Threat Assessment:  NRC Will Not Factor Terrorism Into Licensing Decisions

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has decided that the possible threat of a terrorist attack cannot be considered when licensing a nuclear facility, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Dec. 30, 2002).

In its ruling last month, the commission decided that terrorism could not be considered under the National Environmental Policy Act, which requires the issuing of an Environmental Impact Statement before any major action, according to the Times.  While taking note of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the NRC said a better approach would be to improve security at nuclear sites or the country as a whole, rather than attempt to determine the environmental impact of a terrorist attack on a site.

The commission also decided that site security preparations would remain secret.  It said that discussing the possible threat to a site during a licensing hearing would provide too much information to terrorists and might “unduly alarm the public.”

The ruling applies to several nuclear facilities, including a mixed-oxide fuel production plant under construction in South Carolina and two reactors that would use the MOX fuel, according to the Times (see GSN, May 9, 2002).

Some NRC critics have charged that the ruling ignored the idea that terrorists will choose targets near population centers.

“One of the main threats we face today in the U.S. is that many potentially hazardous facilities are located near heavily populated areas,” said Edwin Lyman, president of the Nuclear Control Institute, a nuclear activist group.  “This situation is tolerated because severe accidents are considered highly improbable.  But surely in the future, it makes sense to consider the possibility of terrorist acts that could intentionally cause large releases when making decisions about the location and design features of hazardous facilities,” he added (Matthew Wald, New York Times, Jan. 7).

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Iraq I:  Inspectors Begin Air Operations as United States Denies Spying Allegations

U.N. weapons inspectors used helicopters for the first time in Iraq today to visit a uranium mine, and the United States denied Iraqi allegations that the inspectors were engaged in spying activities (see GSN, Jan. 6).

The inspectors traveled to the Akashat uranium mine in al-Qaim, located about 260 miles west of Baghdad near the Syrian border, according to the Iraqi Information Ministry (CNN.com, Jan. 7).  Two helicopters from the Iraqi Monitoring Directorate — the Iraqi liaison office with inspectors — followed the inspectors’ helicopter, according to Reuters.

Inspectors also drove today to at least five other Iraqi sites, Reuters reported.  Missile experts from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission visited the al-Mutasim missile plant in Jurf al-Sakhr, about 30 miles south of Baghdad.  An UNMOVIC biological team visited a cancer research center in the capital.

Inspectors also began inspecting the University of Mosul in the northern part of the country, according to Reuters.  A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected a cement factor in Kbeisi, about 120 miles west of Baghdad, and a nearby air force base (Reuters, Jan. 7).

Yesterday, inspectors visited seven sites, according to an IAEA release.  An UNMOVIC biological team visited the bin Seena Center, which produces veterinary drugs.  UNMOVIC missile experts traveled to an army base located far south of Baghdad and began tagging surface-to-surface solid propellant al-Fatah rockets, according to the agency release.  Inspectors are slated to tag Iraq’s remaining al-Fatah rockets by the end of the week.  Inspectors also visited the maintenance section of the al-Fao Company, in northern Baghdad, the agency release said.

The IAEA also provided more detail on the inspectors’ visit yesterday to the Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center.  While there, inspectors visited a number of locations, including the Nuclear Physics Academic Research Center, the Physics Research Materials and Electronics Studies Center and the Laser and Plasma Research Center, to ascertain the level of activity (IAEA release, Jan. 6).

Inspectors have so far found no evidence that Iraq lied in the declaration of its weapons of mass destruction programs that it submitted to the United Nations, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said yesterday. 

There is currently no “smoking gun,” ElBaradei said, adding that inspections were still in the early stages (CNN.com).

Washington Denies Spying

The United States yesterday denied Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s recent allegations that the inspectors were using their mission to engage in spying activities.

Hussein’s charges were “baseless and false,” U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said.  He added that such accusations might be considered as noncompliance with U.N. resolutions.

“It is not the way to solve this situation,” Boucher said.  “His [Hussein’s] accusations are untrue and may indicate an intention not to comply,” he added (G.G. LaBelle, Associated Press, Jan. 7).

U.S. President George W. Bush said Hussein’s accusations were just another indication of Iraq’s unwillingness to peacefully disarm.

