U.S.-Russia:  Moscow Treaty Enters Into Force

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

The U.S.-Russian Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty entered into force yesterday when U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged instruments of ratification during a meeting in St. Petersburg.

Also known as the Moscow Treaty, the pact calls for the United States and Russia to deploy no more than 2,200 strategic nuclear warheads each by the end of 2012.  The U.S. Senate approved the treaty in March (see GSN, March 7), and Russia’s legislature completed its approval process last week (see GSN, May 28).

“Today we mark an important achievement in the relations between the United States and Russia,” Bush said yesterday during a press conference at the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg before heading to Evian, France, for a meeting of the Group of Eight.  “This treaty reflects the new strategic relationship that is emerging between our nations,” he said.

The United States and Russia now plan to create a bilateral implementation committee for the treaty, Putin said.  He also said he and Bush have developed instructions to help further a dialogue between the two countries in “all areas of our comprehensive agenda.”

One area of increased future cooperation is in missile defense efforts, Bush said, adding that missile defense is “essential to the security of both our nations.”    

“We will intensify efforts to confront the global threats of terrorism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, that threaten our peoples and freedom-loving peoples around the world,” Bush and Putin said in a joint statement.

In Russia, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, the State Duma, delayed consideration of the Moscow Treaty’s ratification to register its disagreement with U.S. policy regarding Iraq.  Putin yesterday denied, however, that U.S.-Russian relations had been irreparably damaged by the Iraq crisis, adding that the treaty reaffirms the “strategic partnership” being developed between the two countries.

“We are aware of the questions being raised as to whether the relations between the United States and Russia will withstand the test of time,” Putin said.  “Today, we reiterated … our resolve to continue with our strategic partnership for the benefit of our nations and the entire world.  I must say that the fundamentals between the United States and Russia turned out to be stronger than the forces and events that tested it,” he added.

The diplomatic dispute that arose between the United States and France during the Iraq crisis was likely to be a topic of discussion between Bush and French President Jacques Chirac during a brief one-on-one meeting the two leaders scheduled for today in Evian, Chirac spokeswoman Catharine Colonna said yesterday.

During the meeting, Chirac would likely reiterate French rationales for opposing the war in Iraq during the U.N. Security Council debate on the issue that has contributed to tensions that have lasted into the present, Colonna said.  She added, however, that any discussions on Iraq would likely focus on future efforts to rebuild the country.

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North Korea:  U.S. Lawmakers Say North Korea Admits Reprocessing Nuclear Fuel Rods

North Korea claims to have nearly completed reprocessing 8,000 rods of spent nuclear fuel — the first step toward creating multiple nuclear weapons — according to U.S. lawmakers who recently visited North Korea (see GSN, May 30).

“They admitted to currently having nuclear capability and weapons.  They admitted to having just about completed the reprocessing of 8,000 rods,” said Representative Curt Weldon (Pa.), the second-ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.

Weldon said the United States must take action soon to deal with North Korea.

“It’s got to be short because the nuclear time is ticking in the North as they develop weapons,” Weldon said (Seo Hyun-jin, Korea Herald, June 3).

The delegation — also composed of Representatives Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), Silvestre Reyes (D-Texas) and Solomon Ortiz (D-Texas) — met with North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam-Sun, Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan and the chairman of the North Korean assembly, Choe Thae-Bok (Korea Times, Seo Soo-min, June 2).

Chinese President Hu Jintao told U.S. President George W. Bush that North Korea has backed off earlier demands that U.S. diplomats meet Pyongyang’s representatives in direct talks to resolve the nuclear standoff, USA Today reported (Judy Keen, USA Today, June 2).

Following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, Bush called on North Korea to abandon its nuclear aspirations.

“We strongly urge North Korea to visibly, verifiably, and irreversibly dismantle its nuclear weapons program,” Bush said.  “The United States and Russia are determined to meet the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them,” he added (Financial Times, June 1).

