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Jan 1 2004 [N] For the 13th consecutive year,
India and Pakistan exchange lists of their respective nuclear facilities as part
of an agreement signed in 1988 and effective in 1991, that prohibits attacks on
the cities where facilities are located.
Jan 4 2004 [N] The son of Libyan
leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi admits that Libya spent $40 million dollars
purchasing nuclear weapons plans from Pakistan. Other estimates amount to $100
million since the late 1990's in payment to Pakistani scientists by the
Libyan government.
Jan 5 2004 [N] On
track to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by 2012, Russia completes
destruction of the first 10 metric tons of lewisite from the stockpile located
at the Gorny chemical weapons disposal plant.
Jan 6 2004 [N] Libya ratifies the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
As of this date, 170 countries have signed the CTBT and 109 have ratified it,
including 32 of the necessary 44 whose ratifications are necessary for the
treaty to enter into force.
Jan 8 2004
[N]
North Korea
says that it will not assume a Libyan-style model to disarm its WMD programs in
exchange for promises of improved international relations. In a statement made
by the DPRK's Foreign Ministry to the state-run Korean Central News
Agency, any expectations that it would follow Libya would be "a folly of
imbeciles utterly ignorant of the DPRK's independent policy."
Jan 9 2004 [N] The United States and
China sign a "statement of intent" designed to further joint efforts
in the realm of nuclear nonproliferation. This includes strengthening export
controls and international nuclear safeguards, and the physical protection of
nuclear materials and facilities. This is a preliminary agreement between these
two countries and the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
Jan 12 2004 [B] French
authorities confirm that the January 6th arrest of Islamic militants with ties
to
Chechnya
foiled a possible biological attack in France. The eight suspects were arrested
near the French city of Lyon where an attack involving botulism or ricin was
being prepared.
Jan 15 2004 [B]
Troops from Denmark and Iceland uncover a cache of 36 mortar shells near the
town of al-Quarnah in southern Iraq. The shells, believed to be leftover from
the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, test negative for blister agents after much
speculation that a positive result would be identified.
Jan 20 2004 [B] The British Royal
Society, Britain's national academy of science, calls for the creation of
a scientific advisory panel to the Biological Weapons Convention. The Royal
Society contends that the BWC lacks this crucial element while the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is supported by the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is supported by the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Jan
21 2004 [N] The Associated Press reports that there is mounting concern
among Western diplomats and international nuclear experts that Iran's
continued efforts to acquire uranium enrichment centrifuges is in violation of
its pledge to suspend all such nuclear-related
activities.
Jan
22 2004 [N] Libya surrenders to the International Atomic Energy Agency
drawings of a device similar to a nuclear warhead. This is the first time that
substantial proof of Libya's intention to develop nuclear weapons has been
offered.
Jan 23 2004 [B] A team of
top U.S. experts urge the U.S. Defense Department to establish a new agency to
consolidate multiple biological defense programs. Current military efforts to
advance treatments and vaccines for potential biological weapon attacks have
"dismal prospects for successful results."
Jan 23 2004 [M] India conducts a
test of its nuclear-capable, short-range ballistic missile from its Chandipur-on-Sea test site in eastern India. The Prithvi missile has a range of
300 kilometers.
Jan 23 2004 [N]
Pakistani investigators identify Abdul Qadeer Khan and Mohammed Farooq as the
two scientists who are believed to have aided Iran through unauthorized
assistance to its nuclear weapons program in the late 1980s. A.Q. Khan is
recognized as the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear weapons
program while Mr. Farooq is a high-level manager at the A.Q. Khan Research
Laboratories.
Jan 26 2004 [M] The
United States conducts a successful test of its primary missile defense booster
rocket, launching the rocket from the U.S. test facility on Kwajalein Atoll in
the Pacific Ocean. The rocket, developed by Orbital Sciences Corp., was not
intended to intercept a target.
Jan 26
2004 [N, O] IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei says in an interview by
Erich Follath titled "Nuclear War is Getting Closer" that he
believes facilities that produce weapons-grade material, such as highly enriched
uranium or plutonium, should be placed under multinational control.
Jan 27 2004 [B, C] Former chief U.S
weapons inspector David Kay says there is new evidence in the form of recovered
documents that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein secretly destroyed portions
of biological and chemical weapons stockpiles during the
mid-1990s.
Jan 28 2004 [M] North Korea
offers ballistic missile technology assistance to Nigeria. According to the
Nigerian government, the two countries agree to a "program of
cooperation" in a meeting between Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar
and visiting DPRK Vice President Yang Hyong
Sop.
Jan 29 2004 [N] Bush
administration representatives tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that
they support ratification of the
Additional Protocol
to the U.S. international safeguards agreement. This sends a message to
non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS)
that the protocol is vital to global nonproliferation efforts.
Jan 30 2004 [C] A Japanese court
sentences the cult scientist Masami Tsuchiya of
Aum Shinrikyo
to death for his role in the 1995 sarin attack on a Tokyo subway. Tsuchiya was
the second most important man in the cult, after the founder Shoko Asahara. The
attack killed 12 people and injured thousands.
Feb 2 2004 [N] Abdul Qadeer Khan, the
"father" of
Pakistan's nuclear weapons program,
signs a confession acknowledging that from 1989 through 1997 he provided Iran,
Libya, and North Korea with the necessary designs and technology to fabricate
uranium enrichment equipment.
Feb 4 2004
[B] Authorities investigate the discovery of powdered ricin in a suite of
offices in the United States Senate office buildings. A number of tests
determined the substance was indeed ricin; the results of the tests were
described as "definitive."
Feb
5 2004 [N] Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf says that he will not
provide the documents requested by international nuclear inspectors that are
related to Pakistan's internal investigation of proliferation activities
nor will he ever allow the United Nations to oversee his country's nuclear
program.
Feb 5 2004 [N]
Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf grants a full pardon to Dr.
Abdul Qadeer Khan, founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, on grounds of
his scientific contribution to the country. Khan had admitted sharing nuclear
technology with other countries.
Feb 8
2004 [N] A project meant to destroy the plutonium from thousands of retired
Russian and American nuclear weapons has been delayed due to deadlock on
liability rules for American workers and contractors that would help build the
necessary plant in Russia.
Feb 9 2004
[N] Investigators link companies or individuals in at least seven countries
to an international nuclear black market believed to have been controlled by
top Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan.
The countries confirmed to have been part of the smuggling network include
Germany, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The
remaining two countries were not
identified.
