Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Thomas Pickering (left) and former CIA Director James Woolsey testify before the House Foreign Relations Committee yesterday (Mark Wilson/Getty Images). U.S. Watches for Nuclear Weapons Proliferators By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — While Iran and North Korea remain of the highest concern, the U.S. intelligence community is monitoring a number of additional states for signs of nuclear weapons programs, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told lawmakers yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 6, 2006)...Full Story

House Committee Divided on Iran Negotiations By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON –— Members of the House Foreign Relations Committee displayed starkly divided opinions yesterday on how to handle Iran’s intransigence regarding its nuclear program (see GSN, Jan 11)...Full Story

Industry Lobbies Senate to Oppose Cargo Rules By Chris Strohm CongressDaily WASHINGTON — The shipping and retail industry is targeting the U.S. Senate with an aggressive lobbying campaign to oppose legislation that would set a firm deadline for all U.S.-bound cargo to be scanned at foreign ports — a centerpiece of a House homeland security bill approved earlier this week (see GSN, Jan. 10)...Full Story

	Friday, January 12, 2007

U.S. Prepares for Terrorist Trials U.S. Justice Department and military prosecutors have begun preparing formal cases against high-level al-Qaeda suspects in U.S. custody, including suspected Sept. 11 attacks planner Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 7, 2006). The effort follows a September 2006 announcement by U.S. President George W. Bush that 14 terror suspects would be tried for war crimes, including the Sept. 11 attacks and other terrorist acts, possibly including the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and foiled plots to bomb other targets, the Times reported. Trials of high-ranking suspects could begin in 2008 after lower-level detainees are tried this summer, partly to fine tune the prosecution and trial methods on less-important defendants, according to the Times (Johnston/Lewis, New York Times, Jan. 12). Back to top

U.S. Watches for Nuclear Weapons Proliferators By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — While Iran and North Korea remain of the highest concern, the U.S. intelligence community is monitoring a number of additional states for signs of nuclear weapons programs, National Intelligence Director John Negroponte told lawmakers yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 6, 2006). Negroponte did not identify those nations in his annual worldwide threat assessment before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.  He said they were being watched in part because of past contact with the nuclear black market network once led by Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan. “The advent of more nuclear powers in Northeast Asia or the Middle East could unravel the global nonproliferation regime,” he said. He identified Iran and North Korea as the top threats to international and regional security. “It is our assessment that Tehran is determined to develop nuclear weapons,” Negroponte said (see GSN, Jan 10).  Iran has flouted international pressure to temporarily suspend a uranium enrichment program that the United States and other nations believe is part of a nuclear weapons program.  Tehran counters that its fuel cycle research is for peaceful energy production. Since North Korea was described as a proliferation threat before Congress a year ago, “Pyongyang substantiated our concerns,” Negroponte said.  He cited the July flight test of a missile design believed to be able to reach the continental United States and the test of a nuclear device in October (see GSN, Oct. 16, 2006). “Other Northeast Asian states” could begin pursuing nuclear weapons if they perceive an increasing threat from North Korea, said Negroponte, who will soon leave his job for the No. 2 spot at the State Department (see GSN, Jan. 4). The July test of the North Korean Taepodong 2 ICBM was a failure, with the missile crashing shortly after launch.  However, the successful launch of six shorter-range missiles on the same day demonstrated an “ability to target U.S. forces and our allies in South Korea and Japan,” Lt. Gen. Michael Maples, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, told lawmakers (see GSN, Sept. 19, 2006). North Korea is also developing a new intermediate-range ballistic missile and a new solid-fuel short-range missile, Maples said.  He indicated that export of North Korean missiles would also continue to be a concern. In addition, North Korea possesses a scientific infrastructure that could support the production of “various biological agents,” Maples said.  The Defense Intelligence Agency also believes North Korea has a stockpile of chemical weapons, including nerve, blister, blood and choking agents. The Defense Intelligence Agency believes Iran is pursuing biological weapons and cautions that a large commercial chemical industry could be harnessed to create a chemical weapons capability. Maples warned that the “increased availability of information together with technical advances” could allow more countries to pursue nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.  “This is an area of increasing concern,” he said. Intelligence officials said, as they have for several years (see GSN, Aug. 23, 2006), that al-Qaeda remains the paramount threat to the United States.  Working with international partners, though, “we have scored remarkable successes and disrupted terrorist plots aimed at murdering thousands of U.S. and allied citizens,” Negroponte said. He highlighted as achievements in the past year the killing of al-Qaeda’s head in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (see GSN, June 8, 2006); disruption of a plot to detonate liquid explosives on passenger airplanes flying between the United Kingdom and the United States (see GSN, Nov. 2, 2006); and the deaths of two top al-Qaeda bomb makers in Pakistan. The potential for terrorists to employ unconventional weapons in an attack “continues to be a growing concern,” said FBI Director Robert Mueller. It remains unlikely that terrorist organizations could produce complex chemical or biological agents for an attack resulting in mass casualties, “but their capability will improve as they pursue enhancing their scientific knowledge base by recruiting scientists,” he said. While al-Qaeda and other groups continue to seek chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons, and information regarding such weapons is widely available, the most likely attack would involve “low-level” biochemical agents such as ricin, botulinum toxin or an industrial chemical such as cyanide, Maples said.  A radiological “dirty bomb” — which would combine conventional explosives with radioactive material — is also well within terrorist capabilities, he said. Obtaining suitable fissile material remains the “key obstacle” to a terrorist nuclear device, according to Maples (see GSN, Jan. 8). The committee hearing came one day after President George W. Bush announced a new plan for Iraq that calls for increasing troop levels by more than 20,000.  Panel members steered discussion toward the U.S. involvement there. Committee Chairman John Rockefeller (D-W.V.) argued that U.S. policy in Iraq has increased the threats facing the country and “hampered our ability to isolate and defeat al-Qaeda and other terrorists.” “I believe our actions in Iraq have placed our nation more at risk to terrorist attack than before the invasion,” he said.  Rockefeller said he believes the administration “promoted nonexistent links between Iraq and al-Qaeda” to “sell a war that was fundamentally about regime change, not about an imminent threat to America.” Back to top       Industry Lobbies Senate to Oppose Cargo Rules By Chris Strohm CongressDaily WASHINGTON — The shipping and retail industry is targeting the U.S. Senate with an aggressive lobbying campaign to oppose legislation that would set a firm deadline for all U.S.-bound cargo to be scanned at foreign ports — a centerpiece of a House homeland security bill approved earlier this week (see GSN, Jan. 10). Industry representatives said they were taken aback by a House provision to require all U.S.-bound containers to be scanned for weapons of mass destruction within three years at the largest foreign ports and within five years at all ports. The provision was in a massive bill to implement unfulfilled recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, even though the commission did not recommend all cargo be scanned abroad.  The Senate is expected to take up its own bill to implement the commission’s recommendations in the coming weeks. Christopher Koch, president of the World Shipping Council, said his group has met with Democratic and Republican staff on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and Senate Commerce Committee to oppose deadlines for scanning all cargo abroad. “I just don’t believe the institution is going to act in a way that is going to damage the American economy,” Koch said.  He said it is his understanding at this point that Senate legislation will not include a requirement or deadline for scanning cargo.  “I cannot conceive of it being signed into law.” The Retail Industry Leaders Association, which represents conglomerates like Wal-Mart and Target, is planning to send a letter to every senator opposing the House cargo scanning provision, said Allen Thompson, the group’s vice president for global supply chain policy. “We’re definitely going to try to get in and meet with the senators,” he added. Koch and Thompson noted that a maritime security bill signed into law last year requires the Homeland Security Department to conduct test programs at three foreign ports to determine the feasibility of scanning cargo at all ports, including whether technology exists to do so. They said Congress should wait for the results of the test programs before setting firm deadlines. “We just hope the Senate believes that it’s wise to let the department complete the pilot programs and report back to Congress before Congress decides to make any decisions,” Thompson said. It is not clear if any senators are going to push for the same cargo scanning requirements as are in the House bill.  