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Iran:  Tehran Conditions More Nuclear Oversight on End to Sanctions

Iran said Friday that it would only be willing to accept more stringent nuclear oversight if economic sanctions were lifted (see GSN, May 30).

“If sanctions are lifted and we are allowed access to nuclear technology, we are fully prepared to sign any new additional protocol,” Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Friday.  U.N. officials have been pushing Tehran to adopt the Additional Protocol to its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would increase the agency’s power to inspect and monitor Iranian nuclear activities.

Kharrazi also suggested that Washington could help Iran’s nuclear development, even though U.S. officials have criticized Russian nuclear assistance to Iran and accused Tehran of secretly developing nuclear weapons.

“Russia has helped us a lot to build the Bushehr nuclear power plant to produce electricity,” Kharrazi said, referring to the joint nuclear project in southern Iran.  “Western countries can also participate in tenders we are planning to offer for the construction of more nuclear plants,” he added (Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press/London Guardian, June 1).

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty obliges Washington to assist Tehran with peaceful nuclear development.

“The question of sanctions has to be resolved first.  We will not sign any other international accord while the West does not respect its obligations outlined by the NPT, and does not help us with (peaceful) nuclear technology as the NPT obliges them to,” said spokesman Hamid Asefi (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, June 2).

Russian officials echoed the invitation.

“There is enough room for everyone,” said Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev.  Iran is planning to build five more nuclear reactors and the United States is welcome to take part, he said.

“We have made this proposal to our American colleagues several times during discussions on the expert level, and they have been saying they need to think about it,” according to Rumyantsev (Beirut Daily Star, June 1).

The IAEA, meanwhile, said that it is not yet clear if Iran’s expanding nuclear program is intended to develop nuclear weapons.

“Building these facilities does not automatically mean this is a weapons program, because they can have peaceful applications in a nuclear program dedicated to producing electricity,” said IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei (Reuters/Washington Post, May 31).

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United States:  Canceling B-1 Bomber Retirement Could Cost $1 Billion

Recalling 23 B-1B Lancer bombers from the brink of retirement may add more than $1 billion to the U.S. Air Force’s budget through 2009, Aerospace Daily reported today (see GSN, May 8).

Under a plan pushed by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld two years ago, 32 of the 92 bombers were slated for retirement.  Since that time, however, congressional armed services committees have approved proposals to keep 23 of the retired airplanes in circulation, according to Aerospace Daily.

“This is our last chance to halt the retirement of B-1s, since many are scheduled to be sent to Arizona by the end of this fiscal year,” Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) said, noting that Rumsfeld’s decision to cut back on the number of bombers was made before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Under the proposals made by Congress, more than $20 million has been set aside in fiscal 2004 to reconstitute the 23 B-1s to operational status, Aerospace Daily reported.  Air Force officials, however, claim that they will need an additional $1 billion over the next six years to maintain a fleet of 83 bombers.  It’s “funding that is simply not available,” an Air Force spokesman said.

“In general, the Air Force believes our decision to consolidate the B-1 fleet down to 60 fully mission-capable aircraft resulted in significant improvements in overall fleet combat capability, and for the first time a robust, fully funded modernization program,” the spokesman said (Stephen Trimble, Aerospace Daily, June 2).

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Iran:  Moscow Invites Washington to Join in Bushehr Project

Russia has invited the United States to take part in the construction of the Bushehr nuclear plant in Iran, Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev said today (see GSN, May 28).

“We have made this proposal several times to our American colleagues in talks at expert level,” Rumyantsev said.  “For the moment, they are saying they have to consider,” he said.

Rumyantsev highlighted the opportunities for increased participation in the Bushehr project, saying Iran has envisioned installing six nuclear reactors at the plant, while Russia has only contracted to build the first set.  “There is scope for everyone,” Rumyantsev said (Agence France-Presse, May 30).

Rumyantsev has also said that construction of the first part of the Bushehr plant is on schedule and should be completed by the end of next year.  Russia will not begin sending nuclear fuel to Iran for the plant, however, until it is ready for use, he said (Rosbalt News Agency, May 30).

