British Response:  MI5 Creates List of Potential Targets

The British MI5 intelligence service has created a list of 350 potential terrorist targets within the United Kingdom, including government buildings, military installations and nuclear power plants, the London Times reported today (see GSN, May 14).

The MI5 list includes the United Kingdom’s 15 nuclear power plants, according to the Times.  In response, British authorities have increased security measures at nuclear power plants.  The Sellafield plutonium reprocessing plant also was noted as needing increased security, the Times reported (see GSN, Jan. 22).

The biological and chemical weapons defense research center at Porton Down and the nuclear weapons facility at Aldermaston were also on the MI5 list, according to the Times (see GSN, May 10).  British military bases, including the Trident submarine base at Faslane, were also seen as potentially vulnerable to a terrorist attack.

The threat of suicide attacks, which the United Kingdom has never experienced even with Irish Republican Army terrorist activity, has made it almost impossible to completely protect many of the sites on the MI5 list, the Times reported.  The MI5 security analysis factored in suicide attacks as well as potential attacks conducted with hijacked airliners.  There is no evidence of a specific terrorist threat against any of the sites listed by MI5, according to the Times (Michael Evans, London Times, June 6).

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U.S. Response I:  Legislators Consider Solution to Insurance Logjam

By Pamela Barnett

CongressDaily

WASHINGTON — Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) told CongressDaily Wednesday that Democrats were considering an offer to use a House-passed reinsurance bill as base text as a way to break the logjam that has impeded Senate action (see GSN, April 25).

The parties are divided over the underlying text, with Republicans fighting for language effectively barring an individual from seeking punitive damages associated with acts of terrorism against a private business or the federal government.  Democrats have sought to preserve that right in certain instances.

Dodd emphasized that a formal offer to use the text of the House-passed bill as the floor vehicle had not yet been made, but he said it was under discussion.

If Democrats make the offer, it will represent a significant turnabout for the party.  Senate GOP leaders have sought on two occasions this year to bring the House-passed bill up for consideration, only to have Senate Democratic leaders reject the offer.

By all accounts, the House bill is far more restrictive on individuals who might seek to sue for punitive damages than the recent Senate Republican offers, which Democratic leaders have rejected repeatedly.

The GOP, in turn, has rejected the Democrats’ offer to bring up the House bill — which is pending at the desk — and immediately substitute their preferred text, which would then be open for amendment on both sides.

Asked about the seeming change of heart by Senate Democrats, Dodd said Wednesday it was important that the party be seen as doing everything it can to advance the legislation.

Dodd said the new plan would allow for as many as five amendments per side.

However, some observers noted that the strategy is not as risky for Democrats as it might seem at first blush.  It is common knowledge that key Senate Republicans oppose the substance of the House-passed bill, including its formula for coverage.  Thus, there is slim chance the Senate ever would accept the House bill as is.

Meanwhile, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — who, along with Senator Phil Gramm (R-Texas), presented an offer last week to Democratic leaders in a bid to resolve the tort reform debate — told CongressDaily Wednesday that the most recent offer was likely their last.

The newest Republican offer would allow individuals to sue for punitive damages associated with acts of terrorism — but only if the defendant in the case already had been convicted of a felony in conjunction with the said terrorist attack.

“Frankly, we think that’s as far as we’re willing to go,” McConnell said in an interview.  “It’s a reasonable offer, and we hope the Democratic leader accepts it.”

Senate Democratic leaders dismissed the proposal as unacceptable last week.

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U.S. Response II:  NRC Holds Firm on Private Nuclear Security Forces

By Tanya Ballard

Government Executive

WASHINGTON — Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials are continuing to resist efforts by Congress to federalize security forces at the nation’s nuclear facilities (see GSN, May 28).

“The private guard forces that exist today at such facilities are qualified, trained and tightly regulated,” NRC Chairman Richard Meserve testified Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (see GSN, March 25).  “There is no need, unlike the situation of airports, to federalize security at such plants.  There have been no failures in nuclear plant security that would warrant the creation of a new federal security force for NRC-licensed facilities.”

Shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and James Jeffords (I-Vt.) introduced the 2001 Nuclear Security Act.  The bill would make more than 5,000 nuclear security officers federal employees and establish a training and evaluation process for them.  Currently, NRC regulations put private companies in charge of nuclear plant security.

Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.) testified at the hearing as well, arguing that serious lapses in security have occurred at nuclear facilities.  Markey sponsored a companion to the Senate bill in the House.  He drew attention to the potential threat to nuclear plants at a press conference with six whistleblowers in January (see GSN, Jan. 23).

“The nuclear industry’s guard forces have been routinely failing elementary school force-on-force security exams, when we now know they will be faced with a college-level test,” Markey told committee members.  “The NRC is still operating in a pre-Sept. 11 world.  While the NRC and the nuclear power industry has been saying nothing short of ‘It can’t happen here,’ we know all too well that the terrorists of al-Qaeda have contemplated and would carry out an attack on a nuclear facility.”

Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), an investigative organization that works to improve public policy, said mock terrorist attacks, staged to prepare nuclear security guards, serve no purpose because they are “seriously dumbed down to favor the guard forces.”

But Meserve held firm to his belief that federalization is not needed, telling lawmakers they need to focus on overall protection of the nation’s critical facilities, such as nuclear plants and chemical plants, rather than focusing solely on nuclear facilities.

“Congress is going to have to decide how much our society is prepared to spend on security as a whole,” Meserve said.

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U.S. Testing:  Subcritical Test Planned for Tomorrow

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The United States plans to conduct a subcritical nuclear test tomorrow after a technical problem delayed the test originally scheduled for yesterday (see GSN, May 10).

The test will take place at the Nevada Test Site, 85 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 960 feet below the Earth’s surface.  It will be the 17^th such test at the site, the first having occurred in 1997 (see GSN, Feb. 15).

The experiment, which involves using high explosives that apply high pressures to fissile materials, is intended to answer questions about the material properties of plutonium, according to a Department of Energy statement (see GSN, June 5).

The data produced will be used in the Energy Department’s Stockpile Stewardship program, which is designed to maintain the safety and reliability of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

Anti-nuclear groups and some governments have criticized the United States for conducting such tests, saying that they are unnecessary, that they can undermine support for international arms control and that they can be difficult for other countries to monitor to ensure they do not go critical and violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

The CTBT prohibits carrying out “any nuclear weapon test explosion or any other nuclear explosion.”  It is widely understood that the treaty does not bar subcritical experiments, since while they do use fissile material, critical mass is not reached.  “Therefore, no self-sustaining, or critical, nuclear chain reaction occurs.  Without this “chain reaction,” there is no nuclear explosion,” according to the Energy statement.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton signed the CTBT but the Senate has not approved it for ratification and President George W. Bush has said he will not ratify.

China, India, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, and Norway have stated opposition to subcritical testing, and the European Parliament in 1998 called on the United States and all other countries to refrain from such testing.

The United Kingdom is involved in testing at the Nevada site, and Russia is believed to conduct subcritical experiments as well (see GSN, May 28).

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India-Pakistan:  U.S. to Propose New Kashmir Monitoring Force

The United States plans to propose a joint U.S.-British military monitoring force to patrol the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir territory as tensions between India and Pakistan remain high, the London Independent reported today (see GSN, June 5).

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld plans to offer the proposal when he visits South Asia next week, defense and diplomatic sources said.  A mission to verify that militants are not crossing from Pakistan’s portion of Kashmir into India’s side would require about 500 troops, sources said, adding the mission would work with Indian and Pakistani security forces.

Pakistan has called for more monitors in the region, but India has refused such proposals.  India might accept a U.S.-British force, however, according to the Independent.

Pakistan yesterday rejected an Indian proposal for joint Indian-Pakistani patrols (Kim Sengupta, London Independent, June 6).  Indian officials said the proposal would only apply if India were convinced Pakistan had stopped supporting militants.

Two senior Bush administration officials said the United States had not made any formal proposals for monitoring in Kashmir, the New York Times reported yesterday.

U.S. Strategy: Keep Them Talking

The current U.S. strategy is to keep India and Pakistan talking to outside interlocutors, one official said. 

“The betting is that as along as we keep a steady parade of dignitaries coming through to talk peace, neither side will launch something,” the official said.  “But it’s only a bet” (Sanger/Dugger, New York Times, June 6).