Feb 10 2004 [N] The United
States says it shared information on nuclear proliferation activities by
Pakistani scientists with Pakistan's government "over a long period
of time" while rejecting accusations made by President Musharraf that the
reports only started in October.
Feb 11
2004 [N] U.S. President George Bush proposes
seven new international initiatives
for restricting nuclear proliferation, including the possibly contentious
initiative that would restrict the supply of nuclear fuel-making equipment to
those states that already possess full-scale enrichment and reprocessing plants.
Another initiative includes strengthening the laws and international controls
that govern proliferation by all
nations.
Feb 11 2004 [N, O]
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei calls for
several new measures intended to strengthen nuclear nonproliferation efforts,
saying that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "must be tailored to fit
21st-century realities." The measures would include treaty-based export
controls to improve controls of nuclear materials.
Feb 12 2004 [N, O] International
inspectors in Iran discover an undisclosed design for an enrichment centrifuge.
This discovery raises questions about Tehran's November commitment to the
IAEA that it would make its nuclear program completely transparent.
Feb 15 2004 [N] Iranian Foreign
Minister Kamal Kharazi says
Iran
intends to proceed with plans to enrich uranium for both domestic consumption
and foreign sales in spite of the fact that it has currently suspended its
uranium enrichment program.
Feb 15 2004
[N] Investigators determine that the nuclear weapons designs obtained by
Libya, which included instructions for building an implosion-type nuclear bomb,
originated in China.
Feb 17 2004 [N]
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf rejects the idea of allowing
international inspectors to monitor Pakistani nuclear activities saying,
"we are not hiding anything...what is the need of any inspection."
This comes two weeks after Mr. Musharraf pardoned top Pakistani nuclear
scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan for his role in transferring nuclear technology to
Iran, Libya, and North Korea.
Feb 18 2004
[N] Russian President Vladimir Putin announces plans to develop new
strategic weapons systems and a possible effort to develop a Russian missile
defense system.
Feb 20 2004 [B]
Researchers developing anthrax treatments at the University of Chicago report
that an already available drug intended to treat hepatitis B, adefovir
dipivoxil, can successfully block one of three toxins produced by the anthrax
bacterium known as edema factor.
Feb 21
2004 [M] After two years of testing, Pakistan formally introduces into its
military the nuclear-capable, short-range Hatf 3 Ghaznavi ballistic
missile.
Feb
22 2004 [N] Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi acknowledges
to the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran has covertly purchased
components and materials for its nuclear program on the international nuclear
black market. Asefi's announcement came just after the head of the Iranian
Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, met with IAEA Director General
Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna.
Feb 24 2004 [N] Iran confirms that its voluntary suspension of uranium
enrichment activities applies to all facilities in Iran. Feb 25 2004
[N] International Atomic Energy Agency experts find evidence in Iran of
indigenous production of a concentrated fuel that could be used to make nuclear
weapons. Iran has argued that any traces of highly enriched uranium must have
come from materials and equipment contaminated prior to importation, but the
report found fuel on parts that were Iranian made.
Feb 25 2004 [N] U.S. and North Korean
officials meet privately in Beijing for talks on resolving the North Korean
nuclear crisis. The two and one-half hour meeting marks the longest and
highest-level interaction between the United States and the DPRK since October
2002.
Feb 26 2004 [N] Russian Foreign
Secretary Alexander Losyukov indicates that after the second day of
multinational talks with North Korea, some consensus has been reached in
Beijing. He indicates that Russia, China, and South Korea have agreed to offer
the DPRK aid in return for freezing its nuclear
program.
Feb 27 2004 [C] A Japanese court
sentences Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Shoko Asahara to death by hanging for his
orchestration of the 1995 sarin attack on a Tokyo subway. He is also found
guilty of ordering Aum members to produce and stockpile arsenals of chemical and
conventional weapons.
March 2 2004
[N] India plans to increase security at nuclear facilities in light of
recently exposed transfers of nuclear components and know-how from Pakistan to
Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Increased measures will include electrified
fencing, armed guards, and highly sensitive
detectors.
March 3 2004 [C] North
Korea's highest ranking scientist admits after defecting to Seoul two
years ago, that Pyongyang has tested chemical weapons on human subjects. He
witnessed such testing on two political prisoners in
1979.
March 3 2004 [B] The U.S. Post
Office reports that there have been more than 20,000 cases of suspicious powder
found in parcels and letters since the 2001 anthrax attacks with the great
majority of these cases proving to be false alarms. Some of the substitute
substances have been dust, talc, and even powdered alfredo sauce, pudding mix,
and ground lentils.
March 4 2004
[N] The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes unanimously to approve
a resolution ratifying the Additional Protocol to the nuclear safeguards
agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
March 5 2004 [C, O] Libya
formally discloses that it has produced and stored some 23 tons of lethal
mustard gas and has turned over to the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons (OPCW) more than a dozen folders containing details of its
illicit chemical weapons program.
March 8
2004 [N, O] The United States urges its European allies in the International
Atomic Energy Agency to denounce Iran for its work on an advanced centrifuge
design capable of producing highly enriched uranium for use in atomic
weapons.
March 8 2004 [N, O] IAEA
Director General ElBaradei updates the 35-member Board of Governors with his
statement
concerning the nuclear programs in Iran and Libya as well as other work linked
to areas of nuclear nonproliferation and
safeguards.
March 9 2004 [N] Russian
President Vladimir Putin
dismantles the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry
and reassigns its activities to other cabinet-level ministries as part of a
widespread government reorganization. This change triggers some concerns about
effects on U.S.-Russian nonproliferation efforts conducted through the U.S.
Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program.
March 13 2004 [N] The IAEA Board adopts a
resolution expressing serious concern that Iran failed to disclose
information about all of its enrichment technology, including a more
sophisticated centrifuge design than it had disclosed in October 2003, and the
source of HEU contamination in the country. The Board calls on Iran to take
necessary steps to resolve all outstanding issues, including the HEU
contamination at the Kalaye Electric Company, the nature of Iran's laser isotope
enrichment research, and its experiments on the production of polonium-210. March 15 2004 [N, O] Iran reverses
its decision to deny entry to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and
now agrees to allow a visit later this
month.
March 15 2004 [N] The Bush
administration announces that Libya paid $100 million for nuclear technology
from an international smuggling network created by Pakistani nuclear scientist
A.Q. Khan. This estimate exceeds earlier estimates that Libya paid less than $50
million for this technology, equipment, and know-how.