EU to Urge Tehran to Sign IAEA Additional Protocol

Meanwhile, a European Union delegation is expected to urge Iran to sign an additional protocol to its International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement during a three-day visit to Tehran Sunday, according to the Financial Times.  The additional protocol would permit the agency to conduct more intrusive inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities.

“‘Sign, conclude, comply’ should be our message next week,” an EU diplomat said.  “If Iran has nothing to hide, then it should be open and transparent,” the diplomat said.

The EU believes it can use current trade negotiations with Iran as a bargaining chip to pressure Tehran into signing the additional protocol, according to the Times. 

“We have carrots and sticks,” a diplomat said.  “The question is how the EU will react if Iran does not comply,” the diplomat added (Judy Dempsey, Financial Times, May 30).

Military Action Unlikely, Washington Says

While the United States was prepared to go to war with Iraq over weapons of mass destruction, the situation with Iran’s nuclear efforts could require a different approach, U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.

“We’ve always said that every circumstance, every situation, requires a response that is tailored to that set of circumstances,” Rice said.

The United States plans to consider its options once the IAEA has released its report on Iran’s nuclear program, which is expected to occur next month, Rice said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Wednesday criticized the United States for making demands of Tehran.

“We have to do this and that so they will remove us from the axis of evil,” Khamenei said.  “What kind of talk is this?  Who do they think they are?” he added (Straits Times, May 30).

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North Korea:  Pyongyang Needs to Learn that “Blackmail” Approach is “Meaningless,” Japan Says

North Korea needs to be taught that it cannot “blackmail” the international community with threats of developing nuclear weapons, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said yesterday (see GSN, May 29).

“The North Koreans tend to come up with provocative words and statements” regarding their nuclear intentions, Koizumi said.  “They have made statements that are like blackmail.  It is important for us to approach them, to work on them, to make them understand that such a position is meaningless,” he said.

While Japan hopes the crisis surrounding North Korea’s relaunched nuclear program can be peacefully solved, “there is a need to accelerate research into missile defenses,” Koizumi said (see GSN, April 17; Eric Talmadge, Associated Press/Washington Times, May 30).

U.S. Delegation Arrives In Pyongyang

Meanwhile, a delegation of six U.S. lawmakers arrived in Pyongyang today to discuss “important issues” with senior North Korean officials, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The delegation, led by Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), is scheduled to meet with Kim Yong Nam, North Korea’s second most powerful official, according to the Associated Press.  No meeting has been scheduled with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. 

During their visit, the U.S. lawmakers are expected to visit several North Korean civilian sites, such as a school and a factory, AP reported.  They have also asked to visit Pyongyang’s Yongbyon nuclear complex (Associated Press, May 30).

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North Korea:  U.S. Recruits Foreign Scientist Who Worked in Pyongyang’s Nuclear Program

The CIA has been able to recruit, in the last month, a foreign scientist who had worked in North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, Time reported yesterday (see GSN, May 28).

The scientist, who has been relocated to the United States, has provided information on several aspects of North Korea’s nuclear effort, including “location, degree of development in capabilities, where they are [and] how far along they are in developing multiple-weapons capability,” a U.S. official said.

The scientist has also described North Korea’s program as being further advanced than an earlier assessment by the CIA, which had concluded that Pyongyang had developed at least two nuclear weapons.

“It’s one thing to make one or two,” the U.S. official said.  “It’s another thing to have a process in place to make hundreds.  They’re on their way to be able to make hundreds within the next couple of years,” the official said (Burger/Bacon, Time, May 27).

Japan to Tighten Control on North Korean Ferry

Tokyo plans to tighten controls on a ferry that has been accused of helping to smuggle missile components from Japan to North Korea, Japanese officials said today (see GSN, May 21).

Japanese authorities plan to double the number of onboard inspections conducted on the ferry, the Man Gyong Bong-92, when it arrives in the Japanese port of Niigata June 9, according to Agence France-Presse.  “We should have done it much earlier as it is possible under our country’s laws,” Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said (Agence France-Presse, May 29).

