Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso yesterday defended his country’s decision to withhold energy aid from North Korea (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty Images). U.S. Sees Resolution to North Korea Energy Issue The U.S. State Department said yesterday it had a “high degree of confidence” that North Korea would receive the full amount of energy assistance promised under a 2007 denuclearization agreement, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 21). In exchange for giving up its nuclear program, Pyongyang expects to receive 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.  However, Japan so far has refused to provide assistance and reports this week indicated that Washington was looking for alternate suppliers...Full Story

DOD Drops Charges Against Ex-“Dirty Bomb” Suspect The U.S. Defense Department has dismissed all charges against a Guantanamo Bay detainee previously accused of plotting poison gas and radiological “dirty bomb” attacks in the United States, the Associated Press reported yesterday.  Officials reserved the right, however, to restore the charges in the future (see GSN, Oct. 15)...Full Story

Banks in Eight Cities Receive Suspicious Powder Chase bank branches in eight cities have received letters containing a suspicious powder that does not appear to be an actual biological agent, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 14)...Full Story

	Wednesday, October 22, 2008

India Prepares New Disaster Response Forces India plans to organize four new emergency response battalions to provide assistance after major disasters, the vice chairman of India’s National Disaster Management Authority announced yesterday (see GSN, July 26, 2006). The agency has already established seven National Disaster Response Force battalions and is preparing an eighth to begin operations by March 2009, the Indo-Asian News Service reported. Four of the existing units would specialize in WMD response, retired Gen. N.C. Vij said.  “Eighty percent of their equipment and training would be geared toward these aspects,” he noted. Vij added that his agency plans to release instructions for dealing with disasters involving chemical, biological and nuclear materials. “This will give [a] lot of confidence to people about the safety of the nuclear plants and the limitations of so-called dirty bombs, besides strengthening emergency response centers,” he said (Brij Khandelwal, Indo-Asian News Service/Yahoo!News, Oct. 21). Back to top

