***************************************************************** 02/02/04 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 12.27 ***************************************************************** RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE ***************************************************************** Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject line and first line of body NUCLEAR POLICY 1 [EMMAS] US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD 2 US: [southnews] The Weapons of Mass Destruction Hoax Unravels 3 US: Intelligence services to be blamed for WMD failures 4 Guardian Unlimited Howard: Blair is odd man out on WMD 5 US: NYT: Op-Ed Columnist: The Farewell Dossier 6 Australian: Heat on Howard for WMD inquiry 7 US: Australian: Bush bid to defuse WMD poll bomb 8 Washington Post: For Bush, a Tactical Retreat on Iraq 9 US: Washington Post: Faulty Evidence And an Eager Victim 10 Seattle Times: Bush wants intelligence inquiry to go beyond Iraq 11 U.S. Newswire: Chief U.S. Weapons Inspector: 'We Were Wrong'; 12 ITAR-TASS: ElBaradei calls for urgent return of UN inspectors to Ira 13 UK Independent: failures 14 St. Petersburg Times: The credibility gap 15 Las Vegas SUN: Bush Meets With Kay Before Iraq Probe 16 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iran, Russia share views on energy 17 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Nuclear Expert Gave Info to Iran 18 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Nuke Expert Gave Secrets to Iran 19 Korea Herald: Seoul, Washington consult on N.K. nukes 20 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. Tells NK to Get its Story Straight o 21 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Optimistic on North Korea Nuke Talks 22 US: Las Vegas SUN: Bush Sends Congress $2.4 Trillion Budget 23 US: Wash Post: Energy Scores Big Points in White House's Management 24 US: U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham Unveils DOE '05 Budget; Support 25 US: [DU-WATCH] Gamma-Ray Weapons Could trigger new arms race 26 US: [du-list] Nuclear Day of Action 27 Israeli nuclear spy to be freed in April but under surveillance - re 28 BBC: Scientist 'admits nuclear deals' 29 Washington Post: Pakistani Confesses to Aiding Nuclear Efforts 30 Aljazeera.Net: Israel 'to free nuclear whistleblower' 31 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan to Wait on Charges in Nuke Case 32 Gateway to Russia: Russia`s Atomic Ministry optimistic on exports f 33 Las Vegas SUN: AP: Nuclear Black Market Is Small, Covert NUCLEAR REACTORS 34 US: [NukeNet] Op-Ed on Oyster Creek 35 Interfax: Atomic Energy Ministry to keep exports stable in 2003 36 US: Times Argus: New drawbacks seen for Vermont Yankee uprate 37 NT Bureau: 'Nuclear energy alone can meet India's power needs' NUCLEAR SAFETY 38 [DU-WATCH] American Voices Abroad on DU 39 [DU-WATCH] Silent ban on blood from soldiers in Iraq 40 [DU-WATCH] Bein's presentation to Hamburg conference 41 [DU-WATCH] Govt Coverup in Progress 42 [DU-WATCH] 'zapped' veteran fights on 43 [DU-WATCH] Gulf Veteran: Terry Walkers New Book now out!! 44 [du-list] Subject:Baby is Gulf War Syndrome Victim NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 45 US: [du-list] The mess on military bases 46 Las Vegas SUN: Study projects Nevada economic benefits from national 47 Las Vegas SUN: Bush budget would increase spending for Yucca Mountai 48 NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet February 24 - 2 49 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Hot waste site's books closed 50 Las Vegas RJ: Report details benefits of Yucca 51 Las Vegas SUN: $880 million requested for Yucca 52 US: The Mercury: Landfill allowed to release more poisonous gas unde NUCLEAR WEAPONS US DEPT. OF ENERGY 53 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah 54 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada 55 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridg 56 DOE: Office of Science; DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee; 57 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee 58 Tri-City Herald: Bidders protest Hanford contract 59 The Daily Californian: Berkeley Lab Contract Renewed 60 Oak Ridger: BNFL completes equipment removal at three K-25 buildings OTHER NUCLEAR 61 [du-list] DU in the news - 2nd Feb. 04 62 Nuclear Calendar 63 Google News Alert - nuclear ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 [EMMAS] US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 03:19:25 -0600 (CST) Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2004 20:21:57 -1000 From: viviane Reply-To: viviane Subject: US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1136314,00.html US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD Blair comes under pressure as Americans admit it was widely known that Saddam had no chemical arsenal Peter Beaumont, Gaby Hinsliff and Paul Harris Sunday February 1, 2004 The Observer Senior American officials concluded at the beginning of last May that there were no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, The Observer has learnt. Intelligence sources, policy makers and weapons inspectors familiar with the details of the hunt for WMD told The Observer it was widely known that Iraq had no WMD within three weeks of Baghdad falling, despite the assertions of senior Bush administration figures and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The new revelation came as White House sources indicated that President George Bush was considering establishing an investigation into the intelligence, despite rejecting an inquiry the previous day. The disclosure that US military survey teams sent to visit suspected sites of WMD, and intelligence interviews with Iraqi scientists and officials, had concluded so quickly that no major weapons or facilities would be found is certain to produce serious new embarrassment on both sides of the Atlantic. According to the time-line provided by the US sources, it would mean that Number 10 would have been aware of the US doubts that weapons would be found before the outbreak of the feud between Number 10 and Andrew Gilligan, and before the exposure of Dr David Kelly as Gilligan's source for his claims that the September dossier had been 'sexed up' to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. It would suggest too that some officials who defended the 24 September dossier in evidence before the Hutton inquiry did so in the knowledge that the pre-war intelligence was probably wrong. Indeed, comments from a senior Washington official first casting serious doubt on the existence of WMD were put to Downing Street by The Observer - and rejected - as early as 3 May. Among those interviewed by The Observer was a very senior US intelligence official serving during the war against Iraq with an intimate knowledge of the search for Iraq's WMD. 'We had enough evidence at the beginning of May to start asking, "where did we go wrong?",' he said last week. 'We had already made the judgment that something very wrong had happened [in May] and our confidence was shaken to its foundations.' The source, a career intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity, was also scathing about the massive scale of the failure of intelligence over Iraq both in the US and among its foreign allies - alleging that the intelligence community had effectively suppressed dissenting views and intelligence. The claim is confirmed by other sources, as well as figures like David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector with close contacts in both the world of weapons inspection and intelligence. 'It was known in May,' Albright said last week, 'that no one was going to find large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. The only people who did not know that fact was the public.' The new disclosure follows the claims last week by Dr David Kay, the former head of the Iraq Survey Group, a hawk who believed Iraq retained prohibited weapons, that he now believed that the alleged stockpiles 'had never existed'. It also comes as the House and Senate intelligence committees, which have been hearing evidence on why no weapons have been found, prepare to publish their reports this month. Although it is expected that they will conclude that there was no political interference in the intelligence process, as some critics have alleged, the reports are expected to be damning about the quality of the intelligence that led to war. The revelation is likely to lead to increased pressure both in Britain and the United States for an inquiry into the intelligence marshalled in favour of war. In recent weeks Bush has come under concerted pressure over the issue, with Democratic presidential candidates accusing both him and Vice-President Dick Cheney of manipulating pre-war intelligence to make the case for invasion. White House sources said that President Bush is considering the formation of an independent panel to investigate pre-war intelligence on Iraq that he used to justify going to war. Aides are discussing it with congressional officials, sources familiar with the discussions said last night. Bush had rejected an independent investigation amid White House fears of a political witch-hunt by Democrats hoping to unseat him in elections this year, but began in recent days to reconsider the position. 'I want the American people to know that I, too, want to know the facts,' Bush told reporters on Friday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a range of options for such a panel was being explored and that an agreement was hoped for soon. The White House would not comment. Arizona Republican Senator John McCain broke party ranks to join Democratic demands for an independent probe into how US intelligence got it wrong, given the failure by searchers to find weapons of mass destruction. ========= *** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.*** ################################################################# " Social and economic well-being will become a reality only through the zeal, courage, the non-compromising determination of intelligent minorities, and not through the mass." Emma Goldman To SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE to the emmasdance list send email to with the message subscribe/unsubscribe emmasdance. [No subject is needed.] "If I can not dance, I want no part in your revolution." Emma Goldman ################################################################# ***************************************************************** 2 [southnews] The Weapons of Mass Destruction Hoax Unravels Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 19:22:56 -0600 (CST) The Weapons of Mass Destruction Hoax Unravels In his January 20 State of the Union address President Bush briefly referred to the fraudulent claims in last year's speech to justify the invasion of Iraq. He cited a forthcoming report by a veteran of UN inspections in Iraq since 1991, David Kay. Three days later Kay bailed out. Since the invasion the US spent nine hundred million dollars to support its claims of the Iraqi WMD threat. The legions of weapons experts scouring Iraq for WMD have found nothing. One of the most successful frauds of all time and certainly the greatest swindle of the young 21st Century is unraveling. Last year the issue of Iraqi WMD dominated center-stage of world politics. For months the administration monopolized headlines with phony charges of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq. Many media figures, politicians and intellectuals actively promoted the disinformation campaign. At the conclusion of Congressional hearings in the fall of 2002, house leader Dick Gephardt set the tone for the Democratic collaboration with the Republican war rhetoric: "I share the administration's goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction." (September 19) There was no debate. Until last week the White House tenaciously stuck to the original "...yes we believe they will be found" script. Vice President Cheney still insisted an "additional considerable period of time" was needed to find the WMD in Iraq. Jay Rockefeller, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee said, "I'm glad they are continuing to do the search." Others like Secretary of State Powell and Kay pointed the finger at the "intelligence community." They have both played leading roles as spokespeople of the US intelligence community promoting the Iraqi WMD hoax. Once the US gained control over Iraq, the WMD allegations became increasingly untenable. In the early months the US press statements featured upbeat US commanders vowing that US claims would be vindicated by tomorrow's discovery of WMD. The canned optimism droned on for months, and then the WMD issue became overshadowed by the insurgency war, and then it disappeared. The famous palaces of the Iraqi leader once cited as the hiding places for chemical and biological weapons have become the headquarters for the occupiers. The secret bunkers revealed nothing more than corroded conventional ordinance. A May ABC news broadcast began "U.S. intelligence officials say they have concluded that the two tractor-trailers, which they found in northern Iraq during the war, are laboratories for making biological weapons. But they have found absolutely no trace of biological agents in them." These were the "mobile weapons labs" Secretary Powell portrayed with a cartoon in his address to the UN. With little fanfare it was later confirmed that they were in fact, what Iraq had always claimed they were, hydrogen production trailers sold to the Iraqis by the British in the late 1980's. Last September an initial draft by 1,500 US experts of the Iraq Survey Group could not cite a single piece of evidence substantiating US claims. Back in August 2003, Hans Blix, the head of UN weapons inspection prior to the invasion, made these guarded comments about the likelihood of finding WMD in Iraq. "The more time that has passed, the more I think it's unlikely that anything will be found..." and went on to add "I'm certainly more and more to the conclusion that Iraq has, as they maintained, destroyed almost all of what they had in the summer of 1991." This conclusion flies in the face of everything we have been told by the US government and media for more than a decade. Iraq's longstanding contention that it had not had WMD since 1991 has proven to be true. Irrespective of Iraqi government's intent to evade the intrusive inspections, it was in fact in compliance with UN's WMD disarmament mandates since 1991. The WMD hoax and the sanctions If Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction beyond 1991, how did two UN commissions fail to verify it? Can we say in retrospect that Iraq was afforded the "fair and impartial inspections" promised by the UN Security Council? (Similar promises are now being made to Libya.) Last year's UN commission headed by Blix was widely promoted as the best chance of heading off the impending US invasion. Yet when Blix's inspections failed to find WMD or evidence of any active programs he did not certify Iraq's compliance. The first UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) from 1991 until 1998 despite the evidence, also failed to certify Iraq's compliance. After the Gulf War, UN Security Council resolutions made Iraq's elimination of its WMD a pre-condition for lifting the comprehensive sanctions that had shut down Iraq's economy since 1990. The economic siege on the defeated nation would continue until Iraq proved it had eliminated its WMD to the satisfaction of the veto wielding members of the UN Security Council, the US and Britain. This proved impossible. Throughout the nineties the US used its political power within the Security Council to wage economic war on Iraq with devastating effect. Chlorine needed to purify water could not be imported to Iraq. It might be used to make chlorine gas, a chemical weapon. Every month thousands of children died from water-borne diseases that were unheard of before the war. To satisfy the concerns of UN weapons inspectors, Iraq shut down its pharmaceutical industry. But Iraq was also prohibited from importing vaccines because they had the potential of being used to make a biological weapon. The most elementary technology required for modern life was forbidden to Iraq, because it might be used to make a WMD. Besides the recent invasion and current occupation of Iraq, the promoters of WMD hoax are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who perished from the UN sanctions. The US and Britain and the United Nations owe reparations to the people of Iraq. - February 1, 04 Bob Allen 5 Awbury Rd. Philadelphia Pa 19138 215 438 4187 endsanctions@cs.com Committee to End the Occupation www.endocciraq.org _________________________________________________________________ *US officials knew in May Iraq possessed no WMD* Blair comes under pressure as Americans admit it was widely known that Saddam had no chemical arsenal *Peter Beaumont, Gaby Hinsliff and Paul Harris* *Sunday February 1, 2004* *The Observer* Senior American officials concluded at the beginning of last May that there were no weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq, The Observer has learnt. Intelligence sources, policy makers and weapons inspectors familiar with the details of the hunt for WMD told The Observer it was widely known that Iraq had no WMD within three weeks of Baghdad falling, despite the assertions of senior Bush administration figures and the Prime Minister, Tony Blair. The new revelation came as White House sources indicated that President George Bush was considering establishing an investigation into the intelligence, despite rejecting an inquiry the previous day. The disclosure that US military survey teams sent to visit suspected sites of WMD, and intelligence interviews with Iraqi scientists and officials, had concluded so quickly that no major weapons or facilities would be found is certain to produce serious new embarrassment on both sides of the Atlantic. According to the time-line provided by the US sources, it would mean that Number 10 would have been aware of the US doubts that weapons would be found before the outbreak of the feud between Number 10 and Andrew Gilligan, and before the exposure of Dr David Kelly as Gilligan's source for his claims that the September dossier had been 'sexed up' to exaggerate the Iraqi threat. It would suggest too that some officials who defended the 24 September dossier in evidence before the Hutton inquiry did so in the knowledge that the pre-war intelligence was probably wrong. Indeed, comments from a senior Washington official first casting serious doubt on the existence of WMD were put to Downing Street by The Observer - and rejected - as early as 3 May. Among those interviewed by The Observer was a very senior US intelligence official serving during the war against Iraq with an intimate knowledge of the search for Iraq's WMD. 'We had enough evidence at the beginning of May to start asking, "where did we go wrong?",' he said last week. 'We had already made the judgment that something very wrong had happened [in May] and our confidence was shaken to its foundations.' The source, a career intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity, was also scathing about the massive scale of the failure of intelligence over Iraq both in the US and among its foreign allies - alleging that the intelligence community had effectively suppressed dissenting views and intelligence. The claim is confirmed by other sources, as well as figures like David Albright, a former UN nuclear inspector with close contacts in both the world of weapons inspection and intelligence. 'It was known in May,' Albright said last week, 'that no one was going to find large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons. The only people who did not know that fact was the public.' The new disclosure follows the claims last week by Dr David Kay, the former head of the Iraq Survey Group, a hawk who believed Iraq retained prohibited weapons, that he now believed that the alleged stockpiles 'had never existed'. It also comes as the House and Senate intelligence committees, which have been hearing evidence on why no weapons have been found, prepare to publish their reports this month. Although it is expected that they will conclude that there was no political interference in the intelligence process, as some critics have alleged, the reports are expected to be damning about the quality of the intelligence that led to war. The revelation is likely to lead to increased pressure both in Britain and the United States for an inquiry into the intelligence marshalled in favour of war. In recent weeks Bush has come under concerted pressure over the issue, with Democratic presidential candidates accusing both him and Vice-President Dick Cheney of manipulating pre-war intelligence to make the case for invasion. White House sources said that President Bush is considering the formation of an independent panel to investigate pre-war intelligence on Iraq that he used to justify going to war. Aides are discussing it with congressional officials, sources familiar with the discussions said last night. Bush had rejected an independent investigation amid White House fears of a political witch-hunt by Democrats hoping to unseat him in elections this year, but began in recent days to reconsider the position. 'I want the American people to know that I, too, want to know the facts,' Bush told reporters on Friday. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a range of options for such a panel was being explored and that an agreement was hoped for soon. The White House would not comment. Arizona Republican Senator John McCain broke party ranks to join Democratic demands for an independent probe into how US intelligence got it wrong, given the failure by searchers to find weapons of mass destruction. Guardian Unlimited ) Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 The archives of South News can be found at http://southmovement.alphalink.com.au/southnews/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/southnews/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: southnews-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 3 Intelligence services to be blamed for WMD failures Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 05:06:38 -0600 (CST) Intelligence services to be blamed for WMD failures By Nigel Morris and David Usborne in New York 02 February 2004 British and American intelligence services look set to share the blame for the spectacular failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. President George Bush is to order a full investigation of US intelligence failures in Iraq, a senior White House official said last night, while politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are preparing to argue that MI6 and the CIA supplied a false picture of Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons stockpile. An independent commission in Washington will look at the information that the US had before the war last year and what has been discovered since the invasion of Iraq. Tony Blair, who will modify his insistence that the Iraqi dictator possessed WMD, was "aware" of the US position last night, said a spokesman. Peter Hain, the Leader of the Commons, fuelled speculation yesterday that the intelligence services could eventually be in the British Government's sights. He said: "I saw evidence that was categoric on Saddam possessing chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. Now I saw that intelligence evidence, so did the Prime Minister, so did other cabinet ministers. That informed our decision to go to topple him. I think we were right in doing so, but let's wait and see what the jury finds in the end." Mr Blair will come under pressure on the issue when he appears before the Commons Liaison Committee of senior backbenchers tomorrow. It is also likely to feature heavily in a Commons debate on Wednesday on Lord Hutton's report on the death of David Kelly. Until now, the Prime Minister has confidently claimed that it is only a matter of time before WMD stocks are found by inspectors. But he has looked increasingly isolated as President Bush moves towards an admission that the intelligence used to justify war was flawed. Mr Blair is likely to stop short of conceding this week that WMD may never be found, but he will change tack by highlighting the need for an explanation of the Iraq Survey Group's failure to uncover them after an eight-month search. After a turbulent week dominated by the Commons vote on university tuition fees and the Hutton report, Downing Street acknowledges that the issue of WMD is about to return to the political centre stage. Michael Howard, the Tory leader, will try to exploit government discomfort on the aftermath of the Iraq war by demanding an independent inquiry into intelligence supplied to ministers. "It is of utmost importance that we try to find out what went wrong with the intelligence, [and] if the intelligence community felt there were WMD," he said yesterday. "It is now becoming clear that the weapons weren't there." The likelihood of such an inquiry in the US will increase the pressure on Mr Blair to follow suit, although his spokesman merely restated the Government's position last night that "the Iraq Survey Group needs to continue its work''. While Mr Bush appeared only a few days ago to be cool about the idea of an inquiry, his position appeared to change over the weekend. Sources said Vice-President Dick Cheney had begun talking to members of Congress in private about setting an inquiry in motion. Mr Bush has been seriously undermined by remarks last week about US intelligence by David Kay, until recently head of the Iraq Survey Group. Mr Kay said the intelligence provided to the White House to justify the invasion was "almost all wrong" and that an inquiry into the apparent failings of American intelligence was necessary. Trent Lott, a senior Republican senator, said he would probably support the idea of an inquiry. "I think we have major problems with our intelligence community. I think we need to take a look at a complete overhaul ... I have real problems with the job they've done." The Kay furore eliminated any sense of relief that the US administration may have felt over the mostly clean bill of health given to the Blair government by the Hutton report. The question that has still not been squarely addressed on either side of the Atlantic is how did it happen that intelligence provided by services in America and in Britain was apparently so wide of the mark. John McCain, the Arizona senator, said: "We need to not only know what happened, but know what steps are necessary to prevent the US from ever being misinformed again." http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=486966 ***************************************************************** 