A news cameraman takes footage inside Iran’s uranium conversion facility at Isfahan, which Iran opened to foreign diplomats Saturday (Behrouz Mehri/Getty Images). Iran Installs More Centrifuges Iran has installed two additional “cascades” of centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Reuters reported today.  Each of the new underground cascades consists of 164 linked centrifuges, doubling the number at the site which already had two above-ground cascades (see GSN, Feb. 2). “The plan is start dry-spinning the cascades within days and then start feeding them with [uranium hexafluoride gas],” a European Union diplomat in Vienna told Reuters.  The installation follows publicly announced Iranian plans to have 3,000 centrifuges in place this year with an ultimate goal of having 54,000 later...Full Story

Nuclear Terror Inevitable Without Increased Security Efforts, Former U.S. Diplomat Says The United States must increase its efforts to secure nuclear material and promote nonproliferation around the world if it hopes to prevent an act of nuclear terrorism, former U.S. Ambassador James Goodby said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 2)...Full Story

North Korea Seeks Oil for Nuclear Freeze North Korea at upcoming six-nation talks is expected to demand 500,000 tons of oil and removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for freezing its nuclear activities and allowing inspectors back into the country, Asahi Shimbun reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 2)...Full Story

	Monday, February 5, 2007

French Terrorist Trial to Begin Wednesday The trial of a French man suspected of plotting to bomb a nuclear reactor in Australia, among other terrorist acts, is scheduled to begin Wednesday, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Mar. 22, 2004). Willie Brigitte, a 38-year-old Muslim convert who had traveled to Australia, was arrested there in October 2003 after French authorities alerted Australian officials that he could be plotting attacks.  After being extradited to France, Brigitte was formally charged with “associating with criminals in relation to a terrorist enterprise,” a charge that could net him as many as 10 years in prison, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Feb. 5). Back to top

Pentagon Certifies Five WMD Support Teams The U.S. Defense Department announced Thursday that it has certified National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams for the states of Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Vermont (see GSN, July 26, 2006). The teams are “fully prepared” to assist local agencies in the response to a WMD event, the Pentagon said in a press release. There are now 47 National Guard civil support teams.  Congress authorized development of 55 teams, one for each U.S. state and territory and the District of Columbia.  The final eight teams are scheduled to be certified by September of this year (U.S. Defense Department release, Feb. 1). The 22 members of the 31st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team in Delaware underwent 12 to 18 months of individual training in different skills, including medical response, hazardous materials and administration, The News Journal reported Saturday.  They then spent six months training as a team. The group’s equipment includes a mobile laboratory carrying technology for identification of chemical and biological agents (James Merriweather, The News Journal, Feb. 3). Back to top