South Korea Should be Proud of “Deterrent,” North Korea Says

North Korea has said that South Korea should be “highly proud” of Pyongyang’s “military deterrent force,” Agence France-Presse reported today.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency said South Koreans should recognize the North as their protector and urged them to stand with Pyongyang against the United States.

“Our military deterrent force serves as a merciless sledge hammer to the aggressors but an iron shield for the South Korean people, a shield that prevents a war crisis with compatriotic feelings,” the KCNA said.  “The compatriots in South Korea should be highly proud of our powerful military deterrent force,” it said.

Without North Korea’s deterrent force, the United States would have already attacked, which would have resulted in a war on the Korean Peninsula that would have destroyed South Korea, the KCNA said.  “It was thanks to the D.P.R.K.’s (North Korea’s) powerful war deterrent force that peace has so far been preserved on the Korean Peninsula,” it said (Charles Whelan, AFP/Yahoo!News, May 29).

U.S. Delegation to Head to Pyongyang

A delegation of six U.S. lawmakers, headed by Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), is reportedly set to arrive in Pyongyang tomorrow in an attempt to help reduce tensions.

“We are on a fact-finding mission to open doors for dialogue,” Weldon said before leaving yesterday (Chicago Tribune, May 29).

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United States:  Energy Criticizes Los Alamos For Management of Testing Facility Project

The U.S. Energy Department inspector general’s office has accused Los Alamos National Laboratory of management problems in a project to build a nuclear weapons testing facility, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Aug. 1, 2002).

An audit of the Los Alamos project to build the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test Facility, released yesterday, found that the laboratory’s management of the project, as well as that of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, needed to be improved.

The construction of facility is behind schedule and over budget, Energy officials claim.  While the project is completed, the facility will not be operational for another year and is within budget “only because certain project elements were artificially absorbed by other programs,” according to Inspector General Gregory Friedman.

Once operational, the facility will be able to create images of the implosion of plutonium that initiates a nuclear reaction, AP reported.  The facility is set to be the primary experimental test facility for certifying the U.S. nuclear stockpile in the next 10 years, Los Alamos officials said.

Los Alamos Director Pete Nanos said yesterday, however, that delays in operation of the facility were resolved “more than two years ago.”

The project has received continuous oversight by both the NNSA and Congress, Nanos said.

“NNSA has tracked the status of the project in detail throughout and approved every planning change,” Nanos said.  “In fact, because of DARHT’s importance to the national stockpile stewardship program, this project has been monitored at the highest levels of government, including scrutiny from Congress,” he said (Leslie Hoffman, Associated Press, May 29).

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U.S.-Russia I:  Russian Parliament Approves Moscow Treaty; Entry Into Force Imminent

The upper house of the Russian parliament today approved the U.S.-Russian Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 20; Associated Press, May 28).

“The Federation Council was the last of the steps that the legislative branch needed to take to formalize the Moscow Treaty’s adoption and ratification,” said Arms Control Association research analyst Christine Kucia.  She expected U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin to exchange the instruments of ratification and bring the treaty into force this weekend when the two leaders are scheduled to meet in Russia before traveling to the Group of Eight summit in Evian, France.

The Federation Council approved the treaty by a vote of 140-5 with two abstentions, according to Interfax.  The treaty calls for the United States and Russia to deploy no more than 2,200 strategic nuclear warheads by the end of 2012.

Earlier this year, the Russian Duma, or lower house, delayed passage of the treaty to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but it eventually approved the pact earlier this month (see GSN, May 14; Associated Press).

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Iran:  Russia Links Bushehr Fuel to IAEA Additional Protocol

Western officials have said that Russia will not provide fuel for Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant unless Tehran agrees to accept additional International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, the Financial Times reported yesterday (see GSN, May 27).

By signing the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement, Iran would give the agency the authority to access any Iranian nuclear facility, according to the Times.  Currently, Iran is only obligated to allow the IAEA to inspect sites Iran has declared (Guy Dinmore, Financial Times, May 27).

