Abdul Minty, South African ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, today called on other nations to boost support for investigations of the Khan nuclear network (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Sept. 11). South Africa Asks Nations to Step Up Khan Network Investigation By Greg Webb Global Security Newswire VIENNA — A senior South African official today pleaded with other nations to improve their support of the investigation into a global nuclear smuggling network once led by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan  (see GSN, Sept. 5). Pretoria last week reached a plea bargain with a machinery manufacturer who has admitted to assisting the network from 1986 to 2003.  ..Full Story

Watching Nuclear Bazaar Difficult, Spy Chief Says By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Appearing before Congress on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, top U.S. homeland security and intelligence officials warned that a nuclear or radiological attack on the United States remains the paramount concern of the counterterrorism community (see GSN, Sept. 6)...Full Story

Nuclear Experts Enter North Korea U.S. nuclear experts today entered North Korea, where they are set to join counterparts from China and Russia in considering ways to fully disable the Stalinist state’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 10)...Full Story

	Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Watching Nuclear Bazaar Difficult, Spy Chief Says By Jon Fox Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Appearing before Congress on the eve of the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, top U.S. homeland security and intelligence officials warned that a nuclear or radiological attack on the United States remains the paramount concern of the counterterrorism community (see GSN, Sept. 6). “We recognize that our first and most urgent priority is to prevent nuclear weapons from coming into this country and preventing dirty bombs from being constructed and detonated,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the Senate Homeland Security Committee yesterday.  “And that is, of course, where we put most of our attention.” Despite that focus, however, determining if nonstate groups are acquiring nuclear or radiological material through an atomic black market is a daunting task that requires a range of intelligence assets, said U.S. spy chief Mike McConnell.  Al-Qaeda has stated its intention to acquire nuclear material but assessing its capability to do so is difficult. “I wish I could be more optimistic — to tell you that we have great confidence, that we could always detect it,” McConnell said.  “We have some sensors that would aid us in that capability, but it takes the entire panoply of intel resources to be able to do this.” This challenge represents a reversal of the problems facing intelligence analysts during the Cold War.  Then it was capability that was easier to assess but the intent which was murky, the national intelligence director said.  “In this situation, it’s very difficult to capture the capability — a single human being in a given place, nuclear material, or whatever, so capability is the challenge, but intent is clear.” Chertoff’s testimony yesterday was largely a reprisal of his appearance before the House Homeland Security Committee last week.  However, he took a step further to stress the importance of nuclear forensics and attribution — the process of identifying the provenance of nuclear material before or after a device detonates (see GSN, June 1). Such a capability would be “critical in protecting against a follow-on attack” and also in ensuring a response to any entity that deployed nuclear weapons against the United States using “terrorists as the delivery vehicle,” Chertoff said. “Even before an attack occurs, our ability to demonstrate that we have real and robust forensic and attribution capability will give us a significant measure of deterrence value,” he added. The homeland security chief also suggested that a new effort to close a security gap represented by general aviation aircraft entering the United States from overseas might require additional laws drafted by Congress. Broadening its focus beyond the emphasis on port security, the Homeland Security Department hopes to have the ability to screen private jets leaving Asia and Europe for weapons of mass destruction in much the same way it screens cargo containers (see GSN, Aug. 20). The department is “certainly looking at regulatory action” in this realm, “if not congressional action,” Chertoff said. Chertoff said his department would likely take the concerns of chicken farmers into account when considering a proposed rule that would establish registration requirements for anyone in possession of large amounts of propane gas that could become terrorist targets (see GSN, Aug. 21). Propane is used to heat chicken houses during cold weather and the Homeland Security proposal sent poultry raisers into action last month, objecting to the additional paperwork. Democratic Senator Tom Carper, who represents the chicken farmer-heavy state of Delaware, said he hoped he was in the process of “infusing some common sense” into the proposal. “One of our chicken farmers in the Delmarva Peninsula said the worst thing that could happen [if] they blow up my propane in my chicken house, we end up with barbecued chicken,” Carper said.  “And so he didn’t think it was all that bad, but I would just ask that we focus more on where the real threat lies.  I don’t think that’s where it lies.” Regulating propane will be a “line drawing issue,” Chertoff said, adding that amount and proximity to urban areas would be defining factors.  “But we really don’t want to regulate chicken farmers, and we’re not worried about barbecued chicken.” Back to top

