Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami speaks at the National Cathedral in Washington yesterday (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images). Former Iranian President Calls for WMD-Free Middle East By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami yesterday called for creating a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East and asserted that nuclear power is necessary to satisfy his nation’s need for electricity (see GSN, Sept. 7)...Full Story

U.S. to Push for Iran Sanctions Next Week The United States is pushing the U.N. Security Council to begin debate next week on sanctioning Iran for pursuing sensitive nuclear activities in defiance of a council resolution last month, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Sept. 7)...Full Story

Russian Chemical Weapons Disposal Site Opens Operations began today at Russia’s third chemical weapons disposal facility, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 6)...Full Story

	Friday, September 8, 2006

U.N. Releases Counterterrorism Strategy After a year of work, the U.N. General Assembly yesterday released its new counterterrorism strategy, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 19, 2005). The document in large part calls on members to meet earlier commitments, such as implementing previous General Assembly and Security Council resolutions.  It recommends development of a “biological incidents” database by the United Nations and its member countries, in order to fight the threat of bioterrorism.  The plan calls for an increase in border controls to prevent smuggling of nuclear bombs or other weapons, and to keep terrorists from crossing state lines. Efforts against terrorism on the Internet and forging of travel documents are also urged. Nations would pledge to increase exchanges of antiterrorism information and to “make every effort” to produce a convention on international terrorism.  The exact definition of terrorism remains disputed at the United Nations. U.N. nations are expected to approve the resolution today, AP reported. “By taking decisive action we will be sending a clear signal to the world that we are shouldering our responsibility to act together to fight the scourge of terrorism,” said U.N. General Assembly President Jan Eliasson. The General Assembly after two years would study the effectiveness of actions undertaken under the resolution, AP reported (Nick Wadhams, Associated Press/ABC News, Sept. 8). Back to top

Senators Agree on U.S. Port Security Bill A port security bill that has been awaiting action in the U.S. Senate for years finally appears to be headed for approval, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Aug. 18). The $835 million bill includes funding to install at the 22 largest U.S. ports sensors for detecting material that could be used in nuclear weapons or radiological “dirty bombs.” The Senate Commerce, Finance and Homeland Security committees have all backed the legislation, which is expected to be quickly considered by the full body.  The legislation is a “giant step forward in securing our homeland,” said Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine). “When we talk to experts, they tell us that our two greatest vulnerabilities that have received inadequate attention are our seaports and our chemical facilities,” she said. The House of Representatives approved similar legislation in May, and the bills would go to a conference committee following the Senate vote. Roughly 65 percent of cargo that passes through U.S. ports is now screened for radioactive material, according to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.  His agency plans to push that to nearly 100 percent by the end of 2007. As recently as 2003, there was little to no screening at ports for nuclear or radiological material, Chertoff said. “That is, if you compare it to pre-9/11, just a quantum jump forward in security,” he said. Ninety-eight percent of cargo passing through the 22 ports designated in the Senate plan would undergo screening, Collins said.  The legislation also includes $400 million in port security grants and a pilot program at three foreign ports for screening all U.S.-bound cargo (Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press, Sept. 8). Back to top       Hungary Offers to Provide Mobile WMD Defense Laboratory for 2008 Beijing Olympics Hungary today offered to send China a mobile WMD defense laboratory to assist with security at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, April 7). The laboratory, stationed near Athens for the 2004 Olympics, can be transported in two cargo containers and deployed on the back of a truck, according to AP. “I offered that at the Beijing Olympics, if the Chinese partners desire it, the Hungarian army’s biological lab can provide security like it did at the Athens Olympics,” Hungarian Defense Minister Imre Szekeres said today. Authorities could use the laboratory to identify substances in the event of a chemical or biological attack in as little as 30 minutes, AP reported (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Sept. 8). Back to top       New WMD Protection Material Developed By Chris Schneidmiller, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Researchers at the University of Arkansas have used nanotechnology to create a paper-like substance that could offer next-generation protection against biological and chemical agents (see GSN, March 23, 2005). The material assembled from nanowires — wires less than 10 billionths of a meter across — could be used in gas masks or protective clothing worn by soldiers and emergency responders, said researcher Z. Ryan Tian, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry. It could quickly break down toxins and pathogens upon contact.  The material also can be cleaned for reuse, Tian said. “This is the next generation, the nanotechnology that is really applicable to the long-standing challenges in material science and the technology for real-world applications,” he said.  “This is also among the first to show that … the efforts and the tax dollars spent on developing new nanotechnology are very, very worthwhile.” Nanotechnology exploits the behavior of materials in the size range of 10 to 100 nanometers, visible only through the most powerful microscopes. Looking to build upon previous work by other researchers, five University of Arkansas scientists began in spring 2005 to create a multiuse material from the nanowires. They heated base material in a sealed container for at least 24 hours at temperatures between 150 and 250 degrees Celsius.  This created a “white pulp-like product” of long nanowires that was washed and then cast into various three-dimensional shapes. “It’s very much like cooking in a closed container.  Inside of there you have the raw materials and water and that’s it,” Tian said. The material has the potential for use in armor, flame-retardant fabric, pollutant decomposition and controlled drug releases, the university said in a release. Producing material that would offer protection from biological and chemical agents was always part of the plan, Tian said. The nanowire material through photocatalytic decomposition has shown the capability to break down or even nearly destroy dangerous particles, Tian said. The researchers were able to control the pore size and permeability of the nanowire-paper  material.  The pore size of material used in a gas mask must be small enough to prevent exposure to toxins and pathogens without blocking access to oxygen, Tian said. The nanowire assemblies can also be easily cleaned using ultraviolet light or torch flame, Tian said. Filter materials now in use do not offer the same reusability and capability to break down molecules, Tian said.  “Our nanowire paper can filter large pathogens, and at the same time catalytically decompose … nerve agents, while the currently in use filter paper has only the filtering function,” he told Global Security Newswire. The Arkansas scientists plan to research the potential for developing the material into a fabric that could be used in protective gear, Tian said. The project to date has cost $350,000.  The university has applied for patent protection for the nanowire assembly process.  With support from industry and the federal government, large-scale production could begin in the next one to two years, Tian said. Back to top