March 16 2004 [O] Hans Blix, former chief
UN weapons inspector and former executive chairman of the UN Monitoring,
Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), announces that the war in Iraq
could have been avoided if evidence of weapons of mass destruction had been more
critically examined, if inspections had continued, or if Iraq had more willingly
cooperated with the United States.
March 18 2004 [C, B] The U.S. Commerce
Department amends export control regulations to reflect decisions made last year
by the
Australia Group
regarding its chemical and biological control list.
March 21 2004 [N] Al-Qaeda's
second highest ranking official Ayman al-Zawahri claims to have obtained nuclear
weapons in Central Asia in the form of
"smart briefcase bombs."
Experts agree it is unlikely, although not impossible that al-Qaeda has a
nuclear weapon. It is more probable that the organization could develop a
"dirty bomb," which combines radioactive materials and conventional
explosives.
March 22 2004 [N] Atomic
energy officials announce that two cases of uranium were discovered earlier this
month in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The
two cases contained less than 100 kilograms of
uranium-235 and -238;
these amounts are not sufficient for production of a nuclear
weapon.
March 25 2004 [C] The Anniston
Army Depot in Alabama completes the destruction of half of its stockpile. It has
dismantled more than 21,300 M55 rockets filled with GB or nerve agent, otherwise
known as sarin.
March 25 2004 Libyan
Leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agree to
increase cooperation in the war on terrorism, including exchanging information
on al-Qaeda.
March 27 2004 [N, O]
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States pledges to cooperate to some
degree with an IAEA investigation of Iran's nuclear program after
rejecting a request to allow agency experts to
inspect Pakistan's own nuclear facilities.
The purpose of the inspections is to get environmental samples that could help
verify Iranian claims that traces of highly enriched uranium (HEU) found in Iran
came from Pakistan.
March 31 2004 [N,
O] The U.S. Senate unanimously approves a resolution
ratifying the Additional Protocol
to the U.S. nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy
Agency.
March 31 2004 [N]
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton
testifies that despite the recent confession of Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q.
Khan about his involvement in nuclear weapons technology transfers to Iran,
Libya and North Korea, top-level Pakistani government officials were not
complicit in the proliferation. He states that government officials did not
approve Khan's activities and therefore no U.S. sanctions are to be
imposed.
April 5 2004 [N, O] IAEA nuclear inspectors are blocked from performing a
thorough inspection of a uranium enrichment facility that is under construction
near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Walls have been erected and equipment shrouded
while Brazilian officials at headquarters in Vienna say the facility will only
produce low-enriched uranium for power plants, not weapon-grade
material.
April 6 2004 [N, O] In a
meeting with the IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in Tehran, Gholamreza
Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, promises to suspend
the manufacturing and assembly of centrifuges and other nuclear components.
April 6 2004 [N, O] Top Brazilian
nuclear scientist Luis Pinguelli Rosa says that Brazil has the right to keep its
"technical solutions" confidential and should not have to submit to
further international inspections of its uranium enrichment technology.
"Technical solutions" refers to technology related to an uranium
centrifuge, technology that Mr. Rosa says was developed in Brazil and should be
exempt from inspection by the IAEA.
April
7 2004 [N, O] Iran announces that it will commence work beginning in June on
a heavy water reactor in Arak; the reactor is to be used to produce weapon-grade
plutonium. This comes just one day after Iran pledges to suspend production of
uranium enrichment machinery.
April 7
2004 [N, O] The IAEA begins another round of inspections in Iran. The IAEA
inspectors will try to determine if Iran has terminated all suspicious
activities including the recently announced construction of uranium enrichment
centrifuges.
April 12 2004 [N] Abdul
Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist who has admitted transferring nuclear
weapons technology to several countries, tells interrogators that while on a
trip to North Korea five years ago, he was shown what he describes as three
nuclear devices in a secret underground nuclear plant. American intelligence
officials note that this estimate agrees with previous U.S. Central Intelligence
Agency estimates that North Korea has one or two nuclear weapons and the
capability to produce more.
April 13
2004 [B] A plan by Palestinian extremists to detonate a bomb carrying
HIV-infected blood during the Passover holiday celebration in Tel Aviv is foiled
when one of the members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is arrested in the city
of Nablus.
April 16 2004 [C] Suspected
terrorists in Jordan are arrested before their planned attack with a chemical
bomb and poison gas could take place. The foiled attack targeted the U.S.
Embassy in Amman, and other foreign diplomatic missions, the Jordanian prime
minister's office, as well as intelligence facilities and civilian
targets. The chemical bomb attack could have killed up to 20,000 people
according to Jordanian officials.
April 21
2004 [N] Mordechai Vanunu, a former technician at Israel's Dimona
nuclear plant who revealed the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons
program is released. At the same time, Israeli security services seize
confidential information found in notebooks and letters in Vanunu's cell
regarding Israel's clandestine nuclear
program.
April 22 2004 [N] Japan and
Singapore sign a bilateral agreement intended to stop nuclear weapons-related
materials from being transferred from those nations to "countries of
concern." North Korea's nuclear program and allegations that
Pyongyang is trafficking heroin and other illegal drugs to fund those efforts
have become major issues for Japan, according to Atsuo Shibota, an official from
Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
April 23 2004 [B, C, N] The United
States lifts most economic sanctions imposed on Libya in recognition of
Libya's decisions to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programs.
With these sanctions lifted, U.S. companies will be able to invest in Libya and
develop the country's oil
capacities.
April 23 2004 [C] The
destruction of 632 bulk containers filled with VX nerve agent is completed by
the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal facility in Utah at the U.S. Army's
Deseret Chemical Depot.
April 27 2004
[N] After a one-week meeting of the parties to the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,
the consensus opinion is that the nuclear nonproliferation regime is under
stress by both the countries that remain outside of the treaty and by NPT
members. The two main issues identified as most troubling are the 2003
withdrawal from the treaty by North Korea and this year's exposure of an
international nuclear proliferation network involving the founder of
Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer
Khan.
April 28 2004 [N, C, B]
The UN Security Council
unanimously approves
Resolution 1540
designed to close a loophole in international law by requiring states to adopt
measures to deny terrorists and other non-state actors access to weapons of mass
destruction. One section provides that all states will refrain from providing
support to non-state actors that attempt to develop nuclear, chemical or
biological weapons. Another provision mandates that all states adopt and enforce
laws that prohibit non-state actors from manufacturing weapons of mass
destruction and their means of
delivery.
April 30 2004 [N, O] France,
the United Kingdom, and the 13 non-nuclear weapon states of the European Union,
sign
Additional Protocols
with the IAEA, which improve verification of nuclear nonproliferation
commitments.