WMD Proliferation Likely to Grow, Report Says A report released yesterday warned that easier access to nuclear materials and chemical and biological information could one day allow individuals to build and detonate weapons of mass destruction, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Mar. 28). “Future desktop molecular and pharmaceutical manufacturing and organized crime's access to nuclear materials give single individuals the ability to make and use weapons of mass destruction — from biological weapons to low-level nuclear (‘dirty’) bombs,” said the summary of the 2007 State of the Future report by the World Federation of U.N. Associations, a network of organizations in more than 100 U.N. member countries. The report added that the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed 149 cases of illicit radioactive material use in 2006. Only 10 percent of 220 million sea containers that annually move 90 percent of traded goods are inspected, potentially giving terrorists and organized crime an easy means to transport WMD-related materials, the report said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Sept. 10). Back to top

South Africa Asks Nations  to Step Up Khan Network Investigation By Greg Webb Global Security Newswire VIENNA — A senior South African official today pleaded with other nations to improve their support of the investigation into a global nuclear smuggling network once led by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan  (see GSN, Sept. 5). Pretoria last week reached a plea bargain with a machinery manufacturer who has admitted to assisting the network from 1986 to 2003.  Gerhard Wisser, a German national and longtime South African resident, pleaded guilty to several counts of illegal nuclear-related exports in exchange for paying fines and a suspended prison sentence.  He must also cooperate with future South African efforts to understand and prosecute the smuggling ring if he wishes to avoid imprisonment (see GSN, Aug. 1). South African Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Abdul Minty today briefed the agency’s governing board on his nation’s investigation and the first successful conviction of one of the network’s smugglers. The network once included individuals and companies in more than 30 nations before it crumbled in 2004 after international authorities intercepted a shipment of nuclear equipment bound for Libya.  Only a handful of the smugglers have faced prosecution so far, and some proliferation experts have expressed concern that elements of ring could still be operating (see GSN, July 27). While lauding the successful prosecution, Minty decried the lack of support from many nations during South Africa’s investigation. “Cooperation by the authorities of affected countries was, unfortunately, uneven.  Whilst some authorities cooperated fully, others that were ideally placed to provide evidence either provided limited assistance or declined to provide any assistance whatsoever,” Minty told the board. “If all governments and entities cooperated with the IAEA, then they would also, we think, be able to bring about prosecutions of this kind,” he later told reporters. One Vienna-based diplomat expressed similar frustration, saying that some of the uncooperative nations are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the informal club of nations that sets rules for nuclear trade. “This lack of cooperation is a profound problem,” agreed nuclear expert David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security.  “Countries are not working together enough to get these members of the Khan network prosecuted effectively.” Minty said South Africa’s investigation was a model for others to follow. “We took very strong action in South Africa.  The investigations were extremely thorough,” he told reporters.  The effort “took up a great deal of our resources and also was extremely expensive to conduct.” “What is now required from all countries affected by the illicit network is enhanced efforts by the respective authorities, in close cooperation with the IAEA,” he said. U.S. Ambassador Gregory Schulte praised South Africa and echoed Minty’s call for more cooperation. “We must be mindful that future networks might attempt to deliver nuclear materials and know-how, not only to states, but to terrorist groups as well,” he said in a statement to the board. “Countries must remain vigilant and work together and with the agency to ensure that similar procurement networks do not contribute to illicit nuclear weapons programs in the future,” Schulte added. A Lenient Sentence Wisser’s plea agreement has drawn criticism from some nonproliferation advocates who have expressed frustration that no individuals have been placed behind bars for their smuggling efforts.  Ring leader Khan lives under house arrest in Pakistan and remains a national hero for leading the nation’s effort to acquire nuclear weapons. Minty said South Africa’s primary goal was to continue its investigation, not to jail Wisser. “The gentleman is in his 60s,” he said.  The suspended prison sentence would serve to encourage Wisser to provide more information and potentially testify against at least one co-defendant whose trial is scheduled to begin next week, according to Minty. “There is an assurance that he has to disclose fully his knowledge” of the Khan network, Minty said. “The international community will have to make its own judgment about [the plea deal].  But I think the fact that this is the first successful prosecution, with the scale of it, should speak for itself and of the commitment of our authorities to get to the truth,” he added. One nonproliferation expert said the deal sends the wrong message. “Wisser was trafficking in things that could lead to the death of millions of people,” said Jon Wolfsthal of the Center for Strategic and International Security.  “It clearly doesn’t look good if the first high-profile prosecution ends up with the guy not doing any time.  We want the trial to show that crime doesn’t pay.” “What has been the consequence of the A.Q. Khan network?” he added.  “Who’s in jail?  Who had been punished?  Who has suffered?  So far not many.” Albright added cautious agreement. “I was disappointed Wisser didn’t do any jail time,” he said, but expressed hope that the case’s conclusion would free South African to share more information with German and Swiss officials who are preparing their own prosecutions of other Khan network participants. Had the Wisser case gone to trial, those other cases could have been threatened, Albright said. South African Investigation Minty’s statement to the board included excerpts from Wisser’s plea agreement, including a report that offers an unusually thorough description of how the Khan network operated. The report details how Wisser’s company, Krisch Engineering, cooperated with Swiss firm Equipment, Processes and Engineering AG, known by its German acronym AVE, to supply machinery for producing uranium enrichment centrifuge components. The components and equipment Wisser admitted to trying to export illegally include a flow-forming machine, autoclaves, vacuum pumps, induction furnaces and gas feed systems A flow-forming machine is designed to precisely manufacture metal cylinders, such as the cylinders that are fundamental to uranium enrichment centrifuges.  The entire Wisser investigation was triggered by the discovery of Libyan documents describing efforts to acquire such a machine with his assistance.  When Wisser needed parts from other manufacturers he used simple methods to forge documents to indicate that the parts would be used by legitimate users, the report says. The report also describes how smuggling participants in Pakistan provided design information to colleagues in the United Arab Emirates who then turned in part to AVE in Switzerland.  AVE subsequently contracted out some of its equipment purchasing needs to Wisser’s Krisch Engineering and at least one other South African firm. Back to top       Nuclear Experts Enter North Korea U.S. nuclear experts today entered North Korea, where they are set to join counterparts from China and Russia in considering ways to fully disable the Stalinist state’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 10). The seven-member U.S. team entered the country by land from South Korea, while Chinese and Russian officials were expected to arrive by airplane.  