Former Iranian President Calls for WMD-Free Middle East By Jon Fox, Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami yesterday called for creating a nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East and asserted that nuclear power is necessary to satisfy his nation’s need for electricity (see GSN, Sept. 7). Speaking to reporters through an interpreter at the National Cathedral here, prior to a speech given to an estimated 1,200 people, Khatami warned that Middle Eastern instability could spawn a crisis that could threaten not only the region but also “humanity in the global order.” He called for Israel, India and Pakistan to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and relinquish their nuclear weapons (see GSN, Aug. 24). Unlike Iran, none of the three states have signed the treaty. Both India and Pakistan have tested nuclear devices, and Israel is believed to have as a many as 200 nuclear warheads. “In order to create that weapons of mass destruction-free zone, these states, first of all, should be pursued and forced to join the NPT,” Khatami said, citing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as one of the most pressing concerns facing the world. “We all have to try to eliminate these weapons from the face of the earth.” Khatami, who served as president of Iran from 1997 to 2005, is the highest ranking Iranian official to visit Washington since the Tehran hostage crisis led to a severing of relations in 1979 During Khatami’s two terms as president, Iran continued to pursue a clandestine nuclear program that President George W. Bush has claimed is a cover for weapons development. Echoing arguments from current leaders in Tehran, Khatami said Iran is pursuing civilian nuclear technology and it has the right as a NPT member to do so. Article 4 of the treaty provides each member with the “inalienable right” to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. “Every nation who is a signatory is entitled to this right,” Khatami said.  “And there are mechanisms in order to safeguard these and prevent diversions.” The United States and other leading world powers have demanded that Iran halt its uranium enrichment program before beginning negotiations on a longer-term solution to the nuclear crisis. Iran ignored an Aug. 31 U.N. Security Council deadline to freeze its sensitive nuclear activities and now faces the possibility of economic sanctions (see related GSN story, today). While International Atomic Energy Agency officials report they have not found proof of an Iranian weapons program, Tehran’s lack of cooperation has left the agency unable to dispel doubts.  In an Aug. 31 report, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei wrote that “the agency remains unable to make further progress in its efforts to verify the correctness and completeness of Iran’s [nuclear] declarations.” To meet Iranian electricity demands, Khatami said “you need a lot of nuclear fuel.”  Much of the international concern about Iran’s program, however, results from the fact that the same centrifuge technology used to enrich uranium to produce nuclear power reactor fuel can also enrich uranium to weapon-usable levels. Iran is rich in both oil and natural gas reserves but roughly a third of its domestically consumed gasoline is imported due insufficient refining capabilities. Still, Tehran’s investment in nuclear fuel technology makes little economic sense, according to a report written in April on Iran’s energy program by researchers at the Pacific Northwest and Los Alamos national laboratories (see GSN, April 27). “Certain elements of this program are highly questionable,” they wrote. While Iran’s proven oil reserves would last roughly 90 years at its current production rate and its natural gas reserves 220 years, the country’s uranium reserves would be exhausted in less than one year considering Tehran’s declared program to develop seven light-water reactors, according to the report. The authors conclude it would be much cheaper for Iran to import nuclear fuel than for the country to develop its own enrichment facilities given the government’s estimates of its uranium reserves. In the most likely scenario, “Iran’s uranium reserves would be exhausted before the seven-reactor construction program was even completed,” they write. Back to top       U.S. to Push for Iran Sanctions Next Week The United States is pushing the U.N. Security Council to begin debate next week on sanctioning Iran for pursuing sensitive nuclear activities in defiance of a council resolution last month, Reuters reported today (see GSN, Sept. 7). Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he and his counterparts from China, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom would confer on the issue again via telephone on Monday, continuing yesterday’s discussion in Berlin. “The American view is that following these discussions on Monday and perhaps some others early next week, we should move this to the Security Council and draft a (sanctions) resolution,” Burns said. Washington wants a draft resolution prepared before the next session of the U.N. General Assembly, which begins the week of Sept. 18, according to Burns. “This is a complex issue.  We obviously need more time, so we decided to meet again on Monday by conference call,” he said.  “But I believe we will be successful in passing the sanctions resolution shortly.” However, France has suggested that the world powers could back off their requirement that Iran suspend uranium enrichment before negotiations can resume, Reuters reported (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters I, Sept. 8). French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy indicated that timing for a freeze could be discussed. “It’s a major question ... which will perhaps emerge as important in the weeks ahead,” he said (Louis Charbonneau, Reuters II, Sept. 7). Burns denied that the powers had changed their demands for resuming talks (Reuters I, Sept. 8). Meeting in Berlin yesterday, the powers struck no consensus on how to handle Iran’s defiance of the council resolution, Reuters reported. “There was a common analysis on where we were,” said a senior European Union diplomat.  