4 Guardian Unlimited Howard: Blair is odd man out on WMD No 10 set to decide on WMD inquiry Matthew Tempest and agencies Monday February 2, 2004 Downing Street appeared today to be on the brink of a climbdown over granting an inquiry into the intelligence basis for the war in Iraq. Following the announcement in Washington last night that the US president, George Bush, had ordered an investigation into evidence of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) allegedly held by Saddam Hussein, No 10 today said it was on the point of making a statement to parliament on the subject. That could come either later today, or, quite possibly, as Mr Blair is questioned by the heads of select committees tomorrow morning. No further details were immediately available, but the prime minister's official spokesman (PMOS) did concede that the verdict of Lord Hutton last week had changed the debate. During a late afternoon press conference at the Foreign Office, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, confirmed that the government was "actively considering an announcement". The PMOS said: "What's different between last week and this is that the Hutton report, like the Commons foreign affairs committee report and like the intelligence and security committee report, has cleared the government of allegations of having politically interfered with, falsified or hyped the intelligence on WMD. "That allows us to address - hopefully in a more rational way, a more rational context - the perfectly valid question that people have asked about WMD. "And while the Iraq Survey Group's former head David Kay's interim report did find evidence of programmes of WMD and did find evidence of concealment, it's equally true, as the prime minister acknowledged a week ago, that we have yet to find WMD weapons in Iraq and we recognise these are valid questions. "We have also been talking to the American administration and keeping in close touch with them and they are coming close to announcing how they are going to approach this issue. "In the same way, we are coming close to announcing how we will approach these questions but we will want first of all to make that announcement to parliament. The shift comes after an upping of the pressure this morning, as Michael Howard warned Mr Blair that he would be the "odd man out" if he now refused to call an independent inquiry. The Conservative leader, backed by the Liberal Democrat leader, Charles Kennedy, tabled a Commons motion calling for a review of British intelligence material. The move comes as a senior government source told the Guardian that the prime minister would this week change tack on the absence of WMD in Iraq, acknowledging the need to explain the failure rather than just repeat the mantra of "waiting for the Iraq survey group [ISG] to report". That holding position by the government has been somewhat blown out of the water by the twin prongs of Mr Bush's decision to launch an inquiry, and the former head of the ISG, David Kay, saying last week there had probably been no WMD in Iraq. The prime minister also faces a day's debate on the Hutton report on Wednesday. Today Mr Howard took to the airwaves to hammer home his demand for an inquiry. In the wake of last week's controversial report by Lord Hutton into the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, he demanded that both he and Mr Kennedy should have a say in any inquiry's terms of reference. "I hope that Tony Blair won't continue to be the isolated, won't continue to be the odd man out on this," he told GMTV. He told the BBC: "We obviously don't want a repeat of the controversy which has arisen in the aftermath of the Hutton report. "This should proceed on an all-party basis. There's no partisan interest here. The national interest is at stake. "It is of the utmost importance that, should we find ourselves again in a position where we may have to contemplate taking military action, we do so on the basis of intelligence material in which everyone has full confidence." Mr Howard said that he still believed Saddam Hussein posed a risk to global security at the time of last year's war. Military action was justified whether or not he had stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, he said. "I think there was a strong case for war apart from this issue," he said. "The importance is not so much whether the decision to go to war was justified. I think it was. The importance is whether we can in future have confidence in the intelligence material which is available." Speaking on GMTV, Mr Howard said the inquiry should look at both the quality of the intelligence and how it was used. He said Mr Kay had said there "clearly were" intelligence mistakes. Mr Howard said: "It is very difficult. It may be that no one was to blame but we do need to know how much reliance we can place." The Lib Dems' foreign affairs spokesman, Sir Menzies Campbell, said a US inquiry would put more pressure on the British government. This will put yet more pressure on the British government. "Washington is now dictating the British political agenda. The government's satisfaction at the Hutton report may well be short-lived." Yesterday the lord chancellor, Lord Falconer, said an inquiry would achieve nothing. "Little would be achieved by constantly looking and re-looking at what the intelligence shows at a particular time," he told Sky News. And the leader of the Commons, Peter Hain, said he, and other cabinet members, had seen proof that Saddam had chemical and biological weapons. Mr Blair will be questioned by senior MPs on Tuesday on the intelligence. But Lord Falconer said there was no need for a further inquiry. Speaking later, Mr Hain said people should wait for the findings of the ISG. But he said he had seen proof of Saddam's WMD. "I saw evidence that was categoric on Saddam possessing chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction," he said. He told the BBC: "I saw that intelligence evidence, so did the prime minister, so did other cabinet ministers. That informed our decision to go to topple him. I think we were right in doing so." Mr Hain is understood to have seen that evidence during his time at the Foreign Office, which ended in 2002. politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004 ***************************************************************** 5 NYT: Op-Ed Columnist: The Farewell Dossier By WILLIAM SAFIRE Published: February 2, 2004 WASHINGTON Intelligence shortcomings, as we see, have a thousand fathers; secret intelligence triumphs are orphans. Here is the unremarked story of "the Farewell dossier": how a C.I.A. campaign of computer sabotage resulting in a huge explosion in Siberia — all engineered by a mild-mannered economist named Gus Weiss — helped us win the cold war. Weiss worked down the hall from me in the Nixon administration. In early 1974, he wrote a report on Soviet advances in technology through purchasing and copying that led the beleaguered president — détente notwithstanding — to place restrictions on the export of computers and software to the U.S.S.R. Seven years later, we learned how the K.G.B. responded. I was writing a series of hard-line columns denouncing the financial backing being given Moscow by Germany and Britain for a major natural gas pipeline from Siberia to Europe. That project would give control of European energy supplies to the Communists, as well as generate $8 billion a year to support Soviet computer and satellite research. President François Mitterrand of France also opposed the gas pipeline. He took President Reagan aside at a conference in Ottawa on July 19, 1981, to reveal that France had recruited a key K.G.B. officer in Moscow Center. Col. Vladimir Vetrov provided what French intelligence called the Farewell dossier. It contained documents from the K.G.B. Technology Directorate showing how the Soviets were systematically stealing — or secretly buying through third parties — the radar, machine tools and semiconductors to keep the Russians nearly competitive with U.S. military-industrial strength through the 70's. In effect, the U.S. was in an arms race with itself. Reagan passed this on to William J. Casey, his director of central intelligence, now remembered only for the Iran-contra fiasco. Casey called in Weiss, then working with Thomas C. Reed on the staff of the National Security Council. After studying the list of hundreds of Soviet agents and purchasers (including one cosmonaut) assigned to this penetration in the U.S. and Japan, Weiss counseled against deportation. Instead, according to Reed — a former Air Force secretary whose fascinating cold war book, "At the Abyss," will be published by Random House next month — Weiss said: "Why not help the Soviets with their shopping? Now that we know what they want, we can help them get it." The catch: computer chips would be designed to pass Soviet quality tests and then to fail in operation. In our complex disinformation scheme, deliberately flawed designs for stealth technology and space defense sent Russian scientists down paths that wasted time and money. The technology topping the Soviets' wish list was for computer control systems to automate the operation of the new trans-Siberian gas pipeline. When we turned down their overt purchase order, the K.G.B. sent a covert agent into a Canadian company to steal the software; tipped off by Farewell, we added what geeks call a "Trojan Horse" to the pirated product. "The pipeline software that was to run the pumps, turbines and valves was programmed to go haywire," writes Reed, "to reset pump speeds and valve settings to produce pressures far beyond those acceptable to the pipeline joints and welds. The result was the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and fire ever seen from space." Our Norad monitors feared a nuclear detonation, but satellites that would have picked up its electromagnetic pulse were silent. That mystified many in the White House, but "Gus Weiss came down the hall to tell his fellow NSC staffers not to worry. It took him another twenty years to tell me why." Farewell stayed secret because the blast in June 1982, estimated at three kilotons, took place in the Siberian wilderness, with no casualties known. Nor was the red-faced K.G.B. about to complain publicly about being tricked by bogus technology. But all the software it had stolen for years was suddenly suspect, which stopped or delayed the work of thousands of worried Russian technicians and scientists. Vetrov was caught and executed in 1983. A year later, Bill Casey ordered the K.G.B. collection network rolled up, closing the Farewell dossier. Gus Weiss died from a fall a few months ago. Now is a time to remember that sometimes our spooks get it right in a big way.  E-mail: safire@nytimes.com Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company | Home| ***************************************************************** 6 Australian: Heat on Howard for WMD inquiry [February 03, 2004] By Dennis Shanahan JOHN Howard is under increasing pressure to hold an independent inquiry into pre-war advice amid expectations George W. Bush will launch a review of US intelligence failures on weapons of mass destruction. The Prime Minister has resisted an inquiry, arguing information on nuclear capability and weapons of mass destruction before the invasion of Iraq was mainly from the US and Britain. "Almost all the intelligence that came our way in relation to the war against Iraq pertained from British and American sources," he said in Perth yesterday. Mr Howard was responding to reports that Mr Bush was about to announce a nine-member bipartisan panel to investigate how US intelligence services came to conclusions on the nuclear capabilities of Iraq, Libya and North Korea, and weapons of mass destruction. Mr Howard said he would closely watch what the US was doing and did not rule out an Australian investigation. © The Australian ***************************************************************** 7 Australian: Bush bid to defuse WMD poll bomb [February 03, 2004] By Roy Eccleston A YEAR ago this week US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the world in graphic detail about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. There were diagrams, intercepted communications, satellite photographs and even a tiny vial of fake anthrax. In front of the UN Security Council, Mr Powell put US credibility on the line. He claimed Washington knew "a missile brigade outside Baghdad" was "dispersing rocket launchers and warheads containing biological warfare agents to various locations". He said the US was aware of biological weapons factories on wheels and on rails, and had photographs of banned materials being moved from "Iraqi WMD facilities". Yet none of these things have been found. The man Washington sent to find Iraq's WMD has returned convinced Saddam Hussein retained his ambitions for terror weapons, but did not have the large stockpiles and programs described so forcefully by Mr Powell. "It turns out we were all wrong, probably in my judgment, and that is most disturbing," David Kay told a Senate inquiry last week. The question now is why. Did the Bush administration twist the arms of its intelligence analysts, and the evidence, to present a smoking gun that did not exist? Was this a massive intelligence failure? Or was there a mix of both? If the US spying system is badly flawed, this is a major blow to George W. Bush's controversial doctrine of pre-emptive war, which is built on the expectation of accurate intelligence. With an election due in November, the US President has decided to defuse what threatens to be a red-hot political issue for Democrats who are accusing him of misleading Americans on the need for the war. Mr Bush is expected to announce this week a bipartisan inquiry to examine the intelligence that was presented as the main reason for the invasion of Iraq. However, it is likely the inquiry will not report until next year -- well after Mr Bush hopes to be re-elected. The President was forced to agree to the inquiry because of widespread concern in the US, even among his own party. Prominent Republican senators such as John McCain and Chuck Hagel want answers. Senator Hagel said the issue was not just about intelligence shortcomings, but "the credibility of who we are around the world and the trust of our government and our leaders". Even former US treasury secretary Paul O'Neill, a member of the Bush cabinet for two years until he was sacked in late 2002, says Mr Bush was looking for a reason to go to war with Iraq. "From the very beginning, there was a conviction Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go," Mr O'Neill said last month. A permanent member of the US National Security Council, Mr O'Neill saw all the CIA evidence and said he did not see any concrete proof in two years of Iraqi WMDs. "It was all about finding a way to do it. That was the tone of it. The President saying 'Go find me a way to do this'," he said. The Bush administration has already made some dubious assertions about Iraqi weapons programs, especially Baghdad's supposed attempts to build a nuclear bomb. In his State of the Union speech last year, Mr Bush touted British intelligence that Iraq had been looking for uranium in an African country to develop its nuclear program. He was later forced to acknowledge the claim should not have been in the speech, because the CIA had checked it out and was doubtful about its truth. The White House also claimed Iraq was buying aluminium tubes for use in centrifuges to make highly enriched uranium for bombs. But most experts - now including Dr Kay - said the tubes were to be used for rockets. By the time Mr Bush made his latest State of the Union speech last month, he had been forced to drop his claim that actual weapons would be found in Iraq and instead talked about "weapons of mass destruction-related program activities" - whatever that means. The only good news for Mr Bush on WMD has been Dr Kay's insistence that in his discussions with US intelligence analysts there had been no evidence the administration tried to influence their thinking. But US newspapers have reported that Vice-President Dick Cheney made several trips to CIA headquarters before the war to pressure analysts, and Democrat presidential candidate Howard Dean has accused Mr Cheney of berating CIA officials. While the apparent intelligence failure in Iraq is an acute political problem for Mr Bush, it is also a serious problem for the US as it faces the prospect of WMDs spreading around the world - and possibly to terrorists. Dr Kay pointed out that the US had not just overestimated the Iraqi threat but missed growing threats elsewhere. "I do not think the problem of global proliferation of weapons technology of mass destruction is going to go away, and that's why I think it is an urgent issue," he said. "There's a long record here of being wrong." Roy Eccleston is The Australian's Washington correspondent © The Australian ***************************************************************** 8 Washington Post: For Bush, a Tactical Retreat on Iraq (washingtonpost.com) By Dana Milbank Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, February 2, 2004; Page A01 In deciding to back an independent review of the intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, President Bush is implicitly conceding what he cannot publicly say: that something appears to be seriously wrong with the allegations he used to take the nation to war in Iraq. Most everybody in a position to know has agreed that a huge mistake has been made. "We were almost all wrong," David Kay, the former chief U.S. weapons inspector in Iraq, testified last week. "In this case, there's no question that there was an intelligence failure, in some form or another," Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), a member of the Intelligence Committee, said yesterday on "Fox News Sunday." "Clearly this is not the immediate threat many assumed before the war," is how Charles Duelfer, Kay's replacement, put it a few months ago when he noted "the apparent absence of existing weapons stocks." Bush will announce this week that he is creating, by executive order, a bipartisan independent panel of at least nine members that will make a report in 2005, the White House confirmed yesterday. But those close to the president say he is doing so while continuing to avoid any explicit public acknowledgment that the intelligence was wrong. Why the reluctance to state what appears increasingly obvious as Kay spent the past 10 days dashing prospects that significant weapons stockpiles would be found in Iraq? Although the tactic may appear to be obtuse, there is a real strategy behind the Bush response -- and one that has been used before, to great effect. Bush aides have learned through hard experience that admitting error only projects weakness and invites more abuse. Conversely, by postponing an acknowledgment -- possibly beyond Election Day -- the White House is generating a fog of uncertainty around Kay's stark findings, and potentially softening a harsh public judgment. "They aren't giving up," Hans Blix, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, said recently. Blix's failure to find weapons of mass destruction before the war was ridiculed by the administration. "They all prefer to retreat under a mist of controversy rather than say, 'I'm sorry, this was wrong,' " he said. Of course, Bush and his top aides are as aware as anyone -- and acknowledge as much in private -- that Kay's remarks of the last week have dispelled remaining hope that the intelligence might prove correct. Although some in the White House favor having Bush admit publicly that the intelligence was flawed, a high-ranking Republican source said such a step is not yet being contemplated. Instead, for the White House, agreeing to allow an external review -- which Kay advocates -- amounts to a tacit acknowledgement of reality without an admission of error that would encourage opponents. Indeed, having a commission could postpone Bush's need to admit error indefinitely; in that sense, it is something of a tactical retreat. Nobody expects any hard conclusions to be reached before the Nov. 2 election -- either by congressional probes or an independent inquiry -- on what went wrong with the intelligence. Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.), chairman of the House intelligence committee and a former CIA case officer, said recently that partisan politics would make it impossible to get any real work done before the election. "Not this year," Goss said. "You couldn't get the members together, or even the rules set up." Bush has lately found many of his rationales for the war in Iraq being challenged. Just as Kay has undermined the WMD rationale, a report published by the Army War College challenged the notion that the war in Iraq was part of the overall war on terrorism, while the group Human Rights Watch has disputed Bush's notion that the Iraq war was a humanitarian mission. Vice President Cheney has implicitly acknowledged that the Iraq war has not spurred peace in the Middle East, saying peace is not possible while Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains in power. To all of these challenges, though, there is a simple solution for Bush: If the on-the-ground situation improves in Iraq, with violence abating and U.S. troops returning home, the American public will almost certainly forgive any flaws in the rationale for going to war. Discussing the weapons dilemma, Rep. Peter T. King (R-N.Y.), who backs the president on Iraq, sees it this way: "If people feel things are under control in Iraq, the WMD issue doesn't have traction. If things go badly, then it does have traction." Also, the alternative for Bush -- admitting an error in the prewar allegations -- has not worked well for him in the past. Administration officials now say it was a mistake to acknowledge that Bush should not have included in last year's State of the Union address an allegation that Iraq tried to buy nuclear material in Africa. The admission of error, they say, made Bush appear weak and encouraged more skeptical coverage than if the White House had refused to budge. Before deciding to endorse an independent review, White House officials had little alternative but to rely on some unsatisfying answers when asked about the intelligence failure. On Wednesday, for example, Bush suggested that war came because Saddam Hussein did not let inspectors into Iraq, when in fact it was the United States that called for inspections to end. "It was his choice to make, and he did not let us in," Bush said. That same day, Bush press secretary Scott McClellan said the White House never said Iraq was an "imminent" threat. But when McClellan's predecessor, Ari Fleischer, was asked whether Iraq was an imminent threat, he replied: "Absolutely." And when White House communications director Dan Bartlett was asked whether Hussein was an imminent threat to U.S. interests, he replied: "Well, of course he is." In addition, Bush aides have regularly said that they were following the advice of intelligence experts. On Thursday, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said the weapons conclusion "was the judgment of our intelligence community, the judgment of intelligence communities around the world." Yet the White House, at various times, went beyond what the CIA advised. In addition to the allegation about Hussein's nuclear purchases in Africa, which the CIA discouraged, the White House asserted, without consulting with the CIA, that Iraq "could launch a biological or chemical attack 45 minutes after the order is given." In all their efforts last week to blunt the issue, though, White House officials have been careful not to say the intelligence was wrong. Invited to do so in a television interview Thursday with CBS News, Rice replied: "I don't think . . . that we know the full story of what became of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction." Those close to the White House said that, now that Bush has backed an independent review, there is no need for an immediate revision of that official position. Staff writers Barton Gellman and Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report. © 2004 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 9 Washington Post: Faulty Evidence And an Eager Victim (washingtonpost.com) By William Raspberry Monday, February 2, 2004; Page A17 When President Bush is asked whether he regrets attacking Iraq on what now turns out to be bad information, he always answers to the effect that the world is better off with Saddam Hussein out of power. Which is no answer at all. I can think of many world leaders (and even a few members of the Bush administration) whose absence from power would leave the world better off. But that does not justify turning thought into violent action. The president wants us to forget this awkward truth: The justification he offered for attacking Iraq was not that Hussein was a bad guy but (1) that he was contemptuously in violation of U.N. resolutions and (2) that he and his weapons of mass destruction were an urgent danger to the United States -- so ominous, in fact, that if we waited for more inspections and negotiations, it might be too late. Former weapons inspector David Kay now says, to the obvious embarrassment of the administration, that he believes Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction when American bombers struck Baghdad almost a year ago. Does that mean that we launched the war on false pretenses? No, in Kay's view; yes, in mine. Kay explains that he thought at the time that the WMDs existed and were a menace. The problem, he has been at pains to say, is not Bush administration mendacity but failure of the intelligence apparatus. Bush, by that explanation, is not villain but victim. Well, he was a most eager victim, practically begging for justification -- any justification -- for the war he was determined to have. He was only temporarily stalled when Secretary of State Colin Powell persuaded him to take the case to the U.N. Security Council. But the administration's chapter-and-verse accounting of how Hussein had violated U.N. agreements and directives did not produce a call for war. The Bush administration was left with a single rationale: Iraq's urgent threat to America. Thus came Powell's Feb. 5 multimedia extravaganza before the Security Council. You may remember it. "Let's look at one [satellite image]. This one is about a weapons munition facility, a facility that holds ammunition at a place called Taji. This is one of about 65 such facilities in Iraq. We know that this one has housed chemical munitions. . . . "Here, you see 15 munitions bunkers in yellow and red outlines. The four that are in the red squares represent active chemical munitions bunkers." Again: "At this biological-weapons-related facility, on November 25, just two days before inspections resumed, this truck caravan appeared, something we almost never see at this facility, and we monitor it carefully and regularly . . . five large cargo trucks appeared along with the truck-mounted crane to move missiles. We saw this kind of housecleaning at close to 30 sites." Oh, and enough anthrax (one spoonful of which was enough to shut down the U.S. Senate in the fall of 2001) to "fill tens upon tens upon tens of thousands of teaspoons." And this: "My colleagues, every statement I make today is backed up by sources, solid sources. These are not assertions. What we're giving you are facts and conclusions based on solid intelligence." Well, not so solid after all, it turns out. The question -- to give Powell the benefit of the doubt Kay gives the president -- is: Did the intelligence agencies serve the secretary of state a batch of cooked evidence? Or was Colin, my personal hero, in the kitchen? Does it matter? Perhaps the administration oversold the evidence. Perhaps the war was, in retrospect, too hasty, even unnecessary. But, hey, it happened, so let's just get on with it. What's the point of raking through the ashes of year-old decisions? Maybe there is no point -- if you believe, as Kay claims to believe, that it's all about failed intelligence. But there is a vital point if you believe, as I'm increasingly inclined to believe, that the administration lied to us in calculated and quite deliberate ways. If that happened, if it still is happening, I want to know as much about it as can be discovered. After all, there's an election coming up. /willrasp@washpost.com/ © 2004 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 10 Seattle Times: Bush wants intelligence inquiry to go beyond Iraq Nation & World: Monday, February 02, 2004 Seattle Times news services WASHINGTON — The special commission President Bush plans to create to investigate intelligence failures in Iraq would also probe U.S. intelligence mistakes in other nations and would not be expected to complete its work until well after the presidential election, a senior administration official said yesterday. