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Jan 3 2006 [N] North Korea refuses to join
any multilateral nuclear disarmament talks until the United States
lifts the embargo placed on Pyongyang in regard to alleged illegal
financial activity.
Jan 3 2006 [N] The United States Congress
approves a 2006 test of a mock Robust Nuclear earth Penetrator, or
“bunker buster.” The test was thought canceled but $4 billion in
funding was provided after Congress agreed, “To authorize no funding
for the RNEP study under the Department of Energy, but instead
authorize a related study effort within the Department of Defense.”
Jan 11 2006 [N] The United States reports
the December 2005 signing of agreements with Honduras and the former
Soviet republics of Georgia and Azerbaijan to install radiation
detection and communications equipment at border crossings, airports
and seaports to help guard against smuggling of nuclear or
radiological materials, the U.S. National Nuclear Security
Administration.
Jan 12 2006 [N, O] Russia states that it
will not block Iran’s referral to the United Nations Security
Council. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran was not
intimidated by international reaction to its resumption of nuclear
research.
Jan 13 2006 [N] Iran today said it is
prepared to bar some international inspections at its nuclear
facilities if the crisis surrounding Tehran’s nuclear activities is
taken up by the United Nations Security Council. “In case Iran is
referred to the U.N. Security Council ... the government will be
obliged to end all of its voluntary cooperation,” said Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
Jan 18 2006 [N, O] The chief U.S. and North Korean envoys to
multilateral nuclear disarmament talks, Assistant Secretary of State
Christopher Hill and North Korean negotiator Kim Kye Gwan, meet in
Beijing. They are joined by Wu Dawei, China’s chief negotiator. The
officials discussed Washington’s accusations of Pyongyang’s
involvement in illicit financial activities and the illegal drug
trade, and the corresponding effects on multilateral nuclear
disarmament negotiations.
Jan 19 2006 [N, T] French President Jacques Chirac announces
that Paris is prepared to use nuclear weapons in response to any
terrorist attack on French soil. Chirac’s
warning intended to show that “one does not leave the monopoly of
deterrence to the Americans,” Dominique Moisi of the French
Institute of International Relations told Agence France-Presse. “It
was a Gaullist-inspired speech aimed at giving renewed legitimacy to
France’s deterrent arsenal, within the context of Europe,” said
Moisi.
Jan 24 2006 [M] The annual cost of the Bush administration’s
missile defense plans could more than double to $19 billion by 2013,
and total $247 billion from 2006 through fiscal 2024, according to a
U.S. government
report. “The Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans and
Alternatives: Detailed Update for Fiscal Year 2006,” was produced by
the Congressional Budget Office and released this month as an update
to a September 2004 report.
Jan 26 2006 [N] Iran announces that it is open to further
negotiation on Russia’s plan for Iran to enrich uranium on Russian
soil for peaceful nuclear use, but emphasized that the plan would
have to be further tuned before it would be acceptable to Iran.
Jan 30 2006 [N] India has yet to meet a key requirement for
finalizing the proposed nuclear technology sharing agreement with
the United States, the U.S. ambassador to India said in an interview
today. Ambassador David Mulford said that India offered an
inadequate proposal on separating its civil and military atomic
installations. India however announced
that it will abstain from voting against Iran’s referral to the
United Nations Security Council by the International Atomic Energy
Agency, a key concession in order for nuclear cooperation with the
United States to continue.
Jan 31 2006 [N, O] China and Russia have agreed to sign on to
a Western-led effort to report Iran’s nuclear dossier to the United
Nations Security Council. After a four-hour meeting yesterday in
London, foreign ministers from the permanent Security Council
nations and Germany issued a joint
statement calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA)
governing board at its emergency meeting Thursday to report Iran’s
activities to the Security Council. The ministers also agreed that
the council should wait until March, when the agency is expected to
release a formal report on Iran’s nuclear activities, before taking
action.
Feb 2 2006 [N, O] The IAEA begins a meeting to
discuss referring Iran to the U.N. Security Council for engaging in
uranium enrichment research in violation of its commitments under
the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The United States announces
that it will not immediately seek economic sanctions against Iran.
Feb 2 2006 [C] In preparation for a military
exercise, the U.S. Army recovers nearly 150 suspected chemical
munitions near Schofield Barracks in Oahu, Hawaii. The munitions
will be stored at an onsite location for the time being, as
transportation of chemical weapons is prohibited by international
law. In addition, Hawaiian legislators call for a complete report by
2009 of all chemical weapons deposits made decades ago off the
coasts of Oahu and Wai'anae, along with a
plan for their disposal. The sites contain approximately 8,000 tons
of munitions; exact locations and depths are unclear.
Feb 3 2006 [O] The U.S. Department of Defense
releases its Quadrennial Defense Review
Report. The release of the 92-page document coincides with the
U.S. Department of Defense’s 2007 fiscal budget request. Principal
Deputy Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy Ryan Henry notes that
the
report, “…aims to shift military capabilities to fight terrorism
and meet nontraditional, asymmetric threats, while shaping a defense
structure better able to support and speed up this reorientation.”
Feb 4 2006 [N, O] The International Atomic Energy Agency adopts a
resolution in response to Iran’s continued pursuance of an
indigenous uranium enrichment capability. The resolution will be
considered for implementation at the next scheduled meeting of the
IAEA Board of Governors in March. If implemented, the resolution
will call for Iran to once again freeze all uranium enrichment
processes, and recommend U.N. Security Council action if this and
previous resolutions are not respected by Iran.
Feb 7 2006 [N, O]
Iranian officials send a letter to the IAEA requesting that it
remove any seals and surveillance systems on Iranian nuclear
facilities involving highly enriched uranium (HEU) still being
monitored by international inspectors by mid-month. The letter also
states that Tehran would end all voluntary compliance with the UN
agency if Iran were referred to the UN Security Council.
Feb 8 2006 [N] Russia offers to enrich uranium
for any country seeking a nuclear energy program. Russia made the
same offer to Iran during the freeze on Iran’s uranium enrichment
activities over the last two and a half years. Russian President
Vladimir Putin announces that such a plan will help avoid future
conflicts over uranium enrichment processes by ensuring that all
countries have access to necessary fuel in the future and that
client nations will not enrich the material for weapons purposes.
Feb 9 2006 [C] Workers at the U.S. Army’s
Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Maryland complete
cleaning and decontaminating 1,817 containers that once held mustard
gas. The neutralization of the mustard gas itself was completed in
March 2005. It is expected to take at least two years to fully shut
down the site, according to an Army Chemical Materials Agency
release.
Feb 10 2006 [N] France announces changes to its
nuclear arsenal that allow an increase in range and greater
precision in targeting. The changes will allow France to have the
possibility of a “targeted and limited response.” “Our country has
modified its capacity for action and from now on has the possibility
to target the control centers of an eventual enemy,” French Defense
Minister Michele Alliot-Marie states.
Feb 14 2006 [N] Japan’s
Mitsutoyo Corp is raided by Japanese
authorities after being accused of illegally exporting precision
machinery to China and Thailand. The machinery is suspected of
having been diverted into the nuclear weapons black market.