May 4 2004 [M] The U.S.
Commerce Department amends its national export control regulations to implement
decisions made during last year's plenary meeting of the
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The control regime aims to restrict the spread of critical missile technologies
by establishing common export controls among its 33 members. The changes that
are now in effect include amended language for some current control list entries
and the addition of inhibited red fumic nitric acid, which is used in missile
fuel, to the list of items that must be licensed for export.
May 7 2004 [N, O] The final
Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the parties to the
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)
collapses in the late hours of the evening after delegates fail to resolve
differences on numerous political and procedural issues. Among the contentious
issues are the nuclear weapon states' responsibilities to eliminate their
weapons, the concerns over North Korea's and Iran's noncompliance
with the treaty, the debate over a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass
destruction, and the ongoing issue of balancing states' rights, under the
treaty's provisions, for peaceful nuclear technology. This marks the final
PrepCom before next year's NPT Review
Conference.
May 11 2004 [N] The United
States imposes several new economic sanctions against
Syria
for its continued official support of terrorists groups and for failing to cease
its suspected efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. The two new
sanctions include a restriction on all U.S. exports except food and medicine and
a ban on any Syrian-owned aircraft taking off or landing in the United
States.
May 12 2004 [N] Parties to the
six-party working group meet on the North Korean nuclear crisis in Beijing and
are expected to finalize a date for the third round of high-level multilateral
talks.
May 12 2004 [N, C, B] The
United States and Panama sign a reciprocal ship boarding agreement that supports
the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
The agreement establishes procedures and protocols for boarding and searching
ships in international waters that are suspected of carrying weapons of mass
destruction, delivery systems, or related items. The agreement is part of a
strengthened effort to prevent the flow of these items to and from states and
non-state actors who pose proliferation concerns.
May 14 2004 [N, B, C] The U.S. State
Department announces that Libya has agreed to end all military trade with
countries considered to be serious "proliferation concerns," namely
Iran, North Korea, and Syria. The Libyan statement read by Undersecretary of
State John Bolton declared that Libya's decision stems from its move last
year to dismantle its WMD programs.
May 14
2004 [N] The working group talks on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear
crisis end with little progress mostly due to glaring differences between North
Korea and the United States. The members (North Korea, the United States, South
Korea, Japan, China, and Russia) agree to meet for another round of working
group discussions to pave the way for a third round of high-level multilateral
talks.
May 15 2004 [C] A bomb
containing the nerve agent sarin explodes near a U.S. military convoy in Iraq,
and two soldiers are treated for "minor exposure." The incident
involves a binary-type 155-millimeter artillery shell in which two separate
chemicals are combined after the shell is fired to produce the nerve agent
sarin.
May 19 2004 [N] A U.S. State
Department spokesman says that a light-water nuclear power reactor will not be
part of a U.S. offer to induce North Korea to end its nuclear
activity.
May 19 2004 [B] The U.S.
Senate votes 99-0 to establish a program that would use $5.6 billion over the
next 10 years to activate private sector development of vaccines and treatments
against agents such as smallpox, anthrax, botulinum toxin, Ebola, and
plague.
May 20 2004 [B, C, N] The U.S.
House of Representatives
votes 391-34 in favor
of a Bush administration request for more than $400 million for efforts by the
U.S. Defense Department to secure and eliminate remaining stockpiles of weapons
of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union (FSU).
May 21 2004 [N, O] Iran delivers a
report on its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The
report is a critical component of the agency's inspections and evaluation
process in preparation for a meeting next month in which it will deliver its
latest assessment of Iran's nuclear
activities.
May 22 2004 [N, O]
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency discover evidence that
suggests North Korea clandestinely provided Libya with some two tons of uranium
hexafluoride. Pakistan had originally been labeled as the supplier of the
material after Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi agreed earlier this year to give up his
nuclear program.
May 26 2004 [N]
Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announces to delegates at the International
Atomic Energy Agency a comprehensive global initiative known as the
Global Threat Reduction Initiative.
The cooperative effort would secure and remove high-risk nuclear and
radiological materials that pose a threat to the United States and the
international community.
May 27 2004
[N] The United States and Russia sign an agreement to recover Russian-origin
fresh and spent highly enriched uranium fuel from worldwide research reactors.
Under the agreement, the United States promises to assist in funding the
recovery effort. Russia will supply experts and equipment for the recovery
process. The initial phase will focus on removing materials from the countries
given high priority, namely Belarus, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and
Uzbekistan.
May 27 2004 [N] China is
formally invited to join the
Nuclear Suppliers Group,
the multilateral export control regime that oversees trade in nuclear-related
technology. Estonia, Lithuania, and Malta also receive initiations to join the
regime.
June
1 2004 [N, O] In a report to its Board of Governors, the International
Atomic Energy Agency says doubts still linger about nearly all aspects of
Iran's nuclear program despite Tehran's promise made last year to
suspend much of its atomic activity. The most pressing concerns are Iran's
continued effort to produce parts for uranium-enrichment centrifuges, its
production of uranium hexafluoride, and its plans to build a reactor that could
be used in a plutonium-based nuclear-weapon
program.
June 1 2004 [N, B, C] Today
marks the one-year anniversary of the launching of the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
The anniversary meeting held in Krakow, Poland confirms the growing awareness of
the dangers of weapons of mass destruction proliferation. U.S. President Bush
proposed expanding the work of the PSI beyond the interdictions of shipments to
bring to justice the middlemen and the financiers that enable this kind of
illicit trade. The PSI, an assemblage that boasts the backing of more than 60
countries with 15 core member states, seeks international cooperation to derail
the unlawful trade in nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and materials by
intercepting vessels, aircrafts, or other means of transportation.
June 1 2004 [N, B, C] New
Zealand's foreign minister Phil Goff says that his country will join the
Group of Eight (G8) Global Partnership
and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), two programs designed to help
stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The G8 has pledged over $20
billion over the next 10 years for nonproliferation efforts largely in
Russia.
June 4 2004 [N] In a
classified report submitted to Congress, the Bush administration says it plans
to reduce the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal by nearly half over the next eight
years. Linton Brooks, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration,
says when fully implemented, the stockpile reduction plan would leave the United
States with "the smallest nuclear weapons stockpile we've had in
several decades," by reducing the number of "operationally
deployed" strategic warheads by about two-thirds by 2012. The United
States would then possess no more than 2,200
warheads.
June 8 2004 [M]
Taiwan
rejects a Chinese proposal that Taiwan cease purchasing advanced weaponry from
the United States in exchange for China's withdrawing hundreds of
ballistic missiles aimed at the island. Taiwan's government spokesman,
Chen Chi-mai says that
China's arms buildup threatens Taiwan.