“Well, I thought that was an interesting statement on his part,” Bush said, referring to the spying allegations made by Hussein.  “When you combine that with the fact that his declaration was clearly deficient, it is discouraging news for those of us who want to resolve this issue peacefully,” Bush added (White House release, Jan. 6).

Fortress Baghdad

Meanwhile, Iraq has begun developing a two-layered defense around Baghdad in preparation for a U.S. invasion, according to U.S. intelligence officials. 

The establishment of the defensive rings around the city has been going on since November, and has involved the deployment of both regular Iraqi military units and Republican Guard units in an outer ring, according to the Washington Times.  An inner ring is being established using Iraqi Special Republican Guard units, which are responsible for protecting the Iraqi leadership, according to officials.  The Iraqi military believes that U.S. troops will penetrate the first ring, but will be held back by the elite Special Republican Guard forces, the officials said.

The Iraqi defense appears to be an attempt to trap U.S. forces, military experts said.  The two-ring defense might be meant to lure U.S. and allied troops toward Baghdad and then attack them with chemical and biological weapons, the Times reported.  It would be difficult for the United States to respond to such an attack with a tactical nuclear strike without causing large-scale civilian casualties.

The two-layered defense is probably meant to defend Baghdad from both U.S. forces and defecting Iraqi military units, said retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis.

“I don’t put a lot of credence to the outer ring,” Maginnis said.  “But it’s the inner ring and the paramilitary forces scattered around the city that are going to be the real problem,” he added (Bill Gertz, Washington Times, Jan. 7).

For further information, see:

UNMOVIC

IAEA Iraq Action Team

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Iraq II:  Summary of Inspections

Experts from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency have conducted hundreds of inspections in Iraq since resuming the post-Gulf War inspection regime Nov. 27.  More than 100 inspectors are now based in the country at two facilities in Baghdad and Mosul.  Today, inspectors used helicopters for the first time to travel to an inspection site. The following chart summarizes some of the inspectors’ reported activities.

Date	Site	Activity
Jan. 7	Akashat uranium mine in al-Qaim, located about 260 miles west of Baghdad	See GSN, Jan. 7.
	Al-Mutasim missile plant in Jurf al-Sakhr, about 30 miles south of Baghdad
	Baghdad cancer research center
	University of Mosul
	Cement factor in Kbeisi, about 120 miles west of Baghdad
	Air force base near Kbeisi, about 120 miles west of Baghdad
Jan. 6	Bin Seena Center	An UNMOVIC biological team visited the site, which produces veterinary drugs (see GSN, Jan. 7).
	Army base located far south of Baghdad	An UNMOVIC missile team began tagging surface-to-surface solid propellant al-Fatah rockets (see GSN, Jan. 7)
	Maintenance section of the al-Fao Company, in northern Baghdad	See GSN, Jan. 7
	Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Center	See the Dec. 20 entry.
	Bin Bitar research center, about five miles north of Baghdad	See GSN, Jan. 6
	Fallujah 3 pesticide factory	See the Dec. 9 entry.
	Faydah free-trade zone, located about 240 miles north of Baghdad	See GSN, Jan. 6
Jan. 5	Graphite facility	See GSN, Jan. 6
	Hospital in the northern city of Mosul
	University in the southern city of Basra
	Hospital in the southern city of Basra
	Food laboratory at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
	Glass research center at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
	Al-Basel company at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
	Al-Khawarizmi company at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
	Al-Tabani company at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
	Al-Majd company at the National Monitoring Directorate in Baghdad
Jan. 4	Al-Ma’mun Factory, part of the al-Rashid State Company	IAEA inspectors visited the site’s facilities and asked about projects and recently purchased machines (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Al-Ubur State Company	IAEA inspectors inquired about the company’s affiliation, visited an aluminum pipe storage site and conducted a radiation survey (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Bin Sina Company	UNMOVIC chemical inspectors met with company officials, searched computers and visited the site’s small production units and various laboratories (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Army Helicopter Gunships Base at al-Suwayrah	UNMOVIC inspectors met with the base commander and searched the site’s facilities and warehouses (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Al-Khalis Alcohol distillery	UNMOVIC biological inspectors reviewed the plant’s activities and changes that occurred since 1998 (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Basra University Faculty of Agriculture	UNMOVIC biological inspectors met with the faculty dean and discussed research conducted since 1998 (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
	Basra University Faculty of Nutrition	UNMOVIC biological inspectors verified tags and declarations (Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Main Service, Jan. 4, in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4).
Jan. 3	Al Mamoun Plant	UNMOVIC missile inspectors tagged several pieces of declared equipment (IAEA release, Jan. 3).
	Former ammunitions depot	UNMOVIC inspectors visited the site, which has been a previously used as a chemical weapons storage site (IAEA release, Jan. 3).
	Adjacent area to the former ammunitions depot	UNMOVIC inspectors visited the site, which had been used for chemical weapons tests (IAEA release, Jan. 3).
	Al Basil Narawan site, part of the al-Basil Center	UNMOVIC chemical inspectors visited the site, which produces several types of chemicals (IAEA release, Jan. 3).
Dec. 21- Jan. 2	See GSN, Jan. 2