Feb 14 2006 [N] Iran
confirms it has restarted work on uranium enrichment, although it
will be some time before it reaches industrial-scale production.
Iran says it needs to enrich uranium in an underground nuclear
facility near the central town of Natanz to produce fuel for power
stations. Western countries believe that Iran is pursuing a complete
nuclear fuel cycle to produce nuclear weapons.
Feb 16 2006 [N] Satellite images obtained by
the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Federation of American
Scientists offer the world’s first glimpse of China’s underground
nuclear facilities, according to a report released by Imaging
Notes. While China’s nuclear capability does not approach that
of the United States, according to the report, each country seems to
be accounting for the other’s sophistication in modernizing its
nuclear arsenal.
Feb 17 2006 [B] Two unnamed Japanese firms are
raided by Japanese authorities on suspicion of selling equipment to
North Korea that can be used to develop biological weapons. The
freezing dryer machinery in question is thought to have been
diverted to North Korea via Taiwan.
Feb 17 2006 [N] Iran announces that it has
introduced
uranium hexafluoride into centrifuges for enrichment. Chief
Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani rejects persistent claims by
the United States and Europe that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapons
program, stating that Iran only desires a civilian energy capacity.
Feb 20 2006 [N] France and India sign a
declaration of civil nuclear technology cooperation. Indian Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh emphasizes that all
future nuclear technologies acquired
through international cooperation would be subject to international
safeguards.
Feb 23 2006 [M] The
United States tests a missile from Alaska's Kodiak Launch Complex.
The purpose of the exercise was to test upgrades to an early warning
radar installed in 1980 at Beale Air Force Base, California. The
missile flew 2,500 miles and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
March 1 2006 [C] Russia inaugurates its second
chemical weapons production facility. The Kambarka plant, located in
the Republic of Udmurtia about 700 miles east of Moscow, has
destroyed 1.7 metric tons of lewisite since test runs began in
December 2005.
March 2 2006 [N] U.S. President George W. Bush
and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sign a historic nuclear
energy pact. The plan calls for the eventual cooperation between the
two nations on sensitive nuclear technology. Before the plan can be
implemented, however, the U.S. Congress must amend certain export
control laws to allow for the arrangement, and India must workout a
safeguards system with the United Nations International Atomic
Energy Agency, in addition to clearly partitioning civilian and
military nuclear facilities.
March 2 2006 [N, O] European Union nations
Germany, France, and Great Britain agree to last minute talks with
Iran regarding its civilian nuclear energy program before the issue
is discussed in the ensuing International Atomic Energy Agency
meeting. The IAEA could refer Iran to the United Nations Security
Council for failure to comply with its nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty obligations.
March 2 2006 [C] The Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in
Alabama finishes incinerating all of the depot’s sarin-filled arms.
According to the U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency, 142,428
weapons were destroyed at the facility.
March 7 2006 [N] Russia offers Iran the ability
to do limited uranium enrichment research in exchange for refraining
from producing highly enriched uranium on an industrial scale. The
United States, France, and Great Britain reject any scenario that
would allow Iran to experiment with uranium gas on the grounds that
it could help Iran build a nuclear weapon.
March 9 2006 [M] In the spirit of missile
defense cooperation, Japan and the United States successfully
complete a first test of a new nosecone device that is designed to
open like a clam shell and fire a kinetic device to intercept an
approaching missile. The test was conducted off the coast of
Hawaii's Kauai island on a U.S. cruiser with an advanced Aegis
weapon system.
March 9 2006 [N, O] In a rare meeting between
the United States and North Korea, the North Koreans warned that
they would not return to the Six-Party Talks to discuss ending their
nuclear weapons program unless the United States stopped allegations
of money laundering and counterfeiting schemes occurring in North
Korea.
March 13 2006 [N] Despite pressure from the
United Nations Security Council regarding its nuclear energy
program, Iran refuses a deal put forth by Russia on March 7, 2006,
to allow small scale research in Iran in exchange for a freeze on
any large scale uranium enrichment for seven to nine years.
March 14 2006 [N] Russia announces that it will
sell nuclear fuel to be used in India’s Tarapur reactor. The
announcement comes on the heels of the signing of the U.S.-India
agreement to share sensitive nuclear technology. Washington opposes
the Russian deal on the grounds that India should not receive
nuclear fuel until an IAEA safeguards system is in place.
March 14 2006 [N] Libya signs a nuclear
technology deal with France, the first of its kind since Tripoli
agreed to abandon its WMD efforts in December 2003. France will
assist Libya in developing agricultural and medical applications of
nuclear technology. As reported in Agence France-Presse, Libyan
Public Works Minister Maatuk Maatuk declares, “Libya is reaping the
benefit of its decision to get rid of WMDs. We hope this accord will
enable us to develop cooperation (with other countries) on peaceful
programs.”
March 16 2006 [O] President Bush signs the
National Security Strategy of the United States of America. The strategy outlines U.S. goals such as promoting economic growth,
free trade, counter terrorism efforts both at home and abroad. It
also describes a preventive war policy.
March 21 2006 [C] The Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Executive Council backs Russia’s
suggested December 21, 2009 deadline for finishing the third stage
of chemical weapons disposal. In this stage Russia will dispose of
18,000 tons of chemical agents.
March 28 2006 [R] The U.S. Government Accountability Office
announces that in an undercover investigation last year, small
amounts of cesium-137 were smuggled into the United States using
counterfeit documents. Enough material was smuggled to make two
“radiological” dirty bombs. The White House has promised to give
U.S. Customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to determine
such documents’ authenticity.
March 30 2006 [N, O] The United Nations
Security Council calls on Iran to end uranium enrichment within 30
days. The statement was unanimously supported by all members of the
Security Council but it did not set forth any penalties or sanctions
if Iran failed to comply.
April 3 2006 [N] Australia signs an
agreement to provide China with uranium fuel for its nuclear power
reactors. The agreement also opens the doors for China to invest in
Australia’s uranium mine industry.
April 6 2006 [N] The United States
announces a modernization plan for U.S. nuclear forces. The plan
includes manufacturing and research sectors, and allows for the
modernization of 10 warheads a year, moving toward the production of
125 new nuclear weapons to be produced annually by 2022. Thomas
D’Agostino, head of nuclear weapons programs at the National Nuclear
Security Administration, states that the plan was part of an
ongoing effort to replace the aging nuclear arsenal of the
United States.
April 6 2006 [B] The United States
admits delays in its bioterrorism preparedness plans. Two years
after the approval of
Project Bioshield, the United States remains without a strategic
option against an attack using a biological agent. Vaccine producing
companies point to bureaucratic hurdles to receiving government
funds as the main obstacle. Most of the funding has gone to an $877
million contract allocated for anthrax vaccine development, the
Washington Post reports.
April 7 2006 [N] The U.S. Department of
Defense denies that the purpose of an upcoming conventional
explosives detonation is the replication of a low-yield nuclear
explosion. The test will detonate 700 tons of ammonium nitrate fuel
oil and will be conducted in June against a hardened and buried
target. A
report from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency did not specify
or deny any relation between the test and any nuclear application.