The teams are set to meet in Pyongyang and then spend five days studying facilities at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. North Korea has already halted operations at the site.  Under a February denuclearization deal, it would next completely declare and disable its nuclear holdings.  In return, Pyongyang would receive energy aid and diplomatic and security benefits from the other nations participating in the six-party talks. The experts are expected to provide recommendations on the disablement process during the next full round of multilateral negotiations, which are planned for later this month.  One strategy could be to cover the facilities with concrete, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Sept. 11). The experts do not intend to produce a set strategy for disabling the complex, said deputy South Korean nuclear negotiator Lim Sung-nam.  He said their job would be to survey the facilities and see how the process could be carried out, the Associated Press reported (Jae-Soon Chang, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 11). The status of existing North Korean nuclear weapons or plutonium stocks is not specifically addressed in the denuclearization deal, AFP reported.  Estimates indicate that Pyongyang could produce between five and 12 weapons with its existing plutonium (Agence France-Presse, Sept. 11). The United States today announced that it would contribute $1.8 million to the International Atomic Energy Agency to assist efforts to monitor North Korea’s nuclear freeze.  Washington has already contributed about $500,000 to the effort. The announcement came at the quarterly meeting of the agency’s governing board in Vienna, where U.S. Ambassador Gregory Schulte praised the agency’s personnel at Yongbyon. “This work is important and at times can even be dangerous, due to the presence of possible contamination, and the United States commends the efforts of IAEA personnel working in the D.P.R.K. to conduct this important task” he said (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Sept. 11). Back to top       U.N. Chief Urges Iran to Meet All Demands Iran must comply with U.N. Security Council demands that it halt uranium enrichment activities as well as continue its cooperation with nuclear inspectors, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said yesterday (see GSN, Sept. 10). Ban made the statement in reference to a timeline Iran has agreed to with the International Atomic Energy Agency for gradually disclosing information on the history of its nuclear program, Reuters reported. Some Western powers have criticized the agreement, arguing that it would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium, which could yield nuclear weapon material, as Tehran slowly reveals information about its nuclear activities. “I know that there was an agreement between the IAEA and Iran on the future work plans on this," Ban said in his first public statement on the agreement.  "I know that there are some different understandings or expectations.” “What is important at this time is that, in addition to what IAEA has been negotiating and discussing with the Iranian government, the Iranian government should fully comply with the Security Council resolutions — that is the core,” he said (Evelyn Leopold, Reuters, Sept. 10). Meanwhile, the European Union expressed concern about Iran’s uranium enrichment activities in a statement expected to be presented tomorrow to the 35-nation IAEA governing board, the Associated Press reported yesterday. The statement suggested that the European Union hopes to focus on Iran’s lack of compliance with the U.N. Security Council’s demand that it stop enriching uranium  rather than reports of the country’s cooperation with IAEA inspectors. The four-page statement acknowledged progress in efforts by the U.N. nuclear watchdog to gain information from Iran about its nuclear program, but it said that important issues remain to be resolved such as the meaning of instructions held by Iran on shaping uranium metal to fit warheads (George Jahn, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 10). Meanwhile, Iran has been attempting to persuade European nations to give it a chance to prove its peaceful nuclear intentions by not pursuing a third round of U.N. Security Council sanctions against the country, the Financial Times reported Sunday. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeid Jalili touted Iran’s nuclear disclosure agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency in visits to European capitals last week. Jalili called the agreement “another step to indicate Iran’s goodwill,” adding that Tehran was not attempting to buy time and did not plan to drag out its execution (Roula Khalaf, Financial Times, Sept. 9). Back to top       IAEA Advises China on Olympic Nuclear Security The International Atomic Energy Agency is advising China on nuclear terrorism safeguards for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the U.N. News Service reported yesterday (see GSN, June 27). “The agency’s nuclear security work has clearly improved overall nuclear security,” said IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei at the agency’s governing board meeting this week in Vienna. “But much remains to be done in shaping the nuclear security framework, in building up-to-date security systems and in dealing with the legacy of past lax security.  This is not a problem that can be solved overnight; it takes time and resources to achieve a sustainable, internationally acceptable baseline level of nuclear security,” he said. The agency also assisted Brazil in taking physical security measures for the Pan American Games in July (see GSN, July 13). In the past year, the U.N. nuclear watchdog has increased member nations’ participation in the Illicit Trafficking Database and provided nuclear security training to about 1,650 people from 90 countries, ElBaradei said.  IAEA officials have supported nine countries on improving physical security at various facilities. “More than 900 items of security-related equipment were supplied to member states, including border detection equipment for 29 countries,” he said.  “Integrated Nuclear Security Support Plans were completed in 38 countries, and the agreed activities have been planned or are being implemented in each of the states concerned.” The international community has adopted numerous nuclear security measures, ElBaradei said, including bringing into force the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (see GSN, July 9). “However, progress on ratifying the amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material remains slow,” he said, noting that only 11 of 128 nations have accepted the amendment (see GSN, July 11, 2005; U.N. News Service, Sept. 10). Back to top       Protests Close Indian Parliament Four Days Early India’s parliament ended its session four days early yesterday amid protests by lawmakers opposing a pending civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 5). The monsoon season session was scheduled to last until Friday, said a parliament official. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which has opposed the deal, has demanded a joint parliamentary probe into the agreement. Party members yesterday repeatedly shouted “We want JPC (joint parliamentary committee)” and “No JPAC, no house,” leading the speaker to end the session. A 15-member panel made up of government ministers and communist lawmakers is expected to begin meeting today at Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s office to consider objections to the nuclear deal. The administration of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has defended the pact as necessary to provide new energy to support India’s expanding economy (Agence France-Presse/Philippine Star, Sept. 11). Back to top