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Bush would issue an executive order within days creating a panel to look at the failure of intelligence agencies to adequately gauge the threat of weapons of mass destruction not only in Iraq, but also in North Korea, Libya and other countries that have or are seeking nuclear weapons. Both North Korea and Libya appear to have been more advanced in their nuclear programs than intelligence officials realized. The official said the bipartisan panel, which would include intelligence experts and members of Congress, would have until next year to report its findings — well after the November presidential election. Bush's plan for a White House-sponsored investigation would short-circuit calls for a more independent inquiry focused solely on Iraq, one that potentially could prove an embarrassing source of controversy in an election year. By setting up the investigation himself, Bush would have greater control over its membership and mandate. Democrats have pushed for an investigation that would also look into allegations that administration officials put pressure on intelligence analysts to exaggerate the evidence for Iraq's weapons programs and misused intelligence information to make the case for war. However, top U.S. weapons inspector David Kay, who resigned recently, said he had found no evidence to support such claims. "I deeply think that is the wrong explanation ," Kay said last week in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Kay said he had "numerous (intelligence) analysts come up to me in apology" for their inaccurate pre-war assessments. Not one, he said, had complained of "inappropriate command interference." Bush has publicly rebuffed calls for an investigation, saying he wanted to wait for the final results of the weapons search in Iraq. "I want to know the facts," the president said Friday, admitting no flaw in the weapons allegations. "And I want to know exactly. I want to compare what the ISG (Iraq Survey Group) finds with what we thought going in." Kay has said the U.S. search for weapons is about 85 percent complete. He led the effort for nine months. Experts in the field In appointing the commission, Bush is expected to draw heavily from intelligence experts who are familiar with the problems in the field, the White House official said. The investigation would be independent and be provided with the resources it would need to do its job, the official said. The panel would be patterned after the Warren Commission in the 1960s, which looked into President Kennedy's assassination. That commission, headed by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, concluded Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., chairman of the House intelligence committee and a former CIA case officer, said recently partisan politics would make it impossible for a commission to get any real work done before the election. "Not this year," said Goss. "You couldn't get the members together or even the rules set up." Although Kay says he continues to support the war in Iraq, he has been among the most vocal in calling for an independent investigation into pre-war intelligence. In a television interview yesterday, he said the intelligence failures in Iraq completely undermine Bush's pre-emptive strike doctrine, which calls for first-strike attacks against enemies believed to be a threat to the United States. "If you cannot rely on good, accurate intelligence that is credible to the American people and to others abroad, you certainly cannot have a policy of pre-emption," Kay said on "Fox News Sunday." At least three prominent Republican senators — John McCain of Arizona, Trent Lott of Mississippi and Chuck Hagel of Nebraska — have called for an investigation. "We need to open this up in a very nonpartisan, outside commission to see where we are," Hagel said yesterday. The issue is not just shortcomings of U.S. intelligence, he said, but "the credibility of who we are around the world and the trust of our government and our leaders." Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., agreed. "America's credibility's at stake," Biden said yesterday. "This isn't about politics anymore." Asked whether it was time for such a commission, Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., replied: "Absolutely." There were no reports of reaction from other Democratic presidential hopefuls. Hans Blix, the former chief U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq whose failure to find weapons of mass destruction before the war was ridiculed by the administration, has said the White House is generating a fog of uncertainty around Kay's stark findings and potentially softening a harsh public judgment by postponing indefinitely what he said was Bush's need to admit error. "They aren't giving up," Blix said recently. "They all prefer to retreat under a mist of controversy rather than say, 'I'm sorry, this was wrong,' " David Albright, another former U.N. weapons inspector in Iraq, said the administration could use the commission as a way to delay judgments about the intelligence community and the administration's use of the intelligence information. "The bottom line for them (the Bush administration) is to delay the day of reckoning about their use of the weapons-of-mass-destruction information," Albright said. "David Kay can blame the CIA and say 'Oh, I made all these comments based on what I heard from the intelligence community.' President Bush can't do that. He's the boss." Albright said he disagreed with anyone who claims the president is blameless or that anyone who had the intelligence at Bush's disposal would have reached the conclusion war was warranted. "I was so involved in the whole debate (over weapons of mass destruction), and it's just not true," he said. Bush has lately found many of his rationales for the war in Iraq being challenged. Just as Kay has undermined the weapons-of-mass-destruction rationale, a report published by the Army War College challenged the notion that the war in Iraq was part of the overall war on terrorism, while the group Human Rights Watch has disputed Bush's notion that the Iraq war was a humanitarian mission. The alternative for Bush — admitting an error in the pre-war allegations — has not worked well for him in the past. Administration officials now say it was a mistake to acknowledge Bush should not have included in last year's State of the Union address an allegation that Iraq tried to buy nuclear material in Africa. The admission of error, they say, made Bush appear weak and encouraged more skeptical coverage than if the White House had refused to budge. One supporter of Bush's invasion of Iraq predicted the American public will almost certainly forgive any flaws in the rationale for going to war if the on-the-ground situation improves in Iraq, with violence abating and U.S. troops returning home. Since the invasion, 524 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. Traction control "If people feel things are under control in Iraq, the WMD issue doesn't have traction," said Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y. "If things go badly, then it does have traction." Before deciding to endorse an independent review, White House officials had little alternative but to rely on some unsatisfying answers when asked about the intelligence failure. For example, Bush suggested Wednesday that war came because Saddam Hussein did not let inspectors into Iraq, when it was the United States that called for inspections to end. "It was his choice to make, and he did not let us in," Bush said. That same day, Bush press secretary Scott McClellan said the White House never said Iraq was an "imminent" threat. But when McClellan's predecessor, Ari Fleischer, was asked if Iraq was an imminent threat, he replied: "absolutely"; when White House communications director Dan Bartlett was asked if Saddam was an imminent threat to U.S. interests, he replied: "Well, of course he is." Bush aides have regularly insisted they were following the advice of intelligence experts. National-security adviser Condoleezza Rice on Thursday said the weapons conclusion "was the judgment of our intelligence community, the judgment of intelligence communities around the world." Yet the White House, at times, went beyond what the CIA advised. In addition to the allegation about Saddam's nuclear purchases in Africa, which the CIA discouraged, the White House asserted, without consulting with the CIA, that Iraq "could launch a biological or chemical attack 45 minutes after the order is given." In their efforts last week to blunt the issue, though, White House officials were careful not to say the intelligence was wrong. Invited to do so in a television interview with CBS News on Thursday, Rice replied: "I don't think ... that we know the full story of what became of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction." Those close to the White House said that, now that Bush has backed an independent review, there is no need for an immediate revision of that official position. Compiled from The Washington Post, Knight Ridder Newspapers and The Associated Press. Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company Search archive ***************************************************************** 11 U.S. Newswire: Chief U.S. Weapons Inspector: 'We Were Wrong'; Authors of Weapons of Mass Deception: 'We Were Right' 2/2/04 10:28:00 AM To: National and Feature Desks Contact: Ken Siman, 212-366-2519, NEW YORK, Feb. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, former chief U.S. weapons inspector David Kay admitted that pre-war U.S. intelligence warnings about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction were wrong. After many months of searching, Kay and his team found none of the chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons President Bush cited as his chief reason for waging war against Saddam Hussein. According to recent polls, more than half of the American public believed the President's assertions that Iraq had an advanced weapons program that proved a direct threat to the U.S. and roughly the same number continue to believe that there was a direct connection between Saddam Hussein and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, despite the recent admission by Secretary of State Colin Powell that no such connection existed. Did the Bush Administration manipulate intelligence in order to justify their desire to go to war? Did the White House deliberately mislead the American people? "Yes," say John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton, investigative reporters and authors of the national bestseller WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq (Tarcher/Penguin). "The American people were led into a pre- emptive war as a result of one of the most deliberate, aggressive, and highly successful public relations campaign this country has ever seen." Published in 2003, WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION was the first book to expose the Bush Administration's distorting PR spin that helped sell the public on "Operation: Iraqi Freedom." Now, headlines across the globe are affirming the assertions in WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION. With meticulous research and documentation, Stauber and Rampton exposed that: -- Bush and his advisers wanted to invade Iraq even before he was inaugurated President, but waited until September 2002 to inform the public, in what the White House termed a "product launch." -- White House officials used repetition and misinformation to create the false impression that Iraq was behind the attacks of September 11. -- Forged documents were used to "prove" that Iraq sought nuclear materials and possessed a huge stockpile of banned weapons. Americans want the truth. WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION delivers the truth. About the authors: John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton are the bestselling authors of Toxic Sludge is Good for You, Mad Cow USA, and Trust Us, We're Experts. Stauber is the founder and director of The Center for Media and Democracy, a non-profit, public interest organization dedicated to investigative reporting. Stauber and Rampton write and edit the quarterly PR Watch: Public Interest Reporting on the PR/Public Affairs Industry. They live in Madison, Wisconsin. http://www.usnewswire.com/ -0- /© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ ***************************************************************** 12 ITAR-TASS: ElBaradei calls for urgent return of UN inspectors to Iraq [ITAR-TASS News Agency of Russia] 02.02.2004, 11.41 [Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ELBaradei (TASS Photo)] NEW YORK, February 2 (Itar-Tass) - Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ELBaradei has gone on record for the urgent return of the U.N. inspectors to Iraq. He noted in a Newsweek interview, the text of which is published in the Monday issue of the magazine, that only U.N.- authorised experts could draw the final conclusion on the question of whether Iraq was working on nuclear programs or not. The Security Council’s request we got to check the absence of nuclear weapons in Iraq is still in force,” the IAEA chief stated. At the same time, ELBaradei made it clear that, in his opinion, there were lately no works in Iraq to develop mass destruction weapons. He admitted differing views between him and the U.S. administration on some problems of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, especially pertaining to Iran. Some members of the U.S. administration suspect Iran of attempting to obtain nuclear weapons. We, for our part, see no concrete proofs of the Iranian nuclear program being linked with the program of developing weapons, he stressed. ELBaradei said Iran was now “cooperating very well” with the International Atomic Energy Agency. © ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved. You undertake not to copy, ***************************************************************** 13 UK Independent: failures By Jon Smith, Political Editor, PA News 02 February 2004 The Government is to announce "shortly" whether it is to follow the White House and order an inquiry into why no weapons of mass destruction have yet been found in Iraq, Downing Street announced today. The news came just hours before the confirmation from America that President George Bush is to set up an inquiry into intelligence on Iraqi arms. It is not expected to report before the presidential elections in November. The Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott refused to be drawn on a UK inquiry, saying: "We don't follow in the footsteps of President Bush, no matter what you may think. "We make our own decisions about this. We will make our own judgements in the way we feel is necessary. I think you will have to wait and see if any decisions in these areas need to be taken. Tony Blair and senior ministers have so far ruled out any inquiry into the apparent intelligence failings in the run-up to the war with Iraq. But the Prime Minister's spokesman, speaking after the White House let it be known that President George Bush would be ordering a commission of inquiry into the affair, said Number 10 had been in close touch with Washington. The spokesman said: "What's different between last week and this is that the Hutton report, like the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report and like the Intelligence and Security Committee report, has cleared the Government of allegations of having politically interfered with, falsified or hyped the intelligence on WMD. "That allows us to address - hopefully in a more rational way, a more rational context - the perfectly valid question that people have asked about WMD. "And while the Iraq Survey Group's former head David Kay's interim report did find evidence of programmes of WMD and did find evidence of concealment, it's equally true, as the Prime Minister acknowledged a week ago, that we have yet to find WMD weapons in Iraq and we recognise these are valid questions. "We have also been talking to the American administration and keeping in close touch with them and they are coming close to announcing how they are going to approach this issue. "In the same way, we are coming close to announcing how we will approach these questions but we will want first of all to make that announcement to Parliament. "I can't tell you whether it's going to be today or later than that." Asked whether Mr Blair would announce an inquiry similar to the one ordered by the White House - made up of experts and senior politicians across the political divide - the spokesman replied: "I'm not going to get drawn on the content. We will announce shortly the way we are going to do it. "There are a number of different ways in which it could be announced to Parliament. We will have to see how the timetable goes. We are aware there are a number of parliamentary occasions this week coming up." Downing Street may be waiting for President Bush to announce formally his intention to set up his commission before making its own announcement. Tory leader Michael Howard and Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy have both called for an independent inquiry into the coalition intelligence on Saddam Hussein's supposed weapons arsenal. Mr Howard told GMTV: "I hope that Tony Blair won't continue to be the odd man out on this. "Everybody now recognises that something went wrong over the intelligence and it is very interesting that it looks as though President Bush is going to hold an inquiry. I think we do need one here." Mr Howard said both he and Mr Kennedy should be consulted on the terms of any inquiry set up by Number 10. * The failure to find Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is undermining the credibility of Britain and the United States in the war against international terrorism, MPs warned today. The Commons Foreign Affairs Committee said British and US forces in Iraq were now facing "a dangerous alliance of foreign fighters with terrorist allegiances and elements of the former Iraqi regime". In a report on the war against terrorism, it said that the military action in Iraq may have made terrorist attacks against British interests and British nationals more likely in the short term. But while the committee said that a successful handover of power to the Iraqis would lessen the terrorist threat, it warned against any scaling back of coalition forces until the Iraqis were able to ensure security themselves. UK Independent Ltd. ***************************************************************** 14 St. Petersburg Times: The credibility gap Only an independent investigation of the White House's false claims prior to war in Iraq can restore faith in our government's competence and integrity. A Times Editorial Published February 1, 2004 If our democratic institutions were functioning as our founders intended, a thorough and independent investigation already would be under way to find answers to two questions of historical importance: Are our intelligence agencies incompetent? And can the word of the Bush administration be trusted on matters of national security? David Kay, the White House's choice to lead the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, has been visibly uncomfortable in stating conclusions that might embarrass the administration. But to his great credit, Kay has done his best to report the truth of what his team found, or failed to find, in Iraq. "I don't think (weapons of mass destruction) exist," he told Congress last week. "We don't find the people, the documents or the physical plants that you would expect to find if the production was going on." Hundreds of Americans and thousands of Iraqis have died during a war that the Bush administration justified on the basis of the need to eliminate the threat posed by Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. There can be only two possible explanations for the enormous gap between the administration's dire warnings before the war and the utter lack of evidence to support those warnings now: Either the CIA and other intelligence agencies wildly miscalculated the threat posed by Iraq - which would raise troubling questions about whether they might be similarly off base in underestimating threats elsewhere in the world . . . . . . Or President Bush and other members of his administration purposely exaggerated, distorted or fabricated evidence against Iraq to justify their war plans - which would raise even more troubling questions about the integrity and lawfulness of our government. Kay is among those giving the president the benefit of the doubt, suggesting that Mr. Bush was poorly served by the CIA. However, the evidence is stronger that the CIA was poorly served by the White House's prewar efforts to manipulate intelligence for its own purposes. The president reacted to the Kay report by blandly expressing his continued confidence in the intelligence community and insisting that the failure to find illegal weapons programs has done nothing to discredit his rationale for going to war. Vice President Cheney responded by repeating allegations about Iraqi weapons programs that were contradicted by Kay's report. Kay is among those recommending an independent review of our prewar intelligence to determine why, as he put it, "we were almost all wrong." The president, trying to quell the criticism of his dismissive reaction to Kay's report, said Friday, "I want to know the facts," but he still didn't say he would support an independent review. Questions so vital to the nation's security should be above partisan calculations on the part of Democrats or Republicans. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a staunch supporter of the war in Iraq, has nevertheless called for an independent investigation of our intelligence failures. Every true patriot should agree with McCain. Yet most other Republicans in Congress are so far showing more loyalty to the president than to the country. With both houses of Congress controlled by Republican loyalists, the issue is likely to remain suppressed for now. Until the government's false alarms on Iraq are explained in a manner that can earn the trust of the country and the world, there is every reason to fear that our politicized intelligence community will continue to distort worldwide threats in ways that jeopardize our security and poison our democracy. [Last modified February 1, 2004, 01:45:59] Copyright 2002-2004St. Petersburg Times.All rights ***************************************************************** 15 Las Vegas SUN: Bush Meets With Kay Before Iraq Probe Today: February 02, 2004 at 11:00:12 PST By DEB RIECHMANN ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush, reversing field, said Monday he will order an independent investigation into intelligence failures in Iraq and conferred with former chief weapons inspector David Kay. "I want to know all the facts," Bush said. Trying to quiet mounting election-year criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, Bush confirmed reports that he would establish such an inquiry. The focus will be not only on the Iraq problem, but also gaps in other areas, such as secretive regimes like Iran and North Korea and stateless groups such as terrorists. Bush met with Kay at the White House not long after the president shared with reporters his thoughts on the growing controversy surrounding the accuracy of intelligence reports that preceded his decision to go to war against Saddam Hussein. In the exchange following Bush's meeting with his Cabinet, the president defended his decision to attack based on intelligence that Kay now says was erroneous. Kay has concluded that Iraq did not possess weapons of mass destruction. "We do know that Saddam Hussein had the intent and capabilities to cause great harm," Bush said. "We know he was a danger. And he was not only a danger to people in the free world, he was a danger to his own people. He slaughtered thousands of people, imprisoned people." "What we don't know yet is (reconciling) what we thought and what the Iraqi Survey Group has found, and we want to look at that," the president said. "But we also want to look at our war against proliferation and weapons of mass destruction, kind of in a broader context. And so, I'm putting together an independent, bipartisan commission to analyze where we stand, what we can do better as we fight this war against terror." Kay threw the administration's rationale for war in Iraq in doubt with his determination that Saddam did not have the weapons of mass destruction that the United States had insisted he possessed. Kay told Congress last week that "it turns out we were all wrong, probably" about the Iraqi threat. The president did not set a timetable for the investigation to report its findings, and he sidestepped a question about whether the country was owed an explanation before the November elections. But his chief spokesman, Scott McClellan, told reporters that Bush will announce the members of the commission and its timeline for completion later this week. With the election exactly nine months ago away, McClellan said: "It is important that the commission's work is done in a way that it doesn't become embroiled in partisan politics." He said Bush summoned Kay to the White House for lunch to "hear what he has learned and get his views." Kay, passing by reporters as he left the White House, said only, "Have a nice day." Bush's decision to go to an outside commission comes amid assertions that America's credibility is being undermined by uncertainty over flawed intelligence used as a basis for invading Iraq. He initially reacted coolly to setting up such a body, then decided during the weekend to go forward. By establishing the commission himself, Bush will have greater control over its membership and mandate. A senior White House official discussing the situation on grounds of anonymity said the body would be patterned after the Warren Commission, which conducted a 10-month investigation that concluded in 1964 that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in killing President Kennedy. In appointing the members, Bush will draw heavily from experts familiar with problems in intelligence, the White House official said, describing them as "distinguished citizens who have served their country in the past." Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., whose measure to set up a similar bipartisan commission to investigate prewar intelligence was defeated in the Senate last July, said any investigative panel must be able to probe the collection and analysis of intelligence as well as the use of the information, "including whether there was any misrepresentation or exaggeration of the intelligence." "We must not lose sight of the big picture," Corzine said in a statement Sunday. "Americans are fighting and dying in Iraq because of what the administration told us about the intelligence." Lawmakers from both parties say the intelligence flap has diluted America's credibility. "The issue is not just shortcomings of U.S. intelligence," Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition, but "the credibility of who we are around the world and the trust of our government and our leaders." Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., agreed, telling CNN: "America's credibility's at stake. This isn't about politics anymore." Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the commission must start investigating soon. Delaying any report until after the election would be a "big mistake," he said on Fox. David Albright, a former weapons inspector, told The Associated Press he feared the administration might try to use the commission as a way to delay judgments about the intelligence community and the administration's use of the information it receives. "The bottom line for them (the Bush administration) is to delay the day of reckoning about their use of the weapons of mass destruction information," Albright said. -- ***************************************************************** 16 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iran, Russia share views on energy IranNews Tehran Times Iran Daily 2004/02/02 Tehran, Feb 2 - Iran and Russia do not have major differences in the atomic energy cooperation, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry Hamid-Reza Asefi said on Sunday, referring to the forthcoming visit of Russian Atomic Energy Minister Alexander R umyantsev to Tehran. "I do not know exactly the agenda of the future negotiations, but I can assure you that Iran and Russia do not have major differences in this respect," Asefi said. They only have to settle some technical problems in the construction of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, "mostly the return of spent nuclear fuel to Russia," he said. As for the statement of Paul Bremer, the administrator of the coalition provisional authority in Iraq, that al-Qaeda gunmen are penetrating into Iraq from Iran, Asefi said, the Iranian authorities are controlling the national borders and do not allow any one to cross the border illegally. "If we arrest members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization, they will be prosecuted in this country in line with the law," he said. m/k Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. ***************************************************************** 17 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Nuclear Expert Gave Info to Iran Today: February 02, 2004 at 6:10:09 PST By MATTHEW PENNINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The founder of Pakistan's nuclear program has acknowledged in a written statement that he sent sensitive technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea to aid their atomic programs, a Pakistani government official said Monday. Abdul Qadeer Khan - long regarded as a national hero in Pakistan - made the confession in a statement submitted "a couple of days ago" to investigators probing allegations of nuclear proliferation by Pakistan, the official told The Associated Press on condition on anonymity. The transfers were made during the late 1980s and in the early and mid 1990s, and were motivated by "personal greed and ambition," the official said. The official said the transfers were not authorized by the government. A meeting of the National Command Authority that controls Pakistan's nuclear program was briefed on the statement at a meeting on Saturday, when Khan was sacked from his position as a scientific adviser to the prime minister. Two senior military officials briefed a number of Pakistani journalists late Sunday about Khan's confession. Khan had previously been reported as denying any wrongdoing. They told journalists that Khan admitted to selling outdated "drawings and machinery" to the three countries to earn money for Pakistan. However, Khan claimed the transfers to Libya and Iran were also motivated a desire to help other Muslim countries become nuclear powers, said two journalists who attended the briefing. The government official said the two-month probe into the proliferation allegations had reached its conclusion, but said it was up to the authority to decide whether to prosecute Khan and six other suspects in the case. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who heads the authority, is due to make an address to the nation about the progress of the investigation after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which ends Thursday in Pakistan, officials said. Pakistan began its investigation in November after revelations by Tehran to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Allegations of nuclear transfers to Libya and North Korea have also surfaced. The government official said that "questions have been put" to two former army chiefs, Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg and Gen. Jehangir Karamat, to check information provided by Khan and other suspects during the "debriefings" - as the government has referred to the questioning of scientists. The official stressed that the two generals were not the focus of the investigation. He said they told investigators they never authorized nuclear transfers. However, the official said the probe had concluded there had been a lapse in security that allowed the transfers to take place, although no blame had been apportioned. Analysts say that many unanswered questions remain over how powerful generals who oversaw the Pakistan's nuclear program that began in the 1970s - with the aim of creating a military deterrent against rival India - could have been so in the dark about any nuclear transfers by its scientists. The mission to create the bomb was conducted in secret, using black market suppliers to circumvent international restrictions on trade in nuclear-related technology. Pakistan conducted its first nuclear test in 1998. In all, 11 employees of the Khan Research Laboratories, a top nuclear facility named after Khan, have been questioned since November, and some subsequently released. Officials say that three scientists and four security officials - military officers among them - are still being investigated. Six are held in custody in an undisclosed location. Khan has been told to stay at his Islamabad home, where he is guarded with tight security. The journalists who attended Sunday night's briefing said Khan acknowledged in his 10-12 page written statement to giving the technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The transfers began in 1989 and continued for 10 years. Khan denied he made the transfers for personal gain. Khan had met with Iranian nuclear scientists in the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi but it wasn't clear when, said the journalists, who did not want to be identified. The government's move to publicize Khan's reported admissions could be a move to stall a backlash against his sacking. Opposition parties have been quick to defend the scientists, particularly Khan, for their role in making Pakistan the Islamic world's first nuclear power. A hardline Islamic coalition said Saturday it planned to hold street rallies after the Eid holiday to protest Khan's dismissal. In recent weeks, newspapers have reported that Khan had a vast array of real estate holdings, including a hotel in Timbuktu, Mali. He has also supported a number of educational institutes and charitable causes. -- ***************************************************************** 18 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan Nuke Expert Gave Secrets to Iran Today: February 02, 2004 at 10:20:13 PST By MATTHEW PENNINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - The admission by Pakistan's nuclear founder that he spread weapons technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea raised questions Monday about whether military figures knew of the transfers. Officials said for the first time that two former army chiefs have been questioned in the scandal but weren't implicated. The revelations Monday came as Pakistan completed its investigation that began in late November after Iran provided relevant information to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the officials said. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf was expected to announce the results of the nuclear probe in an address to the nation after a period of national holidays ends Thursday. The seven key suspects include scientists and security officials from the country's top nuclear facility. Chief among them is Abdul Qadeer Khan, long seen as a hero in Pakistan for creating the Islamic world's first nuclear bomb. Officials said he confessed in a written statement to spreading nuclear "drawings and machinery" to Iran, Libya and North Korea for about a decade starting in the late 1980s. Khan was fired Saturday as a scientific adviser to the prime minister. Perhaps to forestall a public backlash over his dismissal, two top military officials briefed Pakistani journalists about his confession, submitted to investigators late last week. According to journalists invited to the briefing, Khan told investigators he had provided the secrets to other Muslim countries - Iran and Libya - so they could become nuclear powers. The transfer to North Korea "was to divert attention of the international community from Pakistan." Officials said Khan acted for personal gain but that he denied it. In recent days, newspapers have reported Khan had a vast array of real estate holdings, and even used a C-130 military transport plane - which landed in Libya with Khan's top aide on board - to ship furniture to a hotel he owned in Timbuktu, Mali. Pakistani authorities have conceded there was a security lapse but deny there had been any official knowledge of Khan's actions. But there are growing doubts over how top military officers overseeing the nuclear program couldn't have known about the spread of technology to at least three countries. A government official said "questions have been put" to two former army chiefs to check information provided by Khan and other suspects - the first time that such top figures have been quizzed in the proliferation probe. Gen. Jehangir Karamat and Gen. Mirza Aslam Beg, a nationalist and strong advocate of a strategic alliance with Iran during his tenure, denied they had authorized nuclear transfers, the official said. Beg has said Pakistani scientists may have spread nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya, but that it was "no crime" and the probe was a mistake and a sign the government was caving to Western pressure. Military officials told journalists that authorities didn't closely scrutinize what was going out of the nuclear lab because Khan was a trusted figure. The revelations that the top nuclear scientist in Pakistan - now a key ally in the U.S. war on terror - sold sensitive technology to two nations among President Bush's "axis of evil" alarmed the international community. But analysts said Musharraf's apparent willingness to come clean about the shady past of Pakistan's covert nuclear program would count in his favor. He has won foreign plaudits for his opposition to Islamic extremism and eagerness for peace with India, Pakistan's nuclear rival. -- ***************************************************************** 19 Korea Herald: Seoul, Washington consult on N.K. nukes By Seo Hyun-jin (shj@heraldm.com) 2004.02.03 South Korea and the United States agreed yesterday to intensify efforts to reconvene six-party nuclear talks at an early date, with senior officials from the two countries expressing optimism for future negotiations. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly tackled the issue when he met Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun, following his talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck on Sunday. The chief U.S. delegate to the nuclear talks left for Tokyo in the afternoon. "We very much hope that the six-party talks can resume before much longer," Kelly said during his meeting with Ban. He added that he had "been in intensive work" with Deputy Foreign Minister Lee. Over the past week, South Korean and U.S. officials have expressed hope that a second round of six-way talks might take place this month. A fresh round of talks has been delayed as Pyongyang and Washington disagree over what steps to take to settle the 14-month dispute. During his talks with Unification Minister Jeong, Kelly stressed the importance of inter-Korean dialogue in seeking a peaceful solution to the ongoing nuclear tension, a Unification Ministry official said. "Kelly said South-North Korean talks have functioned as an effective channel in resolving the nuclear problem," said Park Chan-bong, deputy assistant minister for unification policy. The two Koreas will begin four-day ministerial talks in Seoul today, the 13th of their kind since the countries' historic summit in Pyongyang in 2000. The North's agreement to defuse the nuclear tension will create a favorable environment for the communist country to gain international assistance, Park quoted Kelly as saying. Jeong told Kelly that North Korea should improve relations with the United States to make its economic reforms successful and that the settlement of the nuclear issue was crucial to this, officials said. The first round of six-party talks involved the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia in Beijing in August. ***************************************************************** 20 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: U.S. Tells NK to Get its Story Straight on Nuke Program Updated Feb.2,2004 20:02 KST by Kim Chang-gi (changkim@chosun.com) In reaction to North Korea's sudden change in its mind, denying possessing of a high-enriched uranium (HEU) program, a high official in the U.S. government said Monday that it is regretful that the country was still denying the existence of its HEU program. The official refuted North Korea's claims, saying that the United States has concrete evidence that the North has an HEC operation. North Korea admitted that it has HEU program when U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly visited North Korea in October 2002. The country has recently begun denying that it has HEU program. ***************************************************************** 21 Las Vegas SUN: U.S. Optimistic on North Korea Nuke Talks Today: February 02, 2004 at 5:25:10 PST By SOO-JEONG LEE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Washington's point man on North Korea said Monday he held "intensive" talks with South Korean officials and expressed optimism for fresh negotiations on the North Korean nuclear crisis. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly met South Korea's Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun and Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon early Monday, a day after meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck. "We very much hope that the six-party talks can resume before much longer," Kelly said in his meeting with Ban. "And I've been in intensive work" with Deputy Minister Lee. Kelly said Sunday that a second round of six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear standoff could take place as early as this month. South Korea's unification minister said Monday he will use Cabinet-level talks with North Korea this week to urge the North to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible. The Cabinet talks will take place Tuesday to Friday in Seoul. For months, the United States, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea have been trying to restart talks on persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programs. A first round ended in August in Beijing without much progress. North Korea has insisted it needs nuclear weapons as a deterrent against a possible U.S. attack. But it says it will suspend its nuclear programs as a first step in talks if Washington lifts sanctions against the North, resumes oil shipments, and removes North Korea from its list of countries that sponsor terrorism. The United States has responded that North Korea must first verifiably begin dismantling its nuclear programs before receiving any concessions. The nuclear dispute flared in October 2002 when U.S. officials accused North Korea of running a uranium program in violation of a 1994 deal requiring the North to freeze its nuclear facilities. But North Korea has since denied ever having a uranium program. -- ***************************************************************** 22 Las Vegas SUN: Bush Sends Congress $2.4 Trillion Budget Today: February 02, 2004 at 12:45:16 PST By MARTIN CRUTSINGER ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush sent Congress a $2.4 trillion election-year budget on Monday featuring big increases for defense and homeland security and a pledge to cut this year's projected record deficit of $521 billion in half by 2009. Bush blamed the soaring budget deficits on the 2001 recession and the costs of fighting a war on terrorism. His budget director said as much as $50 billion more in red ink will be added to the budget's projected $364 billion deficit for 2005 when the costs of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan get added in. "The reason we are where we are is because we went through a recession, we were attacked and we're fighting a war. Those are high hurdles for a budget and for a country to overcome," Bush told his Cabinet. He said he was confident he could cut the deficit in half in five years by working with Congress "to bring fiscal discipline to the appropriations process." White House budget director Joshua Bolten said the administration will not make a request for a wartime supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan until after the November elections. He said $50 billion would probably be the "upper limit" of what would be needed in 2005. If that level is reached, it would mean Bush's $364 billion deficit target for 2005 would rise to $414 billion. Bolten said "hopefully the needs will be less" for military costs in Iran and Iraq next year. But he said "the uncertainty of the security situation" prompted the administration to wait and request a supplemental appropriation rather than include estimated costs in Monday's budget request. Democrats, however, charged that Bush left the war spending out of the budget in order to make the deficit appear smaller. To battle the soaring deficits, Bush proposed squeezing scores of government programs and sought outright spending cuts in seven of 16 Cabinet-level agencies. The Agriculture Department and the Environmental Protection Agency were targeted for the biggest reductions in discretionary spending. In total, Bolten said Bush's budget would eliminate 65 government programs for a saving of $4.9 billion. The budget proposes trimming spending in 63 other programs. Bolten said the administration targeted duplicative programs and those not achieving their objectives. A total of 38 education programs are targeted for elimination. The president declared that his spending blueprint, which will set off months of heated debate in Congress, advances his three highest priorities - winning the war on terror, strengthening homeland defenses and boosting the economic recovery. "Our nation remains at war," Bush said in his budget message. "This nation has committed itself to the long war against terror. And we will see that war to its inevitable conclusion: the destruction of the terrorists." The president's plan for the 2005 budget year, which begins next Oct. 1, proposes spending $2.4 trillion for all government activities, up 3.5 percent from the current year. Revenues will total $2.04 trillion, a sizable 13.2 percent increase that the administration forecasts will occur from growing tax receipts powered by a stronger economy. The president's budget, featuring a line drawing of the White House in forest green on the cover, states that stronger economic growth and reductions in general government spending will produce steady improvements in the deficit. It projected the deficit would decline to $237 billion in 2009, a cut of 55 percent from this year's projected $521 billion record. Democrats immediately attacked the spending proposal for what they viewed as harmful reductions in various government programs and the president's insistence on making his 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent at a cost projected in the budget of more than $900 billion over 10 years. "This administration pledged that its tax cuts and policy choices would not turn record surpluses into record deficits, but this budget shows that's exactly what's happened," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle. Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, called on Congress to reject Bush's spending plan, charging it was the "most antifamily, anti-worker, anti-healthcare, anti-education budget in modern times." Rep. John Spratt, senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said Bush's budget would reduce government spending on a broad swath of government programs from transportation to environmental protection that provide "priority services that the American people want and expect." On the campaign trail, Democrats running for Bush's job were also critical. Retired Gen. Wesley Clark said the budget showed Bush's priorities were "tax cuts for the rich and tough luck for everyone else." Sen. Joe Lieberman said the country "can't afford another four years of the same destructive fiscal leadership." Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said Bush's budget represented the "same failed Republican prescription that has caused Bush to lose 2.5 million jobs in the last three years." Bush would boost military spending by 7 percent in 2005 and provide a 10 percent increase for homeland security. A firestorm of criticism erupted last week when it was revealed the administration had re-estimated the 10-year cost of the newly enacted Medicare prescription drug benefit program at $534 billion, far above the $400 billion figure Congress used in passing the measure two months ago. The budget documents said the major reasons for the discrepancy were higher estimates for the number of participants in the program and new projections for health care price increases. As previously announced, Bush's budget proposes an ambitious program to return Americans to the moon as early as 2015 and eventually send a mission to Mars. However, the budget only contains $1 billion in new money for the effort over the next five years with another $11 billion reallocated from current NASA programs. In 2005, Bush proposes increasing NASA's budget by 6 percent to $16.2 billion. Other programs that would receive boosts in Bush's budget include his No Child Left Behind education program; job training programs, including one that links community colleges with employers' and an $18 million increase for the National Endowment for the Arts. Bush's budget proposes to hold the spending increase for all of the government's discretionary programs - those other than mandatory entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare - to 3.9 percent in 2005. That average rise includes big boosts for the military and homeland security. Scores of government programs outside those two areas will be restrained to an overall increase of just 0.5 percent, below the rise in inflation, and some agencies will suffer outright cuts. The budget calls for outright spending cuts in seven of 16 Cabinet-level agencies. The Agriculture Department's budget authority for 2005 would be reduced by 8.1 percent while EPA's budget would be cut by 7.2 percent. The departments of Commerce, Health and Human Services, Justice, Transportation and Treasury would also see their funding for discretionary programs decrease in 2005 under Bush's spending plan. Some non-Cabinet agencies would also see large reductions for 2005 including a 49.2 percent cut for the General Services Administration, the government's landlord, and a 10.4 percent reduction in spending at the Small Business Administration. The Corps of Engineers, builder of dams and other water projects favored by members of Congress, would see its budget reduced by 13.1 percent under Bush's proposal. -- ***************************************************************** 23 Wash Post: Energy Scores Big Points in White House's Management Grading (washingtonpost.com) By Stephen Barr Monday, February 2, 2004; Page B02 The Energy Department is no longer in the red, at least as defined by the president's color-coded management score card. The latest score card, which will be released today with President Bush's fiscal 2005 budget, shows that Energy is ranked first among Cabinet-level agencies in making progress on the White House's management priorities. That's pretty good for a department that congressional Republicans, only a few years ago, sought to abolish because they regarded it as poorly organized and not well managed. "We really put a premium on changing that reputation," said Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham, who was a stern critic of the department when he was a senator. "We've made the president's management agenda as important a priority as safety and security in this complex. . . . We're making real good progress." Green on the score card is good, yellow indicates that progress appears to have been made, and red is bad. Agencies earn their marks based on how well they are meeting the administration's goals on personnel management, outsourcing competitions, financial management, electronic government and performance-based budgeting. "Energy began with five reds -- it's the only agency that has improved in five different areas," said Clay Johnson III, deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget. Johnson is the chief scorekeeper, and Energy is at yellow status in the new ratings. The only other agency without a red mark is the Office of Personnel Management, which has four yellows and, for its handling of e-gov projects, a green. The first ratings, in September 2001, showed one agency with a green mark: the National Science Foundation for its financial management. In the latest ratings, there are eight green marks distributed among six agencies: The NSF has added a second, for e-gov, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has two, for personnel management and the melding of program performance into budget decisions. Many federal employees, to be sure, show little interest in the score card, probably because they have lived through other management reform fads over the years. Still, the ratings seem to indicate that more agencies are paying attention to "competitive sourcing," which has roiled much of the civil service; financial management; and the use of program performance data. Five agencies are engulfed in red and apparently struggling to meet Bush's expectations. They are the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments, the Agency for International Development, the Smithsonian Institution and, ironically, OMB. The Energy Department, by and large, got rid of its red marks by focusing on how to make the department operate more efficiently. Energy officials, for example, set up a special office to focus on project management to ensure that construction and other programs are being completed on time and on budget, said Kyle E. McSlarrow, the deputy energy secretary. The effort includes training employees in project management and issuing a manual to enhance oversight of projects, which are often carried out by contractors. The department also plans to integrate its management systems into one, called I-MANAGE, so that data can be in one place and accessible to all managers. Pulling together the results of projects and financial information should lead to more-efficient operations, McSlarrow said. Bruce M. Carnes, the associate deputy secretary at Energy, said the integrated system would roll out in phases, starting with accounting and general ledger functions at year's end. McSlarrow said the "big challenge going forward" will be reshaping Energy's workforce as employees retire and the department takes on new responsibilities. "We have a whole generation of people involved in the nuclear weapons complex who grew up in the days when there was nuclear testing and have skills and experiences that need to be handed off," he said. Recruitment, training and retention, he said, are "a front-and-center concern" at the department. Although progress on management goals has been difficult, McSlarrow said, "people are probably now starting to pick up on the president's management agenda. . . . In the time I've been here, three years, it's a sea change." Diary Live Please join me for a discussion of the president's fiscal 2005 budget at noon Wednesday on Federal Diary Live at . You may send questions and comments in advance at . © 2004 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 24 U.S. Newswire: Secretary Abraham Unveils DOE '05 Budget; Supports President Bush's Call for Enhanced National Security, Energy Security 2/2/04 1:00:00 PM To: National Desk, Energy Reporter Contact: Jeanne Lopatto, 202-586-4940, Corry Schiermeyer, 202-586-5806, both of the Department of Energy WASHINGTON, Feb. 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Department of Energy: Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham today released the Department of Energy's (DOE) $24.3 billion budget request for fiscal year 2005, a part of President Bush's overall budget request to Congress. "Upon taking office, President Bush made a commitment to accelerate environmental cleanup, promote energy security and reduce the nation's dependence on imported energy, maintain the strength and viability of the nuclear weapons stockpile, and double the commitment to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction," Secretary Abraham said. "After three years of progress this work is at a critical juncture which requires financial commitment." Three years ago, the Bush Administration set a course to focus the management and resources of the Department of Energy toward key mission areas. Each budget thereafter has proposed investments in support of these goals. At $24.3 billion, DOE's FY 2005 budget is the largest thus far and continues to support President Bush's commitment to national security, energy security, science and the environment. DOE's FY 2005 budget supports Secretary Abraham's mission for the Department of Energy that emphasizes its critical contributions to our National security and provides forward- reaching solutions to America's energy problems. The Secretary's priorities are: maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile; expanding nuclear non-proliferation activities; accelerating environmental cleanup programs; developing 21st century cutting edge advanced fuel cell and alternative energy technologies; maintaining coal as a major, low-cost, domestically produced, energy resource through the President's Coal Research Initiative; continuing leadership to ensure that nuclear power remains a key energy resource; and maintaining a world class scientific research capability while protecting the safety and health of workers, facilities and the public. As part of the Department's Strategic Planning process, these priorities translate into four overlapping Departmental goals: Defense -- Protect national security by applying advance science and nuclear technology to the nation's defense; Energy -- Protect national and economic security by promoting a diverse supply and delivery of reliable, affordable and environmentally sound energy; Science -- Protect national and economic security by providing world-class scientific research capacity and advancing scientific knowledge; and Environment -- Protect the environment by providing a responsible resolution to the environmental cleanup of Cold War weapons facilities and by providing for the permanent disposal of the nation's high level radioactive waste. For these four strategic goals, DOE's FY 2005 request is $23.5 billion, which does not include corporate management activities. The remainder, $0.8 billion, is requested for other supporting organizations such as security, environment, safety and health. DEFENSE Within the Defense Goal, the FY 2005 budget supports an increase for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The request for NNSA is $ 9.0 billion, a $383 million or 4.4 percent increase above last year. NNSA carries out the Department's defense nuclear security responsibility and consists of five program organizations: Defense Programs, Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Infrastructure and Security, Emergency Operations and Naval Reactors. The NNSA maintains the safety, security, reliability and effectiveness of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile; helps prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction; and provides the U.S. Navy with safe, effective nuclear propulsion plants. The FY 2005 budget request for weapons activities is $6.6 billion, an increase of $335 million from the FY 2004 enacted level. The request supports all programs and facilities associated with maintaining the nuclear weapons that comprise the nation's nuclear deterrent. The Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation program supports the NNSA and DOE mission to protect national security by preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials to terrorist organizations and rogue states. The importance of this goal was underscored by the September 11th terrorist attacks and evidence of terrorists seeking to obtain weapons of mass destruction. In FY 2005, $1.35 billion is requested for the nuclear nonproliferation program, a $15 million increase over FY 2004's enacted level. The Naval Reactors program develops nuclear reactors to power the Navy's warships. The program is responsible for all naval nuclear propulsion work, beginning with technology development, continuing through reactor operation and, ultimately, to reactor plant disposal. The FY 2005 request is $798 million, 4 percent above the FY 2004 enacted appropriation. The Department's safeguards and security funding in the FY 2005 request totals $1.38 billion, an increase of $107 million over the FY 2004 enacted level. Safeguarding and securing DOE's nuclear facilities, materials and information, and protection of DOE employees, remain top Administration priorities. The FY 2005 budget fully addresses escalated security requirements identified in a post-September 11th reevaluation of potential threats against DOE sites and materials across the country. ENERGY Under the energy goal, the FY 2005 budget requests $2.5 billion to broaden the Department's energy security portfolio to expand the nation's energy supply. This is essentially level with the FY 2004 funding. In his first months in office, President Bush released his National Energy Policy. In less than three years, the Administration has completed or is implementing nearly all of the plan's 106 recommendations that did not require legislation. This budget request follows through with the President's promise for a strong, secure economy through an abundant, economical and independent energy supply for the future. Investments that are being made in FY 2005 will expand the nation's energy supply, assess and address the nation's energy infrastructure vulnerabilities, and develop energy assurance policies consistent with the National Energy Policy. In FY 2005, the Department will be at the forefront of implementing the President's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, to reduce America's growing dependence on foreign oil. Hydrogen holds the promise of an ultra-clean and secure energy option for America's future. The Department's hydrogen effort in FY 2005 totals $228 million (including $173 million from the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, $9 million from Nuclear Energy, $16 million from Fossil Energy and $29 million from DOE's Office of Science). The Department of Transportation is also contributing $0.8 million in FY 2005. This supports DOE's continued development of technologies for clean hydrogen production and commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells that power cars, trucks, homes and businesses without the harmful effects of pollution or greenhouse gases. Energy efficiency and renewable energy activities constitute the largest portion of the Department's energy resources budget. However, the nation's long-term energy solution will not come from a single energy source but from a broad portfolio of energy supply options. Fossil energy is an essential component. America has more than 270 billion tons of coal resources, enough to supply affordable and reliable electric power for at least 200 years. This budget invests $447 million in research and development for advanced coal power technologies to dramatically improve the efficiency and environmental aspects of coal-based power production. Within this is $287 million for President Bush's Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI), a $108 million, or 60 percent, increase over the FY 2004 level. Last year, DOE launched the FutureGen initiative to build the world's first integrated carbon-sequestration and hydrogen production research power plant. The $1 billion project is intended to create the world's first zero-emissions fossil-fueled power plant. When operational, the prototype will be the cleanest fossil-fired plant in the world. The $410 million FY 2005 request for the Nuclear Energy program is a $5 million increase from the FY 2004 enacted level. Among DOE's nuclear research priorities is the Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems initiative. The FY 2005 request of $31 million will develop the next generation of advanced energy systems that are more proliferation resistant and have reduced life cycle costs. This nuclear energy budget request supports revitalization of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) as the command center for nuclear research and development (R&D). On May 19, 2003, oversight of and landlord responsibilities for the INEEL transferred from the Office of Environmental Management (EM) to the Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (NE). Beginning in the second quarter of FY 2005, the INEEL will be merged with Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) to create the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Secretary Abraham has designated INL as the center for DOE's strategic nuclear energy research and development efforts. The INL will play a lead role in Generation IV nuclear energy systems development, advanced fuel cycle development, testing of naval reactor fuels and reactor core components, and space nuclear power applications. Additionally, the Department's Office of Electric Transmission and Distribution is leading efforts to modernize and expand the nation's electricity delivery system to help prevent power disruptions and blackouts, such as the widespread outage in the United States and Canada last August. The FY 2005 budget provides $91 million, which is $10 million or 12.5 percent above the FY 2004 level, to support these activities. The budget also includes $291 million, a $64 million or 28 percent increase over 2004 funding, to fulfill the President's 10- year commitment to the Weatherization Assistance Program as a way to conserve energy and cut utility costs for 1.2 million low- income families. SCIENCE Funding of $3.4 billion is budgeted for fundamental scientific research within the Science Goal, an increase of roughly 2 percent over FY 2004 when excluding Congressional additions in the Omnibus and Energy and Water Appropriations bills. The Department's Office of Science is the largest federal supporter of basic research in high energy and nuclear physics, materials and chemical sciences, and fusion energy sciences. The FY 2005 budget request contains a number of scientific challenges in the world of nanoscience, fusion, advanced scientific computing, and microbial genomes that hold enormous promise for scientific discoveries over the next decade. The Department in FY 2005 has budgeted $209 million, an increase of $8 million over FY 2004, to continue the revolution of nanoscience research, the study of matter at the atomic and molecular level. The Department continues its commitment to the future of fusion science research with a request of $264 million, slightly above the FY 2004 level. Within that amount, DOE's contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in FY 2005 is $38 million, $30 million more than last year, and is consistent with the Administration's renewed commitment to contribute to this $5 billion cost-shared project that may ultimately lead to a fusion power plant that delivers electric power to the grid. Research on microbes through the Genomes to Life program, addressing DOE energy, environmental, and national security needs, continues to expand from $64 million in FY 2004 to $68 million in FY 2005. Genetic DNA mapping is bringing enormous benefits to medical science. DOE, through this program, will attempt to use genetic techniques to harness microbes that can eat pollution, create hydrogen and absorb carbon dioxide. The research in this area can translate into gene therapies for illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, diabetes and cancer. ENVIRONMENT President Bush's FY 2005 Budget includes $8.6 billion to support the goal of protecting the environment. This amount includes large increases to accelerate environmental cleanup (increase of $426 million) and establish a permanent nuclear waste repository (increase of $303 million). The 2005 Budget provides more than $7.4 billion for the Environmental Management program, a $426 million increase when compared to last year. This is the peak funding year for the Environmental Management program's investment strategy which accelerates cleanup and risk reduction. As a result of a "top-to- bottom" review completed two years ago, the Department took an aggressive approach to environmental cleanup, reducing the real cost of cleanup by at least $50 billion and the time to complete cleanup by at least 35 years. The success of this approach was noted in the U.S. Department of Treasury "2002 Financial Report to the United States Congress," which cited DOE for its significant contribution to reducing the liability related to cleanup costs associated environmental damage/contamination. "A significant component of this reduction ($33.8 billion) relates to the Department of Energy. It reduced its environmental liability by $28.7 billion, mostly due to employing an accelerated cleanup approach to achieve greater real cleanup and risk reduction to public health." As of September 2003, the cleanup of 77 sites has been completed. Major site closures (Rocky Flats, Fernald and Mound) remain on track to finish cleanup by 2006, and at least six small sites, not previously scheduled to close in this timeframe, are now on track for completion by 2006. An additional 31 sites will be remediated by 2025, leaving six sites to be addressed after 2025. The budget request for the Office of Legacy Management in FY 2005 is $66 million, approximately the same as FY 2004. The office was created to manage the Department's long-term environmental and human commitments and associated activities at sites where the DOE mission is complete. This budget is divided between two appropriations; $31 million in the energy supply appropriation and $35 million in other defense appropriations. New in the FY 2005 budget is the creation of the Office of Future Liabilities. This office will be funded by two appropriations, between the energy supply appropriation at $3 million and the other defense appropriation at $5 million. This office will fund and manage environmental liabilities not assigned to the Office of Environmental Management or other organizations within the Department. The mission of this office is to address the following activities at sites with continuing missions: the decontamination and decommissioning of facilities, cleanup of contamination, disposition of excess nuclear and hazardous materials and management of waste treatment and disposal facilities. The FY 2005 budget request for nuclear waste disposal is $907 million, $303 million above last year. The funding allows DOE to shift the near-term approach in managing radioactive waste by focusing resources to meet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) licensing criteria specifications. Because substantial resources will be required to complete the application process and construct the repository, DOE is proposing legislation in the FY 2005 budget to address these large long-term funding needs estimated at $1.3 billion per year from the Nuclear Waste Fund and the Defense Nuclear Waste appropriation from FY 2005 to FY 2010. The proposal would reclassify the fees received from utilities for the Nuclear Waste Fund to allow them to offset the request for repository construction. The President's budget for FY 2005 includes $43 million to maintain the accelerated schedule for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act of 2000 (EEOICPA) activities to assist employees of DOE contractors and their survivors with their applications for state workers compensation benefits. This, together with additional funds provided in FY 2003 and funds to be reprogrammed in FY 2004, will enable the DOE to significantly expedite the process through FY 2004, complete in FY 2005 the processing of all applications currently on file with DOE, up to the point of review by a Physicians Panel, completely eliminate the backlog up to the Physicians Panels in FY 2005, and completely process all of these applications through the Physicians Panels to eliminate the backlog through the Physicians Panels in FY 2006. However, this aggressive, complete plan requires substantial assistance from Congress. The Administration has identified a number of statutory legislative impediments to efficient operation of the EEOICPA process, and will propose legislation to remove these impediments. Additionally, DOE is working to meet all the challenges of President Bush's Management Agenda (PMA). The Department has made significant improvement on how it manages, budgets, and plans for all programs, projects and activities. By improving management, performance and accountability, the Department is striving for a level of performance that keeps DOE programs safe, on track and on budget. A system of scorecards is used to evaluate the five PMA initiatives, which include Human Capital, Financial Performance, Competitive Sourcing, E-Government and Budget and Performance Integration. Since the inception of the PMA, Secretary Abraham has initiated management and corporate reforms that have earned the agency high marks from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). DOE is at the forefront of implementing positive change in the federal government. The entire FY 2005 budget can be accessed via the internet at http://www.energy.gov. http://www.usnewswire.com/ /© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ ***************************************************************** 25 [DU-WATCH] Gamma-Ray Weapons Could trigger new arms race Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 01:10:51 -0600 (CST) http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2003/Gamma-Ray-Weapons13aug03.htm An exotic kind of nuclear explosive being developed by the US Department of Defense could blur the critical distinction between conventional and nuclear weapons. The work has also raised fears that weapons based on this technology could trigger the next arms race. The explosive works by stimulating the release of energy from the nuclei of certain elements but does not involve nuclear fission or fusion. The energy, emitted as gamma radiation, is thousands of times greater than that from conventional chemical explosives. The technology has already been included in the Department of Defense's Militarily Critical Technologies List, which says: "Such extraordinary energy density has the potential to revolutionise all aspects of warfare." Scientists have known for many years that the nuclei of some elements, such as hafnium, can exist in a high-energy state, or nuclear isomer, that slowly decays to a low-energy state by emitting gamma rays. For example, hafnium-178m2, the excited, isomeric form of hafnium-178, has a half-life of 31 years. The possibility that this process could be explosive was discovered when Carl Collins and colleagues at the University of Texas at Dallas demonstrated that they could artificially trigger the decay of the hafnium isomer by bombarding it with low-energy X-rays (New Scientist print edition, 3 July 1999). The experiment released 60 times as much energy as was put in, and in theory a much greater energy release could be achieved. Energy pump Before hafnium can be used as an explosive, energy has to be "pumped" into its nuclei. Just as the electrons in atoms can be excited when the atom absorbs a photon, hafnium nuclei can become excited by absorbing high-energy photons. The nuclei later return to their lowest energy states by emitting a gamma-ray photon. Nuclear isomers were originally seen as a means of storing energy, but the possibility that the decay could be accelerated fired the interest of the Department of Defense, which is also investigating several other candidate materials such as thorium and niobium. For the moment, the production method involves bombarding tantalum with protons, causing it to decay into hafnium-178m2. This requires a nuclear reactor or a particle accelerator, and only tiny amounts can be made. Currently, the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland, New Mexico, which is studying the phenomenon, gets its hafnium-178m2 from SRS Technologies, a research and development company in Huntsville, Alabama, which refines the hafnium from nuclear material left over from other experiments. The company is under contract to produce experimental sources of hafnium-178m2, but only in amounts less than one ten-thousandth of a gram. Extremely powerful But in future there may be cheaper ways to create the hafnium isomer - by bombarding ordinary hafnium with high-energy photons, for example. Hill Roberts, chief scientist at SRS, believes that technology to produce gram quantities will exist within five years. The price is likely to be high - similar to enriched uranium, which costs thousands of dollars per kilogram - but unlike uranium it can be used in any quantity, as it does not require a critical mass to maintain the nuclear reaction. The hafnium explosive could be extremely powerful. One gram of fully charged hafnium isomer could store more energy than 50 kilograms of TNT. Miniature missiles could be made with warheads that are far more powerful than existing conventional weapons, giving massively enhanced firepower to the armed forces using them. The effect of a nuclear-isomer explosion would be to release high- energy gamma rays capable of killing any living thing in the immediate area. It would cause little fallout compared to a fission explosion, but any undetonated isomer would be dispersed as small radioactive particles, making it a somewhat "dirty" bomb. This material could cause long-term health problems for anybody who breathed it in. Political fallout There would also be political fallout. In the 1950s, the US backed away from developing nuclear mini-weapons such as the "Davy Crockett" nuclear bazooka that delivered an explosive punch of 18 tonnes of TNT. These weapons blurred the divide between the explosive power of nuclear and conventional weapons, and the government feared that military commanders would be more likely to use nuclear weapons that had a similar effect on the battlefield to conventional weapons. By ensuring that the explosive power of a nuclear weapon was always far greater, it hoped that they could only be used in exceptional circumstance when a dramatic escalation of force was deemed necessary. Then in 1994, the US confirmed this policy with the Spratt-Furse law, which prevents US military from developing mini-nukes of less than five kilotons. But the development of a new weapon that spans the gap between the explosive power of nuclear and conventional weapons would remove this restraint, giving commanders a way of increasing the amount of force they can use in a series of small steps. Nuclear- isomer weapons could be a major advantage to armies possessing them, leading to the possibility of an arms race. Andri Gsponer, director of the Independent Scientific Research Institute in Geneva, believes that a nation without such weapons would not be able to fight one that possesses them. As a result, he says, "many countries which will not have access to these weapons will produce nuclear weapons as a deterrent", leading to a new cycle of proliferation. The Department of Defense notes that there are serious technical issues to be overcome and that useful applications may be decades away. But its Militarily Critical Technologies List also says: "We should remember that less than six years intervened between the first scientific publication characterising the phenomenon of fission and the first use of a nuclear weapon in 1945." source: http://www.newscientist.com/news/print.jsp?id=ns99994049 14aug03 [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/Sj.0lB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 26 [du-list] Nuclear Day of Action Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:46:43 -0800 Hello everyone, There was just a call with some anti-nuclear groups as part of the BE SAFE Initiative. BE SAFE is an initiative to promote the precautionary principle and precautionary approach. Please visit their website at http://www.besafenet.com/ MTP has a military toxics brochure and NIRS did one on nuclear power. We will be working on a blueprint for radiation protection to announce during these days. We discussed ideas for Nuclear Days of Action (focus, possible dates, media hooks, etc.). Many groups will be coordinating actions on the 25th Anniversary of the accident at Three Mile Island (March 28th) . The focus around this time will be on nuclear waste/nuclear power. There will be another date set later in the year (possibly around Hiroshima/Nagasaki anniversary) which will focus on nuclear weapons. We also spoke of the possibility of something around the nuclear fuel chain. Please let me know your ideas and if you are interested in getting more involved, contact Anne Rabe, BE SAFE coordinator. In Peace and Solidarity, Tara Dear Friends, BE SAFE is starting to work with national, state and local groups to hold a Nuclear "Day of Action" in 2004. We hope you will join us in promoting precaution on nuclear issues. One suggestion is we could hold media events on the "25th Anniversary of Three Mile Island" in late March. The 25th anniversary would provide a very strong media hook. We could broaden the anniversary focus to cover many nuclear hazards in addition to nuclear power, such as waste dumps, weapons, plutonium plants, etc. with a call for a national radiation protection policy or initiative. Please let us know if you have any comments and ideas, and can join the call to help plan this event. Many thanks. Anne Rabe CHEJ & BE SAFE 518-732-4538 annerabe@msn.com ---------- Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT e3ea3c.jpg e3eb69.