April 10 2006 [C] U.S. Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld says that only two-thirds of U.S. chemical weapon
stockpiles will be destroyed by 2012. The current 2012 deadline,
set under the international Chemical Weapons Convention, is already
a five-year extension of the original agreement. The U.S. request
for an additional five-year extension will be considered at the
December CWC meeting.
April 11 2006 [N] Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declares Iran a country with full-fledged
nuclear technology. The announcement follows Iranian Atomic Energy
Organization chief Gholamreza Aghazadeh’s report that the Natanz
pilot enrichment plant had successfully produced material containing
3.5 percent of the isotope uranium-235. Uranium used in a nuclear
weapon has generally been enriched to 80% uranium-235.
April 11 2006 [C] The U.S. Army
completes the processing of 254,000 pounds of chemical components
used in the production of sarin nerve gas at the Pine Bluff Arsenal
in Arkansas.
April 13 2006 [N] North Korean officials
threaten to boost the DPRK’s nuclear deterrent if the Six Party
Talks on ending its atomic programs remain deadlocked, but say they
would return if Washington met their demand to unfreeze financial
assets associated with suspected North Korean money laundering. The
United States has sanctioned a Macau-based bank suspected of
assisting Pyongyang in illicit activities, including money
laundering.
April 19 2006 [N, T] A multinational team
completes the transfer of 139 pounds of spent research reactor fuel
from Uzbekistan to Russia. The U.S. National Nuclear Security
Administration-funded the effort as part of its Global Threat
Reduction Initiative, a program intended to reduce the risk of
terrorists stealing nuclear weapon-usable materials.
April 20 2006 [N, O] International
Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei’s
recommendation that Iran temporarily halt its uranium enrichment
activity to return to negotiations with the European Union is
rejected by European diplomats. “A full suspension is the only way
to resolve this and the Iranians have given no indication they are
willing to do that,” a senior EU diplomat informed Reuters.
April 25 2006 [N] Russia transfers fuel
for two nuclear reactors in India. The United States had requested a
delay in the transaction until the
Nuclear Suppliers Group changes its
restrictions on transfers to non-NPT nuclear weapon states.
April 26 2006 [C, B, R, N] A U.S.
Department of Defense budget request includes a clause requesting
exclusion from the Freedom of Information Act for items pertaining
to weapons of mass destruction. The Pentagon has attributed the need
for secrecy to preventing terrorists from acquiring sensitive
information.
April 27 2006 [B] Parties to the
Biological Weapons Convention meet this week in Geneva for the
treaty’s Sixth Review Conference.
April 27 2006 [O, N, B, C] The United
Nations Security Council extends the mandate of the UN Resolution
1540 Committee until April 27, 2008. Adopted in 2004,
Resolution 1540 directs states to enact legislation to prevent the
transfer of WMD materials to non-state actors. The resolution
established the Committee to oversee its implementation, including
state reports on efforts to enact and enforce the necessary control
measures. As of February 2006, 70 states had not reported. The
Council charges the Committee to intensify its efforts to win
governments’ compliance with the resolution.
April 28 2006 [C] At the Organization
for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, China and Japan request an
extension to the 2007 deadline for the removal of chemical weapons
left behind by Japan in China following World War II. The Chinese
foreign ministry reports that between 300,000 to 400,000 rounds of
ammunition still remain.
April 28 2006 [N, O] The International
Atomic Energy Agency releases a
report
stating that while Iran has adhered to IAEA inspections
over the last three years, it has defied the United Nations Security
Council’s request to cease all uranium enrichment activities. The
report concludes that because Iran has not been forthcoming about
the nature and extent of its uranium enrichment program, the IAEA
could not determine whether or not the program was for peaceful
purposes.
May 3 2006 [B] A study to be published
online this week reveals that a combination of short-course
antibiotics and anthrax vaccinations protected non-human primates
from anthrax inhalation, one of the deadliest forms of the disease.
The U.S. Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases and the
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases are
collaborating on the study.
May 3 2006 [N, O] In a continuing effort
to halt Iran’s progress in enriching uranium, France and the United
Kingdom present a draft document at the United Nations that calls
for using
Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter. Under this chapter, the United
Nations could impose such punitive measures as economic sanctions
and at its extreme, military action if it determines that there is a
threat to international peace and security.
May 8 2006 [N, O] Ali Larijani, Iran’s
top nuclear negotiator, announces that Iran has no plans to withdraw
from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. To date, Iran has not
ratified the IAEA Additional Protocol, which would allow for
international inspections of its nuclear installations on short
notice.
May 10 2006 [C] The U.S. Army admits
that it won’t destroy all the U.S. stockpile of chemical weapons by
the Chemical Weapons Convention deadline of 2012. (This deadline is
an extension from the original date of 2007.) The United States has
destroyed almost one-third of its CW stockpile—10,125 of 27,768
metric tons of CW. Russia, with the world’s largest CW stockpile,
will also miss the 2012 deadline by a wide margin. It has destroyed
only 3 percent of its 40,000 metric tons of chemical weapons, and
its main destruction plants won’t operate at full capacity until the
end of 2007.
May 14 2006 [N] North Korea’s Yongbyon
nuclear reactor appears to be resuming activities, according to a
CNN report. Officials believe that the reactor is capable of
producing fissile material for nuclear bombs. While North Korea
claimed a year ago that all activities at this site were terminated,
satellite photos show steam emanating from the reactor leading
experts to believe that operations have resumed.
May 15 2006 [T] In response to Libya’s 2003
decision to disclose and dismantle its WMD programs, the United
States announces that diplomatic ties will be resumed and the
country will be removed from the U.S. list of terrorism sponsoring
nations. Following this announcement, the U.S. plans to open up a
full embassy in Tripoli, the first of its kind since the 1979
closure of the previous U.S. embassy in Tripoli.
May 15 2006 [N, O] The European Union
announces that it will offer advanced civil nuclear technology to
Iran in exchange for the country’s agreeing to terminate its uranium
enrichment activities.
May 18 2006 [N, O] The United States
proposes a draft treaty to the Conference on Disarmament (CD) in
Geneva that would ban the new production of highly enriched uranium
and plutonium used to build nuclear weapons, but would not address
existing stockpiles of these materials. The U.S. proposal is
controversial because it does not contain a verification provision
and does not require states to dispose of existing fissile material.
Also, the United States insists that the CD only negotiate its draft
treaty in order to avoid the CD's pattern of inaction.
May 22 2006 [B, C, N, T] Health and
government officials from around the world gather today at a new
facility in Washington, specializing in the treatment of children
and families who have suffered terrorist attacks involving
biological, chemical or radioactive agents. The decontamination
unit, which is part of the Children’s National Medical Center, can
hold 48 patients; currently, 100 staff have been trained to work at
the unit, the first of its kind.
May 25 2006 [N] The Bush administration
states that Iran could receive incentives from the United States if
it agrees to halt uranium enrichment activities: The United States
offers to hold bilateral talks with Iran on the condition that Iran
first verifiably suspend all enrichment activities.
June 1 2006 [N, O] The United Nations
Security Council and Germany have completed a compilation of
incentives they hope will persuade Iran to halt its uranium
enrichment activities. In the event that Iran refuses the Security
Council’s package of incentives, tougher measures will be imposed.