Iran Installs More Centrifuges Iran has installed two additional “cascades” of centrifuges at its uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, Reuters reported today.  Each of the new underground cascades consists of 164 linked centrifuges, doubling the number at the site which already had two above-ground cascades (see GSN, Feb. 2). “The plan is start dry-spinning the cascades within days and then start feeding them with [uranium hexafluoride gas],” a European Union diplomat in Vienna told Reuters.  The installation follows publicly announced Iranian plans to have 3,000 centrifuges in place this year with an ultimate goal of having 54,000 later. “The Iranians appear to intend to have about six cascades (about 1,000 centrifuges) installed by the spring, and the rest of the 3,000 by around June,” the diplomat said (Mark Heinrich, Reuters/Washington Post, Feb. 5). Meanwhile, Iran hosted a diplomatic visit Saturday to its uranium conversion facility at Isfahan.  The visiting officials came from Nonaligned Movement nations, including Algeria, Cuba, Egypt and Malaysia, the New York Times reported.  The diplomats, all serving in capacities related to the International Atomic Energy in Vienna, were accompanied by nearly 100 journalists. The visit was intended to display Iranian transparency and the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear activities, said Iran’s IAEA Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh. “In fact we have representatives from all over the world,” he said.  “We have decided to have them come here and see for themselves” (Nazila Fathi, New York Times I, Feb. 4). U.S. officials, who consistently argue that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, expressed skepticism of the diplomatic visit. “Instead of inviting IAEA ambassadors, Iran should invite IAEA inspectors,” said U.S. IAEA Ambassador Gregory Schulte.  “Iran should give them access to all the documents, nuclear facilities and individuals that it has refused to provide access to in the last three years.” He urged Iran to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution that demanded Iran freeze its nuclear activities. “Suspending them would build confidence,” he said.  “Showcasing them does not” (David Sanger, New York Times II, Feb. 3). Back to top       Nuclear Terror Inevitable Without Increased Security Efforts, Former U.S. Diplomat Says The United States must increase its efforts to secure nuclear material and promote nonproliferation around the world if it hopes to prevent an act of nuclear terrorism, former U.S. Ambassador James Goodby said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 2). “We cannot expect that the defensive measures we take to prevent terrorists from infiltrating a nuclear device into our country will succeed indefinitely in a world where more and more nations — some reliable, others less so — acquire the capabilities to build the bomb,” Goodby wrote in a commentary published by the Baltimore Sun.  “Like the levees around New Orleans, sooner or later the rising tide of nuclear weaponry will break through those barriers.” Goodby noted efforts by the Clinton and Bush administrations to secure nuclear materials in Russia and other nations.  However, he said the government has prioritized other objectives over halting the dispersal of nuclear technology and materials.  Washington is also not “aggressively using the full array of diplomatic and security tools available to us in this fight,” he said. The Bush administration focuses on antiterrorism cooperation with Pakistan rather than its nuclear program, even though the country was home to a nuclear black market that supplied Iran, Libya and North Korea (see GSN, Nov. 29, 2006).  Washington has also sought a civilian nuclear deal with India, which like Pakistan is a nuclear power that remains outside the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (see related GSN story, today). North Korea has also developed nuclear weapons, and the United States failed to realize opportunities after the Sept. 11 attacks for engaging Iran, which it also suspects of seeking atomic weapons, according to Goodby. Meanwhile, “there are thousands of small, portable, ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons in Russia … that terrorists would pay millions of dollars to get their hands on.  None of these has been touched by any U.S.-Russian agreement,” wrote Goodby, author of At the Borderline of Armageddon:  How American Presidents Managed the Atom Bomb. “We need an aggressive U.S. policy aimed at denying terrorists the pool of nuclear weapons and related materials from which they can buy or steal the means to destroy an American city.  A diplomatic offensive to block nuclear terrorism should not just fix the easier problems.  It should dry up the most serious potential source of nuclear terror:  the weapons that are stockpiled, the new weapons that are being built, and the infrastructure that supports these programs — and not just in Russia.  No American antiproliferation policy can be complete or successful if it does not address this side of the problem,” he said (James Goodby, Baltimore Sun, Feb. 4). Back to top       North Korea Seeks Oil for Nuclear Freeze North Korea at upcoming six-nation talks is expected to demand 500,000 tons of oil and removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for freezing its nuclear activities and allowing inspectors back into the country, Asahi Shimbun reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 2). Lead North Korean nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan discussed the terms last week during a meeting in Pyongyang with former U.S. State Department official Joel Wit, according to the Associated Press. Pyongyang is ready to shut down its Yongbyon reactor and readmit International Atomic Energy Agency officials, officials told Wit.  Inspectors, though, would not have access to the reactor. The site of North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test would remain open, and would remain off-limits to inspectors.  Pyongyang also would not offer details of its nuclear weapons effort, Asahi reported. Along with the crude oil, North Korea plans to demand that Washington being moving toward eliminating its financial sanctions against the regime. The talks are scheduled to resume Thursday (Associated Press I/NASDAQ.com, Feb. 4). U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Washington’s lead envoy to the negotiations, today declined to address the reported offer, according to AP. “For us, the question is that we must implement the full September agreement.  The D.P.R.K. must get out of the nuclear business entirely,” he said in Tokyo. “The purpose of the exercise is to stop the North Koreans from operating this terrible nuclear reactor, and telling us about the programs they have so we can begin to see that those programs are dismantled and abandoned,” Hill said. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said that Tokyo is not considering the oil request.  “We have absolutely no plans to provide energy support for North Korea over the nuclear issue,” he said, according to Kyodo News (Associated Press II, Feb. 5). Back to top       U.S., Georgia Sign Deal to Prevent Nuclear Smuggling Georgia and the United States agreed Friday to increase cooperation on preventing nuclear terror, Civil Georgia reported.  