June 8 2004 [M] Israel develops its
first surface-to-surface cruise missile, the Delilah-GL-- a converted air-launch
missile -- with a range of 300 kilometers according to Israeli defense
officials. While the Israeli military industry is keeping the details of the
missile's payload capabilities secret, it is believed that the missile can
carry a 30-kilogram high-explosive warhead.
June 9 2004 [N, C, B] South
Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announces it will join the
Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass
destruction. The Global Partnership, launched at the Group of 8 (G8) summit in
Canada in June 2002, aims to destroy chemical and nuclear weapons, dismantle
nuclear submarines, and employ former weapons scientists.
June 9 2004 [N] The Group of Eight
(G8) leaders (from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States) approve a
nonproliferation action plan
that calls on Iran and North Korea to end their alleged nuclear weapons efforts.
The plan calls for Iran to "promptly and fully" comply with its
nuclear nonproliferation obligations; including ratifying and implementing the
Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement.
June 10 2004 [C, N] Russia and Canada
approve an agreement to cooperate in the destruction and disposal of Russian
chemical weapons and Soviet-era nuclear submarines. The approval comes during
the G8 summit where the G8 Global Partnership is meeting to discuss issues
related to nonproliferation, largely focused on Russia.
June 11 2004 [B] Five researchers at
the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California are
exposed to anthrax while working on a vaccine to protect children from
infection. None of the researchers, who are being treated with antibiotics, show
symptoms of infection.
June 14 2004
[N] South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says his country would provide North
Korea with considerable economic assistance if the nuclear crisis were settled.
Seoul is prepared to help Pyongyang obtain technology and funding for economic
development through its membership in international organizations.
June 14 2004 [C] The U.S. Army
reports that 20 rockets are found to be leaking GB nerve agent vapor at the U.S.
Army depot in Anniston, Alabama. The vapor was detected during routine daily
monitoring and the Army adds that there is no danger to the community or workers
at the facility.
June 15 2004 [C] In
the Chinese city of Qiqihar, a Japanese team of experts arrives to help dispose
of a nearby cache of World War II-era Japanese chemical weapons. The team is
expected to re-excavate the more than 500 munitions filled with agents such as
mustard gas and phosgene that were unearthed and reburied last month. Japan has
promised to recover and destroy all chemical weapons in China dating from the
WWII-era and its efforts are expected to continue through the year 2007.
June 17 2004 [N, O] Director General
of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei acknowledges wrongly
accusing Iran of withholding information from an investigation of its nuclear
program. He admits that his agency erred in not noting that one of its
inspectors had been informed as to the purchase of 150 magnets designated for
Iran's P-2 centrifuges.
June 18 2004 The IAEA Board adopts a
resolution noting that Iran has been more cooperative about providing
information and allowing inspections, and has continued to voluntarily suspend
uranium enrichment activities. However, the Board again requests that Iran
resolve questions about HEU contamination at various sites in Iran, and the
nature of Iran's P-2 centrifuge program. .June 19 2004
[N] India and Pakistan hold talks about reducing the threat of
nuclear conflict
in South Asia, an effort encouraged by India's new coalition government.
The talks, the first between the two sides over nuclear issues since 1998, focus
on the issues of regional nuclear security and the disputed area of Kashmir. The
foreign secretaries of the two governments agree to establish a communications
link or a "dedicated and secure hot line" meant to reduce risks
relevant to nuclear issues as part of increased nuclear confidence-building
measures being taken on the part of the two governments.
June 22 2004 [N] President Bush
authorizes a team of U.S. negotiators to offer North Korea a new set of
incentives to forgo its plutonium and uranium weapons program. In return for
agreeing to stop its nuclear weapons program, North Korea would receive aid from
China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, tens of thousands of tons of heavy fuel
oil, and a "provisional" guarantee from the United States not to
invade the country or to try to topple Kim Jong Il's government.
June 22 2004 [M, N] An agreement is
reached between India's Foreign Secretary Shashank and his Pakistani
counterpart Riaz Khokhar to develop a formal system for advance pre-test
notification of
missile flight tests
carried out by the two nuclear-armed rivals. This agreement concludes one set of
nuclear confidence-building measures meant to improve the confidence the two
countries place in the information they receive.
June 24 2004 [N] Iran announces that
it will restart production of uranium centrifuge parts that Bush administration
officials believe are meant for Iran's nuclear-weapons program. U.S.
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton
says that Iran's announcement is a direct "reneging" on
commitments made by Iran to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
June 24 2004 [N] U.S. officials
report that North Korea is threatening to test a nuclear weapon if its demands
for energy aid are not met. The threat comes during the third day of the
six-nation talks in a meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James
Kelly and North Korean negotiators in
Beijing.
June 28 2004 [B, O] The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the U.S. Capitol
Police inadvertently spread anthrax beyond the Hart Senate Office Building while
responding to the October 2001 mail attacks. Officers who were not properly
decontaminated were initially allowed to enter and exit affected areas at the
Hart Building causing the increased levels of
contamination.
June 29 2004 [N] North
Korea requests 2 million kilowatts of energy aid and other concessions from the
United States in exchange for the freezing of its nuclear programs. It is also
demanding that the United States "remove North Korea from the list of
countries facilitating terrorism, and lift sanctions and the economic blockade
from our country," according to Pak Ui Chun, Pyongyang's ambassador
to Russia. Mr. Chun says that North Korea would begin freezing its nuclear
program when compensation begins.
June 30
2004 [N] The Russian government approves the "Statute of the Federal
Atomic Energy Agency." The statute authorizes the Energy Agency to license
legal entities' activities related to the use of atomic energy and
radioactive materials for defense purposes. These uses include the development,
production, testing, transportation, operation, storage, and scrapping of
nuclear weapons and military- purpose nuclear power
plants.
June 30 2004 [B] The Bush
administration
plans to perform certain biological defense activities
that some critics argue could potentially violate the Biological Weapons
Convention, rendering the treaty's restrictions futile. The work includes
developing and testing new and existing biological weapons agents and delivery
devices. In response to criticism that the Bush administration is seeking an
offensive biological weapons capability, Maureen McCarthy, director of research
and development at the Department of Homeland Security, says the intent is to
"develop protective measures to protect the American
public."
July 2 2004 [O, C] Former Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein is charged with several counts of war crimes in an Iraqi courtroom.