The six nations expect a reply from Iran in mid-July.
June 1 2006 [B, C, N, M] Hans
Blix, the former United Nations weapons inspector, unveils a
report
by weapons and security experts detailing a 60-step
strategy aimed at mitigating the threat of weapons of mass
destruction around the world. The report calls for all countries to
help limit the spread of weapons of mass destruction, especially with regards to nuclear
weapons.
June 3 2006 [C, T] London police raid the
house of two brothers suspected of planning a terrorist attack using
chemical agents. Police allege that the brothers are suspected of
being al-Qaeda sympathizers capable of producing chemical agents,
such as sarin, for release in a confined space. The arrest comes one
month short of the anniversary of the 2005 London bombings, when
terrorists killed themselves and 52 others.
June 7 2006 [N, O] The International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases a
report covering developments in Iran’s nuclear activities and
cooperation with the Agency since April 2006. While Iran pledged to
cooperate with the IAEA on outstanding issues, no timetable has been
set. The IAEA seeks further information on Iran’s centrifuge
technology, possible nuclear assistance from foreign intermediaries,
and HEU contamination at some sites, among other issues. The report
notes that Iran continues to withhold information from IAEA
inspectors and has resumed enrichment activities.
June 12 2006 [] The Stockholm
International Peace and Research Institute (SIPRI) releases its 2006
yearbook, Armaments, Disarmaments and International Security.
The yearbook includes information on world military expenditure,
armed conflicts and production as well as international arms
transfers and nuclear nonproliferation. The yearbook notes that
there was an increase in military expenditure and weapons production
and transfers in the year 2005.
June 16 2006 [M] North Korea appears to
be preparing to test a long-range missile, the Taepodong-2, capable
of reaching the United States. If launched, this will be North
Korea’s first missile test since it fired a Taepodong-1 into the Sea
of Japan in 1998. A test of the new missile could further undermine
the six-country talks on curtailing North Korean’s nuclear weapons
program; the talks have been stalemated since November 2005.
June 16 2006 [N, O, T] India assents to a
United Nations international convention aimed at suppressing nuclear
terrorist activities around the world. The Indian cabinet agrees to
sign and ratify the
International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism, adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2005.
June 20 2006 [N, O] A number of former
senior U.S. government officials and nonproliferation experts
release a
letter to Congress regarding the Bush administration’s proposed
India-U.S. nuclear assistance deal. The letter states that the
proposed deal violates the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Under the NPT, a nuclear weapon state cannot help a non-nuclear
weapon state (one that had not exploded a nuclear device by 1967)
develop nuclear weapons. India, which first exploded a nuclear
device in 1974, is not a party to the NPT, and has never been
recognized as a nuclear weapon state. The letter’s authors argue
that India’s civilian and military nuclear programs are entwined,
and by aiding India’s nuclear power program, the United States would
unavoidably aid its nuclear weapons program.
June 21 2006 [O] The Secretary-General
of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, addresses the Conference on
Disarmament (CD) in a speech that calls on the CD to take action
after almost a decade of stalemated negotiations. Annan also
stresses the importance of resolving two grave situations, namely,
the North Korean impasse and Iran’s failure to disclose all its
nuclear activities to the IAEA.
June 21 2006 [N, O] Iranian president
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces that Iran will need more than a month
to prepare an official response to the package of incentives that
the United Nations Security Council and Germany have offered Tehran
in exchange for the suspension of nuclear enrichment activities.
June 29 2006 [N, O] The United States
Senate Foreign Relations Committee passes a bill that could allow
for nuclear trading between the United States and India. On June 27
2006 the House International Relations Committee passed the bill in
a 37-5 bipartisan vote. The proposed bill needs to be passed in
Congress before it can take effect.
July 4 2006 [M]
North Korea launches seven missiles including one
long-range missile, the Taepodong 2, two medium-range Nodong
missiles, and four short-range Scud missiles fired from mobile
launchers. While the short- and medium-range missiles are reportedly
considered successful launches, the Taepodong 2 missile failed 43
seconds after launching. This is the DPRK’s first test of a
long-range missile since 1998.
July 7 2006 [N, O] U.S. officials
announce that President Bush has agreed to a nuclear cooperation
agreement with Russia.. The nuclear cooperation agreement between
the two states could allow Russia to import and store spent nuclear
fuel from around the world; the agreement is also alleged to improve
Russian cooperation with regards to the suspension of Iran’s nuclear
program.
July 9 2006 [M] Indian government
officials announce a first test of India’s longest-range missile,
The New York Times reports. The missile, which is nuclear
capable, has a reported range of over 1,800 miles, but it is unclear
whether or not the test is considered successful.
July 11 2006 [N, O] European Union
foreign policy chief Javier Solana meets with Iranian nuclear
negotiator Ali Larijani to discuss a package of incentives the
United Nations Security Council and Germany have offered Tehran in
exchange for the immediate suspension of certain Iranian nuclear
activities. Larijani refuses to give a deadline for the official
response to the incentives deal.
July 11 2006 [N, O] Deputy Foreign
Minister Kim Hyong Jun of North Korea announces that his country
could be open to returning to Six-Party Talks if the United States
foregoes economic sanctions against North Korea. The six-party talks
have been stalled since November 2005.
July 13 2006 [N, T] Harvard University’s
Project on Managing the Atom releases its annual report,
Securing the Bomb 2006, written by Matthew Bunn and Anthony
Weir. The report discusses the ongoing threat of nuclear terrorism
and emphasizes the large amount of inadequately protected fissile
material in Russia.
July 15 2006 [N, O, T] The United States
Office of the Press Secretary releases a joint
statement made by President George Bush and Russian Federation
President Vladimir Putin regarding nuclear terrorism. In their
statement, the presidents acknowledge the global threat posed by
nuclear terrorism and announce the newly launched Global Initiative
to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. The Global Initiative has as its goal
the following objective: “to prevent the acquisition, transport, or
use by terrorists of nuclear materials and radioactive substances or
improvised explosive devices using such materials, as well as
hostile actions against nuclear facilities.”
July 16 2006 [B, O] The leaders of the
Group of Eight (G8) states (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan,
Russia and the United States) pledge to “achieve tangible progress”
to mitigate the burden of infectious diseases, documented at the G8
summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. The G8 nations agree on the need
to increase scientific research and new laboratories in the field of
infectious disease, as well as the support of international
organizations in preventing a pandemic.
July 21 2006 [C, O] The Associate
Program, an annual course hosted by the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons begins and will run through
September 29. The course brings together chemical engineers and
chemists from member states whose economies are less developed, with
the goals of providing a better understanding of the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and promoting awareness
of the peaceful uses of chemistry.
July 22 2006 [T] The Daily
Mail reports that Bulgarian border officials seized a British
truck bound for Iran after discovering that the truck was
transporting soil-testing devices containing highly radiological
caesium-137 and americium-beryllium. The border officials were
alarmed when a scanner indicated that the truck contained radiation
levels 200 times above average; the soil testing devices were
addressed to the Iranian Ministry of Defense.