A top Russian Atomic Energy Ministry official was quoted today by Interfax as reiterating Moscow’s call for Iran to sign the Additional Protocol, saying such a move would “dispel doubts concerning the existence of a military nuclear program in Iran” (Interfax/BBC Monitoring, May 28).

Moscow is concerned about “serious unresolved questions in connection with Iran’s nuclear research,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Mamedov said after a meeting this week with Iran’s Ambassador to Russia, Gholamreza Shafei.

Russia’s concerns over Iran’s nuclear efforts began several months ago, when an Iranian opposition group revealed that Tehran was allegedly working to construct a secret uranium enrichment facility.

Russian officials were “embarrassed and concerned” that Iran had apparently carried out a secret program while they had been saying Tehran was doing no such thing, said Rose Gottemoeller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, a leading Iranian opposition group, yesterday revealed that Iran has allegedly begun building two smaller uranium enrichment sites designed to both complement larger sites and to replace them if necessary.  A U.S. official said, however, that Washington could not verify the group’s claim and that it “should be taken with some skepticism.”

“They’ve been right before, but they’ve been way off base before too,” the official said (Richter/Miller, Los Angeles Times, May 28).

Iran No Longer Needs Foreign Aid, Pentagon Says

Meanwhile, a draft U.S. National Security Decision Directive currently being examined by top Bush administration officials says Iran’s nuclear program is so far advanced it no longer needs foreign aid, according to Newsday.

The directive is primarily based on U.S. Defense Department intelligence analyses, according to a source that received a classified briefing on the directive.  The directive indicates that Iran’s nuclear efforts can no longer be halted by applying pressure on countries that have aided Iran’s nuclear program in the past, such as Russia, the source said.

“The assessment (being reviewed) at the National Security Council is that they (Iran) have passed the point of no return in terms of getting outside assistance to enable them to have a nuclear weapons program,” the source said.  “In other words, they have everything in hand to do it on their own if the Russians stopped tomorrow,” the source added.

The CIA, however, has not come to the same conclusion as the Pentagon, the source said, adding that senior CIA, Pentagon and State Department officials would work out their differences before presenting the directive for adoption.  Such a meeting had been scheduled today but was postponed, according to Newsday (Knut Royce, Newsday, May 28).

Tehran and Washington Trade Barbs

Iran has maintained that its nuclear program is only for civilian use — a claim the United States has rejected.

“The United States rejects that argument as a cover story,” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said yesterday.  “Our strong position is that Iran is preparing, instead, to produce fissile materials for nuclear weapons,” he said (Bob Deans, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 28).

Iran today criticized the United States for its allegations.

“Any concern over countries’ noncompliance with weapons of mass destruction instruments needs to be dealt with through international cooperation,” Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi said before a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference in Tehran.  “The resort to force, or directing unverified accusations … will only undermine the current international arrangements,” Kharazi said, adding that the IAEA was the “only competent authority” on the issue (Stefan Smith, Agence France-Presse, May 28).

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North Korea:  Pyongyang Repeats Nuclear Reprocessing Claim

North Korea yesterday repeated an earlier claim that it had begun reprocessing more than 8,000 spent fuel rods, a key first step in producing nuclear weapons (see GSN, May 27).

“As far as the issue of reprocessing spent fuel rods is concerned, the D.P.R.K. made it clear on April 18 that it was successfully carrying out the work of reprocessing over 8,000 spent rods at the final stage,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

Pyongyang also rejected reports that North Korean nuclear scientists had defected to the West or that China had cut off oil to North Korea to force multilateral talks in Beijing (Korean Central News Agency, May 26 in FBIS-CHI, May 26).

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has rejected a North Korean offer to hold bilateral talks with the United States.

“I’ve been reading those statements and we always examine closely whatever they say, but we are still committed to multilateral talks, expanded multilateral talks, if there are going to be future talks the way we want to do it,” Powell said (Yonhap News Agency/BBC Monitoring, May 28).

