International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei (left) and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, speak to the press Friday in Vienna. ElBaradei has accepted an invitation to visit North Korea next month (Dieter Nagl/Getty Images). Negotiators Watered Down North Korea Nuclear Stand Negotiators at the last round of six-nation talks dropped a demand that North Korea immediately relinquish its nuclear weapons in order to ensure passage of a disarmament agreement, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Feb. 23). The first draft of the deal said that Pyongyang would receive fuel support after taking the “initial” steps of abandoning its nuclear weapons and production sites, according to Kyodo News...Full Story

Al-Qaeda Linked to Iraqi Chlorine Site The terrorist organization al-Qaeda is believed to have operated a factory linked to recent chlorine attacks in Iraq, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 22)...Full Story

Missile Defense Diplomacy Escalates in Europe Diplomacy aimed at installing U.S. missile defense installations in Europe appears to be accelerating, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (see GSN, Feb. 23)...Full Story

	Monday, February 26, 2007

U.S. Intel Agencies Get New Rules U.S. intelligence agencies have received a new set of guidelines and principles for producing analysis, the Washington Post reported today.  The new directive was intended to correct shortcomings exposed by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and U.S. assessments of prewar Iraq’s WMD capabilities (see GSN, Feb. 2). The directive was approved by recently departed National Intelligence Director John Negroponte, who moved to the State Department and was replaced by retired Vice Adm. John McConnell (see GSN, Feb. 22). The directive’s first principle declares that intelligence analysis “must be objective and independent of political considerations.”  Another principle calls on the analytical process to be “as transparent as possible.” Intelligence leaders “have reflected on what we should have done differently, based on Iraq, and incorporated everything that was learned,” said former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin (Walter Pincus, Washington Post, Feb. 26). Back to top

Negotiators Watered Down North Korea Nuclear Stand Negotiators at the last round of six-nation talks dropped a demand that North Korea immediately relinquish its nuclear weapons in order to ensure passage of a disarmament agreement, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Feb. 23). The first draft of the deal said that Pyongyang would receive fuel support after taking the “initial” steps of abandoning its nuclear weapons and production sites, according to Kyodo News. North Korea would not accept the proposal.  The United States then called on the Stalinist state to close its primary nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, “negotiation sources” said. The negotiations have “apparently shifted from denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula to nonproliferation of nuclear materials,” according to Kyodo. North Korea is to receive 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil and related aid for closing the reactor and allowing international inspectors back into the country.  Other negotiating nations would supply the equivalent of 950,000 tons of oil when North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is fully eliminated (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, Feb. 26). The lead North Korean nuclear negotiator is expected to meet next month in New York with his U.S. counterpart, AFP reported. “No date has been set for his visit but it is likely to last from March 5 through 7,” a source told the Yonhap News Agency. Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan is likely to participate in a working group on the normalization of relations between Pyongyang and Washington, the source said.  A meeting between Kim and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill is anticipated (Agence France-Presse II/Yahoo!News, Feb. 23). Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei has accepted an invitation to visit North Korea, the Associated Press reported.  The trip is expected during the second week of March, agency officials said. “I see this as a step toward the denuclearization of the North Korean Peninsular,” ElBaradei said in a press release. It has been more than four years since Pyongyang ejected IAEA inspectors from North Korea and announced its withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The invitation “shows that we’re beginning to execute the terms of the agreement,” said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.  “We’ll be interested in hearing his report when he gets back.” It could take years for agency inspectors to resume monitoring at Yongbyon, and then to track its closure and dismantlement, one U.N. official said. “At the same time, there has to be some kind of declaration of what North Korea has and some way of following that up,” the official told AP. Officials in Pyongyang want the agency to “verify nuclear disarmament,” said David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, who visited North Korea in January. “They see the IAEA as the natural organization to verify whatever is done,” he said (George Jahn, Associated Press I/USA Today, Feb. 24). Elsewhere, officials from the U.S. Treasury Department today continued with efforts to lift sanctions from the Macau bank suspected of aiding North Korean money laundering and currency counterfeiting, AP reported. Banco Delta Asia froze $24 million in North Korean funds after being sanctioned by the United States in 2005.  Pyongyang has made relief from U.S. economic penalties a core component of its pledge to disarm.  Washington has agreed to clear the matter by mid-March. Treasury and bank officials met today. “Discussions (with North Korea) along with the U.S. investigation have brought Treasury to the point where they think they can begin taking steps to resolve the BDA matter,” Dale Kreisher, spokesman for the U.S. Consulate General in Hong Kong, told AP (Min Lee, Associated Press II/CNN.com, Feb. 26). Back to top       Full Steam Ahead on Nuclear Work, Vows Ahmadinejad Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad vowed today that the world powers would not derail his nation’s nuclear program (see GSN, Feb. 23). “The train of the Iranian nation is without brakes and a rear gear,” he told a gathering of Islamic clerics.  “We dismantled the rear gear and the brakes of the train and threw them away some time ago.” Ahmadinejad’s remarks came as diplomats from six key nations were scheduled to meet in London to discuss the next steps the U.N. Security Council might take to try to persuade Iran to freeze its nuclear activities. The five permanent council members and Germany were expected to discuss ramping up sanctions the council approved in December (Nasser Karimi, Associated Press I/The Hindu, Feb. 26). Meanwhile, the threat of using military force to prevent a nuclear Iran was suggested again Saturday. U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney declined to rule out the option during a visit with Australian Prime Minister John Howard. “We worked with the European community and the United Nations to put together a set of policies to persuade the Iranians to give up their aspirations and resolve the matter peacefully, and that is still our preference,” he said during a press conference.  “But I’ve also made the point, and the president has made the point, that all options are on the table” (Rohan Sullivan, Associated Press II/National Post, Feb. 24). Also Saturday, the London Telegraph reported that Israel had begun talks with U.S. officials to establish a path through Iraqi air space in case Israel elected to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. “We are planning for every eventuality, and sorting out issues such as these [is] crucially important,” said a senior Israeli defense official.  “The only way to do this is to fly through U.S.-controlled air space,” the official added.  “If we don't sort these issues out now we could have a situation where American and Israeli war planes start shooting at each other” (Con Coughlin, The  Telegraph, Feb. 24). An Israeli defense official later denied the report. “This is baseless information,” said Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh.  “Maybe people like to divert (attention from) the need for immediate economic sanctions (with) stories about imminent Israeli action, which is not on the agenda” (Associated Press III/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 24) Back to top