Lewis Dunn, senior vice president of Science Applications International Corp., also said today at a meeting at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that the international strategy seems to be to send senior officials to the region with the hope that neither India nor Pakistan would start a war while officials are there (Kerry Boyd, GSN, June 6).

Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met today with Pakistani leaders, including President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.  Musharraf “made it clear to me he wants to do everything he can to avoid war, and I think that’s a very good basis on which to proceed,” Armitage said.

Armitage is scheduled to fly to India tomorrow to meet with officials there and said he hoped to hear a commitment to pursue peace from Indian officials as well (Associated Press/New York Times, June 6).

Additionally, U.S. President George W. Bush telephoned Musharraf and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday and urged them to make efforts to reduce tensions.  Bush called on Pakistan to follow through on its promises to end all support for terrorism and urged India to respond with steps designed to de-escalate the situation (White House statement, June 5).

Foreigners Told to Leave Region

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department yesterday issued its strongest warning yet to U.S. citizens in India and Pakistan, urging them to leave the region due to heightened tensions (see GSN, June 3).  The department statement said it “strongly urges that American citizens in India depart” and “warned” U.S. citizens against traveling to India — stronger wording than the last advisory, which advised citizens against going to the region (Anwar Iqbal, United Press International, June 6).

The United Kingdom went further and ordered its citizens to leave Pakistan and India immediately, official sources said yesterday, according to the Pakistani paper Dawn.  “There was an advisory previously asking citizens to leave the region; now there is an order,” a source said (Dawn, June 6).

Some Indians Afraid

Many wealthy Indians have started leaving the country for Western destinations, and some other Indians have moved to the hill regions in the hope such areas would protect them from radioactive fallout, the Daily Telegraph reported (see GSN, Jan. 28). 

The Indian government has not worked to educate citizens on how to respond to a nuclear strike, according to the Telegraph.  Indian media has displayed graphic accounts of the consequences of a nuclear strike, and India citizens are beginning to express fear, the Telegraph reported (Rahul Bedi, Daily Telegraph/Vancouver Sun, June 6).

Dunn suggested today that the international media work to educate Indians on what would happen if nuclear war broke out in the hope that they would urge their leaders against nuclear war. 

David Albright, president of the Institute for Science and International Security, said there have been such educational efforts in India in the past, but the message never sank in, and people often did not take the threat seriously (Boyd, GSN).

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U.S.-Russia:  Bush Urges Senators to Ratify Arms Reduction Treaty

In an effort to persuade senators to approve ratification of the recently signed U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty, U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday met with leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (see GSN, May 31).

Bush met with committee Chairman Joseph Biden (D-Del.) and ranking member Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) to urge them to move the treaty toward full Senate approval before the Senate adjourns in early October, according to White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.  After meeting with Bush, Biden said he expects six Senate hearings on the treaty, which will probably go before the full Senate for a ratification vote in the fall.

Russian plans for storing nuclear materials removed from decommissioned warheads remain a prime concern, both senators said (Associated Press/Salon.com, June 5).

They expressed support for the treaty but stressed that Russia would need more funds to destroy and secure warheads, Agence France-Presse reported.

“Both of us, in a practical way, pledged to help the president and the vice president with this treaty,” Lugar said (Olivier Knox, Agence France-Presse, June 5).

Secretary of State Colin Powell also met with members of Congress yesterday to gain support for the treaty, according to Voice of America News (VOANews.com, June 5).

For further information, see:

Moscow Treaty Text

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Threat Assessment:  Recent Events Will Not Sway Doomsday Clock

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Recent events such as the new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms reduction treaty and heightened tensions between India and Pakistan will not lead to a change in the hands of the Doomsday Clock, the publisher of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 27).

Those events were already factored into the last repositioning, said Bulletin Publisher Stephen Schwartz.  When the hands of the clock were last moved in February to seven minutes to midnight, aspects of the U.S-Russian arms reduction treaty were already known even though the treaty itself had not been signed, he said.  Similarly, the tensions between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region were already in evidence, with both sides’ military forces positioned on the border, he said.  The only change now is an elevation in rhetoric, Schwartz added.