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U.S. Export Controls:  Court Approves Settlement in Silicon Graphics Case

A U.S. federal court yesterday approved a settlement between Silicon Graphics Inc. and the Justice Department for export control violations related to the company’s 1996 transfer of computers to a Russian facility (see GSN, Nov. 19, 2002).

Under the settlement, the company agreed that it should have applied for an export license for the transfer of four deskside computers to a Russian laboratory involved in both civil and military activities, according to an SGI release.  SGI has agreed to pay $100,000 in fines for two export licensing violations.

SGI has also reached an agreement with the Commerce Department to pay a $182,000 fine to resolve administrative claims related to the 1996 transfer, the release said.  Commerce will also review certain exports the company made to Russia for a period of three years (SGI release, Jan. 7).

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North Korea:  IAEA Calls on Pyongyang to Take “First Step”

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency called on North Korea yesterday to take the “first step” in resolving the conflict surrounding its nuclear program by agreeing to comply with its international nonproliferation obligations (see GSN, Jan. 6).

“I hope that D.P.R.K. will seize this opportunity to come into compliance,” IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said following a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors, which approved a resolution outlining North Korea’s obligations under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and the 1994 Agreed Framework.  “I hope D.P.R.K. will understand ... that compliance, and not defiance, is the way for a solution to this issue,” he said.

Pyongyang must first choose to abide by its obligations before an international dialogue to address North Korea’s economic and security concerns could begin, ElBaradei said.  Representatives from several countries, including Japan, South Korea and the United States, indicated during the board meeting that they would begin cooperating with North Korea, but only when it complies with its obligations, he said.

“I hope they [North Korea] also understand that they need to take that first step into coming in compliance before a dialogue could start with all concerned parties,” ElBaradei said.  “I think that has been also made very clear by members of the board, that once D.P.R.K. took the first step ... the way is opened for a comprehensive discussion ... on all their security issues and economic assistance,” he added. 

ElBaradei noted that yesterday’s resolution had been approved by a consensus of the 35-member board, without dissent, illustrating the level of international concern. 

“Everybody shares the concern, shares the act of deploring what the D.P.R.K. has done, subscribe to the game plan or plan of action that is inscribed in the resolution.  So that, I think, is significant,” ElBaradei said.  “It sends a powerful message to the D.P.R.K.,” he added (Federal News Service transcript, Jan. 6).

If North Korea continues to fail to abide by its obligations, however, the IAEA would have no choice but to refer the issue to the U.N. Security Council, ElBaradei warned yesterday during an interview with PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

“The enforcement power lies with the Security Council,” ElBaradei said.  “I think under our charter if North Korea or any other country were to be judged in noncompliance with its nonproliferation obligation, then we are bound to report to the Security Council and then the whole question goes to the Security Council, and it is then up to the Security Council to decide what would be the next step,” he added.

ElBaradei said he informed North Korea of the agency’s decisions and was awaiting a reply.  While there is no formal deadline for North Korea to come into compliance, it is “an urgent situation,” he said.

“I think North Korea understands the urgency of the situation, and it’s a question of weeks and not months,” ElBaradei said (Ray Suarez, PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Jan. 6).

United States Praises Resolution

U.S. officials yesterday praised the IAEA resolution and criticized both North Korea’s actions in relaunching its nuclear program and its motivations for doing so.