Among the charges are the use of chemical weapons against Iraq’s Kurdish
population during the 1980s and the 1991 invasion of Kuwait. Hussein has also
been incriminated with the assassination of religious figures and members of
political opposition parties, as well as toppling Shiite and Kurdish uprisings.
According to former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran should also
press charges against Hussein for the use of chemical weapons during the
Iraq-Iran war. Hussein has rejected all charges.
July 6 2004 [M] Australian Defense Minister Robert
Hill signs an agreement with the United States to help develop a controversial
missile defense shield. The memorandum of understanding commits Australia to
working on the program with its strong ally over a 25-year period. Although
critics argue that the U.S. program is similar to former U.S. President Ronald
Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” missile defense shield, Hill maintains that new
technologies would increase the potential of protection against incoming
ballistic missiles.
July 7 2004 [N] Prior to meeting with International
Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon says that his country will not change its “no show, no tell” nuclear
policy in order to ensure Israel’s protection. Under its strategy of “nuclear
ambiguity,” Israel neither verifies nor refutes having such weapons. Experts
estimate that
Israel has the world’s sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and the
ability to rapidly expand.
July 15 2004 [B] The U.S. engineering firm CUH2A
announces that it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Defense Threat
Reduction Agency for designing four Biosafety Level 2 and 3 laboratories that
would house and study dangerous pathogens in Georgia, Kazakhstan, and
Uzbekistan. According to a spokesperson from the Pentagon agency, the four
facilities should be built by September 2007 and would go into operation the
following year.
July 16 2004 [N, B, C] Iraqi National Security
Adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie asserts that his country will never again possess
weapons of mass destruction and will abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Chemical Weapons Convention.
According to the senior official, Iraq has also approved a U.S. operation to
remove radioactive materials and low-enriched uranium from the Tuwaitha nuclear
complex.
July 19 2004 [C] The Anniston chemical weapons
incinerator is on target to destroy the 4.1 million pounds of sarin, VX-filled
munitions and blister agents that remain in its stockpile by 2010. Since its
opening in 2003, the U.S. Army’s incinerator has burned about 5 percent of its
munitions and 7 percent of the agent. Although progress has been made at
Anniston and other sites, Russia and the United States are unlikely to meet the
2007 deadline for complete destruction of their chemical weapons, as agreed upon
in the 1997
Chemical Weapons Convention. According to U.S. Army officials, regulatory
and environmental delays are some of the factors responsible for the slow pace
and high costs of the program.
July 21 2004 [C, B] President Bush signs Project
BioShield, a $5.6 million program to develop and stockpile vaccines and other
antidotes to chemical and biological weapons. The legislation encourages the
drug industry to research and develop bioterrorism countermeasures and, in case
of an emergency, allows the government to distribute certain treatments before
the Food and Drug Administration has approved them. U.S. officials are hopeful
that, in addition to providing sufficient new-generation anthrax vaccines for 25
million people, Project BioShield will provide antidotes for botulism, smallpox,
and a children’s version of an anti-radiation pill.
Aug 3 2004 [N] As part of the Russia-NATO Council work program, “Avaria
2004” exercises involving military and law enforcement personnel are conducted
in the northern Murmansk region of Russia. The training concentrates on
defending Russia’s nuclear facilities and nuclear weapons in transit, as well as
dealing with the consequences of possible nuclear accidents. While similar
exercises have been held in Russia on an annual basis, 2004 marks the first time
that foreigners, including observers from 17 NATO countries, are invited to
participate. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov contends that, contrary to
widespread beliefs, the successful exercises are proof that Russia’s nuclear
facilities are well protected.
Aug 6 2004 [M] As part of the U.S. missile defense
effort, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland sign an agreement to modernize
a U.S. early warning radar system at Thule Air Base in northwestern Greenland.
Secretary of State Colin Powell says that the “Radar Upgrade Pact” will assist
in meeting the security challenges of the 21st century, ranging from
missile defense to international terrorism.
Aug 8 2004 [N] Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma
announces that his country has opened its second nuclear reactor in the western
Ukrainian city of Khlemnitsky. The nuclear plant opened following a
controversial decision by the government that the reactor did not present a
potential risk to the surrounding environment. Kuchma states that this
represents a further step towards independence from Russia in the nuclear energy
sector.
Aug 9 2004 [M] The U.S. State Department announces
that Bulgaria has joined the
Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a multilateral export control
organization whose members aim to implement common export control policies on
missiles and related technologies. The regime, which currently has a total
membership of 34 countries, is scheduled to hold its annual plenary meeting on
4-8 October 2005 in Seoul, Korea. Among the expected agenda items are
discussions on changes to the organization’s control list, status of missile
proliferation programs of concern, as well as cooperation on national export
control.
Aug 13 2004 [B] In an effort to prevent the
proliferation of biological weapons, the United States has agreed to increase
funding by an additional $21 million for joint projects with Uzbekistan. Uzbek
Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov says that a portion of the funds will be
used to develop an infectious disease monitoring system.
Aug 16 2004 [N, O] The International Atomic Energy
Agency announces that it plans to hold a Middle East Nuclear Forum in January
2005 in Vienna. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei says that the forum aims
at creating nuclear-free zones worldwide, especially in the Middle East, and
with the participation of Arab States, Israel, and other countries in the
region, would provide an opportunity to engage in discussions on the necessary
conditions for creating
nuclear-free zones.
Aug 26 2004 [N, C, B] In order to enhance the
inspection of shipping containers for weapons of mass destruction and other
illegal imports before entry into the United States, the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection Bureau announces that it plans to increase the number of
international seaports currently participating in the Container Security
Initiative. The proposed program would place U.S. customs agents in foreign
ports to examine U.S.-bound freight containers and to identify those that pose a
potential threat.
Sept 8 2004 [B, O] More than 300 scientists and
specialists from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and other
countries attend an international conference dealing with biological security,
bioterrorism, and the fight against infectious diseases in Novosibirsk. Among
the topics of discussion are research findings in areas such as developing
effective vaccines, diagnostic and anti-viral medications, as well as biological
security and countering bioterrorism.
Sept 14 2004 [N, O] As part of a joint U.S.-Russia
agreement, the Russian Atomic Energy Agency announces that it has repatriated
approximately 900 kilograms (1,980 pounds) of enriched uranium from Eastern
Europe and Libya. According to a Rosatom spokesperson, the goal of this
initiative is to reduce the risk of nuclear material from falling into the hands
of non-state actors.