Diplomats from Japan, the United States and South Korea will meet in Seoul next month to discuss North Korean nuclear development and present Pyongyang with a unified front (Daily Yomiuri, May 28).

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U.S.-Russia II:  Washington Awards Contracts to Replace Russian Plutonium Production Reactors

The U.S. Energy Department has selected two U.S. companies to help shut down three Russian plutonium production reactors, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, March 6).

Washington Group International and Raytheon Technical Services have been directed to build two coal-fired power plants near three nuclear reactors at Seversk and Zheleznogorsk in Siberia.

The reactors were built primarily to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, but they also produce energy for neighboring towns and cities, according to U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.  That energy production needs to be replaced before the nuclear reactors can be shut down, a move Abraham described as “critical.”

The coal-fired energy plants will take five years to build, after which the nuclear plants will be shuttered, the Journal reported.

The $466 million dollar award is intended to close down plants that are “considered to be among the highest risk reactors in the world,” according to the Energy Department (John Fialka, Wall Street Journal, May 28).

Russia will be responsible for dismantling the reactors, according to agreements signed in March (see GSN, March 12).  The plants produce enough plutonium to make two nuclear warheads every three days, Energy Daily reported today.

Russian officials have hesitated to close the reactors and lose jobs, while the U.S. Congress has been reluctant to pay for the replacement plants, according to Energy Daily.  Abraham has pushed the deal and Russia is ready to embrace the project, Energy Department officials said.

“The Russians want to shut these down as much as we do,” said Kenneth Baker, acting deputy administrator for nonproliferation in the National Nuclear Security Administration.  “They are just as scared as we are of terrorist attacks,” he added (George Lobsenz, Energy Daily, May 28).

Abraham told Russian Minister of Atomic Energy Alexander Rumyantsev that the contracts should be in place by the end of June.

“The selection of the contractors is another significant step in advancing the Bush administration’s nonproliferation programs,” Abraham said.  “Russia and the United States have enjoyed a good relationship on this program and we look forward to continued progress,” he added (Energy Department release, May 27).

Russia will also build a plant at Seversk to transform weapon-grade plutonium to mixed oxide fuel, Interfax reported Monday.

Construction on the $1 billion plant will begin in early 2005, according to Siberian Chemical Plant Director General Vladimir Shidlovsky (Interfax, May 26 in FBIS-SOV, May 26).

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International Response:  Nuclear Suppliers Group Agrees to Amend Guidelines

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — An organization that establishes export control regulations for nuclear trade has agreed to update a section of its guidelines concerning components that could be used to produce a nuclear reactor, a U.S. State Department official told Global Security Newswire yesterday (see GSN, May 23).

During an annual plenary meeting held last week in South Korea, the 40-member Nuclear Suppliers Group agreed to update the primary coolant pump entry on the group’s trigger list, the State official said.  Under group guidelines, members agree to only export items listed on the trigger list if they first receive assurances that the item will not be used to develop a nuclear weapon. 

The group also proposed several new entries for the trigger list, which should be finalized by the end of the year, the State official said, noting that the group agreed to work to improve the clarity and understanding of its guidelines.

During the meeting, group members also discussed the threats posed by Iran and North Korea, according to the State official.  The group expressed concern about Iran’s nuclear program, calling on Tehran to address unanswered questions about its nuclear activities.  They also discussed the crisis surrounding North Korea’s relaunched nuclear efforts and called on group members to increase their efforts to prevent Pyongyang from acquiring materials and technologies that could be used in its nuclear program.

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United States:  Planned Attack on Nuclear Facility Described in Court

Al-Qaeda supporters planned a 2001 attack on U.S. soldiers at a Belgian military base that houses nuclear weapons, a trial in Brussels was told Monday (see GSN, Nov. 18, 2002).

During a November broadcast interview, former Tunisian professional soccer player Nizar Trabelsi said he had planned to attack the base.  Trabelsi is one of 23 defendants in the case, Agence France-Presse reported.