“We are delighted with this text,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation John Wolf.  “This says exactly what we hoped it would say.  This is a very good text,” he added (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo.com, Jan. 7).

In a statement before the IAEA board meeting, Kenneth Brill, U.S. representative to the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna, lashed out at Pyongyang for failing to abide by its obligations by attempting to develop nuclear weapons.

“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons in spite of its Nonproliferation Treaty commitments,” Brill said.  “We call on North Korea to reverse its current course, to take all steps necessary to come into immediate compliance with its IAEA safeguards agreement, and to eliminate its nuclear weapons program, both plutonium and uranium, in a comprehensive and verifiable manner,” he added.

Brill discounted North Korea’s stated reasons for restarting its nuclear program, which include energy needs and a fear of U.S. aggression.  North Korea’s 5-megawatt reactor produces little electricity and its plutonium reprocessing facility has no electrical power function, Brill said.  He added that North Korea has no “legitimate peaceful use” for plutonium or highly enriched uranium. 

Brill also criticized North Korea’s claims of being under threat from the United States as “nonsense,” noting the U.S. desire to resolve the situation through diplomacy.

“President [George W.] Bush and other senior U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed that we intend no military action against North Korea and believe the present situation can and should be resolved peacefully through diplomatic means,” Brill said (U.S. State Department release, Jan. 6).

Diplomatic Efforts

The United States continued its diplomatic campaign with its Asian allies Japan and South Korea yesterday to help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.  U.S. diplomats held separate meetings in Washington with senior Japanese and South Korean representatives and the three parties are expected to release a trilateral statement on common goals and approaches today, the Washington Post reported.

South Korea’s national security adviser is also expected to arrive in the United States today to meet with senior White House officials, including U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, by the end of the week, according to the Post.

In their meeting with U.S. diplomats, South Korean diplomats did not put forth a proposal, which had been reported in the South Korean media, that would require both the United States and North Korea to make compromises to resolve the issue.  Seoul might have floated the proposal over the weekend as a trial balloon, but dropped support for it once the United States indicated it would maintain its hard-line position, according to some U.S. officials.

“There is no proposal,” a South Korean official said. “We discussed some ideas of how to solve this question, and we had a frank exchange of views on how we see the situation as of now,” the official added.

The three countries are likely to agree on a common statement, a senior U.S. official said.  “I am sure we will agree on a statement and it will be tough,” the official said (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, Jan. 7).

Sanctions Mean War, Pyongyang Says

While the United States considers efforts to increase North Korea’s economic isolation, Pyongyang warned today that attempts to impose economic sanctions would lead to war.

The U.S. detainment last month of a shipment of Scud ballistic missiles to Yemen was part of a containment strategy that “means total economic sanctions aimed at isolating and stifling the D.P.R.K.,” the state-owned Korean Central News Agency said (see GSN, Dec. 16, 2002).

“Sanctions mean a war and the war knows no mercy.  The U.S. should opt for dialogue with the D.P.R.K., not for war, clearly aware that it will have to pay a very high price for such reckless acts,” KCNA said (Nick Macfie, Reuters, Jan. 7).

For further information, see:

Agreed Framework Text

KEDO

NPT Text

States Parties to the NPT (U.N.)

U.N. Background on NPT

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India:  New Strategic Command Needs Several Months to Prepare

India is expected to need several months to establish its new strategic forces command — part of the newly formalized command-and-control structure for its nuclear arsenal, the Economic Times reported today (see GSN, Jan. 6).

The groundwork for the command, which will be mainly based in central India, will begin once its first commander in chief is chosen in the next few days, Indian defense officials said.  Air Marshal T.M. Asthana is expected to be chosen for the position, the Economic Times reported.  The new command is expected to consist mainly of the Army’s two operational missile units — the 33rd Missile Group, which handles the 150 kilometer-range Prithvi missile, and the Agni Missile Group.  The command will also employ civilian experts from agencies such as the Atomic Energy Department and the Defense Research and Development Organization, an official said.

The new command will also need several years to develop an effective nuclear triad utilizing land-, air- and sea-based weapons delivery systems, the Economic Times reported (see GSN, Dec. 3, 2002).  While experts consider nuclear-capable ballistic submarines to be the most effective delivery system, India’s attempts to domestically develop a nuclear submarine — the Advanced Technology Vessel project — and the naval Sagarika ballistic missile, have stalled, according to the Economic Times.