“We felt we’ve already had our say,” he said.  “We’ve already fired our warning shot.  Like we said in February, ‘The clock [is] ticking.’”

The Doomsday Clock’s current position is identical to its position when it was created in 1947 as a way to graphically illustrate the current worldwide threat of nuclear war — represented by midnight.  Before being adjusted in February, the clock was set at nine minutes to midnight, which represented tensions resulting from Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapon tests.

It would take a real commitment to arms reduction by both the United States and Russia, in addition to the new treaty, to help move the clock farther away from midnight, Schwartz said (see GSN, May 30).  In a February press release, the Bulletin said it would take a move by both the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear weapons arsenals down to less than 1,000 warheads each by the end of the decade.

Even though hostile rhetoric between India and Pakistan has led many observers to become concerned that tensions might flare into an all-out nuclear war, a mere ratcheting down of the tensions would also not move the hands away from midnight, Schwartz said (see related GSN story, today).  Only a serious attempt to restart dialogue between the two states and a demilitarization of the border would be a factor, he said.

Kashmir Invasion

If India or Pakistan were to invade the other, however, that too by itself would not lead to a change in the clock’s hands, Schwartz said, adding that such an attack alone would not be enough to fundamentally change global security.  The Bulletin would instead take a wait-and-see approach, as it did with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred too quickly to become a factor, he said.

“The clock reacts to events,” Schwartz said.  “It does not anticipate them.”

Single events and factors rarely result in a change to the hands of the Doomsday Clock, Schwartz said, noting that the only single event to lead to such a change was the detonation of the Soviet atomic bomb in 1949.  If a nuclear strike resulted in the destruction of a major Indian or Pakistani city, such as New Delhi or Islamabad, and other major nations were drawn into the conflict, however, that scenario could move the hands rapidly toward midnight — doomsday, he said.

Schwartz noted several other potential factors in the next repositioning of the clock’s hands, such as growing concerns of proliferation of Russian nuclear materials and fears that terrorists could acquire weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, June 4).  If the Bush administration were to take an even more hard-line and unilateralist approach to international agreements, such as scrapping the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, that too could become a factor, Schwartz said.

Another factor that could lead to the clock moving closer to midnight would be a re-formation of the Soviet Union, Schwartz said, adding, “That’s about as likely to happen as the Cubs winning the World Series, so I don’t worry about it.”

For further information, see:

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

NPT Text

States Parties

U.N. Background on NPT

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NPT:  Kazakh President Criticizes Treaty

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev Tuesday criticized the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, saying such agreements are ineffective because they still allow nuclear weapons to be stockpiled (see GSN, June 4).

“The existing treaties on nonproliferation and the ban on nuclear arms are flawed,” Nazarbayev said.  “The whole world and the United Nations” should revise nonproliferation treaties to make sure “everybody, including major nuclear powers, reduce nuclear arsenals and other countries do not create them” (Interfax, June 4 in FBIS-SOV, June 4).

For further information, see:

NPT Text

States Parties

U.N. Background on NPT

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Cuba:  No Biological Weapons Program, Bush Administration Official Says

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Cuba does not have a biological weapons program, but the U.S. intelligence community believes it has a limited biological weapons “effort,” a senior Bush Administration official said yesterday.

The official said that the United States has no direct proof of biological weapons work, apparently clarifying recent administration comments widely taken to suggest otherwise (see GSN, May 7).

“We never tried to suggest we had a smoking gun,” said Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Carl Ford, appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The term “effort,” as explained by Ford, refers to Cuba’s dual-use “facilities and capabilities,” intended ostensibly for nonmilitary biomedical production, but which could be used for offensive military purposes.

It is “the research and development necessary to create BW weapons,” he said.

Cuba has a “robust” biotechnology infrastructure, he said, which includes trained medical and scientific personnel, research into various human and animal diseases, biological containment facilities and other research facilities, he said.

“They have everything you need to build an offensive biological weapon.”

Ford stopped short, however, of saying the United States has direct evidence that Cuba is using those biotechnological capabilities to develop biological weapons.

There is a difficulty of clearly identifying whether biological capabilities are being used for weapons work, “owing to the dual-use nature of the technology and materials used to support a BW program,” he said, in a prepared statement to the committee.