The new agreement signed in Tblisi followed recent revelations that Georgia had arrested a nuclear smuggler one year ago and confiscated 100 grams of weapon-grade uranium (see GSN, Feb. 1). The deal calls for the United States to assist Georgia with bolstering its nuclear security agency, strengthening border patrols between established entry points, and using aircraft and watercraft to patrol the border.  Georgia will also receive U.S. assistance in analyzing any seized materials, according to Civil Georgia. Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili and U.S. Ambassador John Tefft  signed the agreement (Civil Georgia, Feb. 2). “Georgia has shown enthusiasm, shown commitment, to be part of the group of countries that aggressively stands against the proliferation,” Bezhuashvili said.  “We wish to have the same kind of agreement with neighbors, and that was my appeal, that we need the same level of engagement and interaction with all neighbors, including Russia” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Feb. 2). Meanwhile, Georgia and Russia announced the same day that they would improve their cooperation in investigating the smuggling incident.  Bezhuashvili said he had spoken by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Associated Press reported. The incident has spurred bickering between the two former Soviet states over whether Russia has adequately investigated the origin of the uranium (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 2). Back to top       Democrats Might Barter for CTBT Approval Democratic lawmakers might seek ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in exchange for their support for the Bush administration’s “Complex 2030” plan for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, the Contra Costa Times reported Saturday (see GSN, Oct. 20, 2006). The plan calls for development of new nuclear warheads to replace aging weapons in the U.S. stockpile.  It promotes a reconfigured nuclear complex that by 2030 would involve fewer facilities, consolidation of special nuclear materials, a consolidated plutonium site, and elimination of duplication of capabilities, according to a National Nuclear Security Administration release. Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.) said she supports developing Reliable Replacement Warheads, but only if they would not require testing.  If that is not possible, “I see no alternative but to terminate funding for the program,” she said at an industry event last week. However, if the warheads can be shown to be deployable without testing, “then ratifying the CTBT should be a central objective of our nation,” Tauscher said. The Bush administration has opposed the treaty banning nuclear test blasts, preferring instead to maintain its own moratorium, the Times reported.  Critics have questioned whether new, untried weapons could be deployed without testing. Other Democrats might press for new restrictions on the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal under Complex 2030, given Bush administration claims that new warhead designs would cut the need to stockpile larger numbers of weapons to provide parts or replacements for those in the field (Ian Hoffman, Contra Costa Times, Feb. 3). The Bush administration plan could reduce total employment in the U.S. nuclear weapons complex by up to 33 percent by 2030, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.  It also could reduce the number of buildings at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico by 40 percent. “It has been clear … for some time that NNSA budgets are expected to start going down,” according to a spokesman for Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) (Andy Lenderman, The New Mexican, Feb. 3). Back to top       Russia Faces Problems With Bulava Missile Russia’s new submarine-launched Bulava missile has failed in its last three test flights, raising questions about the weapon’s development, United Press International reported Friday (see GSN, Oct. 26, 2006). The Bulava is based on the Topol-M ICBM.  It received sufficient funding and had three successful tests. The missile then failed three times in a row during testing, most recently on Dec. 24. “These three test failures, and only three successes, are worrisome.  So the test program has been temporarily suspended,” according to analyst James Dunnigan. Russian Federal Space Agency chief Anatoly Perminov told the Kommersant newspaper that 12 to 14 tests would be needed before the Bulava could be deployed. “Given that Bulava blasts off two or three times a year, Russia’s armed forces will hardly get it sooner than two or three years,” according to Kommersant.  “So, three failures of Bulava in a row may easily disrupt the country’s program of nuclear rearmament.” Plans to deploy the missile on the submarine Yury Dolgoruky this year are unlikely to reach fruition, UPI reported. Two special commissions have been organized to investigate the December test failure.  One will study the incident itself, while the other looks for the person who leaked news of the failure to the media, Kommersant reported. The troubles with the Bulava exist in comparison to the reliability of the silo-based Topol-M.  That might indicate that the problem lies in engineering the submarine launch tube for the missile, or that unforeseen problems arose while the missile was being adapted for submarine launches (Martin Sieff, United Press International/Spacewar.com, Feb. 2). Back to top       U.S., Indian Officials Discuss Nuclear Deal The United States and India held high-level talks last week to discuss the next steps of implementing the planned U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal, the Indo-Asian News Service reported Saturday (see GSN, Jan. 16). Indian nuclear envoy Shyam Saran met Thursday with Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns and later with national security adviser Steve Hadley, according to IANS (Indo-Asian News Service/Telugu Portal, Feb. 3). Back to top       Kazakhstan Nears Approval of Additional Protocol Kazakhstan has moved closer to ratifying the Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Interfax reported Thursday (see GSN, Feb. 10, 2006). The upper house of the nation’s parliament has passed a bill approving the ratification and the lower house issued its approval late last year.  The bill is now ready for presidential approval, according to Interfax. “The protocol is aimed at ensuring the openness of nuclear projects in the republic, contributing to efforts to bolster the international security system, strengthening the status of our republic as a non-nuclear state, and demonstrating the stability of Kazakhstan's policy in the area of the nuclear weapons nonproliferation regime,” a lower-house committee reported (Interfax, Feb. 1). Back to top

New State Department Nonproliferation Chief Named The Bush administration on Friday announced its nominee for the top nonproliferation position in the U.S. State Department, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 25). John Rood would replace Robert Joseph as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. Rood since October 2006 has served as assistant secretary of state for international security and nonproliferation.  Previously, he was senior counterproliferation strategy director at the National Security Council (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Feb. 2). Back to top

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