“They are still years away from completion,” an Indian defense official said (Rajat Pandit, Economic Times, Jan. 7).

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Russia:  Five Delta-Class Nuclear Submarines Dismantled Last Year

Russia dismantled 17 nuclear submarines last year, including five Delta-I ballistic missile submarines, a Russian Atomic Energy Ministry source said Saturday (see GSN, July 16).

Norway and the United States assisted the dismantlement program, ITAR-Tass reported (ITAR-Tass, Jan. 4 in FBIS-SOV Jan. 4).

Meanwhile Japan has decided to resume its support of Russian submarine dismantling efforts, Asahi Shimbun reported last month.

An agreement on the effort was reached in 1999 but Russian concern over military secrets and confusion in Moscow has prevented any progress, Asahi Shimbun reported.  Despite Japan spending more than $130 million on the effort, all 41 Russian submarines in the Far East remain intact, which prompted Japanese officials to suspend the program last spring.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi plans to announce the decision to restart the effort this month during his visit to Russia, Asahi Shimbun reported (Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 28, 2002).

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Pakistan:  Musharraf Says Nuclear Quotes Were Wrong

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said Friday that he was misquoted last month when discussing a potential nuclear conflict with rival India.  In that report, Musharraf warned India of “unconventional” war if it attacked Pakistan (see GSN, Dec. 30, 2002).

“This is a distortion and I have been misquoted,” Musharraf said.  “No one in his right state of mind can talk of a nuclear war,” he added.

Musharraf said that he had in fact been talking about Kashmir and intended to warn India that Pakistan would use guerrilla warfare to combat any Indian forces crossing the line of control in Kashmir, Pakistan’s The News reported (Pakistan’s The News, Jan. 4 in FBIS-NES, Jan. 4)

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United States:  Energy Tightens Laboratory Controls After Security Audit

U.S. officials have tightened controls on foreign scientists visiting government laboratories in response to an audit from Energy Department Inspector General Gregory Friedman, released in early December, Energy Daily reported today.

Two Energy Department laboratories were faulted by the audit for allowing scientists from Iran, China and Russia into unclassified areas without performing proper background checks or obtaining the correct approval.  Officials are concerned that a scientist in an unclassified area might try and obtain classified information in the laboratory, Energy Daily reported. 

After reading the draft report in December, Energy Deputy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow issued an interim guidance to tighten controls and pushed for completing a policy directive for visits by foreign scientists to unclassified areas.  That directive is expected early this year, Energy Daily reported.

A laboratory operated by the Energy Department’s science office allowed an Iranian scientist access to an unclassified site for five days before counterintelligence officials “recognized that background checks had not been completed and that required approvals had not been obtained,” the audit said.

According to a sampling by the audit, the same laboratory issued site badges to 40 percent of the visiting scientists before they received the proper approval.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham must give approval for visits by scientists from countries that the State Department designates as sponsoring terrorism.

A second laboratory — run by the National Nuclear Security Administration — fared better in the audit but was criticized for failing to check scientists’ visa and passport information (George Lobsenz, Energy Daily, Jan. 7).

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Smallpox I:  Bush Feels No Ill Effects From Smallpox Vaccine

U.S. President George W. Bush has suffered no side effects after receiving a smallpox vaccination Dec. 21, the White House said yesterday.  Bush announced Dec. 13 that he would receive the vaccine along with 500,000 U.S. military personnel (see GSN, Dec. 13, 2002).

“The president has not had any adverse reactions,” said White House press secretary Ari Fleischer (Associated Press/Washington Post, Jan. 7).

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Smallpox II:  Kuwait Wants Smallpox Vaccine

Kuwait has asked the United States for smallpox vaccine stocks, Kuwaiti U.S. Ambassador Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah said yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 6).

“We have had a request to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for about three months to supply the needed vaccines,” he said, adding, “We are still waiting to hear.”

The CDC was unable to immediately confirm the Kuwaiti request, USA Today reported today.  To date, the agency has concentrated on stockpiling enough smallpox vaccine for the U.S. population, according to spokesman Llelwyn Grant.