July 24 2006 [N] Experts at the
Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) release a
report stating that satellite imagery indicates that Pakistan is
building a second nuclear reactor inside the existing Khushab
complex. The new reactor, a heavy water production reactor,
allegedly will be capable of producing over 200 kilograms of
weapons-grade plutonium annually, which translates into a production
capability of 40-50 nuclear weapons. To date, Pakistani officials
have refused to comment publicly on the matter.
July 26 2006 [N] The United States House
of Representatives passes legislation that clears the way for
nuclear trade between the United States and India. Although the
terms of the agreement have yet to be defined, the deal could allow
Washington to sell nuclear technology for India’s civil nuclear
program. In exchange, India will open up its civil nuclear program
for international inspection, among other conditions.
July 26 2006 [N, O] U.S. officials announce
that in conjunction with Russia and the International Atomic Energy
Agency, authorities have removed another three kilograms of
highly-enriched uranium (HEU) from Libya, bringing the total of
removed HEU to 20 kilograms since Libya renounced its nuclear and
other WMD programs in 2003.
July 28 2006 [M] U.S. government
officials announce that sanctions will be imposed on two Indian
firms for selling missile parts to Iran. The announcement comes just
after the House of Representatives voted in favor of a U.S.-India
nuclear trade agreement, sparking harsh criticism from Democrats,
arms-control experts, and others who believe that the Bush
administration purposely withheld the information until after the
House deliberated.
July 29 2006 [B, T] The Washington
Post reports that the United States is building a biodefense
laboratory at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The lab, considered the first
of its kind since biological weapons were banned in 1972, will be
run by the Bush administration, largely in secret. The facility is
expected to be used for simulating bioterrorist attacks and
outbreaks of common viruses.
July 31 2006 [C] The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency removes 7,360 acres of the Rocky
Mountain Arsenal from its Superfund list of heavily polluted areas;
the former chemical weapons plant site will become part of a
national wildlife refuge. During World War II and the 1950s, the
Army manufactured mustard gas and sarin nerve agent there; Shell Oil
produced pesticides and other chemicals at the site until 1982.
August 1 2006
[N, T] The British government announces that it is joining the
Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, launched by U.S.
President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin last
month.
August 9 2006 [B, T] The New York
Police Department reports that two police officers, who work in the
mail screening facility in Manhattan, were taken to a hospital after
opening an envelope without a note that contained a suspicious white
powder. They underwent decontamination as a precautionary measure.
Testing determined the powder was not anthrax.
August 9 2006
[C] Workers at the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility destroy
the last of 91,442 GB (sarin) nerve agent rockets and warheads
originally stockpiled at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The effort to
destroy the rockets began almost two years earlier on September 8,
2004.
August 9 2006
[N] The U.S. National Nuclear Security Agency removes 45 kilograms
of weapons-grade uranium from a research reactor outside Warsaw,
Poland and transfers it to Russia.
August 10 2006
[T] British police arrest 21 people in London and Birmingham
suspected of plotting to detonate explosives on at least 10
passenger airlines over the United States and Britain. The suspects
allegedly planned to disguise liquid explosives as beverages and
detonators as electronic devices. As a result, the Transportation
Security Administration restricts these items from being carried
onto planes.
August 10 2006
[B] The Japanese police arrest a Korean man for allegedly exporting
to North Korea in 2002 a freeze dryer that could be used to make
biological weapons. The suspect was charged with not obtaining
proper approval from Japan's trade ministry.
August 11 2006
[C] A Japanese official announces that it will take five years
longer than planned for Japan to remove the hundreds of thousands of
chemical weapons that its army abandoned in China at the conclusion
of World War II. Under the Chemical Weapons Convention, Japan had
agreed to dispose of the CW by April 2007, but Japan and China
obtained an extension until 2012. So far Japan has removed 38,000
chemical weapons. With the approval of the Chinese government, Japan
plans to build a CW disposal plant in northeastern China by March
2007.
August 16 2006
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical weapons announces
that Canada has pledged 100 million Canadian dollars ($88.8 million)
to help destroy part of Russia’s chemical weapons arsenal. The money
will help build two CW destruction facilities. Previously, Canada
donated 100 million Canadian dollars to fund the Shchuch’ye CW
destruction plant in the Urals.
August 16 2006 [B, T] A Barratt
company spokesman confirms that employees in 10 different offices in
England and Scotland have received packages claiming to contain the
deadly toxin ricin. The packages containing a white powder and
threatening note were sent by a person who objects to Barratt Homes
development of a site in the Midlands. The police are
investigating.
August 18 2006 [C] At the Deseret
Chemical Depot in Utah, the U.S. Army begins draining and
incinerating thousands of containers of mustard gas. The project
undertaken to comply with the U.S. obligation to destroy all its CW
under the Chemical Weapons Convention will take six to 10 years.
August 21 2006 [N, T] The
International Atomic Energy Agency reports that in 2005 there were
more that 103 confirmed incidents of illicit trafficking of nuclear
or radioactive material.
August 25 2006
[N] Japanese officials announce that Tokyo police have arrested five
employees of a Mitutoyo Corporation for allegedly exporting without
government approval precision machinery that could be used to make
nuclear weapons. In 2001, the company shipped three-dimensional
measuring machines to Japanese firms in Malaysia, Thailand, and
China. The
Khan nuclear black market included a Malaysian firm that bought
equipment from Mitutoyo, and Mitutoyo equipment reportedly was found
in Libya after that country revealed its nuclear ambitions.
August 25 2006
[N] In response to heightened activity at a suspected North Korean
nuclear test site, the Japanese government has increased its
monitoring of that nation. The United States also believes that
North Korea may be planning to test a nuclear weapon; experts
believe that North Korea has enough fissile material for six or more
bombs.
August 30 2006 [C] The U.S. Army
announces that it has destroyed 50 percent of the munitions in its
declared chemical weapons stockpile.
August 31 2006 [N] The IAEA
Director submits to the IAEA Board and UN Security Council a report
on the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in Iran. The
report finds that Iran has continued enrichment activities in
defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 1696, and has not
addressed outstanding verification issues or solved the mystery of
HEU found at the Karaj Waste Storage Facility. The IAEA plans to
continue its investigation into whether Iran’s nuclear activities
are solely peaceful although stymied by Iran’s lack of complete
cooperation.
Sept 5 2006
[N] According to the U.S. revised
anti-terror
strategy, the United States gives top priority to preventing
terrorist organizations from procuring weapons of mass destruction.
Sept 6 2006 [C] Russia will start
destroying 6,900 tons, or 17 percent of its chemical weapons
inventory at its third chemical weapons disposal facility in
Maradykovsky. Russia has the largest chemical weapons program in the
world and has destroyed only 3 percent of its arsenal.
Sept 7 2006
[N] Iran rejects an August 31 IAEA report,
which states that Tehran’s uranium enrichment program continues in
contravention of the July 31st
UN Resolution 1696 calling on Iran to suspend its enrichment
program.
Sept 7 2006
[N]
The
Fourth Regional Meeting of National Authorities of States Parties in
Asia and the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
meet in Jakarta, Indonesia. The meeting is a forum for regional
states to offer and secure assistance from each other.