Capabilities, No Program

Ford, furthermore, said Cuba does not have a program to develop biological weapons or their delivery systems.

The criteria for determining whether a country has a weapons “program” were developed during the Cold War, Ford said, describing how a weapons program would include “test facilities, weapons, development weapons production, the weaponization process in sort of its entirety.”

“If you look at what we see going on in Cuba, we don’t see that sort of thing,” Ford said.

“I certainly see no indications that there is a first strike capability or an effort to strike the United States,” he added.

Nevertheless, Cuba’s biological capabilities should be a concern to the United States, considering that biological agents can be delivered without a sophisticated delivery platform, Ford said.

“Though we make a distinction between a program and an effort, it’s not to suggest that an effort cannot help you,” he said.

Criticism

The official’s comments, which were made at a hearing examining whether Cuba is in fact pursuing biological weapons, appeared to clarify comments made by Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John R. Bolton earlier this year.  Those comments were widely taken to mean the Bush Administration believes Cuba is developing biological weapons.

“The United States believes that Cuba has at least a limited offensive biological warfare research-and-development effort,” said Bolton on May 6, speaking at the Heritage Foundation.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter took issue with the “allegation of bioterrorism,” saying he had been briefed by U.S. authorities, who provided no indication Cuba has such program (see GSN, May 14).

Carter said the allegations “were made maybe not coincidentally just before our visit to Cuba.”

“There is a lot of rhetoric around this, made by a very high ranking administration official,” said Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), noting, “there are various people trying to spin this thing.  That concerns me.”

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Smallpox I:  Majority of U.S. Citizens Want Vaccine, Poll Says

About 60 percent of U.S. citizens recently surveyed have said they would be willing to be vaccinated against smallpox, even with potentially fatal side effects and a low risk of an attack, a Harvard professor said yesterday (see GSN, May 26).

“People’s willingness to be vaccinated when there hasn’t been a single case is a bit of a surprise,” said Harvard School of Public Health researcher Robert Blendon, who conducted the survey.  “It shows the anxiety people feel about the bioterrorism threat.”

If a smallpox case were to be discovered, about 80 percent of people surveyed would want to be vaccinated, Blendon said.  One in 10 people, however, said they would refuse smallpox vaccination no matter the circumstances, he said.

The poll, which was conducted last month, surveyed 3,011 adults, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  It also indicated that people have some misconceptions about smallpox, the Journal-Constitution reported.  Only a third of the people surveyed knew that the smallpox vaccine could be used to prevent the disease even after exposure (see GSN, May 10).  About 20 percent incorrectly said that smallpox could be treated once a person becomes infected.

“The poll shows the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] needs to work on public education,” Blendon said.  “If there is a first case, there will be enormous pressure to respond” (M.A.J. McKenna, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 6).

Other results of the poll include:

*         More than 40 percent of people surveyed said they were concerned about a future terrorist attack involving smallpox.

*         Fewer than 10 percent said they think someone in their immediate family will contract smallpox in the next 12 months.  About 20 percent believe an immediate family member will be hurt in another form of terrorist attack.

*         A total of 75 percent of people surveyed said they were at least mildly optimistic that they would survive contracting smallpox.

*         Those who believed their doctor could recognize the symptoms of smallpox numbered 85 percent, while 70 percent said they believed their local emergency room could treat patients who contracted the disease.

*         Out those surveyed, 28 percent said they trusted the CDC to provide correct information in the event of the smallpox outbreak, 26 percent said they trusted state and local health officials and 19 percent said they trusted Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson (AScribe Newswire, June 5).

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Smallpox II:  CDC Begins Public Hearings on Vaccination

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to begin today a series of public hearings on smallpox vaccination to obtain public input for recommendations on a U.S. vaccination strategy (see related GSN story, today).

The first two public hearings are scheduled for tonight in New York and San Francisco, according to the Washington Post.  A third hearing is scheduled in St. Louis on Saturday and a fourth is scheduled for San Antonio, Texas, on Tuesday.  The National Academy of Sciences is scheduled to hold a forum on June 15 in Washington to obtain input from scientists and clinicians, the Post reported.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a permanent committee established to develop U.S. vaccination strategy, is expected to meet in Washington June 19-20 to prepare a final set of recommendations on a U.S. smallpox vaccination plan, according to the Post (see GSN, May 7).  Those recommendations will then be given to Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

“The subject is anything but clear what our recommendation will or should be,” said D.A. Henderson, Thompson’s chief adviser on biological terrorism.  “It is not until you get down into the weeds that you see all the problems of trying to vaccinate any number of people” (Washington Post, June 6).