During debate over the Senate’s version of the maritime security bill last year, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) was one of the biggest advocates for scanning all cargo abroad. “Every container entering our country needs to be checked for weapons and other hazards,” he said Thursday.  “As we evaluate the House bill, I will work with my colleagues to ensure this goal is met, and that the Bush administration is putting the right technology and adequate personnel at the ports.” Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also proposed an amendment during floor debate last year that would have required Homeland Security within four years to scan all cargo containers before they arrive at U.S. ports.  The Senate voted 61-37 to table his amendment. Instead, the enacted maritime security bill states that all cargo should be scanned abroad “as soon as possible,” but only after Homeland Security certifies that technology exists to do so and certain other conditions are met. Back to top       U.S. to Deploy New WMD Sensing Vehicle in Iraq A U.S. Army brigade based at Fort Lewis, Wash., is set to deploy to Iraq two months ahead of schedule as part of U.S. President George W. Bush’s plan to add more than 20,000 troops to the theater (see GSN, Dec. 18, 2006). The brigade will be the first deployed with the latest version of the Army’s heavily armored Stryker vehicles, equipped with battlefield WMD sensors, the Associated Press reported (Melanthia Mitchell, Associated Press/The Daily News, Jan. 12). Back to top

House Committee Divided on Iran Negotiations By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON –— Members of the House Foreign Relations Committee displayed starkly divided opinions yesterday on how to handle Iran’s intransigence regarding its nuclear program (see GSN, Jan 11). The division, largely along party lines, broke down along the simple question of whether the United States should directly engage with Iran to negotiate it away from what many in the international community believe is a developing military nuclear capability. Iran’s nuclear ambitions are “among the most weighty foreign-policy problems we face,” said committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.).  “It is obvious that we must use every tool in our diplomatic arsenal to deal with it, including the most basic, which is dialogue.” “I am baffled by the debate over whether or not we should engage in dialogue with Iran,” Lantos said.  “Dialogue does not mean defeat.” Lantos’ call for diplomatic engagement preceded an argument against talks by the committee’s senior Republican, Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.). “Some have argued that the solution to the Iranian sponsorship of global terrorism and its development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons is to engage in direct talks with the Iranian regime,” she said.  “I strong disagree.” Ros-Lehtinen argued that negotiations would only legitimize an “extremist regime,” allow Tehran more time to pursue its unconventional weapons programs, and embolden opponents of the United States. “I hope there is no need to remind anyone that U.S. policy for several administrations has been to not negotiate with terrorists,” she said. Ros-Lehtinen said she plans to reintroduce two bills debated last year in Congress.  The first would encourage private and public pension funds and savings plans to pull their investments from U.S. and foreign companies that have invested more than $20 million in Iran’s energy sector. The second bill would also allow U.S. citizens held in Iran from 1979 to 1981 to seek payment from the Iranian government by removing the restriction imposed by the Algiers Accord of 1981.  That international agreement between the United States and Iran precluded any claims made by former hostages against the government in Tehran. A nuclear-armed Iran “is a threat to all,” she said.  “If Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons is successful, it would radically transform the balance of power in the Middle East.” Confronted with a nuclear-armed Shiite Muslim government in Iran, Sunni-majority nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia might pursue nuclear weapons of their own, Ros-Lehtinen suggested (see GSN, Dec. 18, 2006). While disagreeing on the question of negotiating with the regime in Tehran, committee members were united on the threats and implications of leaving Iran’s nuclear ambitions unchecked. “Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons would encourage and inspire religious violent Islamic fanatics around the globe, and it would touch off a new nuclear arms race throughout the Middle East,” Lantos said.  He expressed intense frustration regarding Iran’s continued disregard of U.N. Security Council pressure, saying Tehran has grown “increasingly confident, even arrogant.” Lantos called the most recent set of U.N. sanctions against Iran “pathetic” (see GSN, Jan. 3). “We must end the Kabuki dance that Tehran has made of diplomacy, pretending to negotiate only to use the time gained to accelerate its pursuit of nuclear arms,” he said.  “Iran is hell bent on becoming a nuclear power.” Two former officials who testified before the committee yesterday also disagreed on the question of direct U.S. negotiations with Iran. Thomas Pickering, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, argued that a military strike on Iran “could not be counted upon to be effective in halting a military nuclear program.” Many doubt that U.S. intelligence could accurately identify all the targets associated with the Iranian nuclear program, he said, and a full-scale invasion is currently “beyond contemplation.” That leaves the diplomatic possibilities, Pickering said.  He counseled offering a bundle of carrots and sticks that would require the United States to relinquish support for use of force or regime change in Iran and engage the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council on stronger sanctions in order to produce a verifiably civil Iranian nuclear program. The first level of sticks would include international sanctions similar to what the United States has in place, limiting exports to and investment in Iran.  The next step would include cutting off all trade except for oil and petroleum, and the last level of sanctions would include a cutoff of oil and gas exports, Pickering said. “I don’t think the record is in that no negotiation is possible,” he said.  “I don’t think the record is clear that it makes no sense to try.” James Woolsey, CIA director from 1993 to 1995, offered an unequivocally bleak assessment of the diplomatic options with Iran.  He described an extremist government that strives for destruction of Israel and the United States.  It is not just the government policy but its “essence,” he said (see GSN, Nov. 16, 2006). “With the government of Iran today, in my judgment, even deterrence is questionable much less arms control agreements,” Woolsey said. The only U.S. option is to make clear that it is committed to a nonviolent regime change, he said.  “I am convinced that is the least bad option.” Criticizing the current U.N. sanctions on Iran as “best characterized as tweezers rather than a vise,” Woolsey said the chance of a successful resolution of the Iranian nuclear crisis through dialogue is “infinitesimally small.” “This is much less possible in terms of progress than dealing with the Soviet Union,” Woolsey said.  “The Soviets were at least sort of bureaucratic thugs that would respond in some way to carrots and sticks.” “These are crazed ideologues at least in the center of the Iranian regime —theocratic, totalitarian, genocidal fanatics.” he said.  Back to top       Uranium Enrichment Stalls in Iran Iran has made no moves to construct larger assemblies of centrifuges at its Natanz uranium enrichment facility, spurring nuclear proliferation experts to question whether Tehran’s nuclear ambitions are stalled by technical difficulty, delayed by political considerations, or perhaps under way at a secret site, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Jan. 4). The Natanz site contains two 164-centrifuge cascades built to develop methods for assembling the larger cascades needed to enrich uranium at an industrial scale.  Iranian officials have said they plan to build a 3,000-centrifuge cascade before expanding to one with more than 50,000 centrifuges (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2006). The enriched uranium would be used to fuel Iran’s planned nuclear power reactors, officials have said, but the same centrifuge facilities could be used to produce material for nuclear weapons. Diplomats in Vienna, home of the International Atomic Energy Agency, have offered several possible explanations for the centrifuge delay. There could simply be technical problems in manufacturing and connecting such a large number of centrifuges, AP reported, but Iran has had success in constructing the two existing cascades, which have successfully enriched uranium to low levels (see GSN, Nov. 15, 2006). Alternatively, Iranian leaders could be reluctant to spur new U.N. Security Council sanctions.  The council approved penalties last month that have already led to some restrictions on Iran’s ability to use international financial institutions (see GSN, Jan. 11).  Also, leaders could be moving slowly because of domestic political problems at home.  Reform-backing newspapers have recently criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s diplomatic strategies (see GSN, Jan. 10). Another explanation, diplomats said, was that Iran has a secret site where it is assembling a larger centrifuge cascade.  As Natanz is well-known, and presumably a major target in any possible U.S. or Israeli attack plans, Iran might have decided to protect its enrichment capacity by hiding it, AP reported (George Jahn, Associated Press/San Diego Union-Tribune, Jan. 12). Back to top       U.N. Still Waiting on North Korea Sanctions Reports The United Nations is still waiting for roughly three-fourths of its member nations to submit reports on sanctions the U.N. Security Council approved against North Korea following its Oct. 9 nuclear test, Kyodo News reported today (see GSN, Jan. 11). Japan, the United States and another 44 of the 192 U.N. members have submitted the descriptions, as has the European Union, according to Security Council sanctions committee head Peter Burian, U.N. ambassador from Slovakia. The Security Council banned trade with North Korea in WMD and missile-related material and luxury goods.  