The request could be a sign that a conflict between Iraq and the United States is coming, USA Today reported.  War is not “inevitable” but “time is running out,” the ambassador said (Richard Willing, USA Today, Jan. 7).

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United Kingdom:  British Officials Arrest Six Men After Ricin Discovery

British officials arrested six men Sunday in connection with the discovery of the toxic poison ricin in London (see GSN, Oct. 16).

Police also detained and then released a woman Sunday, but officers from the Metropolitan Police Anti-Terrorist Branch are questioning the men, who are of North African origin.

Officials are conducting a forensic analysis of an address in north London, where one of the men was arrested.  Police said that “equipment and materials” were found at that location.

“We have previously said that London and indeed the rest of the U.K. continues to face a range of terrorist threats from a number of different groups,” a police statement said (Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Jan. 7).

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Israel:  Imprisoned Palestinians Planned to Make Chemical Weapons

A group of Palestinian militants held in a Israeli prison planned to attack prison officials with chemical bombs, but were discovered last week before they could carry out the attack, the Israeli newspaper Ma’ariv reported Sunday (see GSN, Aug. 2).

Officials at the Shiqma prison last week raided the cells of a prisoners’ group known as the “engineers” and found detailed information on how to produce chemical bombs using various medical supplies, according to Ma’ariv.  The prisoners had acquired medicines, including mercury, alcohol and Vaseline, from the prison clinic after complaining of various ailments.  Officials also discovered that the prisoners planned to build chemical laboratories in their cells, Ma’ariv reported (Shim’on Epergin, Ma’ariv, Jan. 5 in FBIS-NES, Jan. 5).

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Threat Assessment:  Taliban Claims Chemical Weapons Capability

Remaining Taliban forces in Afghanistan possess chemical weapons, a former Taliban diplomat said during a secretive news conference Friday in Pakistan, near the Afghan border (see GSN, Oct. 8, 2002).

“Mujahadeen are now in possession of chemical and other sophisticated weapons provided by friendly countries.  We have still not used them,” said Naseer Ahmad Rohi, former first secretary at the Afghan Embassy in the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan did not supply the weapons, according to Rohi (Outlook India.com, Jan. 4).

The weapons “will be used at a suitable time,” Rohi told journalists in Peshawar, about 30 kilometers from the Afghan border.  The remaining Taliban militants “have the right to use chemical weapons against the Americans as a revenge,” he added.

Pakistani security officials doubted the claims, Australia’s Herald Sun reported (Herald Sun, Jan. 4).

U.S. officials are scrutinizing the claims and U.S. forces are stepping up their pursuit of Osama bin Laden and the remaining Taliban leadership, Pakistan’s The Nation reported today.

“The Bush administration is in the process of ascertaining the veracity of Taliban’s claims that they possess the deadly chemical weapons for which the United States has activated its intelligence apparatus,” sources said Monday (Shaiq Hussain, The Nation, Jan. 7).

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United States:  China Denies Getting Missile Technology From Hughes

China rejected U.S. allegations today that U.S. military contractor Hughes Electronics provided it with illegal technology in the mid-1990s, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Jan. 3).

“It is unnecessary and impossible for the Chinese side to gain satellite rocket and missile technology from U.S. companies,” said government spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (Agence France-Presse, Jan. 7).

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U.S. Plans:  Pentagon Plans No Intercept Testing Until Autumn

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Missile Defense Agency is planning to skip the next two scheduled flight tests of its top program — the Ground-based Midcourse Defense interceptor — and will not attempt any test interceptions until this autumn, a missile defense official said today.

The agency might conduct up to five intercept tests before the system is scheduled for deployment at the end of fiscal year 2004, he said.

Integrated flight tests 11 and 12 have been cancelled and the following two scheduled tests, which will examine new booster models, will not include intercept tests, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Lehner told Global Security Newswire.

The next intercept test, Lehner said, would then occur in “the fall of 2003,” near the beginning of fiscal 2004, which begins Oct. 1.

The decision comes as the Bush administration announced a plan last month to deploy an initial ground-based interceptor capability by the end of fiscal 2004 (see GSN, Dec. 17, 2002).

“The missiles will probably go into silos in the late summer of ’04,” said Lehner.

Booster Problem

The decision to skip the tests also coincides with a failed intercept test last month — attributed to a booster separation failure — bringing the program’s high-profile intercept record to five successes in eight attempts (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2002).

