U.S. nuclear envoy Christopher Hill, shown this week in Beijing, may have brokered a compromise with North Korea (Frederic Brown/Getty Images). U.S., North Korea Reach Possible Nuclear Compromise The United States and North Korea have reached a tentative deal — aimed at jump-starting a deadlocked six-party denuclearization process — in which Washington would lift key sanctions on North Korea if Pyongyang declares all plutonium holdings and formally “acknowledges” U.S. suspicions about a clandestine North Korean uranium enrichment program and nuclear assistance to Syria, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, April 10)...Full Story

After Debate, Hard Work Begins at CWC Conference By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire THE HAGUE — The presence of U.S. and Iranian officials in one room proved less combustible than it has in the past this week at the second review conference for the Chemical Weapons Convention (see GSN, April 28, 2003)...Full Story

U.S. Opposes New Iran Nuclear Incentives The United States does not plan to endorse new political or economic incentives for Iran to halt nuclear activities that Washington suspects are aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, the U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday (see GSN, April 10)...Full Story

	Friday, April 11, 2008

Israel Ends Major Exercise With CW Drill Israel yesterday concluded a five-day nationwide emergency drill by responding to a simulated chemical weapon attack on a hospital, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, April 7). The hospital evacuation in northern Israel was one exercise in a string of emergency maneuvers that included responses to simulated chemical and biological warhead attacks. The drill “worked very well, everything worked according to what we planned.  We thought we would have many more problems,” said Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror. “The objective of the drill was to check all kinds of situations,” he said.  “We said earlier that if everything went well (during the 2006 Lebanon war) we wouldn't have to do a drill.” According to Israeli Col. Yossi Luchy, “We are at a completely different place today.  The level of our readiness is much higher and everyone understands what they have to do” (Agence France-Presse/Google News, April 10). Back to top       TOPOFF 4 Highlighted Dirty Bomb Response Problems Predicting at-risk areas following a radiological “dirty bomb” attack proved to be one of the major problems identified by a major terrorism exercise last year, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Oct. 26, 2007). In the fourth “Top Officials” exercise, mock terrorists conducted a coordinated series of dirty bomb attacks in Phoenix, Ariz., Portland, Ore., and Guam to assess the nation’s response capability (see GSN, Oct. 22, 2007). U.S. Homeland Security Department officials yesterday delivered a preliminary briefing on the exercise results to a conference of emergency responders in Oklahoma City, Okla. “Even after you know exactly what the radioactive material is, figuring out where smoke or dust from a given place is going to go and how fast it's going to settle is not something you can just punch into a calculator,” said Donald Hamilton, executive director of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism, which hosted the conference.  “It's a particularly tricky thing, and people want to know and frequently want to know with more precision than anyone can tell them.” The briefing also highlighted difficulties in managing the bombing sites and working with inexperienced personnel, AP reported (Sean Murphy, Associated Press/Google News, April 11). Back to top