The sanctions committee has requested reports from member nations on steps taken to implement those sanctions (Kyodo News/Yahoo!News, Jan. 12). Washington is not pleased that the sanctions committee has yet to adopt amendments submitted by the United States and other nations, which would  increase the list of equipment, goods and technology that could not be shipped to North Korea, the Associated Press. “For the sake of the credibility of the committee and the sanctions regime, we wish to see these amendments adopted as quickly as possible,” U.S. Deputy Ambassador Jackie Sanders told the Security Council yesterday. Washington plans to offer several additional “entities” for inclusion on the list of those subject to an asset freeze “in the very near future,” Sanders said. The sanctions committee is still “determining additional items, materials, equipment, goods and technology” for the list, Burian said.  The U.N. states should decide what constitutes a luxury item banned from export to North Korea, he said (Edith Lederer, Associated Press I/The Herald-Sun, Jan. 11). The foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed today to issue a “clear message” that Pyongyang must end its nuclear weapons program, Agence France-Presse reported. “We agreed to send a clear message to North Korea that the beginning of an immediate implementation of the September 2005 agreement is the most desirable of all options,” said South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said following a meeting in the Philippines with his counterparts from Beijing and Tokyo. It was not immediately known if the message would come during six-nation talks on North Korea’s nuclear program (Agence France-Presse, Jan. 12). “Talks need to be held at an early date, and we agreed to cooperate to ensure that they produce a productive result,” Song said (Associated Press II, Jan. 12). Back to top       Utah Residents Sound Off on “Divine Strake” U.S. officials heard more public criticism yesterday of their plan to test a large conventional explosive at the Nevada Test Site later this year.  The proposed blast would disperse dust and soil from the site, raising fears among Nevada and Utah residents that they would be exposed to radioactive particles left over from the hundreds of nuclear tests conducted at the site during the Cold War, the Salt Lake Tribune reported (see GSN, Jan. 11). The planned detonation, dubbed “Divine Strake,” is intended to study the effects of large explosions on underground storage sites and bunkers.  An environmental assessment conducted by the Energy Department found that no harmful radiation would escape the test site. At a public hearing on the plan yesterday in St. George, Utah, residents expressed concern that they would be exposed to radiation, just as they had during the nuclear testing era. “After the damage from the first tests, I have a hard time believing the leopard has changed its spots,” said St. George resident Iris Mortensen. “If the blast is so safe, why not do it Washington, D.C.?” said. Utahn Bob Welti (Mark Havnes, Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 12). Back to top       U.S. Missile Subs to Undergo Safety Review The U.S. Navy yesterday ordered all of its submarines, including its 14 ballistic missile submarines, to conduct a weeklong “safety stand-down” after two recent accidents, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot reported. Two crew members were killed late last month after being swept off the deck of the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul attack submarine in rough seas off the British coast.  Another attack submarine collided Monday with an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. The stand-down would be used to review routine safety procedures, said Adm. Joseph Walsh, commander of the Pacific Submarine Force. “We’ve had too many tragic events during routine operations,” he said. Submarines already at sea would remain there, but would review their operations, the Virginian-Pilot reported (Jack Dorsey, The Virginian-Pilot, Jan. 12). Back to top

“Chemical Ali” Acknowledges Ordering Deaths Ali Hassan al-Majid, the former senior Iraqi official better known as “Chemical Ali,” yesterday acknowledged ordering the executions of those who did not follow government orders to evacuate their villages during 1988 anti-Kurd campaigns, Reuters reported (see GSN, Jan. 8). “Yes, I gave my instructions to consider these villages as prohibited areas and I gave orders to the troops to catch anyone they find there and execute them after investigating them,” said al-Majid, during his trial on genocide and other charges. Al-Majid and five other former Iraqi officials are charged with the deaths of 180,000 Kurds — many through use of chemical weapons — during the Anfal campaign.  Charges against deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein were dropped following his execution. In audio tapes played in court, a person identified as al-Majid discussed the need to drive out “Kurdish saboteurs” from villages. “The saboteurs are depending on the scattered villages to get support, ammunition and tips,” al-Majid, Hussein’s cousin, allegedly said on the tape. Al-Majid was allowed to respond in court to the tape, Reuters reported. “I’m responsible for the displacement and I took this decision on my own, without going back to the High Military Command of the Baath Party commander.  