The trial began last Thursday and the defendants could face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of a range of charges, including planning to attack U.S.-related targets.

“The attack was due to happen between midday and 1 o’clock and target the canteen of the base,” Judge Claire De Gryse said, citing testimony in the case.

A Belgian Army spokesman said the base houses U.S. military personnel who are trained to equip “planes with nuclear means in the event of an attack” (Agence France-Presse, May 26 in FBIS-WEU, May 26).

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Iran I:  Opposition Group Alleges Iran Has Backup Uranium Enrichment Sites

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — A leading Iranian opposition group today claimed that Iran has built two previously unknown uranium enrichment facilities — components in Iran’s alleged efforts to develop a nuclear weapons capability by 2005 (see GSN, May 23).

At a press conference today, representatives of the National Council of Resistance of Iran provided detailed information about the two Iranian uranium enrichment facilities, located near the villages of Lashkar-Abad and Ramandeh about 40 kilometers west of Tehran.  Construction of both sites began in 2000 and they are close to completion, said council spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh.  The sites, each containing several centrifuges, are heavily guarded, said council representative Soona Samsami. 

“The revelation of these two key sites and their function in the mullahs’ nuclear setup [has] exposed new dimensions of just how far they have advanced along the perilous path to the acquisition of the nuclear bomb,” Samsami said.

The council is the political arm of the People’s Mujahedin, also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq, which the U.S. State Department has formally identified as a terrorist organization.  Mujahedin-e Khalq is a Marxist-influenced group that conducted terrorist attacks in the 1970s that killed U.S. military and civilian personnel in Iran, has a long history of attacks against the Iranian clerical regime and advocates a secular government, according to a Federation of American Scientists fact sheet.

The Lashkar-Abad and Ramandeh sites are designed to complement a larger uranium enrichment facility near the city of Natanz, the existence of which the council disclosed last year, Samsami said (see GSN, May 9).  These sites are also intended to replace the Natanz facility in case it is attacked pre-emptively in an action similar to the 1981 Israeli air force operation, which destroyed Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor.  The new facilities were also intended to operate clandestinely if Iran were forced to close Natanz because of increased international intervention, she said. 

The development of smaller nuclear-related sites, such as those in Lashkar-Abad and Ramandeh, is part of a two-fold strategy to help ensure the survivability of Iran’s nuclear program by adding a redundancy aspect, according to Samsami.  This strategy also includes the “showcasing” of the Bushehr nuclear reactor, currently being constructed for Iran by Russia, and using the public attention the Bushehr project receives to help provide cover for the development of other sites, Samsami said.

The information concerning the two new uranium enrichment sites was obtained through “highly placed” People’s Mujahedin of Iran sources within Iran, Samsami said, adding that similar sources have previously provided information on Iran’s biological weapons and ballistic missile programs (see GSN, May 16).

A senior U.N. official was quoted today by the New York Times as praising the information the council has previously released.

“This organization has been extremely on the mark in the past,” the U.N. official said.  “They are a group that seems to be privy to very solid and insider information,” the official added.

Both the Lashkar-Abad site and the Ramandeh site are operated by the Noor-Afza-Gostar Company, one of several alleged front companies employed by the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Samsami said.  The company’s board of directors includes Reza Aghazadeh, AEO director general; Jamshid Sabbaghzadeh, the company’s chief executive officer and an adviser to Aghazadeh; and Mohammad Saeedi, deputy CEO and head of the AEO’s international affairs department, according to Samsami.  The fact that several senior AEO officials sit on the board of the Noor-Afza-Gostar Company indicates the importance of the company to Iran’s nuclear efforts, Samsami said.

The council has made its information on the Ramandeh and Lashkar-Abad nuclear sites — which includes the exact addresses of both — available to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Bush administration, Jafarzadeh said,  urging the IAEA to move quickly to immediately inspect the two sites before they could be modified.