Sept 8 2006
[B, T] A suspicious substance is found in the
mail of staff at Lamar University. Officials were not able to
immediately identify the substance.
Sept 8 2006
[N]
Five states in central
Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan) sign the Central Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Zone
(CANWFZ) treaty. All signatories pledge not to develop,
manufacture, stockpile, or provide storage for nuclear weapons
within their borders.
Sept 8 2006
[N, T] According to the IAEA, the
Institute of Nuclear Sciences in Vinca, Serbia is the least
safeguarded and protected nuclear facility in the world and provides
ample opportunities for terrorists to steal material to develop a
dirty bomb.
Sept 10 2006
[N, O] During the 38-member Asia
Europe Meeting (ASEM), Asian leaders call for the International
Community’s involvement in curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons
program. The statement comes closely on the heels of reports that
North Korea may be planning to test a nuclear device.
Sept 11 2006
[N, T] Belarus will ratify the
Nuclear Terrorism Convention according to state media. Thus far
105 countries have joined the Convention.
Sept 14 2006
[N] South Korea’s
President Roh and President Bush hold talks on how to revive nuclear
negotiations with North Korea.
Sept 14 2006
[N]
Brazil and South Africa agree
to cooperate with India in the field of civilian nuclear energy
during the India-Brazil-South Africa tripartite summit in Brasilia.
This comes as a significant breakthrough for New Delhi, as Brazil
and South Africa are members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Sept 15 2006
[N, T] The United States
and Russia sign an agreement on the conversion of several tons of
weapons-grade plutonium to material unusable to potential terrorist
and rogue states. Under the agreement, the U.S. Department of Energy
will convert 34 tons of plutonium into mixed oxide in a commercial
reactor. However, the U.S. Congress has cut funding for the program
for this budget year.
Sept 19 2006
[N]
Australia and Japan place new
financial sanctions on 11 North Korean companies, and a Swiss
company because they allegedly aided nuclear weapons programs.
Sept 19 2006
[N]
French President Jacques
Chirac, opposes sanctions on Iran because of its uranium enrichment
program. France, he says, supports a compromise that does not
include the threat of sanctions in exchange for Iran’s suspension of
its enrichment program.
Sept 20 2006
[C, O] The Central African Republic
becomes the 180th state to sign the Chemical Weapons
Convention.
Sept 22 2006 [C] Officials at a chemical
weapons disposal facility in the Kirov region of Russia start
dismantling 3,068 bombs containing VX gas.
Sept 24 2006 [C, T] The U.S. Congress
approves a $34 billion Homeland Security Bill to augment defenses at
chemical plants, ports, and the country’s borders.
Sept 24 2006 [N] The U.S. sponsored
Nuclear Cities Initiative program established to prevent Russian
nuclear scientists from selling their expertise to the highest
bidder is terminated. The program helped finance the transition of
Russian scientists to alternative jobs. It ended as a result of both
a Russian security crackdown and increasing frustration within the
United States over Moscow’s denial of access to Russian nuclear
facilities.
Sept 25 2006
[B, T] After five years of investigation into the anthrax attacks
that killed five people, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
says the deadly substance delivered to the U.S. Senate and media
offices in New York in 2001 was most likely sent by a large number
of people lacking sophisticated capabilities. It undermines earlier
claims that a government scientist was behind the attacks.
Sept 25 2006
[N, T] Russia reaches agreement
with Serbia to remove and take back 2.3 metric tons of spent fuel
from a decommissioned Serbian nuclear reactor that Moscow initially
supplied. The aim of the agreement is to avert the risk of nuclear
material falling into the hands of terrorists.
Sept 25 2006 [N, T] The upper branch of
the Russian Parliament ratifies the
Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism.
Sept 25 2006 [C, B, T] A top bio-defense
company, PharmAthene Inc., receives a contract of $213 million from
the U.S. Defense Department to develop a medical countermeasures
against chemical and biological terror attacks.
Sept 25 2006 [B, T] Four offices in
Denver Colorado receive envelopes containing a mysterious white
power. All four offices had to be evacuated due to the scare.
Sept 25 2006 [T] According to a
report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), terror
groups that use nuclear, biological, chemical or radiological
weapons could impose devastating losses that insurance agencies are
uncertain about covering.
Sept 26 2006 [N, O] The International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calls on all states to cooperate in the
fight against nuclear and radiological terrorism. The call follows a
UN
resolution that stresses physical protection measures against
illegal trafficking and national control systems for nuclear
materials. The IAEA has also sought funds for a Nuclear Security
Fund as part of the resolution.
Sept 26 2006 [C, T] A chemist accused of
possession of sufficient potassium cyanide to kill up to a 1,000
people is declared unfit to stand trial. The accused, Hessam Ghane
had illegally stored the poisonous chemical three years ago.
Sept 27 2006 [C] Japan announces that
its has collected 418 wartime chemical shells from China’s Jilin
Province as part of a project to dispose of abandoned chemical
weapons from World War II.
Sept 28 2006 [N, O] Javier Solana, the
EU’s foreign policy chief, says there has been no progress with Iran
on its nuclear program following discussions with Iran’s chief
nuclear negotiators. Both sides are expected to meet again.
Sept 30 2006 [C] The United States
allocates $87 million for the disposal of chemical weapons
stockpiled at Pueblo Army Depot in Colorado as part of the $436
billion dollar defense funding bill.
Oct 2 2006 [T] A U.S. Treasury
Department
report
says that terrorism insurance has expanded significantly
since the September 11 attacks, but maintains that there is little
insurance coverage for nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks.
Oct 3 2006 [N] North Korea, says it
intends to conduct a nuclear test. All members involved in the
Six-Party Talks with Pyongyang and leaders around the world have
warned that nuclear testing will have serious consequences for
strategic stability and security in the Northeast Asian region.
Oct 4 2006 [N, T] According to the
Kremlin, Russian President Vlamidir Putin has signed a bill that
ratifies the
International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear
Terrorism. The treaty was initially signed by Moscow in 2005
after years of negotiations between nuclear and non-nuclear weapons
states.
Oct 4 2006 [N] Iran makes a new proposal
to resolve the stalemate over its uranium enrichment program. Tehran
proposes that a French-led group could enrich uranium in Iran, but
its new offer falls short of Western demands that it completely halt
its uranium enrichment activity.
Oct 4 2006 [B] Since the anthrax attacks
killed five people five years ago in the United States, the U.S.
government has installed over a 1,000 biological detectors across
the country to scan the mail for contaminated items.
Oct 4 2006 [T, C] Norwegian authorities
test their counterterrorism strategy against a mock chemical attack
in an exercise dubbed “Exercise Oslo.” Norwegian officials caution
that the state of preparedness against chemical attacks is still
deficient and the most vulnerable targets are underground trains.
Oct 4 2006 [C]
U.S. Army officials announce
they have conducted trial burns at the Anniston Chemical Agent
Disposal Facility to ensure that no chemical substances from the
furnace and incinerator escape into the open when they begin
destroying the stockpile of VX munitions.
Oct 6 2006 [N] The UN Security Council
adopts a non-binding statement that urges North Korea to shelve
plans to undertake a nuclear test and re-join the Six-Party Talks.