U.S., North Korea Reach Possible Nuclear Compromise The United States and North Korea have reached a tentative deal — aimed at jump-starting a deadlocked six-party denuclearization process — in which Washington would lift key sanctions on North Korea if Pyongyang declares all plutonium holdings and formally “acknowledges” U.S. suspicions about a clandestine North Korean uranium enrichment program and nuclear assistance to Syria, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, April 10). The allegations of covert North Korean nuclear activities have been a sticking point for months in the six-party deal’s implementation, but U.S. officials have decided that dismantling North Korea’s plutonium production capacity at its Yongbyon nuclear complex is more important than immediately confirming the other claims, U.S. and Asian diplomats said yesterday. “North Korea has difficulty saying things publicly,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Washington’s chief nuclear negotiator.  “We are trying to focus on the plutonium as we try to resolve our suspicions on uranium enrichment,” Hill said.  “That’s where the bombs are.  We don’t have suspicions about plutonium; we have cold, hard facts about plutonium.” (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, April 11). North Korea would provide documentation to confirm its has declared its entire plutonium stockpile, as well as formal acknowledgement of a U.S. “bill of particulars” outlining the alleged covert nuclear activities, Reuters reported. “There is no hint whatsoever that they will attempt to disprove” the claims, said one person familiar with a briefing on the tentative deal that Hill provided to U.S. legislators.  “There is already a tacit understanding that the bill of particulars to be presented by the United States will not be contested by the DPRK and/or will be acknowledged by them as accurate.” At roughly the same time North Korea provides the declaration to China, Washington would move to strike North Korea from its list of state supporters of terrorism and nations sanctioned under the 1917 Trading With the Enemy Act (Arshad Mohammed, Reuters, April 11). U.S. officials said other differences still remain, however, and an Asian diplomat said that future talks will address the amount of plutonium that North Korea would declare, the Post reported.  According to U.S. intelligence officials, North Korea is likely to hold more plutonium than the 66 pounds it has so far claimed. “The ball is on the North Korean side,” the Asian diplomat said.  “We need to have a clear explanation for the amount, and it has to be verified” (Kessler, Post). One former U.S. negotiator with North Korea expressed concern that Pyongyang might not be held accountable for its alleged clandestine nuclear programs under such a compromise, Reuters reported. “The concern I have … is a North Korean acknowledgment of U.S. concerns does not appear to translate into a North Korean complete and correct declaration of their past activities,” said Charles Pritchard, who now heads the Korea Economic Institute. “It doesn’t, on the surface, satisfy the requirement of completeness.  It is the United States that is presenting the information; it is not North Korea presenting the information,” he said.  “The North Koreans may simply be acknowledging what limited amount of information the United States knows but failing to (provide) the complete picture.” Another person with knowledge of Hill’s briefing countered that disabling North Korea’s primary nuclear facilities and securing its plutonium would be worth the concessions involved. “We should keep our eye on the ball,” he said.  “The objective here is to eliminate their ability to produce fissile material and to extract from North Korea any fissile material that they have produced” (Arshad Mohammed, Reuters, April 11). Meanwhile, Japan’s Cabinet today formalized a half-year extension of unilateral sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, the Associated Press reported. “North Korea hasn’t made a complete and correct declaration on its nuclear programs yet,” Machimura told reporters.  “Taking into account of situations surrounding North Korea, we have decided that we need to keep the sanctions” (Chisaki Watanabe, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, April 11). Back to top       U.S. Opposes New Iran Nuclear Incentives The United States does not plan to endorse new political or economic incentives for Iran to halt nuclear activities that Washington suspects are aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, the U.S. envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency said yesterday (see GSN, April 10). Ambassador Gregory Schulte said that six world powers are likely to discuss possible new incentives for Iran to halt its uranium enrichment program at a meeting in Shanghai next week, the Associated Press reported.  The United States and other Western powers are concerned that the program could be used to produce a nuclear weapon ingredient, but Iran insists it is only intended for civilian nuclear power. “The offer that was made in June of 2006 is pretty darn generous” Schulte told journalists, referring to a previous incentives package first put forward by European officials. Iranian officials, led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have adopted a tougher tone over its nuclear program recently, Schulte said. “We are a little worried that they are hardening their line in a way that isn’t good for the people of Iran,” he said. The U.N. Security Council has already imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, and French and U.S. officials hinted this week that additional penalties could be in the future. “We’ve been prepared in the past to go further, whether through the Security Council or through other means,” Schulte said. He added that although Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has cautioned against pressing for immediate tough action against Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reassured the U.S. administration that Moscow is committed to approaching Tehran with a mixture of pressure and possible rewards for cooperation. “They are very worried about the implications of a nuclear-armed Iran, the Russians are very concerned and they are very supportive of the dual-track approach,” Schulte said.  “The only man who wants a military option is that crazy guy, President Ahmadinejad” (David Stringer, Associated Press, April 10). Meanwhile, Iranian state media said today that Tehran is operating 492 new uranium enrichment centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility, Agence France-Presse reported. The announcement was the first official disclosure of new centrifuges being placed at the site since Iran announced plans earlier this week to place 6,000 new centrifuges the facility. “Three cascades of 164 centrifuges [in addition to the original] series of 3,000 centrifuges are operational in Natanz,” the Islamic Republic News Agency quoted an official source as saying. The source added that the new centrifuges are of the P-1 design comprising the bulk of centrifuges at the site, and not a faster, experimental machine that Iran is developing (Agence France-Presse I/Space War, April 11). In Tehran, officials today denied allegations that Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities remain seriously compromised by difficulties operating the machines. “There are no technical problems regarding the development of centrifuges,” said Iranian deputy atomic energy chief Mohammad Saeedi. Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iranian envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said it is “natural in this kind of industry that there are ups and downs once in a while” (Agence France-Presse II/Google News, April 10). Back to top       Australia Keeps “Open Mind” on U.S.-Indian Deal Australian leaders are maintaining an “open mind” over whether to allow India an exemption to import uranium from members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, a step toward implementing a civilian nuclear trade agreement between India and the United States, Australia’s envoy to India said yesterday (see GSN, April 4). Ambassador John McCarthy said that Australia generally favors policies with a “positive” effect on U.S.-Indian ties, and he had “detected no disposition on the part of the Australian government to impede the (civil nuclear) agreement should it go ahead,” the Hindustan Times reported. As an NSG member, Australia has the power to veto the waiver, which India needs to import uranium from members of the group because it has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. McCarthy added that Australia has not yet received some details on the nuclear deal, including a pending agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency for inspections of India’s civilian nuclear sites (Amit Baruah, Hindustan Times, April 10). Meanwhile, New Delhi is in talks with Nambia and Niger about importing uranium from the countries, which are not NSG member states, United Press International reported yesterday. However, the nations’ membership in the African Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone Treaty might interfere with a potential uranium trade deal, said an Indian Atomic Energy Department official (see GSN, March 27).  Uzbekistan is the only other non-NSG member state that exports uranium in significant quantities (United Press International, April 10). Back to top       Domenici Presses for Larger New Mexico Nuclear Role The Bush administration plan to consolidate U.S. nuclear weapon facilities shortchanges key sites in New Mexico, the state’s senior U.S. senator said this week (see GSN, Dec. 20, 2007). While praising the larger consolidation goals, Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) urged the National Nuclear Security Administration to modify certain specific plans.  His comments were delivered as a formal submission during a public reply period to the proposed changes. “Correctly, the NNSA has proposed an aggressive strategy to consolidate and dispose of excess special nuclear material that consumes an extraordinary amount of federal resources to meet security requirements,” said Domenici in his letter.  “As the complex is transformed, it must not measure success only in terms of floor space and manpower reductions but also in terms of enhancements to the science base that is the lifeblood of stockpile stewardship.” In particular, he recommended that all future production of the plutonium cores of U.S. nuclear weapons be produced at Los Alamos National Laboratory (see GSN, March 13), and he cautioned against removing high-performance computing activities from Sandia National Laboratories. “Job reductions of the magnitude contemplated could cripple key mission areas and must be managed carefully,” Domenici said (U.S. Senator Pete Domenici release, April 8). Meanwhile, a large public response to the consolidation plan has triggered NNSA officials to lengthen the comment period to the end of this month. “Although we have provided more than double the time required by law to comment and held more public hearings than we have ever held for this type of activity, we have decided to extend the deadline in order to ensure that everyone has enough time to submit their comments,” said NNSA Administrator Thomas D’Agostino.  “We want to give people every opportunity to adequately express their point of view about NNSA's proposal to make the nuclear weapons complex smaller, safer, more secure and more cost effective” (U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration release, April 10). Back to top       Scottish Officials Defend Funding Anti-Nuke Group Scottish government officials on Wednesday defended providing government funds for a group of activists committed to removing the United Kingdom’s Trident nuclear submarines from Scotland, The Scotsman reported (see GSN, March 6). The first meeting of the Trident Working Group was held Wednesday and chaired by Bruce Crawford, a Scottish parliament member. “The group brings together a broad consensus in Scotland and the world, which aspires to our national becoming free of nuclear weapons.  Today’s first and very productive meeting of the working group enabled us to begin discussions on how we ensure the maximum benefit to Scotland should nuclear weapons be removed.” Jackie Baille, a legislator representing a major military base in the area, opposed the group’s creation and argued that the removal of Trident submarines would result in 11,000 lost jobs in the region (Hamish MacDonell, The Scotsman, April 10). Back to top