Sept 18 2004 [N] Pakistan’s Senate approves export
control legislation in an effort to reinforce existing measures to prevent the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. With the enactment of the export
control bill, Pakistan attempts to ease concerns over A.Q. Khan’s revelation
that his network transferred nuclear information to countries such as Iran and
Libya. Under the new legislation, persons convicted of proliferating nuclear and
biological weapons technology will face up to 14 years in prison and up to
$85,000 in fines. Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khusro Bakhtiar,
stresses the importance of strengthening regulations and export controls on the
transshipments and the transit of items of proliferation concern. In passing the
bill, Pakistan affirms its compliance with its obligations under UN Security
Council Resolution 1540.
Sept 19 2004 [N, O] During an International Partners
Conference held at the Austria Center in Vienna, Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, emphasizes the need for
protecting nuclear facilities and controlling the spread of radioactive
materials. ElBaradei also stresses that, while nuclear security should remain a
top priority among nations, it is estimated that approximately 110 countries
still do not have the necessary resources for responding to the threats of
nuclear and radiological terrorism.
Sept 20 2004 [N, C, M] In an effort to improve
relations with Tripoli, President George W. Bush lifts the majority of remaining
U.S. sanctions on
Libya and terminates the national emergency declared in 1986 under the
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In addition to freeing
Libyan assets previously frozen in the United States, direct flights will also
be permitted between the two countries. Bush also renounces embargos on certain
U.S. export assistance programs to Libya, and allows U.S. taxpayers to claim
credits for taxes paid to Libya. The decision to lift sanctions comes after
Libya committed to relinquish its nuclear and chemical weapons programs, as well
as its longer-range missiles in December 2003.
Sept 22 2004 [O] During a two-day meeting in Vienna,
over 90 nations endorse the
Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), a U.S.-sponsored program to
reduce the worldwide traffic in nuclear and radiological materials. The threat
reduction initiative seeks to primarily stop terrorists from obtaining highly
enriched uranium (HEU) fuel, which can be used to build a nuclear weapon if
enough is stolen. In addition to the $400 million already committed, the United
States will add another $3 million toward initiative activities. Notwithstanding
GTRI’s recent successes, the global effort still faces several challenges,
including an incomplete inventory of nuclear materials worldwide, high costs
related to the implementation of reactor security, as well as some countries’
resistance to relinquishing materials.
Sept 30 2004 [N] The U.S. Energy Department
completes the first transfer of nuclear materials from the Los Alamos National
Laboratory in New Mexico to a more secure facility at the Nevada Test Site. The
agency intends to relocate the most sensitive weapon-grade material from Los
Alamos by September 2005, and to conclude the removal of the remaining material
by 2008.
Oct 1 2004 [N, O] Tanzania signs and ratifies the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. A radionuclide station in Dar el
Salaam is part of a global network that monitors compliance with the treaty.
Thus far, 119 countries have ratified the treaty.
Oct 1 2004 [N] During the first presidential debate,
President Bush and Democratic nominee Senator John F. Kerry agree that nuclear
proliferation is the main security challenge facing the United States, but
disagree on ways to combat the threat. While Senator Kerry argues that less
nuclear material has been secured since 9/11 than in the two years preceding it,
President Bush contends that his administration has increased funding by 35
percent, established the
Proliferation Security Initiative, which includes more than 60 nations, and
encouraged Libya to disarm. The two presidential candidates also disagree on
ways to convince North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons program.
Oct 6 2004 [N, C, B, M, O] The United States
releases a 918-page report (the
"Duelfer Report") containing the Iraq Survey Group's findings on the
state of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program following the Gulf War in
1991. The report concludes that the 1991 Gulf War and the subsequent UN
sanctions and inspections effectively put an end to all of Iraq's WMD programs,
and eliminated its long-range missile inventory and production capabilities. The
report drew on interviews with captured Iraqi experts and regime officials,
physical inspections of suspected WMD sites, and tens of millions of pages of
documents recovered after the war.
Oct 11 2004 [N, O] In order to avoid possible
sanctions from the UN Security Council, Russia urges Iran to suspend its uranium
enrichment program as required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
During a visit to the Iranian city of Isfahan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei
Lavrov points out that Moscow will continue nuclear cooperation with Tehran if
it complies with the IAEA. Russia has assisted Iran during the construction of
its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Oct 12 2004 [N] The U.S. Congress approves the
Domenici-Feinstein Amendment, a domestic nuclear security measure, which
seeks to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear materials. The amendment
calls for the establishment of a task force that deals with the removal of
nuclear materials from vulnerable sites and grants funding authorization for a
removal program. In addition, a defense bill provision authored by Senator
Domenici allows the Energy Department to accept international payments for
shutting down Russia’s remaining plutonium reactors in Seversk and Zheleznogorsk
by 2011.
Oct 12 2004 [O] The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopts
Resolution 1566, a resolution proposed by Russia to make the fight against
terrorism more effective by requesting states to deny safe haven to terror
suspects, and more aggressively extradite and prosecute people suspected of
committing or planning terrorist acts. Russian Ambassador Andrei Denisov
declares that the “major emphasis” of the resolution is that terrorism is “a
crime that could not be justified by any political, ideological, religious, or
other views. Those responsible for terrorist acts should be given the harshest
punishment for their crimes.”
Oct 15 2004 [O] The
G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass
Destruction has selected Ukraine as the next recipient of nonproliferation
aid. Established in 2002, the G-8 Global Partnership aims at providing funds for
nonproliferation activities, predominantly in Russia. Thus far, nonproliferation
projects undertaken in Russia have focused on tasks such as the disposal of
chemical weapons and nuclear submarine dismantlement. One of the proposed
projects for Ukraine is reassigning former Soviet WMD and missile scientists to
civilian research projects.
Oct 19 2004 [N] After months of disagreement over Brazil’s nuclear program,
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors are granted limited access
to vital uranium-enrichment technology at a facility in Resende, near Rio de
Janeiro. A dispute over IAEA monitoring started in April when inspectors were
prevented from observing the plant’s centrifuge components. Brazilian officials
argued that portions of the plant had been concealed to protect Brazil’s
industrial secrets. According to an IAEA spokesperson, access to the centrifuges
is necessary to ensure Brazil’s compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) and peaceful use of enriched uranium. In addition to the stalemate
over inspections, there have also been concerns about Brazil’s reluctance to
sign the Additional Protocol, which would increase the IAEA’s ability to
identify clandestine nuclear operations.