Oct 6 2006 [N] According to the
International Atomic Energy Agency, there has been an increase in
the number of seizures of nuclear-related materials in the last four
years particularly across Europe. Since 2002, over 300 smuggling
arrests have been reported.
Oct 9 2006 [B, T] British scientists claim
they have developed a single, stable vaccine to inoculate people
against botulism used as a bioweapon.
Oct 9 2006 [N] North Korea, in an
official press release, says it successfully tested a nuclear device
and that there was no radioactive release from the underground test
site. There was no immediate confirmation of the magnitude of the
explosion, but seismological readings in South Korea suggest a
reading of 3.5 on the Richter scale, suggesting a test of less than
one kiloton.
Oct 9 2006 [N, O] President Ahmedinejad
warns that if sanctions are imposed on Iran by the UN Security
Council, Tehran will retaliate in kind against the major world
powers. This statement comes amid worldwide condemnation of North
Korea’s claimed nuclear test.
Oct 10 2006 [N, O] World leaders condemn
North Korea for its
claimed nuclear test. At the United Nations, the United
States pushes for tough, but targeted sanctions on travel, WMD
exports, counterfeiting, and money laundering. The permanent members
of the UN Security Council, however, are divided over the scope of
the sanctions.
Oct 10 2006 [N] According to the
Washington Post
senior U.S. intelligence officials say based on
seismological data and air monitoring from around the world that the
North Korean nuclear test was probably a sub-kiloton explosion of
approximately 200-500 tons of TNT (significantly smaller than the
21-23 kiloton plutonium bomb dropped on Nagasaki in 1945).
Prior to the test, North Korea had told Chinese officials that it
planned to test a nuclear device with a four-kiloton yield.
Oct 11 2006 [N] The second most powerful
figure in North Korea, Kim Yong Nam warns that Pyongyang will
undertake more nuclear tests if the United States does not alter
what he called its “hostile attitude.” The threat comes as the
Security Council debates the scope of the sanctions to be imposed on
North Korea.
Oct 12 2006 [C] The U.S. Army
Chemical Materials Agency (CMA) completes treatment and
neutralization of two binary chemical precursors QL and DF at its
binary agent destruction facility in Arkansas. QL combines with
another chemical agent to form VX nerve agent. DF combines with
another chemical to form the nerve agent Sarin.
Oct 13 2006 [B] Results from a recent
test conducted by the U.S. government show that detection
devices designed to alert food companies to food poisoning fail
one-third of the time.
Oct 14 2006 [N, O] Following a prolonged
debate, the UN Security Council passes a
resolution that unanimously condemns North Korea’s nuclear test
and imposes restrictions on DPRK nuclear officials’ travel, arms
sales to and from the DPRK, the transfer of luxury goods, and DPRK
financial assets. Although Resolution 1718 was passed under Article
VII of the UN Charter, the Council did not confer the automatic
authorization of force to enforce the sanctions.
Oct 16 2006 [B] Ruling on a suit filed
by anti-nuclear groups and local residents, a federal appeals
court stops the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory from opening
a bio-weapons research center pending a government study of the
potential environmental impact of such a center.
Oct 16 2006 [N] U.S. intelligence
confirms that North Korea did conduct a small nuclear test on
October 9. Following intensive analyses, U.S. scientists found
“radioactive debris” in air samples from near the blast site. This
ends doubts over whether Pyongyang actually carried out a test. U.S.
National Intelligence Director John Negroponte says the blast had a
magnitude of less than 1 kiloton or less than 1,000 tons of
conventional TNT.
Oct 16 2006 [N] China announces that it
will implement UN sanctions on North Korea by inspecting all cargo
that is suspected of carrying illegal weapons and missiles. But
officials say China will not interdict vessels carrying materials
that may be used for making chemical, nuclear and biological
weapons.
Oct 17 2006 [N, O] The European Union
admits nuclear negotiations with Iran have failed and that it must
pass the matter to the UN Security Council. EU foreign ministers
base their decision on Iran’s failure to fully suspend uranium
enrichment.
Oct 19 2006 [B] Researchers at Siga
Technologies report a breakthrough with the development of a drug
, Siga-246, that provides 100% protection against the
smallpox virus. In trials on cynomolgus
monkeys, at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the
drug protected the primates when a high dosage of smallpox was
injected intravenously.
Oct 20 2006
[C]
The U.S. Army’s plan to dispose of a deadly nerve agent in the
Delaware River is halted until a Government Accounting Office review
can be completed. The plan calls for treating four million gallons
of the VX byproduct at DuPont Chambers Works Plant in
Deepwater and then pouring the treated liquid in the Delaware River.
Oct 20 2006
[N]
Japan says it will not exploit
the nuclear crisis over North Korea to acquire its own nuclear
capability.
Oct 24 2006
[N, T]
Rescue workers from Russia,
numerous NATO countries, and European nations participate in joint
anti-terrorism drills that involve simulated attacks that mix
conventional explosives with radiological components.
Oct 25 2006 [N] According to
semi-official local news reports, Iran starts using a second cascade
of centrifuges to enrich uranium. Meanwhile, France and Britain
propose a limited set of UN sanctions against Iran for continuing
its enrichment activities.
Oct 26 2006 [N] Russia rejects a UN
draft resolution on Iran put forth by Germany, France, and Britain,
even though it exempts the Russian-built Bushehr power plant from
proposed nuclear- and missile-related sanctions.
Oct 27 2006 [B] The British Defense
Ministry declassifies documents which show that secret trial tests
of the E-Coli virus as a bio-weapon were carried out around the
British towns of Southhampton and Swindon between 1965 and 1967. The
tests were carried out to ascertain how well the E-Coli virus could
adapt to different climatic environments.
Oct 30 2006 [N, T] As part of the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), 25 countries
participate in a training exercise in the Persian Gulf. The “Leading
Edge” exercise participants practice interdicting WMD material and
their delivery systems.
Oct 30 2006 [N, T] Between October
30-31, representatives from 12 countries hold discussions in Morocco
on how to combat nuclear and radiological terrorism. The discussions
are the first diplomatic meeting following the
Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism launched by
President Bush and Russian President Putin in July 2006.
Oct 30 2006 [N] The German state of
Saxony seeks permission from federal environmental authorities to
transport by air nuclear waste to Russia. Typically nuclear waste is
transported by train. Environmentalists have expressed concern over
the proposed move because of the risks involved. Although the waste
is enriched to only 36 percent uranium, it could easily be used in a
radiological weapon if stolen by a terrorist.
Oct 31 2006 [N] North Korea tentatively
agrees to return to the Six-Party Talks, stalled for nearly a year.
Pyongyang’s decision to return to negotiations comes in the wake of
its October 9 nuclear test and a UN resolution sanctioning North
Korea for the test. Analysts suspect North Korea agreed to return to
talks in hopes the sanctions would be softened and food and economic
aid from China and South Korea would continue.
Nov 1 2006 [C]
A U.S. Army contractor destroys
approximately one-third of the VX nerve agent stockpile in Newport,
Indiana. The total stockpile at this facility is expected to be
destroyed before the current deadline in 2008.