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Attachment Converted: e3ea3c.jpg: 00000001,3d0cb5ab,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: e3eb69.jpg: 00000001,3d0cb5ac,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 27 Israeli nuclear spy to be freed in April but under surveillance - report WAR.WIRE JERUSALEM (AFP) Feb 02, 2004 A former Israeli nuclear technician jailed for 18 years for leaking details of the Jewish state's atomic weapons program will be freed in April but placed under tight surveillance, an Israeli daily said Monday. Israel's security services will bar Mordechai Vanunu from giving interviews to the press, publishing a book, travelling overseas or even within Israel, and plan to monitor his correspondence, the newspaper Yediot Ahronot reported. Vanunu will also be required to regularly check in with police. According to the paper, Israel's security services claim the tough measures are necessary, as Vanunu has declared his intention in numerous letters to reveal new secrets about Israel's nuclear weapons program upon his release. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was to participate in talks with justice ministry officials to give the official seal of approval to the "restrictive measures" to be placed on Vanunu, Yediot Ahronot reported. Vanunu is due to be released on April 21. WAR.WIRE ***************************************************************** 28 BBC: Scientist 'admits nuclear deals' Last Updated: Monday, 2 February, 2004 [Abdul Qadeer Khan (archive image from 1998)] Khan is revered as a "hero" Pakistan's top nuclear scientist has admitted he leaked nuclear secrets to groups working for Iran, Libya and North Korea, Pakistani officials say. Officials told journalists that Dr AQ Khan had confessed to passing on information about nuclear technology in the 1980s and 1990s. Dr Khan was dismissed as a scientific adviser to the government on Saturday - a move that sparked an outcry. He is regarded as a national hero for making Pakistan a nuclear power. Four other scientists are also implicated, a senior Pakistani official told journalists at a two-hour briefing in Islamabad on Sunday night. "Dr Qadeer [Khan] and four others have accepted that they were involved in leaking nuclear know-how outside Pakistan to groups working for Iran, Libya and North Korea," the AFP news agency quoted the unnamed official as saying. The Pakistani nati considers him as a hero who has provided us with the necessary deterrent against the Indian aggression - everybody is angry [ src=] Qazi Hussein Ahmed Jamaat-e-Islami party Those present at the briefing were given an account of how Dr Khan had allegedly run a network that systematically smuggled nuclear equipment to third countries using chartered planes and shared secret designs for centrifuges capable of producing weapons-grade uranium. Dr Khan, it is alleged, also secretly travelled abroad to explain to Iranian, Libyan and North Korean scientists how to make nuclear bombs. The 69-year-old is under 24-hour watch and has yet to respond to the government's account, but his family have said in the past that he is being made a scapegoat. 'Humiliation' Dr Khan was sacked on Saturday as part of investigations into the alleged illegal sale of nuclear technology to Iran and Libya but Monday's reports also name North Korea. If the reports of his confession are confirmed, the authorities will have to decide whether to prosecute him. The BBC's Paul Anderson in Islamabad says that will risky because of a possible domestic backlash. A group of opposition parties has already said it will launch a nationwide campaign against what it called the harassment and humiliation of Pakistan's nuclear scientists by the government. [Pakistani nuclear-capable missiles] Khan is credited with giving Pakistan a nuclear deterrent They accuse President Pervez Musharraf of bowing to American pressure over the move. According to the official briefing, the Pakistani Government, military and security services were not involved and - if the state was guilty of anything - it was a security lapse. But Dr Khan's supporters say - if there was nuclear transference - it could not have happened without the knowledge of military intelligence. Qazi Hussein Ahmed, the head of the main religious party, Jamaat-e-Islami, said government moves against Dr Khan are both unjustified and suspicious: "The Pakistani people think that he is humiliated because of the American pressure," he said. Dramatic fall The inquiry began two months ago after the UN gave Pakistan information it had gathered about Iran and Libya's nuclear programmes. More than 15 people from the country's premier nuclear enrichment facility, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), have been questioned so far and five scientists and officials are still in the custody of the authorities. Observers say allegations about illegal sales in the Pakistani press make the country's future as a responsible nuclear power look vulnerable. Dr Khan had held the post of scientific adviser since retiring as head of the country's top nuclear facility in 2001. ***************************************************************** 29 Washington Post: Pakistani Confesses to Aiding Nuclear Efforts (washingtonpost.com) Scientist Helped N. Korea, Libya, Iran By John Lancaster and Kamran Khan Washington Post Foreign Service Monday, February 2, 2004; Page A12 ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 2 -- Pakistan's most prominent nuclear-weapons scientist, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has admitted providing nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea during the 1980s and 1990s, a senior Pakistani officials said Monday. But Khan claims that he never received money for his efforts, as Pakistani investigators have charged, and maintains that any help he gave to North Korea in the 1990s was provided with the full knowledge and approval of the Pakistani military, the official said. Pakistan has consistently denied allegations by U.S. officials that its scientists helped North Korea with its nuclear program in exchange for assistance in developing ballistic missiles. Khan admitted in a confession he signed Friday to providing Iranian nuclear scientists with "disused" centrifuge machines used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons as well as "sketches" and other technical specifications, said another senior official. Both of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, were present at a briefing for Pakistani journalists Sunday night at which the case against Khan was described. Khan told investigators that he provided the assistance to Iran in order to deflect international pressure on Pakistan's nuclear program, one of the officials said. "By including other Islamic countries in the list of nuclear powers I wanted to take pressure off of Pakistan," the official quoted Khan as telling investigators. "He did it on personal grounds, purely for his personal reasons although he didn't admit money," said the other official. Khan's written confession said three other nuclear scientists -- Mohammed Farooq and two others -- had assisted him in his efforts, one of the officials said. Family members speaking on Farooq's behalf denied any wrongdoing. Neither he nor Khan could be reached for comment Monday morning. Khan is a German-trained metallurgist who founded and directed Pakistan's main uranium-enrichment plant, the Khan Research Laboratories, for more than 20 years before his forced retirement in 2001. Khan is among several scientists and former military officers associated with the laboratory under investigation. Pakistan launched its investigation last November after the International Atomic Energy Agency provided it with information suggesting that Pakistani scientists had provided centrifuge designs and other assistance to Iran. Pakistani investigators have subsequently said that Khan made millions of dollars selling nuclear-related technology to Iran and Libya, spreading it among foreign bank accounts and real estate investments in Pakistan, Africa and elsewhere. On Saturday, Khan was fired from his position as science adviser to Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali. Pakistani officials have said they are still weighing a decision on whether to prosecute him or the other scientists, who are regarded as national heroes. Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, will discuss the case in a television address following the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which ends Wednesday, officials said. © 2004 The Washington Post Company ***************************************************************** 30 Aljazeera.Net: Israel 'to free nuclear whistleblower' Monday 02 February 2004, 16:37 Makka Time, Mordechai Vanunu has said he will reveal more nuclear secrets The Israeli government is set to release a former technician jailed for 18 years after he exposed the country's covert nuclear weapons programme, a newspaper has said. Mordechai Vanunu will be freed in April, but placed under tight surveillance, the Yediot Ahronot reported on Monday. Israel's security services would bar Vanunu from giving press interviews, publishing a book, travelling overseas or within Israel, and planned to monitor his correspondence, the paper added. Vanunu would also be required to regularly check in with the police. The security services claim the tough measures are necessary as Vanunu has declared his intention in numerous letters to reveal new secrets about Israel's nuclear weapons programme upon his release. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is due to hold talks with justice ministry officials before giving the official approval to the "restrictive measures" to be placed on Vanunu, Yediot Ahronot said. Secret trial Vanunu was jailed in 1986 after he was tried for treason in secret. He had revealed some details about Israel's illicit nuclear weapons programme and the role of its Dimona atomic reactor to the Britain's Sunday Times newspaper. Israel has refused inspections of its atomic plant near Dimona After the details were published, Vanunu was tricked by Israeli agents using a "honey trap" - a female agent who asked him to meet her in Rome - to lure him out of London. Once in Italy, Vanunu was drugged and kidnapped before being taken to Israel. Despite protests by human rights bodies and anti-nuclear campaigners, he was sentenced to 18 years in prison and held mostly in solitary confinement. Spy's widow plea Meanwhile, the widow of Elie Cohen, an Israeli spy hanged in Syria in 1965, has launched a campaign to have his body returned, television reports said. Israeli hopes Bashar al-Asad will allow return of husband's body Nadia Cohen is seeking to capitalise on this week's exchange of prisoners and the remains of bodies between Israel and the Hizb Allah group, and on recent overtures by Syrian President Bashar al-Asad towards resuming peace talks with Israel, the report said. Elie Cohen was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1924 and moved to Israel in 1957. He was recruited by the Jewish state's intelligence service, Mossad, and tasked with infiltrating the Syrian political elite in the 1960s. After his cover was broken, he was tried by a military court and condemned to be hanged in public in Damascus. Syria has since refused to return his body to Israel. "Elie paid the price. We paid the price, a very high price," Nadia Cohen said on television. "The time has now come for the Syrians to make this gesture, which would reestablish confidence." © 2003 Aljazeera.net ***************************************************************** 31 Las Vegas SUN: Pakistan to Wait on Charges in Nuke Case February 01, 2004 By BURT HERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) - A decision on whether to prosecute seven suspects, including the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, in a proliferation scandal will not be made until the investigation is completed, an official said Sunday. Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan said the investigation should be finished soon. Abdul Qadeer Khan and six other scientists and military officials at a key nuclear facility - the Khan Research Laboratories, named after Khan - remain under investigation for allegedly selling nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya. Khan, long regarded as a national hero, was fired Saturday from his Cabinet-level post as a government adviser and ordered to remain at home under tightened security in the capital, Islamabad. "At this moment it would be premature to say what to do," Sultan told The Associated Press. "That can be done only after the investigations are finalized." Khan's firing marked the first public reprisal against any suspect in the investigation, launched in November after revelations from Iran to the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Pakistan has for years denied allegations of nuclear proliferation, but in recent weeks has acknowledged that some individuals may have leaked information for personal profit. Officials say Khan and a top aide, Mohammed Farooq, have failed to account for money in their personal bank accounts. Khan has denied any wrongdoing. A leading Pakistani newspaper reported Sunday that Khan had a vast array of real estate holdings, including a hotel in Timbuktu, Mali. The News reported that Khan had used a military transport aircraft to ship carved wooden furniture to the hotel, which he named after his Dutch wife, Hendrina. But when the plane could not land in Mali, it touched down in Tripoli, Libya, and Khan and Farooq, an expert on centrifuges - a key piece of equipment required to enrich uranium for use in weapons - drove the shipment to the hotel. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf is expected to make an address to the nation about the progress of the investigation after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice, which ends Thursday in Pakistan, officials said. Opposition parties have been quick to defend the scientists, particularly Khan, who gave Pakistan its nuclear deterrent against nuclear-armed rival India and created the Islamic world's first nuclear bomb. Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of the Islamic opposition coalition Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, condemned Khan's dismissal at a news conference in the eastern city of Lahore and called for a day of protest Friday to support the scientists. -- ***************************************************************** 32 Gateway to Russia: Russia`s Atomic Ministry optimistic on exports forecast - News From Russia The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry hopes to keep exports stable at $3 billion in 2003, Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev has said. "I think that at the end of this year exports by the nuclear sector will be similar to last year," the official said. The Atomic Energy Ministry said that in 2003 Russia increased nuclear product exports by $400 million to $3 billion. "This is a serious figure. We have met out target that we promised the president," Rumyantsev said. The minister said that most growth in nuclear exports was due to increased exports of fresh nuclear fuel for plants abroad. According to information from the Russian company TVEL, one of the world's leading nuclear fuel producers, nuclear fuel exports increased 24.8% in 2003, including to Ukraine - 12.5%, Lithuania - 30.5%, and Hungary - 40.5%. TVEL has also restarted supplies of nuclear fuel to Armenia and has started supplying enhanced nuclear fuel to Ukraine. Exports of nuclear products include enriched uranium, nuclear fuel, isotope products, the construction of nuclear power-producing units abroad and uranium and isotope enrichment services. [http://gazeta.ru/] [Subscription to the daily news digest] Click here to subscribe to the daily news digest. You will be able to choose your own topics of interest. Your e-mail address will be kept confidential and will be used exceptionally for sending you this digest. © Copyright Gateway to Russia 2003 ***************************************************************** 33 Las Vegas SUN: AP: Nuclear Black Market Is Small, Covert Today: February 02, 2004 at 12:25:39 PST By GEORGE JAHN ASSOCIATED PRESS VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The nuclear black market that supplied Iran, Libya and North Korea is small, tight-knit and appears to have been badly hurt by the exposure of its reputed head, the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, diplomats and weapons experts told The Associated Press. They describe the network that circumvented international controls to sell blueprints, hardware and know-how to countries running covert nuclear programs as involving people closely dependent on one another. Abdul Qadeer Khan, who founded Pakistan's nuclear program, is emerging as the head of the ring believed to have been the main supplier through middlemen over three continents. A Pakistani government official revealed Monday that Khan has acknowledged in a written statement transferring nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. The sales, during the late 1980s and in the early and mid-1990s, were motivated by "personal greed and ambition," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official added that the black market dealings were not authorized by the Pakistani government. European diplomats also said it appeared unlikely President Pervez Musharraf sanctioned the deals. But with Khan close to previous governments, senior civilian and military officials before Musharraf's takeover in 1999 likely knew of some of the dealings, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity in interviews Monday and this past week. They described Khan as the head of an operation likely involved in supplying both North Korea and Iran with uranium enrichment technology and hardware in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Libya was also a customer, receiving an array of nuclear-related equipment and know-how that included blueprints of a nuclear bomb handed over to U.S. and British intelligence officials late last month, they said. Middlemen responsible for meshing supply and demand were located in European capitals, Asia and the Middle east, they said, typically working with Iranian, Libyan and North Korea's diplomats stationed abroad. These would identify their country's needs and the intermediaries would then procure the orders, often ordering sensitive parts from manufacturers unaware of the end destination or purpose of what they were selling, they said. Most of those companies, were in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and other West European countries with the technological expertise to make finely machined centrifuge parts and other components. Hundreds of millions of dollars changed hands over the past 15 years, in deals as easy to hide as a floppy disc storing sensitive drawings or as bulky as thousands of centrifuge parts for nuclear enrichment, a key part of building a weapons, the diplomats said. A key beneficiary appears to be Khan, whose salary as a civil servant cannot account for what Pakistani newspapers say are far-flung real estate holdings and other assets worth millions of dollars. Khan, who hasn't spoken publicly about the charges, but has been prevented from leaving Pakistan, has denied during interrogations with investigators that he made the transfers for personal gain. Pakistani authorities began investigating Khan and key associates on information from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency that some Pakistani nuclear scientists helped Iran and Libya get centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi revealed - and renounced - his weapons and programs of mass destruction in December. Iran continues to maintain it has no nuclear weapons ambitions, but IAEA officials said Tehran has cooperated in revealing the sources of its centrifuges. U.S. officials also suspect Pakistan bartered nuclear secrets in exchange for North Korean missile technology, a charge Pakistan denies. American officials believe North Korea already has one or two nuclear bombs and could make several more within months. North Korea has never confirmed or denied having atomic weapons. While he has not been linked to the nuclear network headed by Khan, the case of Asher Karni, an Israeli businessman awaiting trial in the United States, offers a window on how those suspected of nuclear smuggling cover their tracks. Court records allege Karni used a series of front companies and misleading shipping documents to buy detonation devices whose possible uses include setting off nuclear weapons from a Massachusetts company, then had them sent through New Jersey to South Africa and on to the United Arab Emirates and later to Pakistan. A federal judge in Washington D.C. ruled last week Karni could be released while he awaits trial as long as he agreed to waive his immunity from extradition from Israel or South Africa, to pay a $100,000 bond and to be electronically monitored while he stays in Maryland. The diplomats said thousands of components used for uranium enrichment and bound for Libya that were seized on a German ship in October had bogus papers masking their use, point of origin and end destination. The ring supplying Iran, North Korea and Libya was small - probably no more than around a dozen major players who knew details of what was being sold to whom, said the diplomats. Many of them were probably dependent on Khan for his contacts, first as an employee of Urenco, the West European uranium enrichment consortium and then as the architect of the clandestine weapons program that publicly established Pakistan as a nuclear power in 1998. The fact that he is now sidelined has, in combination with the world focus on interdiction and monitoring countries under suspicion, probably crippled the supply chain, the diplomats said. David Albright, a former Iraq nuclear weapons inspector who now runs the Institute for Science and International Security, agreed. With Khan exposed, the ring that accounted for much of the three countries' illicit nuclear hardware and know-how is "now busted up," he said. "There are still remnants, and that has to be watched, but this is a major victory for nonproliferation," he said from Washington. --- On the Net: Institute for Science and International Security, www.isis-online.org -- ***************************************************************** 34 [NukeNet] Op-Ed on Oyster Creek Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:46:40 -0800 For safety's sake, nuclear 'rust bucket' should be mothballed Published in the Asbury Park Press 1/22/04 By SUZANNE LETA and BOB ANSTETT Imagine driving a 1969 diesel truck day in and day out, seven days a week, 365 days a