issue of alternative energy,” said Gamal Mubarak, son of President Hosni Mubarak and an assistant secretary general of the governing National Democratic Party. “It is time for Egypt to put forth, and the party will put forth, this proposal for discussion about its future energy policies, the issue of alternative energy, including nuclear energy, as one of the alternatives,” he said. Observers said the announcement could be a precursor to the younger Mubarak seeking to succeed his 79-year-old father when his term expires in 2011, the Times reported.  A nuclear ambition could help gain support in the military and statements critical of U.S. foreign policy could help win backing of the public. Mubarak included poorly veiled criticism of the United States in his statement. “We do not accept visions from abroad that they try to dissolve the Arab identity and the joint Arab efforts within the framework of the so-called Greater Middle East Initiative,” he said. Egypt currently has two nuclear research reactors and was chided last year by the International Atomic Energy Agency for failing to meet all of its reporting requirements (see GSN, Mar. 2, 2005). Back to top       Pentagon Quiet on Iran War Plans The U.S. Defense Department has played down recent reports that it is actively developing plans to go to war with Iran, Army Times reported yesterday (see GSN, April 10). TIME this week reported that the Pentagon was preparing contingencies plans for fighting Iran if tensions over Tehran’ nuclear program escalate. Military officials refused to comment about specific operational planning, but have in the past said they develop contingency plans for many situations, in case nonpeaceful strategies fail, according to Army Times. “We’re going to approach the concerns that we and the international community have with Iran diplomatically,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said yesterday (see related GSN stories, today). One lawmaker cautioned that, if accurate, the TIME report raises concerns. “This is Iraq all over again,” said Representative Rush Holt (D-N.J.).  “The administration is hyping a threat despite the fact that it knows our intelligence on Iran is poor, contradictory or both” (see GSN, Sept. 14; Gordon Lubold, Army Times, Sept. 19). Back to top

Judge Removed From Hussein Trial; Lawyers Walk Out Legal drama erupted today in the Baghdad courtroom where former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein faces genocide charges.  Hussein’s lawyers walked out of the trial after the chief judge was removed for making statements favorable to Hussein (see GSN, Sept. 19). Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki asked the Iraqi High Tribunal to remove Judge Abdullah al-Amiri yesterday in the wake of al-Amiri’s saying to Hussein last week, “You are not a dictator.  Not a dictator. You were not a dictator” the New York Times reported. The remark outraged Iraqi Kurds and others. “There was pressure from the Iraqi people and people in Kurdistan because their feelings were hurt,” said Bassam al-Husseini, an adviser to the prime minister.  “The government had to respond to this pressure” (Abdul Razzaq al-Saiedi, New York Times, Sept. 19). To protest the judge’s removal, Hussein’s lawyers left the courtroom today before testimony resumed from witnesses claiming they were attacked by chemical weapons in 1998, the Associated Press reported. “We don’t expect from this court established under occupation authorities to be fair, so we decided to withdraw from this trial,” said lawyer Wadoud Fawzi in a statement to the court. Hussein also protested and refused the order of the replacement judge to stop talking.  Judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa then had Hussein removed from the courtroom. After Hussein departed, the court heard testimony from the attack victims. The watchdog group Human Rights Group said it was “very concerned” by the judge’s dismissal. “This appears to be improper interference in the independence of the tribunal, and may greatly damage the court,” the group said (Yacoub/Halaby, Associated Press, Washington Columbian, Sept. 20). 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.