Global Security Newswire

U.S. officials have yet to address reports that Myanmar is building an underground nuclear facility with help from North Korea, the Washington Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 5).

The Sydney Morning Herald recently reported claims from two Burmese defectors regarding construction of a nuclear facility that includes a reactor, possibly as part of a nuclear-weapon program. The men said Myanmar's military government was building the facility with help from North Korea.

Rumors of a secret nuclear project in Myanmar have previously circulated in the Burmese expatriate community. Evidence suggesting a possible collaboration with Pyongyang came into focus in June as the U.S. Navy tracked a North Korean ship suspected of heading toward Myanmar with contraband weapons. The ship eventually reversed course.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she was "very concerned" by potential nuclear collaboration between the two nations. So far, there has been no hard evidence of such a relationship.

"It's frightening to contemplate nuclear cooperation between two military dictatorships, especially when the intentions and capabilities of the recipient ... in this case are so murky," said Sharon Squassoni, a nonproliferation analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

If Myanmar "truly has peaceful nuclear intentions," she said, "it should invite observers in for a full tour, join the Proliferation Security Initiative and sign an Additional Protocol with the [International Atomic Energy Agency], which would enhance inspections."

"Myanmar is a signatory of the [Nuclear] Nonproliferation Treaty and thus has concluded a safeguards agreement with the IAEA with a small-quantities protocol, which is designed for states that have little or no nuclear material and no nuclear material in facilities," said the agency in a statement. "Based on this agreement, it would be expected to inform the IAEA no later than six months prior to operating a nuclear facility."

There is little chance that Myanmar would make the moves advocated by Squassoni, meaning the U.N. Security Council might ultimately have to deal with the matter, according to the Times. China, which has veto authority on the council, has a close economic relationship with Myanmar, meaning it could block any effort to crack down on Naypyidaw.

North Korea is a known proliferation that is already suspected of supporting construction of an alleged Syrian nuclear reactor destroyed in a 2007 Israeli airstrike.

In light of international efforts to cripple it own nuclear program, Pyongyang could be trying to "keep [its] expertise alive and ... people employed in projects abroad" by sharing its nuclear knowledge with Myanmar, said Avner Cohen, a nonproliferation expert at the University of Maryland.

It "would not be at all surprising if North Korea was in fact involved in a secret nuclear effort," agreed Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association.

However, Kimball said Myanmar's involvement would be a bit more perplexing. "No one is threatening Burma's security for them to need a deterrent," he said. "In fact, they would be inviting a threat if they were trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability" (Simon Roughneen, Washington Times, Aug. 9).

The head of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday said that Myanmar could be kicked out of the group if reports that it is building a secret nuclear reactor turn out to be true, the Thai News Agency reported.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan said the existence of such a facility would violate the group's agreement that member nations abstain from pursuing nuclear programs, and would qualify Myanmar for expulsion.

"ASEAN leaders will have to jointly consider on the issue," he said. "If (Myanmar) is found guilty then it will be forced to leave ASEAN" (Thai New Agency/MCOT.net, Aug. 8).