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United States I:  Grand Jury Indicts “Dr. Chaos”

A U.S. grand jury yesterday indicted Joseph Konopka — the self-proclaimed Dr. Chaos — on two counts of possessing chemical weapons, for storing cyanide in the Chicago subway system (see GSN, March 14).

Authorities arrested Konopka in March on suspicion of trespassing in the subway system and found containers of sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide in a storage room, according to the Associated Press.

Federal law does not provide a maximum penalty for possession of chemical weapons, so if Konopka is found guilty, his sentence would be left up to the judge, said the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago.  Konopka could also face up to $500,000 in fines if he is convicted on both counts (Associated Press, June 6).

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Lithuania:  World War II-Era Bomb Washes Up at Port

A German World War II-era bomb believed to contain chemical weapons washed up on shore yesterday at the Lithuanian port of Klaipeda (see GSN, March 11).

The bomb, two meters long, is marked with a human skull, according to the Baltic News Serivce.  Lithuanian officials are still investigating whether chemicals are inside, and if so, whether they have leaked.  It is believed that the bomb contains mustard gas agent, BNS reported.

At the end of World War II, Allied nations sank barges containing thousands of German-made munitions into the Baltic Sea (Baltic News Service I, June 5).  The Soviet Army was supposed to have buried munitions taken from Nazi Germany in the Atlantic Ocean, but it used the Baltic Sea instead and dumped the bombs in water that was less than 20 meters deep in some places, according to Baltic News Service.

It is estimated that there are about 40,000 chemical bombs in the sea.  There are 27 known sunken barges that contain munitions, but some experts have said there might be as many as 60 sunken ships with chemical weapons (Baltic News Service Story II, June 5).

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Israel:  Militants Intended to Use Cyanide, Army Official Says

Palestinian militants had intended to use cyanide gas in a suicide bomb attack that was carried out in Israel during the Passover holiday in March, an Israeli Army spokesman said yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 2).

Israeli military chief Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi told an Israeli parliamentary committee Tuesday about the plan to incorporate cyanide gas into the bombing of a hotel in the Israeli city of Netanya.  A technical malfunction, however, prevented the use of the gas, Zeevi said, according to the Israeli newspaper Maariv.

There was no presence of cyanide at the scene of the bombing, said Israeli army spokesman Brig. Gen. Ron Kitrey.  “We are talking about an intention,” he said, adding that Palestinian militants had previously coated bombs with rat poison.

The intention to use cyanide gas was part of an effort by Palestinian militants to launch a “mega attack” — one that would result in a large number of casualties, Kitrey said (Yoav Appel, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, June 5).

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United States II:  Army Completes Second Test of Anniston Incinerator

The U.S. Army has completed a second round of testing at a chemical weapons incinerator in Anniston, Ala., the Associated Press reported yesterday.  Officials said they expect a report on the testing in 45 days (see GSN, March 18).

The weeklong test focused on the deactivation furnace system, which would burn explosives, fuses, propellant and residual agent.  The test followed a previous trial burn of the liquid incinerator, which is designed to destroy nerve and blister agent removed from chemical weapons.

“Everything seemed to go as well as it did with the liquid incinerator,” Army spokesman Mike Abrams said (Associated Press, June 5).

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Russian Response:  Officials Conduct Simulated Attack at CW Depot

Russian authorities have conducted a training exercise to practice response procedures in the event of a terrorist attack on a chemical weapons depot, officials said today (see GSN, May 30).

Russian police, weapons experts, security agents and health officials took part in the simulated terrorist attack on the chemical weapons depot in Udmurita, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said.  The exercise included cooperation between law enforcement and health officials for the rapid treatment of victims and the best measures to contain a chemical spill or blast, the ministry said in a statement (Associated Press/Yahoo.com, June 6).