U.S. Sees Resolution to North Korea Energy Issue The U.S. State Department said yesterday it had a “high degree of confidence” that North Korea would receive the full amount of energy assistance promised under a 2007 denuclearization agreement, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 21). In exchange for giving up its nuclear program, Pyongyang expects to receive 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid from China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States.  However, Japan so far has refused to provide assistance and reports this week indicated that Washington was looking for alternate suppliers. Russia is scheduled to provide the next shipment of oil, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said yesterday, indicating that the matter is not yet pressing. “I think there’s a high degree of confidence among the five that we will meet our obligations,” McCormack told journalists. Talks are under way between the five nations to ensure the denuclearization agreement does not again stall, a South Korean official said. The official and McCormack did not address reports that Australia and the European Union are being considered as possible replacement providers of energy assistance (Agence France-Presse I/Spacewar.com, Oct. 21). Japan’s hard-line stance on energy aid should not affect its standing in the negotiations, Prime Minister Taro Aso said today. Tokyo has pledged to provide assistance only when Pyongyang adequately addresses the status of Japanese citizens abducted in the 1970s and 1980s.  It has dismissed North Korea’s claims that the abductees — used as instructors for spies from the Stalinist state — have either died or been returned home. “Other countries fully understand the abduction issue,” Aso said.  Any discussion of Japan isolating itself through its unyielding position “is a victim’s mentality,” he said. Japan has reportedly considered providing monetary and technological assistance to the International Atomic Energy Agency for its work in shuttering North Korean nuclear facilities. Pyongyang yesterday again argued that Japan should be removed from the nuclear negotiations.  “Japan is making desperate efforts to dodge the fulfillment of the commitment on which an agreement was reached among the six parties,” according to the official Minju Joson newspaper (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, Oct. 22). Aso hopes to meet with the leaders of China and South Korea in early December for two days of talks that would address the North Korean nuclear situation and other topics, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse III/NASDAQ.com, Oct. 21). Meanwhile, North Korea appears to be operating “normally” despite indications that leader Kim Jong Il might have undergone brain surgery after suffering a stroke in August, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said. Kim’s reported health problems have been seen as one possible reason for Pyongyang’s suspension and temporary reversal of work to disable key facilities at its Yongbyon nuclear complex.  The regime resumed disablement activities this month after being removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, another promised reward under the denuclearization process. “I don't think there are any changes in North Korea because of Chairman Kim Jong Il's health," Lee told Le Figaro last week.  “I think North Korean society is still moving normally around Chairman Kim” (Associated Press/Time, Oct. 22). North Korea, in order to be removed from the terrorism list, agreed to a protocol for verification of details of the declaration of its nuclear activities and materials.  The United States could put Pyongyang back on the list if the declaration is found not to be accurate, South Korean Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said today. "It would be a matter that other member nations to the six-party talks will decide on after consultations," Yu told lawmakers in Seoul.  “First of all, we can consider resetting a raft of sanctions on the North, which have been lifted.” Lawmakers expressed frustration over the U.S. move, the Korea Herald reported.  North Korea earned a place on the list for its role in the deaths of 115 people killed in the 1987 destruction of a South Korean passenger airliner. “The deal has clearly showed the limit of South Korean diplomacy which had no say in the U.S.-N.K. negotiation,” said Grand National Party lawmaker Hong Jung-wook.  "There is a fundamental limitation in our diplomacy which entirely depends on the United States and is informed only of negotiation results from it.  We have to raise our voice vis-à-vis U.S. moves, in partnership with Japan or China” (Jin Dae-woong, Korea Herald, Oct. 23). Back to top       Bush Certifies U.S.-Indian Nuclear Trade Deal U.S. President George W. Bush issued two certifications this week intended to enable the implementation of a recently signed nuclear trade deal with India (see GSN, Oct. 14). In issuing their final approval of the deal earlier this month, U.S. lawmakers required the president to certify that the trade agreement would not violate the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and that the United States would try to persuade other nations not to sell uranium enrichment or plutonium separation technology to India. In a short memorandum Monday, Bush complied: “1. Entry into force and implementation of the United States-India Agreement for Cooperation on Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy pursuant to its terms is consistent with the obligation of the United States under the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons not in any way to assist, encourage, or induce India to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; and “2. It is the policy of the United States to work with members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, individually and collectively, to agree to further restrict the transfers of equipment and technology related to the enrichment of uranium and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.” Some backers of the traditional nuclear nonproliferation regime have argued that the trade deal does in fact violate U.S. obligations to the treaty by enabling New Delhi to purchase uranium from foreign suppliers, thus allowing the nation’s limited domestic supplies to be used for weapon purposes. The certification “will be another George Bush lie.  They can’t certify that,” Arms Control Association leader Daryl Kimball said earlier this month.  “We are indirectly assisting India’s production of bomb material.” The second certification was intended to appease U.S. congressional concerns about the deal potentially providing technology that could be used to produce nuclear-weapon materials.  While Bush made the certification, the text of deal does not prohibit such transfers (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Oct. 22). Back to top       IAEA Inks Cooperation Deal With Russian Center By Greg Webb Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — A post-Cold War scientific institution is pursuing “a new strategic vision,” its leader said today in announcing an agreement to work more closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (see GSN, Feb. 25, 2005). The Moscow-based International Science and Technology Center was created in 1992 to steer Russian WMD scientists toward peaceful endeavors as domestic funding for their previous work evaporated in the wake of the Soviet collapse. Since then, it has helped to fund the activities of nearly 70,000 researchers in the former Soviet Union, but new Executive Director Adriaan van der Meer hopes to make the center “more commercially oriented” by moving beyond its initial mission of preventing scientists from working for rogue nations, center spokesman Stephen Bourne told Global Security Newswire  today. Van der Meer joined a senior IAEA official today in Vienna to sign a memorandum of understanding to expand cooperation in developing nuclear safeguards and security technology and other areas. “ISTC seeks the adoption of a new strategic vision, a vision to emphasize the continued relevance of its proven work in nonproliferation and promotes the sustainability of various institutes in Russia and elsewhere,” van der Meer said at the signing ceremony. “The activities of ISTC and IAEA could be complementary,” he added.  “While IAEA is focused primarily on policy and safeguard implementation related to nuclear power and nuclear technology,  ISTC’s main mode of operation is funding international projects delivering practical solutions to nuclear power/nuclear technology safeguards, safety and security.” Back to top       Russia Fires Missile in Reliability Test Russia today launched a Cold War-era ICBM in a test aimed at ensuring the missile could perform as expected if its retirement is set back to 2010, Reuters reported (see GSN, Oct. 14). The SS-19 Stiletto missile fired from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur cosmodrome was a model first commissioned in 1979.  "The results of the launch confirmed a decision to extend the exploitation time of one of the most reliable missile complexes up to 31 years," the Russian strategic missile forces said in a statement.” Russia has announced plans to invest tens of millions of dollars in programs to improve its strategic nuclear capabilities, including efforts to develop weapons capable of penetrating missile defenses operated by the United States (see related GSN story, today). Still, Russia’s military has stressed the value of its current missiles once tests confirm their reliability. "Prolonging the exploitation time for [the Stilettos] allows [Russia] to free up considerable funds for other important state needs," the strategic missile forces release states.  "The annual spending on research and construction is comparable with building one new missile" (Oleg Shchedrov, Reuters, Oct. 22). Back to top