South Africa’s “Dr. Death” Faces New Troubles South African medical regulators have scheduled a hearing to consider taking action against Wouter Basson, a practicing cardiologist suspected of running chemical and biological weapons programs during the nation’s apartheid era (see GSN, Sept. 14, 2006). Basson was acquitted of such charges in 2002 after a lengthy trial, but the cloud of suspicion has remained over the man nicknamed “Dr. Death” (see GSN, April 11, 2002). South Africa’s Health Professions Council has charged Basson with responsibility for creating chemical and biological programs, making such weapons, and conducting chemical and biological warfare, the South African Citizen reported today. If found guilty at his hearing, scheduled for June 18 to 29, Basson could receive one of four possible penalties:  a reprimand, a fine, suspension of his medical license, or a full revocation of his license, the Citizen reported (The Citizen, Feb. 26). Back to top

Al-Qaeda Linked to Iraqi Chlorine Site The terrorist organization al-Qaeda is believed to have operated a factory linked to recent chlorine attacks in Iraq, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 22). Eight people were killed and scores injured in two attacks last week involving explosions of vehicles carrying the chemical.  The deaths have been attributed to the explosions rather than exposure to chlorine. The U.S. military said a plant in Karma was connected to the attacks.  A Feb. 20 raid on the facility uncovered al-Qaeda propaganda fliers and “interactive DVDs,” said Lt. Col. Valery Keaveny. “This is absolutely a display that al-Qaeda is trying to adjust its barbaric tactics,” Keaveny said.  “Is this a threat?  Yes.  Are we prepared to deal with it?  Yes.” U.S. forces discovered three 55-gallon barrels of chlorine, three barrels filled with nitroglycerine that could be used in explosives, mortar and artillery shells, crude explosives, five vehicles and propane tanks, Reuters reported. “They had all the munitions, they had all the cars.  The chemicals found were not weaponized yet, but they were probably planning to use them,” said Capt. Matt Gregory (Reuters/Gulf Times, Feb. 25). Back to top       Half of Weapons Eliminated at Umatilla Half of the chemical weapons stored at the Umatilla Chemical Depot have been destroyed, the East Oregonian reported last week (see GSN, Jan. 26). The weapons contained roughly 24 percent of the chemical agent originally stockpiled at the depot. Weapons destruction began in September 2004 at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility.  As of Feb. 11, the plant had eliminated more than 111,600 rockets, projectiles and bombs carrying the nerve agent sarin. All sarin-filled weapons are scheduled to be destroyed by this summer.  Disposal of weapons carrying VX nerve agent and bulk containers of mustard agent would follow (East Oregonian/Chemical Weapons Working Group, Feb. 20). Back to top       FBI Investigates Mayo Clinic Researcher A researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota is suspected of seeking to combine potassium cyanide and olive oil to create a “chemical weapon,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Saturday (see GSN, Nov. 3, 2003). Sreekumar Raghavakaimal, 46, was charged earlier this month with felony terroristic threats, felony false imprisonment, gross misdemeanor interference with a 911 emergency call and misdemeanor domestic assault. A FBI affidavit says that the Mayo clinic research scientist and associate medicine professor argued with his estranged wife and then prevented her from leaving.  He broke her cellular telephone and said he would cut their son’s throat if she yelled. The wife eventually left the home, taking a vial of what appeared to be pain pills that she feared Raghavakaimal might use to kill himself. Raghavakaimal told police the next day that he was not considering suicide, but that he had bought potassium cyanide after the couple separated in 2005. The vial was found to contain olive oil.  “The combination of olive oil and cyanide is specifically mentioned in The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook (authored by Abdel-Aziz)” as a strategy for boosting the poisonous effects of cyanide placed on skin, a FBI expert said in a search warrant affidavit for Raghavakaimal’s home. While Raghavakaimal told police he obtained the cyanide through the Internet, the FBI determined the order had gone through the Mayo Clinic, the Star Tribune reported (Dan Browning, Star Tribune, Feb. 24). Back to top