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Iran II:  Russia Plans to Continue Nuclear Assistance

Russia will continue to build an Iranian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, CNN.com reported today (see GSN, May 23).

“Russia does not see any reason now to review its stance and its role regarding construction of the first nuclear reactor,” said Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev.  “We will continue to fulfill our duties despite the fact that our position on this question is different to Washington’s official view,” he added (Reuters/CNN.com, May 27).

Iran has said it has the right to a nuclear energy program and maintained that it will continue its nuclear development.  Iranian President Mohammed Khatami said restrictions on its international trade must be dropped before Iran would agree to additional inspections by the the International Atomic Energy Agency (Mark Forbes, Sydney Morning Herald, May 27).

The European Union is also increasing pressure on Iran to drop its alleged nuclear weapons program, an effort that Iran denies.  Union officials said they could use trade negotiations to pressure Tehran, the Financial Times reported.

“We have to combine our approaches and work more sympathetically to get a clear message to Iran that it is in their interests to change,” said Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou (Judy Dempsey, Financial Times, May 27).

U.S. lawmakers said Sunday that Washington must exert pressure to depose Iran’s government, but not by force.

“Isolating the bad guys and taking the levers of power away from them is what’s got to happen,” said Representative Peter Goss (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, during an interview on CBS’ Face the Nation (William Mann, Associated Press/Chicago Tribune, May 26).

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North Korea:  Pyongyang Might Be Softening, South Korean Official Says

North Korea might be ready to negotiate a deal to resolve the nuclear standoff on Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s top foreign policy adviser said recently (see GSN, May 23).

Ban Ki-moon said there are signs that North Korea is taking a softer stance on nuclear talks.  North Korea’s failing economy also leaves Pyongyang with little choice but to negotiate, according to Ban.

“The only way or option available to them is to negotiate with the international community with whatever they might have,” he said (Channel NewsAsia, May 27).

South Korean Vice Minister for Finance and Economy Kim Gwang-lim said Seoul would slow food deliveries to the North if Pyongyang escalated the current standoff.  During inter-Korean talks on economic cooperation last week, South Korea agreed to provide its neighbor with 400,000 tons of rice this year to help ease chronic food shortages in the impoverished North.

Asked by lawmakers if rice shipments would continue if cross-border relations deteriorated, Kim said “the government would then have to adjust the speed of delivering the rice” (Sang-hun Choe, Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle, May 27).

Seoul’s ambassador to Washington, meanwhile, said there is no chance of one-on-one talks between North Korea and the United States.  Last Saturday, North Korea indicated it was willing to accept multilateral talks after direct talks with the United States.

“There is no possibility of Washington accepting bilateral talks (with Pyongyang),” said Han Sung-joo.  “The United States finds it difficult to deal with Pyongyang in a bilateral setting because the nuclear concern affects Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing,” he added (Seo Hyun-jin, Korea Herald, May 27).

Bush, Koizumi Show United Front

A nuclear North Korea is unacceptable to U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, the pair said during last week’s Texas summit.

“We will not at all tolerate the possession, the development or the transfer of nuclear weapons by North Korea.  North Korea must promptly and completely dismantle all nuclear weapons development programs in a verifiable manner,” Koizumi said (White House transcript, May 27).

North Korea warned, however, that Japan will “meet a fatal fiasco” if it continues to walk in lockstep with Washington, Channel NewsAsia reported.

“The Japanese authorities are well advised to bear in mind that if they continue acting blindly to the tune of the U.S. out of their senses, they will only meet a fatal fiasco,” according to the Korean Central News Agency (Channel NewsAsia II, May 27).

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Russia:  Moscow to Launch Converted SS-19 ICBM June 30

Russia is scheduled to conduct a group satellite launch June 30 using a converted SS-19 ballistic missile, a spokesman for the Khrunichev space center said last week (see GSN, May 19).  The launch of the Rokot space launch vehicle, set to take place at the Plesetsk cosmodrome, will deliver eight satellites into orbit (ITAR-Tass, May 22 in FBIS-SOV, May 23).

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