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Iran:  Ukrainian Authorities Detain Missile Parts Smuggler

Ukrainian law enforcement officials have detained a man for attempting to purchase components for Scud ballistic missile guidance systems, Interfax reported Tuesday (see GSN, May 28).

Authorities detained Helmut Martins in April and discovered that he possessed equipment for checking missile guidance systems, said Ukrainian Security Service spokeswoman Marina Ostapenko.  Martins admitted he had planned to smuggle the system components to another country that has had sanctions imposed on it, she said.  The Ukrainian newspaper Fakty has reported that Martins planned to smuggle the equipment to Iran, according to Interfax (see GSN, May 20).

Ukrainian officials later deported Martins with a special notation in his passport indicating he was an unwanted person, Interfax reported (Interfax, June 2 in FBIS-SOV, June 2).

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ABM Treaty:  Congressman Wants to Vote on Treaty Withdrawal

U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) yesterday introduced a motion on the floor of the House of Representatives saying that U.S. President George W. Bush needs congressional approval to withdraw from a treaty.

The United States should not officially withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, as it is scheduled to do on June 13, without the consent of Congress, Kucinich said (see GSN, May 28).  The nonbonding resolution states that the president has no authority to unilaterally withdraw from treaties, according to the Associated Press.

“The president is not authorized to withdraw unilaterally from treaties,” Kucinich said.  “This motion ensures Congress’ constitutional duties.”

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) is expected to decide today whether Kucinich’s motion is in order, AP reported.  If Hastert supports the motion, it would then go before the full House for debate and a vote.

Kucinich, however, has said he might file a lawsuit before the U.S. withdrawal if there is no vote on his motion (Jim Abrams, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, June 5).

For further information, see:

ABM Treaty Text

U.S. Fact Sheet on Withdrawal from ABM Treaty

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Russia:  Space Troops Complete Testing on New Radar System

Russian troops have finished testing a new missile attack warning radar in Baranovichi, Belarus.  The early warning radar able to track ballistic missile launches in Europe.

The “Volga” radar is now operating in trial mode and is expected to enter into full service this summer, the Space Troops’ press office said, according to ITAR-Tass.  The radar will increase the ability of Russia and other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States to defend against missile attack, the press office said (ITAR-Tass, June 4 in FBIS-SOV, June 5).

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Nuclear Waste:  Senate Committee Approves Yucca Mountain

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday narrowly approved Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the site of the first long-term U.S. nuclear waste repository (see GSN, May 24).

The committee voted 13-10 to support a joint resolution to override Nevada Governor Kenny Guinn’s veto of the site.  Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Senators Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) voted against the rest of the committee’s Democrats to support the override resolution, according to committee spokesman Bill Wicker.  Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) bucked his party to oppose the resolution, Wicker said.

Last month, the full House of Representatives voted 306-117 in favor of the resolution (see GSN, May 9).  To override the veto and maintain Yucca Mountain as the site of the repository, both houses of Congress must approve the joint resolution within 90 days of Guinn’s veto.  While no date has yet been set for a full Senate vote on the resolution, it must occur before July 25, Wicker said (see GSN, March 29).

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham yesterday praised the committee for its support of Yucca Mountain, saying it indicates the bipartisan support needed to proceed with the repository project.

“The Energy Committee’s bipartisan vote is an important step toward enhancing our national security and environmental protections,” Abraham said in a press release.

The U.S. nuclear energy industry, a major supporter of the Yucca Mountain project, also praised the committee for its vote and called on the full Senate to approve the override resolution.

“Today’s positive vote on Yucca Mountain suitability is another welcome display of energy and environmental leadership by members of Congress,” said Joe Colvin, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the main lobbying group of the nuclear industry.  “We urge the full Senate to join the House, the scientific community and a bipartisan cadre of governors, state legislators, mayors and other local officials across the nation who have endorsed the Yucca Mountain repository program.”

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, however, criticized the committee’s support of the Yucca Mountain project, saying there is little scientific backing for the repository.

“We urge the Senate to reject this ill-conceived project and to vote against the measure on the floor,” the group’s staff attorney Pierre Sadik said in a press statement.  “This is neither sound science nor sound policy — this is simply hoping that Americans are soundly asleep as the nuclear industry tries to pass this through Congress.”

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