Iran Tests Suborbital Rocket Booster Iran has flight tested a suborbital rocket, raising Western concerns that the nation has improved its ballistic missile capabilities, Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 7). The sounding rocket was not capable of reaching space, but could reach Earth’s upper atmosphere, said Ali Akbar Golrou, executive deputy of Iran’s aerospace research center. Iran launched a satellite into orbit in 2005, but that was boosted by a Russian rocket (see GSN, Nov. 30, 2004).  The recent test was of a booster made by Iran, according to Reuters. “Building a satellite and satellite launcher … and becoming a member of the space club are part of the Defense Ministry’s plans,” Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said Saturday (see GSN, Jan. 26; Reuters/New York Times, Feb. 25). Back to top

Missile Defense Diplomacy Escalates in Europe Diplomacy aimed at installing U.S. missile defense installations in Europe appears to be accelerating, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (see GSN, Feb. 23). Washington wants to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic.  The Bush administration this year plans to budget $118 million toward the effort, according to Czech media. “The U.S. is eager to move quickly on this because they have spent a lot of money and want something to show for it,” said European security analyst Tim Williams. The prime ministers of the two European countries met recently and expressed support for the effort.  Czech President Vaclav Klaus is expected to meet with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney next month in Washington, and President George W. Bush is considering visits to Poland and possibly the Czech Republic during the summer. While Russia has been an outspoken opponent of the plan, other nations that might be expected to oppose missile defense bases in Europe — France, Denmark and Sweden — have remained silent, the Monitor reported.  Germany faulted the United States for failing to inform Russia of its plans in Poland, but called for talks on the issue without “anti-American insinuations.” “You don’t see the French and Germans kicking up much of a fuss about it,” Williams said (Jeffrey White, Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 26). Poland issued formal notification Friday of its intent to enter into negotiations with the United States on housing the missile interceptors, the Associated Press reported.  The Polish Foreign Ministry sent a diplomatic note to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw.  There was no immediate word on when negotiations would begin (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 24). Meanwhile, British officials acknowledged Friday that they have been in talks with the United States about hosting part of the U.S. missile defense system, the New York Times reported. “The prime minister thinks it is a good idea that we are part of the consideration by the United States,” said a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Tony Blair.  “We believe it is an important step toward providing missile defense coverage for Europe, of which we are part.” British media translated a statement from the U.S. Embassy in London as brushing off the United Kingdom’s potential participation in missile defense. “I would see as we go forward.  There may be opportunities for us to talk to other countries about other needs, but right now we’re concentrating on the Czech Republic and on Poland as the primary sites where we would be looking for this,” David Johnson, deputy chief of mission at the embassy, told BBC radio. Johnson later said that his comments were not intended as a rebuff to the British government.  “We have been and will be in discussions with the British government as we develop our missile defense system and be open to opportunities for joint work as we go forward,” he said (Alan Cowell, New York Times, Feb. 24). The United Kingdom might allow the United States to place missile interceptors at a U.S. Air Force base in Suffolk, the London Telegraph reported. However, Blair faces challenges even from within his own Labor Party to the plan as he prepares to leave office this summer. “Mr. Blair should not be making this decision,” said House of Commons lawmaker Eric Illsley.  “He can start the debate but should not be saddling the person who comes after him with a lot of baggage.” “This is bonkers.  This will provoke a huge row in the party,” said a supporter of Blair’s anticipated successor, Finance Minister Gordon Brown (Harding/Carlin, The Telegraph, Feb. 26). Back to top

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