The International Atomic Energy Agency “made clear that Iran has not met the requirements of the Security Council and the IAEA,” he said. “EU states don’t really want sanctions but now they realize they’re trapped by the Security Council resolution.  There isn’t likely to be a consensus within Germany’s government, same for France,” said another EU diplomat, who said the United Kingdom was likely to support sanctions (Reuters II, Sept. 7). A senior European diplomat said China and Russia “remained committed” in principle to last month’s resolution, which lays out moves toward sanctions if Iran fails to halt enrichment, the Financial Times reported today. “No country has changed its position,” said the diplomat, who attended yesterday’s talks (Hugh Williamson, Financial Times, Sept. 8). Meanwhile, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos encouraged top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani during a meeting yesterday in Madrid to be “flexible” in talks with the European Union, the Associated Press reported. “Moratinos has asked him once again to be flexible, and to take into account the concerns of the international community,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Manuel Cacho told AP (Mar Roman, Associated Press/Borneo Bulletin, Sept. 7). Back to top       Central Asian Nations Make Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone The five former Soviet Central Asian republics today declared their region to be a nuclear weapon-free zone, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 5, 2005). The treaty signed today commits Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan not to manufacture, acquire or allow deployment of nuclear weapons on their territory.  It also mandates enhanced International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. “The countries of our region declared a firm commitment to the principles of disarmament and nonproliferation.  This is our contribution to ensuring global security,” said Kazakh Foreign Minister Kasymzhomart Tokayev. The declared nuclear powers — China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States — often oppose such zones because they can lead to restrictions on nuclear deployments or movement of nuclear-armed forces.  China and Russia have said they support the Central Asian nuclear weapon-free zone.  The United States has expressed concern that its nuclear powered or nuclear-capable ships and aircraft could be blocked from the region, which is a crucial corridor to Afghanistan and Iran. Latin America and the Caribbean, the South Pacific, and Southeast Asia have separate nuclear weapon-free zones in force, according to AP, and another is awaiting approval in Africa (Bagila Bukharbayeva, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Sept. 8). Back to top       Russian ICBM Fails in Test A new Russian submarine-launched ICBM crashed shortly after launch during a test yesterday, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 21, 2005). The Dmitry Donskoy fired the Bulava missile while underwater in the White Sea.  Instead of flying toward a Kamchatka Peninsula testing range, the missile went off course and quickly splashed down in the sea, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. This was the first failure in five test launches of the Bulava, which has a range of 5,000 miles and can carry six nuclear warheads.  The missile is scheduled to be deployed on Russian submarines in 2008 (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 7). Back to top       Japanese Trade Ministry Files Criminal Complaint Against Firm Linked to Nuclear Transfers The Japanese Trade Ministry today filed a criminal complaint against a company suspected of violating trade laws by exporting nuclear-related equipment, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 5). Mitutoyo Corp. is suspected of exporting measuring devices with military nuclear applications, the ministry announced in a statement (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 8). Back to top       India to Reject Efforts to Limit Fissile Material Production Under Pending Nuclear Deal With U.S. A top Indian official said that New Delhi would reject any U.S. efforts to impose limits on the country’s fissile material production as a condition for implementation of a bilateral nuclear technology sharing agreement, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Sept. 5). “We will accept only a multilaterally negotiated nondiscriminatory and universally verifiable treaty (on fissile material production), negotiated at the Conference on Disarmament,” Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, told The Hindu newspaper (see GSN, May 18; Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Sept. 8). Back to top       New NNSA Nonproliferation Chief Takes Office The new head of the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration’s nonproliferation programs was sworn into office yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 7). As deputy administrator for defense nuclear nonproliferation, William Tobey will lead the agency’s $1.6 billion efforts to safeguard nuclear and radiological materials, eliminate surplus nuclear material, and prevent rogue states or nonstate actors from acquiring nuclear equipment and know-how, according to a NNSA press release. He previously worked at the National Security Council as counterproliferation strategy director, focusing on missile defense and U.S. nonproliferation policy on Iran, Libya and North Korea. Tobey “brings excellent qualifications and experience to NNSA.  He will provide valuable leadership to help oversee our nation’s international nuclear nonproliferation programs in these times of uncertainty around the world,” Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said in the release (National Nuclear Security Administration release, Sept. 7). Back to top