I say that before your court and before God.” (Reuters/New York Times, Jan. 11). Back to top       Colorado, Kentucky CW Disposal Called “Essential” Disposal of chemical weapons stored in Colorado and Kentucky is “essential to national security” and deserving of funding, a senior U.S. Defense Department official said this week (see GSN, Nov. 22, 2006). The certification from Defense Undersecretary Kenneth Krieg was necessary to ensure that the Pentagon continues to direct money toward weapons elimination at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky and the Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado, the nongovernmental Chemical Weapons Working Group said in a press release. Chemical weapons in the two states remained a terrorist “target threat” as of June 2006, according to Krieg. Preliminary preparations are under way at both sites for disposal facilities, but construction has not yet begun of the plants themselves.  Construction and operations costs for both sites are estimated at $7.9 billion.  The Colorado and Kentucky plants would be the last to begin operations in the United States.  Under the current funding schedule, weapons disposal at Pueblo would finish in 2020, followed three years later by work at Blue Grass.  The deadline under the Chemical Weapons Convention is 2012. Adding funds now could cut the cost at the two depots by $3 billion and eliminate their weapons by 2015, according to the working group. “Yesterday’s certification confirms the Pentagon’s intentions to force communities to sit on these weapons of mass destruction for an additional eight years and to significantly increase the disposal cost to taxpayers,” said CWWG head Craig Williams. The plants are set to use chemical neutralization technology to eliminate the weapons agents.  No other technology would cut anticipated costs, according to Krieg.  He also certified that an adequate management structure existed to control spending and that the anticipated expenses were reasonable, the press release states (Chemical Weapons Working Group release, Jan. 11). The cost estimate for weapons destruction at Pueblo has risen by $1.6 billion from previous estimates, to $3.6 billion, the Denver Post reported. The cost hike, along with schedule delays, is a result of “really for the first time being about to come to grips with the details of the technology, the systems, the plant design. … When you wire all that together, that’s where the schedule takes you,” said Pentagon special assistant Jean Reid. “The funding is set to execute that program,” Reid said.  “The department is firmly committed to destroying the stockpile as rapidly as possible” (Erin Emory, Denver Post, Jan. 11). Back to top       False Alarms Reported at Anniston CW Depot Sensor readings that indicated a release of nerve agent Wednesday night at the Anniston Chemical Depot weapons disposal plant in Alabama turned out to be false alarms, the U.S. Army said in a press release (see GSN, Nov. 15, 2006). The readings were so low that, had they actually been verified, the amount of agent released would have posed no danger to nearby communities, the Army said. Weapons disposal at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility was halted temporarily following the readings.  Workers were required to wear protective masks. Further tests with additional equipment proved that the readings had not been caused by nerve agent, the release states (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency release, Jan. 11). Back to top

U.K. Seeks Help With Polonium Testing The United Kingdom has asked 48 countries to help test roughly 450 people who might have been exposed to polonium 210 during the poisoning of former Russian intelligence agent Alexander Litvinenko, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, Jan. 8). Trace levels of polonium have been detected at 17 sites in London.  Two sites visited by Litvinenko on Nov. 1 — the Pine Bar at the Millennium Hotel and the Itsu sushi restaurant — remain closed.  Litvinenko died Nov. 23. Foreign visitors might have been exposed to the radioactive material at any number of sites, including at least three hotels and a number of hospitals in which Litvinenko received treatment, officials said.  They are at low risk for contracting health problems, the Post reported. Nearly 600 people have already been tested in the United Kingdom.  Of those, testing indicated that 103 had “probable contact” with polonium 210, according to the British Health Protection Agency.  Their contamination levels were low enough that there was “no health concern to the individual.” U.S. health officials said the United States is one of the countries asked to conduct testing.  The United Kingdom has not identified any of the nations. People who believe they might have experienced polonium exposure can submit urine samples and talk with physicians (Mary Jordan, Washington Post, Jan. 12).   Back to top

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