Iraqi Judge OKs Execution of Former Officials An Iraqi judge yesterday dismissed the requirement of presidential decrees to execute three former Iraqi officials who served during the Hussein regime, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Sept. 4). Ali Hassan “Chemical Ali” al-Majid, Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai and Hussein Rashid Mohammed were convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for directing the killing of tens of thousands of Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s.  Thousands of deaths have been linked to the regime’s use of chemical weapons. Iraqi High Tribunal Judge Munir Hadad said the scale of the men’s crimes ruled out the need for the president to approve their upcoming hangings, in spite of objections by President Jalal Talabani and Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi. “It does not need a presidential decree,” Hadad said.  “Genocide and crimes against humanity are considered international crimes.” Iraq’s constitution calls for the presidency council, which includes Talabani as well as the Shiite and Sunni vice presidents, to give the final go-ahead on death sentences.  However, Iraqi legal experts have debated whether the special court considering cases of officials under Hussein’s dictatorship is subject to the rule. Article 71 of the Iraqi constitution allows for a special amnesty against the death sentence except in cases of convictions for international crimes, financial and administrative corruption or terrorism. Al-Hashemi and members of al-Tai’s family and tribe have said the executions could ignite a sectarian backlash as Iraq’s government struggles to foster political reconciliation.  He called for the executions to be postponed. Talabani, a Kurd who led the revolt in the 1980s that prompted the mass killings, has expressed reluctance about executing the former officials because they were acting under orders from former leader Saddam Hussein that they would likely have been killed for disobeying. Prosecutor Jaafar al-Moussawi said that the State Shura Council, a government advisory committee, had determined that the presidency council must sign off on all executions (Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Sept. 10). Back to top