U.S. Lawmaker to Seek Fort Detrick Safety Review U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) yesterday announced she would request a health and safety review of plans for a new biological defense laboratory at Fort Detrick in Maryland, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 29). Activists have contended that an Army environmental impact report released in February does not take into account the possibility of terrorist attacks on the proposed 1.3-million-square-foot facility, which would host the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.  The facility would include biosafety level-4 laboratories to handle some of the world’s deadliest biological agents. Before Mikulski made the announcement, Frederick County commission members voted 4-1 to ask the senator to seek the new report.  The review would be completed by the National Research Council, a division of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. “While we continue to build the technology to keep us safe from new challenges and new threats from predators, we must also remember that public safety must be our top priority,” the senator said in a statement (David Dishneau, Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, April 10). Back to top

After Debate, Hard Work Begins at CWC Conference By Chris Schneidmiller Global Security Newswire THE HAGUE — The presence of U.S. and Iranian officials in one room proved less combustible than it has in the past this week at the second review conference for the Chemical Weapons Convention (see GSN, April 28, 2003). A largely civil atmosphere in the first half of the two-week meeting encompassed the longtime antagonists, who traded accusations here five years ago. It remains to be seen whether that attitude will carry over into negotiating a document intended to review the operations of the treaty and prepare it for developing threats.  Talks began yesterday behind closed doors and delegates were said to be moving painstakingly through each paragraph as they sought to create a final version of the draft declaration. “Every state has its own opinion,” one Pakistani official said today.  Still, the delegate said he believed the conference would end with an agreed report. “We all look forward to a successful outcome,” Jamaican Ambassador Joy Wheeler said by e-mail following the first day of meetings. Diplomats spent much of the first 2 1/2 days of the conference in general debate, during which nearly 50 delegations from the 183-member convention offered their opinions on the pressing issues related to chemical weapons disarmament and nonproliferation (see GSN, April 8 and April 8). In 2003, the United States used its time to identify Iran and four other nations it suspected of chemical weapons development.  Tehran, which joined the treaty in 1997, fired back that the United States had provided materials for Iraq’s chemical weapons program and was supplying Israel with chemical weapon precursors even though that nation has not joined the convention. There were expectations of similar fireworks this year, but U.S. Ambassador Eric Javits on Tuesday did not accuse any specific nations of having covert chemical weapons programs. “It just seemed to us under the circumstances it wasn’t necessary,” said one U.S. official in The Hague.  “You have to consider the totality of the issues under discussion, the atmosphere of the discussion. “Our concerns remain, obviously,” the official added. Iran’s statement followed the U.S. appearance.  Ambassador Bozorgmehr Ziaran never used the term “United States” nor did he specifically link any U.S. entity to materials used against Iran during its 1980-88 war with Iraq.  He did offer some pointed comments regarding potential noncompliance with treaty deadline by “all possessor states” and the continued “threats of chemical warfare either by terrorist groups or by some states.” The United States possesses the world’s second-largest stockpile of chemical weapons, behind Russia.  Officials in Washington have acknowledged that destruction of munitions and banned warfare agents could stretch more than a decade past the April 2012 deadline set by the treaty, though Congress has demanded that work be finished by 2017 (see GSN, Nov. 12, 2007). Iran was one of many nations to address the threat of terrorist use of chemical weapons.  Treaty states noted the threat “with concern” in the 2003 review conference report, which indicated a working group had been formed on the issue.  However, chemical terrorism had a significantly higher profile during this year’s general debate, the U.S. official said. “It’s a much more prominent issue.  I think people were particularly troubled by the chemical attacks in Iraq involving chlorine,” he said.  “These are chemicals that are widely available in any state” (see GSN, July 2, 2007). In his statement, Javits called for better use of the tools available through the convention and of its verification body, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, as a forum for the exchange of ideas to counter chemical terrorism. “Full implementation of the convention and all its aspects is what we have to offer in terms of working against terrorism,” he told Global Security Newswire.  “There’s also the opportunity for discussion, cooperation, collaboration and communication through states parties.” The U.S. official also acknowledged other nations’ frequent expressions of concern this week about the weapons destruction schedules of the major possessor states — a way of referring to Russia and the United States without identifying them by name. While nations are unlikely to focus too intensely on the issue in this review conference document, they appeared to be setting themselves up for a special meeting one or two years before the deadline, said Paul Walker, head of the Legacy Program at the environmental organization Global Green USA, who observed the first week of the conference. “Overall, I believe the mood of the [conference] was upbeat and optimistic with the many minor differences between state parties — rich and poor, North and South, aligned and nonaligned — very muted and cordial,” Walker said by e-mail.  “After all, there was much to celebrate — over 183 states parties representing some 95 percent of the world’s population and over 26,000 tons of chemical weapons already safely eliminated.” There is no “reason why we can’t produce a good, strong positive document” before the conference ends on April 18, the U.S. official said. Biological and chemical weapons expert Richard Guthrie, also in The Hague, offered a more reserved opinion following the end of the general debate. “There can be an overly positive sense at this stage of such a meeting,” he wrote in his daily report on the conference.  “The opening statements tend to raise issues rather than suggest precisely what kind of response should be given to them.  Issues normally relate to areas where there are challenges or potential disagreements, and so it can take time for the processes of persuasion and bargaining to reach the consensus needed to respond to them in the final declaration.” Delegates yesterday were scheduled to consider several treaty topics, including destruction of weapons and weapons production facilities, universality, verification and “the role of the Chemical Weapons Convention in enhancing international peace and security.”  Talks continued today at OPCW headquarters. Back to top       CW Battle Gear for Sale on Web By Dan Friedman CongressDaily WASHINGTON — Need F-14 components? Try eBay. A team of undercover Government Accountability Office agents found parts for the fighter plane as well as body armor, night vision goggles, chemical fighting gear and other military items for sale to the highest bidder on eBay, Craigslist.org and other Web sites that allow person-to-person sales, the congressional auditing agency announced yesterday. Between January 2007 and March, agents using only credit cards, mailing addresses and false names easily bought the items, many of which were stolen from the U.S. military, Gregory Kutz, GAO managing director for forensic audits and special investigations, told a House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee. Though the Web-based companies did not break the law and many military items can be purchased legally, the sales suggest foreign states, criminals and terrorists can easily buy sensitive U.S. military equipment, investigators and lawmakers said. The items GAO bought are on a list of munitions that are illegal to sell overseas without Defense Department approval, Kutz said. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination to understand the troubling nature of some of these items being sold online, said House Oversight and Government Reform National Security Subcommittee Chairman John Tierney (D-Mass). Tierney noted GAO bought Army combat uniforms on eBay a few months after insurgents dressed in U.S. military garb killed five U.S. service members in Karbala, Iraq, in January 2007. Iran, believed to be the only country still flying F-14 Tomcats, was the intended recipient of $750,000 worth of F-14 parts that a Florida man was arrested for trying to export in 2003, Kutz said. States including China and Russia are part of a robust foreign market for U.S. military equipment, Defense Department Deputy Inspector General for Inspections Charles Beardall testified. GAO's investigation follows undercover investigations in 2002 and 2003 that showed the Defense Department was improperly selling excess sensitive military equipment, such as chemical protective suits, online. Kutz said that while the department has curtailed such sales, GAO's recent investigation shows U.S. military equipment could be sent overseas through middlemen using the Internet. Tod Cohen, vice president for government relations at eBay, said the company bars the sale of military ordnance and "essentially prohibits" selling military items not properly disposed of under Defense Department rules. The company has a fraud-investigations team that cooperates extensively with government agencies to block sales of military equipment on its site. And it uses detection tools to flag suspicious listings, Cohen added. But with up to 7 million items listed daily, "it is a challenge to enforce our policies," he said. Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said his company, which offers free classified advertisements in 450 localities, was improperly described by GAO as global marketplace, though he acknowledged some users do sell to people overseas. Buckmaster and Cohen argued any legislation restricting sales of military items should be simple and not limited to online vendors. "The key is … clear rules," Cohen said. With a hodgepodge of rules applying to sales of different military equipment, Tierney said Congress should very seriously consider a ban on sale of sensitive items. Back to top

