Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — A U.S. adviser to the Iraqi National Academy of Science has proposed converting the al-Tuwaitha complex, the main site in Iraq’s former nuclear weapons efforts, into a civilian scientific research site (see GSN, Oct. 18).

In an interview yesterday with Global Security Newswire, Stuart Schwartzstein described his proposal to convert the Tuwaitha complex into a science and technology park. Such a park would be used to help promote research and to serve as an “incubator” for the development of private companies. One of its main benefits, according to Schwartzstein, would be to “cluster” Iraqi scientists from different disciplines to aid in the “cross-pollination” of ideas.

Schwartzstein said he envisioned that the park would focus less on costly basic research activities and more on “applications of technology” to help meet Iraq’s basic needs. As an example, he said that scientists could examine the application of existing solar technology in Iraq, which would allow the country to increase its oil exports abroad and reduce domestic consumption. The park could also be home to a laboratory on international standards for research and industry — an area where Schwartzstein said Iraq needs an “immense” amount of work and one that affects international trade.

Another advantage of converting to the Tuwaitha complex to a civilian scientific site would be its symbolic value, Schwartzstein said. Such a move would be akin to the “old biblical swords [being turned] into plowshares,” he said.

One major drawback to the site, though, is that it is not located close to Baghdad or the major Iraqi universities, he said.

Iraq is not the only country looking to direct past WMD-related sites to civilian purposes. For example, Kazakhstan is considering building a nuclear technology park at Semipalatisnk, the former Soviet nuclear weapons test site, and is working to build a biotechnology park at the former Soviet biological weapons site of Stepnogorsk (see GSN, Feb. 2). In addition, Libya plans to convert its former Rabta chemical weapons production site into a pharmaceutical facility (see GSN, Oct. 15).

Describing Tuwaitha as “a bit like a college campus,” Schwartzstein said that renovations would be needed at many of its large number of unused buildings before a science park could be established. While some renovations could begin immediately, he said, the bulk of the work would have to wait until the internal security situation in Iraq has improved.

In the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom, looters stole radioactive materials from the Tuwaitha complex. In addition, there have been reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency is concerned about the looting there of nuclear weapon-related equipment.

The costs of establishing a scientific park at Tuwaitha would depend on the scope of the renovations and the level of equipment it would contain, Schwartzstein said, adding that at least a few million dollars would be needed. “You could go first class all the way, you could go on the cheap,” said Schwartzstein, who also serves as an informal adviser to Iraqi Science and Technology Minister Rashad Mandan Omar.

Schwartzstein also said that funding for the park would likely have to be provided through foreign assistance. Such aid could come from the International Association of Science and Parks, as well as the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which has already expressed interest, he said.

The Iraqi science minister is “very much interested” in the Tuwaitha scientific park proposal, Schwartzstein said. While reactions from U.S. officials who have learned of the proposal have been “good,” the U.S. focus has been primarily on combating the current insurgency and on providing basic needs, with less emphasis on science and technology issues, he said.