Banks in Eight Cities Receive Suspicious Powder Chase bank branches in eight cities have received letters containing a suspicious powder that does not appear to be an actual biological agent, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 14). No fewer than 30 letters have been sent to the eight banks in or around Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Newark, N.J., New York, Oklahoma City and Washington, D.C., one law enforcement source told AP. “These threat letters contain a powder substance,” according to an FBI statement.  “At this point, field tests on the powder have been negative.  Additional testing will be completed.  Even sending a hoax letter is a serious crime” (see GSN, July 19, 2005). The FBI, U.S. Postal Service and local agencies are investigating the mailings. The law enforcement official said the letters apparently came from one person in South Texas.  No one is known to have been harmed, though a pregnant woman and others did undergo examinations, according to JP Morgan Chase & Co. spokeswoman Mary Jane Rogers. Preliminary testing of material sent to eight banks in the Oklahoma City area indicates that the substance was calcium.  Additional tests are under way in the state. Letters sent to the Oklahoma branches said they were targeted “based on past actions of the bank,” according to FBI spokesman Gary Johnson (Lara Jakes Jordan, Associated Press/Time, Oct. 21). Back to top       U.S. Awards $28 Million for Antibiotic Development The United States has awarded a five-year, $28 million contract to a California biotechnology company for development of new antibiotics that could act against meliodiosis, plague and tularemia, the firm announced today (see GSN, Sept. 16). Trius Therapeutics Inc. said it would work with scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in California to seek countermeasures for the potential biological-weapon agents. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases provided the funding. "We will focus our efforts to address the NIAID mission to develop new medical countermeasures against biological agents most likely to be used in a terror attack on civilian populations," Trius CEO Jeffrey Stein said in a statement (Trius Therapeutics release/PR-newswire, Oct. 22). Back to top

Colorado Issues Final Permit for CW Disposal Plant Colorado on Monday issued the final permit necessary for constructing a facility to destroy weapons stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot, the Pueblo Chieftain reported (see GSN, Sept. 17). The permit from a division of the state Public Health and Environment Department enables contractor Bechtel to finish construction of facilities needed for dismantling 780,000 munitions and chemically neutralizing 2,100 tons of mustard blister agent.  Previously, the state had restricted the firm to preparatory development and to limited construction on the destruction plant itself. The state must later issue a permit for operations at the neutralization facility. The Public Health and Environment Department last month sued the Pentagon in hopes of locking in the state’s demand that chemical weapons disposal be completed by 2017 (John Norton, Pueblo Chieftain, Oct. 21). Back to top

U.S., Russian Military Chiefs Discuss Missile Defense The top U.S. and Russian military officials yesterday addressed missile defense issues during wide-ranging talks in Finland, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 21). Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his Russian counterpart, Gen. Nikolai Makarov, "discussed a wide range of issues, including the future of NATO and the current status of missile defense systems in Europe," said Kim Hargan, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Finland. Mullen told U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates that the sides had a “productive, businesslike conversation,” and Gates expressed satisfaction with the meeting, Defense Department spokesman Geoff Morrell said. Moscow has strenuously objected to the Bush administration’s plan for missile defense installations in Europe, which would encompass 10 missile interceptors in Poland and an early warning radar in the Czech Republic.  Washington says its installations would be aimed at providing defenses against nations such as Iran and would pose no threat to Russia (Matti Huuhtanen, Associated Press/Google News, Oct. 21). Back to top

DOD Drops Charges Against Ex-“Dirty Bomb” Suspect The U.S. Defense Department has dismissed all charges against a Guantanamo Bay detainee previously accused of plotting poison gas and radiological “dirty bomb” attacks in the United States, the Associated Press reported yesterday.  Officials reserved the right, however, to restore the charges in the future (see GSN, Oct. 15). The Pentagon, which last week withdrew the unconventional weapons charges against Binyam Mohammed, said yesterday that it had eliminated all charges against the British resident and four other detainees to make way for new cases against the suspects. Evidence against the men suspected of terrorism-related activities is "being more thoroughly analyzed,” according to Army Col. Lawrence Morris, top prosecutor at Guantanamo. “Rather than refine the current charges, it was more efficient … just to have them dismissed and charge them anew,” he told AP.  In the meantime, the men remain in custody. The move followed the recent resignation of Army Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld.  Earlier this month, Vandeveld accused the military of suppressing evidence relevant to suspects’ defense at Guantanamo. Morris said the evaluation predated Vandeveld’s claims (Andrew Selsky, Associated Press, Oct. 21). Morris has assigned new legal teams to review evidence, work with intelligence services and propose new actions on the cases, the Defense Department said (U.S. Defense Department release, Oct. 22). Dropping and reinstating the charges would allow the military to avoid time limits for beginning trials as set under the Military Commissions Act, AP reported. “The way to stop the clock and get a new clock is to dismiss the charges and start again,” said retired Air Force Col. Morris Davis, who served as the prison’s chief prosecutor until he resigned this month. Mohammed’s lawyer said the Pentagon had already informed him that new charges would be pressed against his client. "Far from being a victory for Mr. Mohammed in his long-running struggle for justice, this is more of the same farce that is Guantanamo," said attorney Clive Stafford Smith.  “The military has informed us that they plan to charge him again within a month, after the election” (Selsky, Associated Press). The Defense Department also dropped charges that had been filed against Noor Uthman Mohammed, Sufyiam Barhoumi, Ghassan Abdullah al-Sharbi, and Jabran Said Bin al-Qahtani (U.S. Defense Department). Back to top

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