Guards Found Sleeping at Another Power Plant Guards at a Florida nuclear power plant were found sleeping repeatedly between 2004 and 2006, according to a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission proposal to fine the plant operator.  The incident mirrored recent reports of sleeping guards at nuclear power site in Pennsylvania (see GSN, Jan. 4). The commission is seeking a $130,000 fine from Florida Power and Light Co. for the poor state of security at Turkey Point power plant near Homestead, Fla. “Security officers at Turkey Point were willfully inattentive to duty or served as lookouts so other officers could sleep on duty,” said an NRC statement. The lapses constituted “a significant security concern. … The fact that multiple examples were identified indicates that this behavior was more than an isolated occurrence during the 2004 to 2006 timeframe,” said NRC official Victor McCree in a letter to the utility. The commission proposed the fine after receiving inadequate information from Florida Power and Light about how the firm would address the problem, Environment and Energy News reported.  The utility has 30 days to reply to the fine proposal. The commission also issued a $208,000 fine in January after learning that plant security guards had removed the firing pins from their weapons as part of a labor dispute with security contractor Wackenhut. Wackenhut once provided security at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania, where guards were also found sleeping last year.  Peach Bottom’s owner, Exelon, terminated its contract with Wackenhut following the incident, but Florida Power and Light plans to keep Wackenhut on. Still, “incidents associated with the industry [have] caused our corporate leadership to increase oversight of the contract … to make sure we are getting the kind of service we are expecting,” said Florida Power and Light spokesman Dick Winn (Katherine Ling, Environment and Energy News, April 10).   Back to top

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