Nov 4 2004 [N, O] The Russian Federal Atomic Energy
Agency and the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry sign a memorandum of
understanding entitled the Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership program. The
program, to which Britain contributes more than $5 million annually, seeks to
reduce the spread of nuclear technologies to rogue states and terrorist groups
by improving the economic viability of 10 Russian cities. The initiative
includes directing former Russian nuclear scientists and technicians toward new
assignments by providing personnel training, investment grants, business
partnering, and economic development.
Nov 10 2004 [B, C, O] The Singapore Defense Ministry
announces that Singapore and Australia will conduct their first annual joint
antiterrorism exercise. The combined effort, referred to as “Black Orchid,”
involves personnel from the Singapore Armed Force’s chemical, biological,
radiological, and explosives defense group and the Australian Defense Force’s
incident response group. Participants take part in a number of terrorist
activity scenarios and exchange possible courses of action in the event of a
chemical or radiological attack.
Nov 15 2004 [N] The International Atomic Energy
Agency supports
Iran’s decision to temporarily suspend its uranium-enrichment activities
until negotiations with the Europeans are completed. Iran’s decision is one of
the key components of a deal with Britain, France, and Germany, which is
intended to guarantee that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. An acceptable
agreement with the Europeans would prevent Iran’s past violations of its
safeguards agreement from being referred to the UN Security Council as well as
the imposition of possible sanctions on its nuclear program.
Nov 19 2004 [N, O] Within the framework of the
Global Partnership program, Great Britain intends to appropriate over $30
million for the construction of a nuclear waste storage site in Murmansk,
Russia. British Ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, emphasizes the importance of
the project in preventing nuclear waste expansion worldwide, and especially in
Russia. The project is expected to be implemented by the middle of 2006 and will
store approximately 50 containers of nuclear waste up to 50 years.
Nov 22 2004 [N] In a major setback to the Bush
administration’s nuclear weapon strategy (set forth in the
2001 Nuclear Posture Review), Congress decides to exclude $36.6 million in
funding for research and development of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator
program and the Advanced Concepts Initiative from the fiscal 2005 Omnibus
Appropriations bill. The
Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator program explores new capabilities for
striking deeply buried facilities. The Advanced Concepts Initiative includes
studies on such topics as improving the safety, security, and control of cruise
missiles with nuclear weapons, using nuclear weapons for the destruction of
chemical and biological agents in storage, and substituting existing warheads
with longer-lasting warheads. Critics have pointed out that these programs would
weaken U.S. efforts to convince other countries to halt nuclear weapons
proliferation. According to U.S. Representative Edward Markey, the cuts
represent “the biggest victory for arms-control advocates in Congress since
1992.”
Nov 29 2004 [N, O] Russian Prime Minister Mikhail
Fradkov signs an agreement with Poland and the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to provide Poland with nuclear fuel for its research reactor at
the Institute of Atomic Energy in Swierk. Poland agrees to use the fuel for
peaceful purposes.
Nov 29 2004 [C, O] United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls for
universal participation in the
Chemical Weapons Convention. In a message to the Ninth Session of the
Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, Annan states that increasing
membership in the treaty is imperative for strengthening international security
and for promoting the peaceful use of chemistry. Since the treaty entered into
force in 1997, 167 states parties have become members.
Dec 2 2004 [B] The University of Michigan Medical School has been awarded
$5.9 million for anthrax research. Researchers anticipate developing a vaccine
that is not only more cost effective but also requires fewer inoculations than
the current treatment.
Dec 3 2004 [N, O] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin announce their pledge to continue
cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. In a joint declaration both
countries emphasize the importance of utilizing environment-friendly resources,
applying innovative technologies to ensure energy security, and encouraging
investments in the energy sector in both countries.
Dec 3 2004 [C, O] Parties to the Chemical Weapons
Convention approve a proposal by Libya to convert its former chemical weapons
production facility at Rabta into a pharmaceutical plant. The new facility plans
to manufacture medicines and vaccines for treatment of diseases such as AIDS,
malaria, and tuberculosis in Africa. According to a spokesman of the
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Libya’s intended
conversion is aimed at assuring member states that the facility will only be
used for peaceful purposes.
Dec 7 2004 [B, O] In an effort to strengthen the
1972
Biological Weapons Convention, experts from numerous countries are meeting
in Geneva to discuss enhancing the surveillance of infectious diseases, as well
as improving the response to biological or chemical attacks. Parties to the
convention express their concern about the likelihood of terrorist groups
obtaining biological agents since pathogens can be easily transferred. In order
to inform scientists of the ethical importance of their work, an international
code of conduct for scientists will be designed.
Dec 10 2004 [N, O] During a meeting at NATO
headquarters in Brussels, the NATO-Russia Council agrees to increase scientific,
technical, and operational cooperation in order to prevent the risk of terrorist
attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. Under this initiative, the
council members agree to such measures as increasing intelligence sharing,
strengthening nonproliferation agreements, focusing on potential threats to
freight and passenger transport, as well as improving preparedness training. The
NATO-Russia Council was established in 2002, and its membership includes Russia
and all NATO countries.
Dec 10 2004 [B, O] The United States and Kazakhstan
sign an agreement to increase efforts to prevent the spread of biological
weapons. Under the agreement, an additional $35 million in U.S. nonproliferation
aid will be provided to Kazakhstan through joint projects such as improving
security at biological facilities, eliminating Cold War-era biological
weapons-related infrastructure, consolidating pathogen stocks at central
repositories, as well as improving Kazakhstan’s ability to respond to potential
bioterrorist attacks by developing new medical countermeasures. The current
agreement modifies a bilateral U.S.-Kazakh agreement reached in 1995 by
implementing the
U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which aims at securing and
disposing former Soviet weapons of mass destruction.
Dec 15 2004 [N, O] Norwegian ambassador to Moscow,
Oyvind Nordsletten, says that Norway will contribute approximately $15 million
to finance ecological and nuclear security projects in Russia’s polar region.
Most of the funds will be used to finance projects associated with the
utilization of nuclear submarines and the reconstruction of the depository of
radioactive wastes located in the Andreyeva Bay on the Russian-Norwegian border.
According to the ambassador, Norwegian agencies specializing in radiation
protection also seek to expand their collaborative efforts with Russia at the
Kola nuclear power plant.
Dec 19 2004 [N, O] In an effort to strengthen
bilateral nonproliferation cooperation, the United States and Kazakhstan sign an
amendment to their agreement on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass
destruction. Under the new agreement, the United States plans to provide
financial assistance for projects such as building a laboratory and system for
monitoring, diagnosing, and responding to infectious diseases in Kazakhstan.
Both countries are also working on developing treatments for possible epidemics
caused by intentional acts of terrorism.
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