Russian Chemical Weapons Disposal Site Opens Operations began today at Russia’s third chemical weapons disposal facility, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 6). The facility at Maradykovsky is expected to destroy 6,900 tons of nerve agent, 17 percent of the total Russian chemical weapons arsenal. “Today’s event … demonstrates Russia’s efforts to strictly fulfill its international commitments and shows that Russia has the political will to see through to the end of the process of chemical disarmament,” said Victor Kholstov, who leads the Russian chemical weapons disposal program. Russia has the world’s largest chemical weapons stockpile, and to date has eliminated only 3 percent of the arsenal.  The United States has eliminated 39 percent of its stockpile, the second-largest in the world. While other disposal sites have been built with foreign assistance, Moscow used only its own money for the Maradykovsky plant, AP reported. “The Russians a couple years ago made a critical decision that if they were to have any chance of meeting Chemical Weapons Convention deadlines, they had to go to the easier, bulk agent sites,” said Paul Walker, director of the Legacy Program at Global Green USA.  “I think also from a reason of national pride, they really wanted to do one site themselves and have it be successful.” The facility will use neutralization technology to eliminate munitions containing VX, soman and sarin nerve agents, along with weapons filled with a mix of lewisite and mustard blister agents.  Each weapon must be opened and possibly partially drained to allow for inserting a neutralizing reagent, AP reported.  The munitions are then closed and stored for several months while the neutralization process is under way. The technology has not been tested at the international level, Walker said. “Every time you open one of those bombs, it’s a very high-risk event in which workers have to be completely suited up in oxygen suits, because any molecules that might drip or vaporize out of those containers could kill somebody immediately,” he said. He also expressed concern about the planned speed of work at Maradykovsky.  Global Green estimates it at more than 500 metric tons per month, a rate aimed at helping Russia meet the April 2007 international deadline to eliminate 20 percent of its chemical stockpile. The head of the information office at Maradykovsky for Green Cross International, of which Global Green USA is an affiliate, said be believed the technology being used at the plant was “one of the safest” (Judith Ingram, Associated Press, Sept. 8). Back to top       Three Nations Create CWC National Authorities The nations of Bhutan, Nauru and Sierra Leone have established national authorities to implement their obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, the treaty’s monitoring body said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 8). The three countries designated existing government agencies as their authorities.  Their duties include facilitating inspections by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, enforcing internal compliance with the treaty, and cooperating as needed with the agency and other treaty nations (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons releases I, II and III, Sept. 7). Back to top