Those attempts launched a missile interceptor with a rocket booster that the Missile Defense Agency has planned to replace and the agency has cancelled the last two tests using the existing booster.

“We won’t be flying IFT-11 or IFT-12 since we want to concentrate on the booster this year,” wrote Lehner, who explained the schedule in an email.

Two follow-on booster models, developed by Lockheed Martin and Orbital Sciences, are in competition to win the final contract and are scheduled for testing in May and June or July, Lehner said. 

Integrated flight tests scheduled for this autumn, would include actual target intercept attempts, using one or both of the new boosters, Lehner said.

Operational Testing Bumped Up

Pentagon officials also are expected to begin including the future operators of the system in the flight-testing sometime in early fiscal 2004, according to Lehner. 

Decisions on operational testing specifics, including schedules, remain to be worked out by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Space Command and the Army, he said.  The Space Command, the Army and the Army National Guard are expected to operate the system.

Under a previous schedule described by the administration, operational testing was expected to occur much later in the research and development phase, in 2007, following more than a dozen additional flight tests, according to David Wright, a missile defense analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists and critic of the deployment decision.

An additional eight operational tests were scheduled through the end of 2010, he wrote in an article last summer.

“It makes no sense to make a deployment decision before initial operational testing has been completed; under a reasonable yet best-case scenario, deployment of the ground-based midcourse system would not take place until some time after 2008,” he wrote.

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Israel:  United States Puts Off Israeli Aid Request

The United States delayed a decision today on $12 billion in economic assistance for Israel, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Nov. 8, 2002;Barry Schweid, Associated Press, Jan. 7).

U.S. and Israeli officials yesterday began negotiating as much as $4 billion in direct aid and $8 billion in loan guarantees to pay for costs Israel might incur as a result of a U.S. attack on Iraq, the Washington Times reported today.

Israel is requesting between $3 billion and $4 billion in direct aid, in addition to the almost $3 billion Israel already receives annually from the United States, according to the Times.

Sean McCormick, a spokesman for the National Security Council, would not comment on the negotiations or even confirm they were underway.

Some of the aid would be used to help with the cost of deploying the Arrow missile system, the Times reported (see GSN, Jan. 6).

A deal with Israel will most likely wait until after a conflict with Iraq to reduce Arab resistance to a U.S. invasion, the Times reported.

The money could be used to ensure that Israel stays on the sidelines during any such conflict, one White House official said, but the White House officially denied any link between aid to Israel and a conflict with Iraq.

“This is not directly related to compensation in the event of an attack,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.

Ohad Marani, the Israeli Finance Ministry’s director general, said the funds are being requested to boost the Israeli economy.

The money would be used “to help us cope with the present difficulties in which the Israeli economy finds itself … because of the continuing security situation,” he said.  “Fighting terrorism is not only about security, it’s about the economy.  It’s very difficult funding the extra needs of defense.  The burden is made more difficult because the economy has shrunk.  We’re asking the Americans to share part of the burden,” he added (Joseph Curl, Washington Times, Jan. 7).

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Language:  “Weapons Of Mass Destruction” Selected Word of 2002

The term “weapons of mass destruction” was selected Friday by the American Dialect Society as its choice for 2002’s word of the year, according to the Associated Press (see GSN I and II, Dec. 21, 2001).

“The term goes back 50 years, but you can’t turn on the radio or television without hearing about ‘weapons of mass destruction,’” said Wayne Glowka, an English professor at Georgia College & State University and chairman of the society’s new words committee.

The society, which began in 1889, has been selecting words of the year since 1990, AP reported.  Many of the words society members nominated reflected the threat of an impending conflict with Iraq or the U.S. economic situation, Glowka said.

“All these words — Iraqnaphobia, regime change, weapons of mass destruction — they all have to do with worry about war with Iraq.  So it hasn’t been a very good year,” Glowka said.  “Not as bad as last year, but certainly not an ‘up’ year,” he added.

The society also selected the phrase “regime change” as most euphemistic because people were beginning to use it to describe changes of leadership other than a potential change in Iraq, according to AP.

“Like when a team fires a coach, they call it ‘regime change,’” Glowka said (Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Jan. 6).

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