No Change to U.S. Plan for European Missile Defense Following talks with Russian officials yesterday, a high-level U.S. official said there had been no change to the Bush administration’s plans for missile defense installations in Europe (see GSN, Sept. 10). Assistant Secretary of State John Rood indicated that there was discussion of new proposals for cooperative missile defense efforts, the Associated Press reported. Moscow has often voiced its displeasure with Washington’s plans to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic.  A Russian counterproposal calls instead for using radar sites in Azerbaijan and southern Russia as an early warning system against a potential Iranian missile threat. “We are going forward with the discussions with the Poles and Czechs,” Rood said after the meeting in Paris.  “There could be some new things that we could do between our countries, and we’ve put forward proposals to that end to the Russians.” While he would not discuss details, Rood said the ultimate result of the talks would be an agreement between the two nations “to pursue joint missile defense endeavors.” “Serious work is being conducted.  It will be continued,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Kislyak said after the meeting (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Sept. 10). U.S. negotiations with Poland on the missile interceptors could be delayed by an upcoming election there, United Press International reported yesterday. Talks might not resume until 2008, after a new parliament and government take over following the Oct. 21 general election, according to U.S. Ambassador Daniel Fried. There is no plan to quicken the pace of negotiations in order to reach a deal before Oct. 21, said Polish Deputy Interior Minister Witold Waszczykowski (United Press International, Sept. 10). Back to top

Suburban Police Support NYC Protection Effort Police departments in communities near New York City are participating in a program to prevent a terrorist attack on the metropolis involving a nuclear or radiological weapon, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 10). The Securing the Cities pilot program is deploying radiation detectors in and around New York City.  More than 30 police agencies within 50 miles of the city are receiving radiation detectors and training from the New York Police Department and U.S. Homeland Security Department. “Once a nuclear weapon is already in Manhattan, it’s too late,” said Vayl Oxford, head of the DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. There are no other known instances of a large U.S. city police agency reaching out to its suburban neighbors for a cooperative antiterrorism effort of this scope, the Times reported. “We’re trying to make concentric circles of security around the city and also protect our own region,” said Rockland County, N.Y., Sheriff James Kralik, whose agency is already receiving radiation detectors. Hundreds of police officers are due to receive hand-held radiation detectors under the program.  They would be used to detect nuclear weapons and radioactive material, along with supporting oversight of radiation sources used for medical or industrial purposes.  The full program also involves use of sensor vehicles and fixed detectors at tool booths, truck stops, weigh stations and entry ways into the city. “We need to secure roadways, rail lines, waterways — every avenue into New York City has to be secured,” said Suffolk County Deputy Police Chief Mark White. The Securing the Cities Initiative is due to receive $10 million in federal funding this year, and backers are seeking $40 million in fiscal 2008 (see GSN, June 14).  It is scheduled for review in 2009, after which it could be deployed in other urban areas, Oxford said (Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, Sept. 11). Meanwhile, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority officers complain that they did not receive adequate information during a “dirty bomb” scare last month in the city, the Daily News reported (see GSN, Aug. 13). Officers assigned to bridges and tunnels said they received radiation detectors, but were only given a memo on how they worked. “We didn’t know what we were looking for, or how to use the radiation detectors,” said one officer.  “We find out the next day by reading the newspapers that it was a dirty bomb scare, truck and bombs.” The authority pays less attention to security than it does to toll collection and traffic, officers said. The detectors distributed during the Aug. 10 incident — in which no weapon was found — were replacement devices that should not have required extra training, according to MTA spokesman Jeremy Soffin. “All proper procedures were followed and communicated, and personnel and equipment were deployed as appropriate during the August alert,” he said.  “We will not comment on details of our security measures” (Alison Gendar, New York Daily News, Sept. 10). Back to top

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