South Korea Plays Down North’s Missile Tests South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said today that North Korea’s July missile tests should not be considered a threat, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 6). With the largest missile launched by Pyongyang “too meager” to reach the United States and “too big” to be aimed at South Korea, the tests were likely staged for “political” reasons, Roh said. “I think the missile test was aimed at achieving political purposes rather than posing military threats,” he said. “However, there are many news media that regard the missile test as a real military threat instead of a political move, and this makes the issue more difficult to resolve,” he added. Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook said the test-launches would not prevent Seoul from supplying aid to the North. “With regard to the missile test, they were not threatening to start a war or to use force, they just want to get something out of the U.S. through six-party talks.  It was a way of addressing the negotiations and creating a more favorable environment for them,” Han told the Financial Times. “If you look at the position of the South Korean government, we were disappointed and regret their actions but we will consistently pursue the peace and prosperity policy and will try to get North Korea to come back to the talks,” she said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Sept. 8). Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea agreed yesterday to “appropriately combine dialogue and pressure” to address the missile issue, according to a statement from the Japanese Embassy. Seoul and Tokyo also said they would continue to work for a new round of six-nation talks on the North’s nuclear program, the Associated Press reported yesterday (Kwang-Tae Kim, Associated Press, Sept. 7). Elsewhere, the Bush administration said the United States was working to end North Korea’s missile and WMD cooperation with Syria in order to prevent those materials from being transferred to terrorists, Kyodo News reported today. Ties between the two countries are among the “challenges to denying support and safe haven” to terrorists, according to a report issued by the White House detailing the Bush administration’s counterterrorism efforts since Sept. 11. “North Korea’s cooperation with Syria in the missile and other WMD areas may enhance Syria’s expertise and ability to provide similar assistance, deliberately or inadvertently, to terrorist organizations,” the report says (Kyodo News/Yahoo!News, Sept. 8). Back to top

U.S. Says European-Based Missile Defenses Would Not Threaten Russian Strategic Capabilities A U.S. State Department official said yesterday that a potential U.S. missile defense installation in eastern Europe would not be a threat to Russia, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 7). “It’s clear that such an installation does not threaten the Russian deterrent in any way,” said Mark Pekala, deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs. “It would be a small installation with a very small number of interceptors, far far outnumbered by the Russian nuclear and missile arsenal,” Pekala said after meeting with Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar in Prague (Associated Press, Sept. 7). Pekala said a decision on the location of the base would be made sometime this fall, the Czech news agency CTK reported (CTK/Ceske Noviny, Sept. 7).   Back to top

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