Nov 4 2006 [C,
O]
Iran hosts the 8th
International Course on the Medical Aspects of Defense against
Chemical Weapons. Physicians from 24 countries participate in the
event that involves theoretical discussions on Iran’s medical
discoveries for treating people injured by chemical weapons during
the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s.
Nov 13 2006 [N, C, T] According to top
British diplomatic officials, Islamic extremists have tried to
acquire chemical or radiological weapons to target British and
Western targets. Britain’s top domestic spy chief acknowledges that
British authorities are gathering intelligence on 30 groups
involving 1,600 people.
Nov 14 2006 [N, O] The United States is
pushing for a new agenda to deny Iran UN aid for a plutonium
producing research reactor at Arak that could be used to make
fissile material. But Tehran claims it wants to use the Arak reactor
to produce radio isotopes for diagnosing and treating cancer.
Officials at the IAEA say the UN nuclear watchdog is likely to deny
Iran’s request for international assistance with the reactor.
Nov 14 2006 [N, O] The IAEA
reports that Iran has completed the installation of a second
164-machine centrifuge cascade and has produced uranium enriched to
5% uranium-235. The IAEA also notes that fresh traces of plutonium
and highly enriched uranium were discovered at the Karaj Waste
Storage Facility. The IAEA still cannot confirm that Iran’s nuclear
program is designed strictly for peaceful purposes.
Nov 16 2006 [N] The U.S. Senate approves
the U.S.-Indian nuclear deal by an overwhelming 85-12 margin.
However differences remain between the House of Representatives
version of the bill and the Senate version.
Nov 20 2006 [C, O] Five countries,
Tuvalu, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of
Congo, Liberia, and Micronesia set-up a National Authorities
required under article VII paragraph 4 of the
CWC to serve as a nodal agency between signatory states and the
OPCW.
Nov 21 2006 [C] The United States and
Vietnam agree to work jointly to eliminate the environmental
disaster caused due to the use of toxic herbicide and Agent Orange
by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
Nov 24 2006 [N] Former Russian KGB agent
Alexander Litvinenko dies in a London hospital after being poisoned
with what British investigators believe to be a radioactive
material, polonium-210. Litvinenko accused Russian President Putin
of ordering his assassination.
Nov 25 2006 [N] Chinese President Hu
Jintao during a state visit to Pakistan announces a nuclear aid
package for Pakistan, but is vague about the extent of the deal.
Islamabad has already received one nuclear reactor from Beijing and
the Chinese are helping build another at a plant in Chashma.
Nov 27 2006 [N] Three people in the
United Kingdom suffer symptoms similar to radiation poisoning after
visiting the same hotel and restaurant as the ex-Russian spy
Alexander Litvinenko who died of polonium-210 poisoning. Traces of
radioactive polonium-210 were reportedly found at both sites.
Dec 4 2006 [N] British Prime Minister
Tony Blair presents a paper,
“The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent” to
Parliament that urges legislators to retain Britain’s nuclear
capacity. He proposes a plan to replace Britain’s four
nuclear-powered submarines equipped with Trident D5 nuclear missiles
with new generation submarines that will cost as much as $40
billion. Britain’s existing submarines are scheduled to go out of
service in 2022, and the country has been debating whether to retain
any nuclear deterrent.
Dec 6 2006
[C, O] Deputy head of the Russian Federal
Agency for Industry Viktor Kholstov states that Russia has
eliminated more than 15 percent of its total chemical weapons
stockpiles. In an OPCW session, Kholstov reports that Russia
eliminated 3,123 tons of blistering chemical warfare agents and
neutralized 2,925 tons of neuroparalytic agents. He claims that
Russia will reach its interim goal of ‘The destroying 8,000 tons of
chemical warfare agents by April 29, 2007.
Dec 7 2006 [N, T]
U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff announces a new plan for 2007 to scan all cargo sent by
container ships to the United States from three ports (in Pakistan,
Honduras and Southampton, England) for hidden nuclear weapons or
components. Called the Secure Freight Initiative, the program will
require that all U.S.-bound containers pass through both a radiation
detection machine and an X-ray device. The program is designed to
discover intentionally shielded bomb-making materials.
Dec 8 2006 [B, O] The BWC Sixth Review
Conference, with 103 states parties participating, adopts a
Final Document. The parties agree to work toward total BW
disarmament. They also endorse the final documents from the annual
meetings of states parties from 2003-2005, establish an
implementation support unit, agree to receive and distribute
confidence building measures to/from parties, and to hold four
annual meetings prior to the Seventh Review Conference in 2011. The
Conference did not resolve the controversial issue of verification.
Dec 11 2006 [C, O] The OPCW grants an
extension of five years for the disposal of Russian and U.S.
chemical weapons arsenals. The United States and Russia sought an
extension as they were unable to meet the original 2007 deadline set
by the OPCW.
Dec 11 2006 [N, O, T] With public unease
growing following the death of ex-Russian spy Litvinenko through
radioactive poisoning, U.S. and foreign nuclear regulators examine
ways to tighten security to prevent the use of Polonium-210 by
terrorists. The IAEA and United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
look for ways to tighten and monitor security around commercial
establishments producing the radioactive isotope.
Dec 9 2006 [N] The U.S. Senate passes a
bill that allows civilian nuclear trade between the United States
and India if certain conditions are met. The House of
Representatives had passed a slightly different version of the bill
in September 2006.
Dec 17 2006 [N] After being stalled for
over a year, the Six-Party Talks resume in Beijing. The meeting is
the first since North Korea tested a nuclear device in October and
was sanctioned by the UN Security Council.
Dec 18 2006 [N] President Bush signs the
"Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy
Cooperation Act," which allows the U.S. to cooperate with India on
civilian nuclear projects. However, the U.S. must first conclude a
bilateral cooperation agreement with India and the Nuclear Suppliers
Group must lift restrictions on nuclear transfers to a non-NPT
nuclear weapon state.
Dec 18 2006
[B]
U.S. health officials cancel an $877.5
million contract with VaxGen, a California company, to develop an
anthrax vaccine after the company missed a deadline to begin human
testing. This decision scuttles the largest piece of the Bush
administration's two-year, $5.6 billion Project BioShield program to
counter bioterrorism.
Dec 21 2006 [N, T] British authorities say
three employees at the hotel ex-Russian spy Litvinenko visited have
tested positive for levels of radioactivity. Litvinenko died
following exposure to Polonium-210 in November.
Dec 22 2006 [N] The Six-Party Talks end
in failure. North Korea refuses to talk about ending its nuclear
weapons program until the United States agrees to lift sanctions on
the DPRK’s money laundering operations.
Dec 23 2006 [N, O] The UN Security
Council unanimously adopts
Resolution 1737 calling on Iran to suspend all proliferation
sensitive nuclear activities, including those related to uranium
enrichment, plutonium reprocessing, and the development of nuclear
weapons delivery systems. The Council mandates that all states
prevent the transfer to Iran of materials, equipment, technical and
financial assistance that could contribute to these activities. The
resolution urges a negotiated, diplomatic solution to ending Iran’s
proliferation sensitive nuclear activities.
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