year, for 35 years. The metal rusts, the muffler goes out, the starter stops and the years of soot in your lungs have given you cancer. The idea of the engine going out in the middle of a busy highway is enough to make your head spin. Like a truck that will soon die of age and overuse, the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey is an old and dangerous operation. The plant is quickly approaching its 35th birthday this August, but it is no cause for celebration. Oyster Creek is the oldest operating nuclear power plant in the country. The plant's reactor design also has dangerous shortcomings. In 1972, more than 30 years ago, the Atomic Energy Commission prohibited the construction of any new plants with the same design. The commission was especially concerned about a particular design flaw that remains a serious danger to communities today. In the case of an accident, the public would be exposed to large amounts of high-pressure, highly radioactive steam in order to prevent a meltdown within the reactor itself. Oyster Creek's current operating license is set to end in 2009. Even this retirement date is beyond its lifetime, as the plant was originally licensed to operate a maximum of 35 years. Exelon Corp., the parent company of AmerGen, will likely submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission requesting a license extension of 20 years. The application is due this April. The NRC has a long history of overlooking significant safety problems and rubber-stamping license extensions. This year, government reports found significant flaws in NRC regulation. For example, structural cracks were found at plants in South Carolina and Arkansas after the NRC granted both plants 20-year license extensions, and the agency barely missed serious corrosion at the Davis-Besse plant in Ohio. Simply put, if we trust NRC inspections, we're running the risk of having a 60-year-old rust bucket of a nuclear reactor sitting right in our back yards. Retiring Oyster Creek will have a positive impact on the community. According to the state Department of Treasury, Lacey will continue to receive the same $11.5 million in energy tax subsidies after the plant is retired. Many Oyster Creek employees will continue employment, as a large and experienced work force will be needed during the years-long decommissioning process. Oyster Creek's energy production can be easily replaced by clean, safe and renewable energy alternatives already in development. This year, the McGreevey administration established rules requiring 4 percent of the state's energy production to come from renewable sources by 2008. Renewable energy production will not only replace old and dangerous plants like Oyster Creek, but will also provide new job markets in the coming years. The benefits of retiring Oyster Creek are clear. The accumulation of nuclear waste will finally cease. Environmental impacts such as fish kills will no longer be a threat to our state's marine life. Our energy production will be replaced with clean and renewable sources. And most importantly, a menacing risk to the safety of New Jersey residents will be erased. Retiring an aging plant rather than allowing it to continue operating for 60 years is the best form of emergency preparedness. Unfortunately, the NRC and Exelon will likely ignore the facts and support a 20-year license extension without due consideration of serious public health and safety concerns. We cannot depend on corporate executives and agency officials in Washington to make the right decisions about New Jersey's future. New Jersey leaders, especially Gov. McGreevey and our U.S. senators, must start to voice opposition to the plant's continued operation. Just like an old and sputtering truck in the fast lane on the Garden State Parkway, Oyster Creek's time is up. It is the responsibility of state officials to stand up for the safety of the community and oppose the continued operation of aging and dangerous plants. New Jerseyans don't want a cracking, corroding 60-year-old nuclear reactor pumping away in their back yards and they don't need it. Suzanne Leta is energy associate for New Jersey Public Interest Research Group. Bob Anstett is president of Citizens Conservation Council of New Jersey. Rob Sargent Senior Energy Policy Analyst National Association of State PIRGs 29 Temple Place Boston, MA 02111 P: 617-747-4317 F: 617-292-8057 C: 617-312-7546 _______________________________________________________________________ Subscribe/Unsubscribe Here: http://www.energyjustice.net/nukenet/ Change your settings at: http://chrome.nocdirect.com/mailman/listinfo/nukenet_energyjustice.net ***************************************************************** 35 Interfax: Atomic Energy Ministry to keep exports stable in 2003 Feb 2 2004 1:01PM MOSCOW. Feb 2 (Interfax) - The Russian Atomic Energy Ministry hopes to keep exports stable at $3 billion in 2003, Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev told Interfax. "I think that at the end of this year exports by the nuclear sector will be similar to last year," he said. The Atomic Energy Ministry said that in 2003 Russia increased nuclear product exports by $400 million to $3 billion. "This is a serious figure. We have met out target that we promised the president," Rumyantsev said. The minister said that most growth in nuclear exports was due to increased exports of fresh nuclear fuel for plants abroad. According to information from the Russian company TVEL, one of the world's leading nuclear fuel producers, nuclear fuel exports increased 24.8% in 2003, including to Ukraine - 12.5%, Lithuania - 30.5%, and Hungary - 40.5%. TVEL has also restarted supplies of nuclear fuel to Armenia and has started supplying enhanced nuclear fuel to Ukraine. Exports of nuclear products include enriched uranium, nuclear fuel, isotope products, the construction of nuclear power-producing units abroad and uranium and isotope enrichment services. © 1991-2004 Interfax ***************************************************************** 36 Times Argus: New drawbacks seen for Vermont Yankee uprate February 2, 2004 --> By David Gram ASSOCIATED PRESS MONTPELIER - A state official's legislative testimony has raised new questions about whether the purported economic benefit to the state from boosting the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's power output might not materialize. When the Department of Public Service agreed in November to support the 20 percent increase in power sought by plant owner Entergy Nuclear, it touted a list of cash payments, increased taxes and other sweeteners that DPS Commissioner David O'Brien called "a clear benefit to the state of Vermont." The package, including more than $7 million for cleaning up Lake Champlain and other waterways and more than $2 million for the statewide Warmth program that provides energy assistance to low-income families, has become a key justification in the department's arguments to the Public Service Board that the power boost deal is good for Vermont. But a new wrinkle appeared this past week when the department's nuclear engineer, William Sherman, told the Senate Finance Committee that the Vermont Yankee decommissioning fund - the pot of money that will be used to dismantle the plant and clean up the site when Vermont Yankee closes- was growing rapidly. That's important because Vermont ratepayers have a 50 percent stake in any excess that ends up in the decommissioning fund. That excess could be partially soaked up by the increased decommissioning costs the power boost is likely to cause, said Arnie Gundersen, a former nuclear engineer now working as an expert witness for the nuclear watchdog group New England Coalition. Entergy and the DPS have estimated the cost of decommissioning Vermont Yankee to be about $620 million, and that there is likely to be no excess in the fund - meaning the value of the ratepayers' stake would be zero. In testimony to the board last month, Sherman said it was "very unlikely that there would be any excess if decommissioning were commenced at 2012," when Vermont Yankee's license is currently set to expire. But in his testimony to the Senate panel on Wednesday, Sherman said the decommissioning fund had grown from about $400 million to about $450 million last year, "even though the (stock) markets were bad.""So the fund earned well," Sherman said. "Big numbers." Assuming that level of growth for the remaining eight years on Vermont Yankee's license, the fund would grow to $850 million. That doesn't account for the normal compounding of investments, for the possibility that markets might improve in the coming years, or that Vermont Yankee might get the license extension it is expected to seek, allowing the fund to continue growing during its term. If there ends up being a surplus in the decommissioning fund, the amount would be diminished by whatever increased costs of decommissioning might be triggered by the power boost. The ratepayers' 50 percent share of that money was established as a condition when the Public Service Board approved the sale of the plant to Entergy. Gundersen said that during his career with a consulting company called Nuclear Energy Services, he had overseen decommissioning analyses for some 70 reactors around the country. "In my experiences with decommissioning," Gundersen said in testimony filed at the board in early January, "the cost of decommissioning a power plant increases by 1 percent from its original cost for every 5 percent increase in power." He added that "the cost to decommission VY will increase by four percent with the 20 percent power increase. Costs increase in decommissioning as a direct result of increased radiation exposure to the personnel dismantling the plant. The higher the power level, the more radiation exposure will be available." A 4 percent increase in the currently estimated $620 million decommissioning cost would be $25 million - half of it coming from the ratepayers' share of any surplus in the fund. New England Coalition's Ray Shadis, who has been representing the group in the Public Service Board review of the power boost, said that loss to ratepayers would offset the bulk of the benefits the department listed when it announced its support for the project in November. "There's a good chance that the extra costs of decommissioning due to (the power increase) will eat up enough of the surplus ... to completely offset the bribe money that was paid to the state," Shadis said. © 2003 and Barre-Montpelier ***************************************************************** 37 NT Bureau: 'Nuclear energy alone can meet India's power needs' Kalpakkam, Feb 2: The growing demand for electricity can be met only through nuclear power in future as the country was running out of other resources, the Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Department of Space, Satyabrata Mookherjee, has said. Addressing employees of the Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at a function organised here to mark the golden jubilee of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on Saturday, Mookerjee said his government was giving utmost priority in encouraging research and development in nuclear science with a view to making India reliant in atomic energy. Tracing the chequered history of DAE, which had a humble beginning with the setting up of an atomic power plant at Tarapur in 1969 with American know-how, the Minister said the MAPS laid for foundation for the other indigenously designed and built power plants by the department. In the long run, generation of power through atomic energy plants would work out cheaper and also be enviornment-friendly, he said. Noted agricultural scientist M S Swaminthan, in his special address, said that of the areas that are 'shining' in India now, nuclear energy and space science were two prominent ones. However, the shine should cover everything like the Sun, he added. Recalling his association with the DAE, Swaminathan recalled the words of Jawaharlal Nehru when he dedicated the power plant Apsara to the nation. Nehru, he said, had compared the plant with the Elephanta caves close to it by saying that one stood for spirituality and the other for science and emphasised the need to marry both. Swaminathan said the DAE should do more towards creating nuclear literacy and dispel the prevalent notions against nuclear energy, which is seen in many sections of society as an atom bomb-making sector. People should be made to see the benefits of nuclear power, he said and also underlined the need to bridge the gap between know-how and do-how in atomic science, which has diverse uses in other areas like food irradition and employment of isotopes in nuclear medicine. Chairman and managing director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), Shreyan Kumar Jain, said that the first two decades were a period of struggle for the DAE, which was then trying to master the technology. Today the department is proud that it had reached a stage in which nuclear power is seen as the only viable option. On NPCIL, he said that it now supplied power at competitive rates and attributed its evolution into a mature industry to liberalisation. DAE was today building nine power plants employing five different types of nuclear technologies and its power share was likely to double from the present 13,000 mw to 26,000 mw, he said. Babha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director, Bhatacharjea, said that water, energy, enviroment and education were the four pillars of society and any development had to strike a balance between the four. He explained how nuclear research touched the lives of all sections of people and said that by 2050 AD the power requirment of the country would be 10 times from that now. To reach the target, Fast Breeder Reactors were the only answer, he added. MAPS station director T S Rajendran and former director of NPCIL, V Rangarjan, also spoke. / OTHER REGIONAL FARE STORIES ***************************************************************** 38 [DU-WATCH] American Voices Abroad on DU Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 00:57:36 -0600 (CST) http://www.americanvoicesabroad.net/cgi-bin/du_project American Voices Abroad: Depleted Uranium DU Project The AVA - Depleted Uranium Research and Action Workgroup functions as a research collaboration documenting the historical, scientific, political, environmental, and medical aspects of depleted uranium (DU). The DU Workgroup has resolved to initiate a nationally networked petition for US citizens, Veterans organizations and community action groups, and urge our representatives to support US Congressman James McDermotts House Resolution 1483, which calls for the study of the health effects, environmental contamination, mitigation and cleanup requirements for DU. We will help coordinate the efforts of independent and government-affiliated researchers to review this process, and contribute their research findings on the risks of DU for the formulation of national and international legislation. US government and independent agencies must monitor all affected areas and all exposed human populations for the long term physiological and environmental study of the possible effects of DU. Results must not be selected, excluded or suppressed for political or other purposes. Full results must be disclosed for public review. Furthermore, because we believe that independent research has demonstrated a link between DU-exposure and adverse effects to human health and the environment, we will help coordinate efforts to organize and support methods and programs for secure environmental decontamination, and for the medical treatment and care of those peoples affected by DU. For more information on the DU-Work Group, or if you are interested in volunteering your time, please contact: du@americansineurope.org [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 39 [DU-WATCH] Silent ban on blood from soldiers in Iraq Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 23:36:05 -0600 (CST) From: Susan H. Riordon [mailto:busters@ns.sympatico.ca] Sent: January 22, 2004 8:12 AM Subject: RE: Silently they impose a permanent ban on Blood from Soldiers in Iraq Ban Organ Donation from Persian Gulf Conflict One (1991) to indefinite. I requested an assessment from Dr. Asaf Durakovic on the base that "if" Terry had been an organ donor - what effect would his contaminated organs have on a transplant recipient. The answer was chilling. A Uranium (DU if you wish) contaminated organ will "fail" when transplanted. Since general testing is Gross Pathology ( visual inspection), checking blood for cross & match, Hep A,B &C, HIV - which majority of organs would enter the System. It would take three (3) weeks to check the organ for contamination - which means it is not viable for transplant. At this stage, a recipient of an organ from a Military member would generally "fail". The Recipient would then been deemed a "poor risk" and their gift of life would have then at the bottom of an Organ transplant list. Through no fault of their own. We have all seen or been involved with Communities whom raise monies for children to go to Toronto for new organs - this is a system of "Hope". However, there is no ban on Military members or Veterans - those effected by Uranium and heavy metal poisoning have organs, including tissue of skin, veins, corneas, and so on - already in system. Once UMRC stated this is not an acceptable practise ( organ donation) people made changes to their Countries logs on Donor Options. Veterans removed themselves from the system. Each Country should be banning Veterans. One item in Canada is "volunteering" for blood transfusions & joining "organ donation lists" is high on "smart move". I have removed myself from the Donor system, as burning semen was in play. I find it frustrating, that our ill and dying Veterans are, once again, removing themselves from Organ Donation Systems - in doing this they are "serving" their Countries honourably again. We have many to thank for protecting the system - Veterans still serve. Sincerely Susan H. Riordon [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 40 [DU-WATCH] Bein's presentation to Hamburg conference Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 23:35:42 -0600 (CST) Excerpt from P. Bein's presentation to Hamburg conference The CEE case Many eager persons in responsible positions in former Soviet bloc countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) also help Pentagon and NATO institutionalize 3 ds (denay, delay, deceive) [www.stopnato.org.uk/du-watch/bein/othereurope.htm]. Corruption is rampant and average standard of living lower than before perestroikas, so Western information war centres easily buy local bureucrats and professors with bribes as laughable as a trip to Hawaii. For example, professor Zbigniew Jaworowski of the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection co-authors junk science publications, not in his specialty, either. One on DU weapons, with a Cambridge University Dr. Roger Bate, defamed both of them. Another was a rubbish book on global warming co-authored with US science writer Ronald Bailey. All three authors provide popular publications for the complexs needs in uranium weapon cover-ups [www.stopnato.org.uk/du-watch/bein/apologists.htm; du-watch posting July 21, 2003]. The information war goes on in CEE amidst the ranks of sincere anti-DU groups, too. The goal of the 2001 conference Facts on Depleted Uranium in Prague was to assemble the facts for submission to Czech president Vaclav Havel to bring them out on international forums. But the event went on record with biased selection of papers on the conference website. A breakthrough brief by Dai Williams on new uranium weapon systems, a paper debunking cover-ups [Bein and Zoric 2001], unique material from a prize-winning webmaster harassed by the US authorities for posting military information [Veniks Aviation 2001], and many other presentations injurious to the complexs false image of the illegal weapons, were not posted. Despite repeated requests, the organizers neither removed a contribution from Yugoslavia containing an honest mistake, nor inserted an erratum. But the conference website displayed a glaringly biased paper by Dan Fahey see "The Dan Fahey case". The organization of the Prague conference left much to be desired, but doubtfully the selectivity of posted contributions resulted from sloppiness. Because the CEE and the Balkans are targeted by the US to polarize and weaken Europe, more disinformation campaigns and coverups of uranium weapons can be expected from these regions. The US is moving military bases and training ranges from Germany eastwards for a number of reasons, of which Western European social opposition to uranium weapon production, stocks and exercises on the European soil is not a trivial one. These activities of the complex are most likely coming along to countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Albania, and a few other states. German and other NATO tanks have been practicing Russian winter conditions on Polands ranges located in some of Europes cleanest areas. Before Operation Endured Freedom in Afghanistan, US Apaches fatally crashed on a Polish military range. Each machine carries 100 kg of DU in rotor blade counterweights. The NPRI case >From an institute such as Nuclear Policy Research Institute (NPRI), one would expect analysis of previous policy, current and expected obstacles to change, ways to circumvent, and recommendations on policy directions and implementation, based on political, social and institutional factors, married to the scientific ones. But its June 2003 symposium on DU weapons followed the establishments party line and its July 2003 report is no more consequential than counterparts from the complex. The conference isolated NPRI from the independent research community, contrary to prior assurances from the Executive Director, Charles Sheehan-Miles [du-watch posting, July 15, 2003]. The report ignores or barely touches legalistic, political, institutional, ethical, cover-up, and other socio-political factors, yet they are the key to a solution, which medical, biological and nuclear sciences cant provide alone. The report presumes decision makers and public need for clear scientific data. There will always be scientific uncertainty and cover-ups -- a case to invoke the precautionary principle. Instead of precautionary withdrawal of uranium weapons from arsenals, this report recommends precaution in areas where DU is detected. The science is best left to scientific forums. Why did NPRI, a non-scientific institution, amateurishly set out to summarize the science, when the European Committee on Radiation Risk will shortly issue a report on low-level radiation effects of uranium weapons on health? NPRI symposium report has no up-to-date medicine or science. NPRI invited physicians, chemists and physicists to speak at the conference who have done no studies or published anything on uranium contamination. The ballistic, uranium fate and effect, and medical science are incomplete. The report avoids discussion of the ICRP risk assessment models and is silent on ICRP role in cover-ups, that is shared with the WHO. It ignores LLRC and Dr. Busbys work, UMRC and its research, uranium weapons other than DU. By being silent on these topics, NPRI report maintains, if not fortifies, some of the myths, and, to the detriment of NPRI President Dr. Helen Caldicott, is perceived as supporting the conspiracy. Seriously flawed science-policy concept of the symposium, the content, and the absence of fundamental references to classic papers and authors put a question mark over the purpose of NPRI effort. The report gives inaccurate information and legitimizes individuals and organizations known to have been apologetic or deceptive about military uranium. It also cites tertiary sources, which cite secondary references, which are based on original sources, or are not referenced at all. Examples from page 4 alone: - An overview contains encyclopedic knowledge about natural uranium, so there is no need to cite Pentagon. Yet the NPRI report starts with citations from widely criticized Environmental Exposure Report: Depleted Uranium in the Gulf (II) edited by Bernard Rostker, whose DU Medical Follow-Up Program has not detected adverse clinical outcomes..., adverse radiological health effects are not expected... and further research should focus on soldiers with embedded DU fragments... - Encyclopedic DU properties are taken from Rapacholi and from Fahey. Neither is a scientist in this subject area. Radioactivity of DU is taken from Faheys Science or Science Fiction which does not give a source of this information. - Comparison of uranium alloys to natural uranium is misleading and parrots unscientific official statements. Properties section of the report should refer to page 6 (aerosols, but DU risks from fires are not mentioned there) and to page 11 (contaminated DU, but risks from nuclear waste recycled into alloys are not analysed, though many scientists suspect a very significant impact). Such presentation is an obstacle to a researcher, an undeserved favour for tertiary and discredited authors, and annoyance to the activist. Putting undeserved persons on a pedestal of scientific authority creates further experts for the propaganda and misinformation machine. Observers wonder, how NPRI president was fooled. Did other member of the board of directors, staff, board of advisors, or perhaps an outside advisor do it? The interns engaged on the report had a practical lesson in deception on uranium weapons. If Dr. Caldicott's institute could be manipulated, just think what could be done to UNEP, WHO, IAEA and other institutions. NPRI symposium did not bring science together, did not make a connection to policy, and failed to credibly deliver the information to the intended audience. Its recommendations are timid, impotent, and seem haphazard. More research is an academic, not a pro-active policy recommendation when victims need help and environment -- remediation. It sounds like Pentagons tune. More research -- by whom, and how will it help residents of contaminated areas, or exposed veterans? How will more research on health effects of uranium help remedy areas contaminated with a practically permanent uranium 238 that is next to impossible to clean up and dispose of safely? More urine sampling and testing? Perfect tool for departments of defense to manipulate the results. Professor Hooper said what he thinks about urine testing, and NPRI report quotes him on page 14. Reminding the invading forces to warn local population, mark off contaminated sites (why in Arabic in the Balkans and Afghanistan?), and clean up DU reads like reminding children to wash hands before meals. The governments and the military concerned know they contaminate illegally, just as they know soldiers must be protected, but are not. NPRI should determine why the military uses illegal weapons, fails to protect human health and the environment, and does not clean up after themselves. NPRI should recommend a policy remedy based on such analysis. Emphasis on needed epidemiological research in southern Iraq is puzzling, since the problems also occur in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and at domestic and overseas military ranges. Uranium contamination from early tests and Yom Kippur war is another missed opportunity for epidemiological research, as it would offer the longest time history for a study of the fate of uranium micro-particles in the environment and the impacts on health. Recommendation to Pentagon to find a substitute for DU sounds like a mouses squeek, which the military-government complex has been ignoring since WW II. Suggesting tungsten (i.e. heavy metal wolfram) as a substitute for DU is at odds with reports concern about heavy metal toxicity. NPRI website features an incomplete set of links and Science or Science Fiction? but no ground-breaking material. The NPRI website and symposium insult independent research. Ironically, the NPRI failure precipitated organizing this conference. The UN Sub-Commission case Refer to Dr. Karen Parkers presentation to this conference. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/9rHolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 41 [DU-WATCH] Govt Coverup in Progress Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 23:35:58 -0600 (CST) It is notable that a new round of efforts to interfere with independent science and activists has been launched. The evidence on this Board is a narrow window of the scope of the initiative. Many players have been recruited. The recent Health Physics publication of the retained DU shrapnel is another example. That study is four years old and yet has been rewritten and republished by Health Physics as if it is new. Independents report that science associations and journals are now being pressured to reject radiological and public health studies from Afghanistan and Iraq (civilians and veterans), coming out of research by groups in the US, Canada, Japan, Italy and France. The UN and UNEP have been strictly prohibited from investigating. Enquiries by veterans and their families in the US are being directed to Dan Fahey. A recent inquiry to NPRI about an ill veteran with symptoms of urnium contamination was referred to Fahey. Recent inquiries to both the NGWRC and the MTP by sick veterans visiting the US for R&R before redployment back to Iraq were referred to Fahey. Where is Fahey directing them ... to MM and the balitmore progam. Inquiries to labs are consistent: under no circumstances must there be allowed any new radiological studies of veterans by anyone but official agencies. The 30,000+ US troops returned for medical reasons (not to mention the returnees from other Coalition countries from both Iraq and Afghanistan) are a great source of anxiety to DoD. Leaks from defence sources indicate that the public health effects in areas surrounding uranium battlefields are starting to accumulate and redeployment health assessments and post-deployment health complaints are conspicuously similar to gulf war illness. [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 42 [DU-WATCH] 'zapped' veteran fights on Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 00:51:25 -0600 (CST) 'Zapped' veteran fights on By PAUL WOOD 2004 THE NEWS-GAZETTE Published Online January 25, 2004 CLICK TO SEE PHOTO RURAL THOMASBORO Doug Rokke has a stack of Army commendations as big as a suitcase. But he's not winning much love now from the military, speaking out all over the world on the dangers of depleted uranium. The uranium, with most of the highly radioactive material taken out to be used in reactors, is heavy and hot-burning, and shells made from it have been used by tank crews in both Gulf Wars and Somalia to penetrate thick steel. The health physicist, who retired this fall from the Army reserves as a major, says the nation has a debt to its warriors who became ill in the Gulf Wars, as well as to the Kuwaitis and Iraqis who still have dangerous weapons in their homeland. Rokke said 320 tons of uranium remain on the ground. "My 30-plus-year military career has been dedicated to ensuring our nation's sons and daughters have optimal military education and training, they receive the medical care and applicable pensions that they earned during service our nation, they are given safe and effective equipment, and that environmental contamination caused by military operations is cleaned up," Rokke, 54, said last week. He also has health concerns as close to home as it gets. "I'm zapped," he says. The way to test for uranium fragments in the body is through urine tests. Army documents show a high level for Rokke, though he says he was not informed of the test results for 2 years after the Army got them. Testifying at United Nations conferences about depleted uranium's health effects, as well as a 1999 "60 Minutes" appearance, have made him well-known and disliked in Army medical circles. Barbara Goodno, a spokeswoman for the Department of Defense, all but huffs when she speaks about him. "Doug Rokke is not now and never has been a Department of Defense expert on depleted uranium," she said Thursday. "He is a Gulf War veteran, and we thank him for his service. He was not in charge of the (depleted uranium) group. He happened to be in theater (of war) at the time, and he was the go-to guy. But the experts were the civilian contractors." Rokke was a lieutenant in 1991. He was promoted to captain after Gulf War I, where commendations note the importance of his work in the cleanup. He was promoted to major before his retirement. But the Army maintains that Rokke's science is poor, exaggerating how widespread the health effects of depleted uranium are. The Department of Defense's Dr. Michael Kilpatrick said a study of 90 veterans who were in a vehicle hit by depleted uranium friendly fire, found no evidence of unusual cancers. "It's very clear that DU outside the body does not pose a hazard to people," he said. If it enters the body, he said, researchers are checking for signs of kidney damage. The uranium saves American lives in the long run, he added. "It is a powerful munition for penetrating enemy armor," he said. "In our own vehicles, the use of it as armor prevents the penetration of tanks from enemy fire." Rokke believes there are hundreds more who have been exposed, and has anecdotal evidence of deaths, including close friends of his. He points to rashes on his back as evidence of uranium toxicity, and has kidney problems. He never intended to be a whistleblower. Rokke grew up in Libertyville. He moved to rural Thomasboro because his wife, Carol, has farming roots here. They have two grown sons as well as a living room full of toys only a grandparent could love. Rokke's first experience with the military was the Air Force right after high school, during the Vietnam War era. He says he flew 38 missions with the Strategic Air Command as an electronics operator. While in SAC, he befriended the late Frank Elliott, who later commanded Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. After college, Rokke joined the Army National Guard, then the Reserve. Throughout these years, he studied at the University of Illinois, where he earned a doctorate, and wrote papers about physics and health. While in the service, he wrote technical papers on radiation sickness and produced a training video the Army never released. He vows to continue speaking out now that he is retired. "I owe it to the warriors I served with," he says. ________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! Download Messenger Now http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/Sj.0lB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 43 [DU-WATCH] Gulf Veteran: Terry Walkers New Book now out!! Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 00:59:42 -0600 (CST) 'The Mother of all Battles' ISBN: 1-904166105 By Terry Walker The first book on Gulf War Syndrome from the UK. You can buy it from http://www.design-publications.co.uk/ at #9.99 plus #2.50pp Write- up Mother of All Battles" by Terry Walker It was the worst and most environmentally toxic war of the 20th century. Following the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saddam Hussein promised the Mother of all Battles; few in the West believed him. Yet, for ordinary Iraqis the conflict was catastrophic. As Iraq was repeatedly subjected to heavy bombardment from the air, coalition ground forces faced a significantly diminished Iraqi army and Republican Guard. Some offered minor or token resistance, but most surrendered with dignity. It took the allied forces less than two months to eject the Iraqi military from Kuwait but for many British veterans the consequences of the Gulf War lasted much longer. Considerable numbers of formerly healthy men and women have fallen ill since this period yet the government officially denied any link between vaccines to protect against Saddam's weapons of mass destruction and the subsequent catalogue of illnesses and disabilities. But the numbers of former soldiers afflicted with illnesses continued to rise and the machinery of a government cover-up was set in motion. Terry Walker was one of these victims and this is his story. ________________________________________________________________________ BT Yahoo! Broadband - Free modem offer, sign up online today and save #80 http://btyahoo.yahoo.co.uk [Brought to you by HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/Sj.0lB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-watch/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-watch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 44 [du-list] Subject:Baby is Gulf War Syndrome Victim Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:46:32 -0800 BABY IS GULF WAR SYNDROME VICTIM Feb 1 2004, Sunday Mirror By Mike Hamilton and David Hudson FIGHTING for breath with a mass of tubes keeping him alive, tiny Scott Bowen is Britain’s youngest victim of Gulf War Syndrome. Weighing just 2lb 4oz, the tragic tot was born two months prematurely after both his parents returned from serving in Iraq. Dad Justin, 27, and mum Vicky, 20, had multiple vaccinations before going to war last year and developed symptoms of the Syndrome. They are now sure the cocktail of jabs ­ especially the controversial anthrax shot ­ is behind their new-born’s desperate condition. And last night a Gulf War Syndrome expert said he was “almost certain” Scott’s severe heart valve and bladder problems was caused by his parents’ roles in the Iraq war. Professor Malcolm Hooper ­ a member of the MoD’s independent Vaccine Panel ­ said: “This is an extremely disturbing case. If it is nothing to do with Gulf War Syndrome I would be amazed.” Baffled doctors have told his parents they cannot think of an explanation for his conditions. Scott will have to undergo a bladder operation when he is a year old, and medics fear he may be growth-retarded. Justin, a private with the Royal Army Medical Corps, and Vicky, a member of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, were both called up for service in January last year. Vicky was given two anthrax jabs plus inoculations for yellow fever, hepatitis B and typhoid. She declined to complete the voluntary course of four anthrax injections when she was in the Gulf over fears about their safety. Justin had had two anthrax jabs in Colchester in November 2002. He was advised to start the course again when he reached Kuwait in February ­ and had six in total. The Government pledged not to give troops multiple jabs, which have been blamed for making thousands of Gulf War 1 veterans sick. Defence secretary Geoff Hoon even said a year ago: “A key lesson learned about inoculations is that it is not sensible to inflict on our forces a large number simultaneously.” The couple were both home in Gosport, Hants, by the end of May last year, and within weeks Vicky was pregnant. Scott had to be delivered by caesarean section on January 7 after scans showed problems in the womb. Vicky says: “I suddenly started having contractions. I was in hospital for three days as doctors tried to stop my labour. Then Scott’s heart rate dropped. Because of the way he was lying, the doctors could not be sure if he had developed all his organs. His only chance of survival was to be delivered.” Vicky recalled how a midwife described her placenta as “the weirdest colour she had ever seen”. Scott was placed on a life-support machine at Arrow Park Hospital, C heshire, and made steady progress until last week when he was put back on a ventilator. Vicky says: “Scott has bladder and heart valve problems which we have since learnt are both associated with anthrax. “We blame the Army. They never warned us it was dangerous for me to get pregnant.” Military chiefs advised troops it was dangerous to conceive within six months of returning from the 1991 Gulf War. But Army sources say this advice was not given to forces in last year’s conflict. Campaigners say Gulf War Syndrome has hit 9,000 veterans of the first conflict, but the MoD officially denies it exists. Justin now suffers constant stomach pains ­ and in December Vicky suddenly developed such a bad case of pneumonia that she had to be taken to hospital near their Army married quarters in Gosport. It was there, on Christmas Eve, that medics noticed problems with Scott’s development. She and Justin went to stay with his family in Wallasey on the Wirral for the New Year ­ and Vicky went into labour. She has since left the Army. Justin is on compassionate leave. A doctor at the hospital said: “Scott is still obviously in danger and being constantly monitored.” The Sunday Mirror has highlighted cases of soldiers who have fallen ill since last year’s conflict. But Scott is the first baby feared to have fallen victim to the illness. Children of male veterans are prone to heart problems while those of female veterans tend to suffer urino- genital defects. Scott has both. Professor Hooper said: “This poor baby seems to have inherited the worst of both worlds. “The MoD needs to address issues like this but has not done so although it is 13 years since the first Gulf War.” Shaun Rusling of The National Gulf Veterans and Families Association said: “There should be a public inquiry into the vaccine regime given to troops.” -THE NGVFA’s helpline number is 01482 833812. ________________________________________________________________________ BT Yahoo! Broadband - Free modem offer, sign up online today and save £80 http://btyahoo.yahoo.co.uk To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 45 [du-list] The mess on military bases Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:46:45 -0800 TULLAHOMA NEWS The mess on military bases January 30, 2004 Last year, the Pentagon asked Congress for exemptions from some environmental regulations, including a few having to do with cleaning up the messes left behind at old military sites. Now we know why. According to the General Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, removing the hazardous waste and unexploded munitions at all of the sites still on the Department of Defense's cleanup list could take from 75 to 330 years. No doubt, loosening the standards and requiring less cleanup would shave some years off the estimate. But don't hold the military to that timeline. As it turns out, while 2,307 sites had been identified as of September 2002, Pentagon officials told auditors that additional sites continue to be identified, and a complete list probably won't be available for several years. And there's more: Of the identified sites, 1,387 sites have yet to be fully assessed as to whether cleanup will be needed. In the 558 cases where assessment has been completed, 475 were determined to not require cleanup. Of the remaining 83 where some cleanup was necessary, the Pentagon has completed 23. This, since 1986, when the Defense Environmental Restoration Program was created. And as one might suspect - after all, this is the Pentagon we're talking about - the cleanup won't come cheap. Officials estimate that cleaning up the 15 million acres suspected of or known to be contaminated with military munitions will cost from $8 billion to $35 billion. This article can be viewed at: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1614&dept_id=161055&newsid=10892615&PAG=461&rfi=9 Tara Thornton Executive Director Military Toxics Project P.O. Box 558 Lewiston, ME 04243 (207)783-5091 phone www.miltoxproj.org To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 46 Las Vegas SUN: Study projects Nevada economic benefits from national nuke dump ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A university study is projecting economic benefits for Nevada if the federal Energy Department builds a national nuclear waste dump in the desert northwest of Las Vegas. The Yucca Mountain project already provides relatively high-paying jobs that contribute to Nevada's gross state product, according to a recent report by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2000, the Yucca Mountain project contributed $195.7 million to Nevada's economy and accounted for 3,650 jobs, the report said. "If the Yucca Mountain Project were discontinued, economic losses ... would be substantial," Keith Schwer, director of the center and an author of the report, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal for a Monday report. The study says construction of the repository - a grid of tunnels 1,000 feet underground - could boost Nevada's gross state product by as much as $228 million during peak activity in 2006. It said the average annual economic benefit from transportation and operations could top $127 million per year. The Energy Department projects spending $58 billion on the repository, which it wants to open in 2010. The agency plans to submit an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the end of this year. The Bush administration and Congress in 2002 approved the plan to entomb 77,000 tons of spent commercial nuclear reactor fuel and highly radioactive military and industrial waste beneath an ancient volcanic ridge 90 miles from Las Vegas. Nevada is fighting the project in federal court in Washington, D.C., where oral arguments were heard last month. A ruling is pending. Steve Holloway, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors in southern Nevada, said Yucca Mountain already provides good jobs. "Of course, they don't talk much about it," he said of current workers. "They're sworn to secrecy." Schwer said what he termed "perception-based risk impacts" would partially offset some economic gains. He said that unlike gambling and tourism, which can be affected by national and international recession, Yucca Mountain would be a stable source of economic activity "independent of the vagaries of the financial markets." Mary Riddel, associate director of the center and co-author of the Yucca Mountain report, noted that public concerns about the safe transport of nuclear waste could affect development in southern Nevada. "If households perceive the risk as too high, they may relocate in order to protect themselves from transportation accidents," she said. Riddel headed a 2003 survey of 343 southern Nevada residents and found that between 1 percent and 3 percent of households living near proposed nuclear waste truck routes would relocate. However, she said risk-tolerant residents might also move in. Transportation methods and routes have not been decided, but the Energy Department final environmental impact statement says it prefers "mostly rail." In December, the agency picked a rural and mountain route to build a new $881 million, 319-mile rail line that would loop around the Nevada Test Site to Yucca Mountain. Schwer's study projects 4,000 jobs would be created building the "Caliente Corridor" rail line, which would avoid most populated southern Nevada areas. Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal -- ***************************************************************** 47 Las Vegas SUN: Bush budget would increase spending for Yucca Mountain By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush is seeking a big increase in spending for Yucca Mountain in the $2.4 trillion budget he sent to Congress on Monday. The plan for the 2005 budget year, which begins next Oct. 1, proposes $880 million for the nuclear waste repository in the Nevada desert - an increase of $300 million over 2004. The money would help the Energy Department complete the licensing application it aims to submit to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in December. That would allow the department to stay on track with its goal of burying nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain starting in 2010. Nevada's congressional delegation has opposed the plan to store 77,000 tons of highly radioactive waste at the desert site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas. Bush and Congress approved the site in 2002, and the delegation failed to significantly reduce Bush's 2004 funding request. In his 2004 budget Bush proposed spending $591 million at the site. Congress ultimately gave him $580 million. -- ***************************************************************** 48 NRC: NRC Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste to Meet February 24 - 27 in Rockville, Maryland News Release - 2004-01 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov No. 04-017 February 2, 2004 Nuclear Waste (ACNW) will hold a meeting from February 24 to 27 in Rockville, MD. The Committees discussions will primarily focus on dose assessments for the proposed high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, NV. The public meeting will be held in Room T-2B3 of the agencys Two White Flint North Building, at 11545 Rockville Pike. Two portions of the meeting will be closed: one on Feb. 26 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. to discuss work related to radiological dispersal devices, and the other during a report-writing session on Feb. 27, sometime between 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on February 24 and 25, at 11:30 a.m. on February 26, and at 8:30 a.m. on February 27. A complete agenda will be available on the NRCs Web site at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/acnw/agenda/2004/. For additional information or schedule changes, please contact Howard Larson at 301-415-6805. Last revised Monday, February 02, 2004 ***************************************************************** 49 Salt Lake Tribune: Hot waste site's books closed February 02, 2004 By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune The Interstate 15 reconstruction ran up a $1.9 billion bill. Roughly $3 billion went into the 40-year Central Utah Project. The nuclear-waste storage facility planned for the Skull Valley Goshutes Indian Reservation also has an immense price tag, estimated by proponents at $3.1 billion. What separates the private nuclear waste facility from the two public projects is a stout wall of secrecy. Utah legislators and Congress spent years publicly deliberating the finances of the enormous water and highway projects, but basic financial information about the Skull Valley Project remains strictly shrouded under orders of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) at the request of the limited liability company behind it. The nuclear agency on Friday received the latest in a series of legal protests from the state about this financial secrecy. The state wants the public to see what it says is a skimpy financial plan. "The most troubling thing I can't talk about," said Assistant Attorney General Denise Chancellor, who would not share a copy of Utah's 10-page legal argument because of the privacy mandate. The struggle over financial information began shortly after a consortium of utilities called Private Fuel Storage (PFS) applied for an NRC license in 1997. The consortium had signed a lease with the 121-member Skull Valley Band to use tribal land for an open-air parking lot for 44,000 tons of deadly radioactive nuclear reactor waste. Not only has value of the Goshute lease never been publicly disclosed, but the overall project cost and the source of PFS' funding also have remained inaccessible. Consortium spokeswoman Sue Martin noted federal regulators have largely concurred with the consortium that the financial information should be kept private. "Revealing all of the financial details would put us at a disadvantage competitively," she said. "It would make it difficult for us to negotiate prices with vendors and customers." "The bottom line, of course, is that we have to be financially viable," she said. "We have to have the money for the construction, and we have to have secure agreements [with utilities that want to store waste] before we can build and begin operations. So, the total cost is relevant to us, but it's not really a public issue." Chancellor said PFS has not made its case that disclosing the finances would harm the consortium competitively. The state also has complained that, as a limited liability company, it has no assets of its own. A related question is about two letters Utah's U.S. senators received nearly two years ago about the PFS project financing. Thanks to one, Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett pledged to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham their votes in support of a national repository at Yucca Mountain in exchange for Abraham's pledge that the consortium would not be able to access any of $17 billion nuclear companies have stowed away in a federal fund for waste disposal. In the other letter, executives representing six of the eight PFS member utilities pledged not to spend money on building the facility past the licensing phase "so long as the Yucca Mountain project is approved by Congress and repository development proceeds in a timely fashion." The letters prompted a number of political leaders to publicly doubt PFS' ability to pay for the Utah facility. In addition, the state also has complained about being forced to leave it solely up to PFS and NRC staff to determine whether PFS and its customers will be there in the long run to protect Utahns who will be stuck living with the site. Neither the state nor the public have any way to know whether the storage facility is going to be "a pig in the poke or a viable project," said Chancellor. "Why does [NRC] think PFS is [financially] qualified?" she said. "We don't know." fahys@sltrib.com Copyright Salt Lake City Tribune ***************************************************************** 50 Las Vegas RJ: Report details benefits of Yucca Monday, February 02, 2004 Study estimates economic effect at $102 million a year By HUBBLE SMITH REVIEW-JOURNAL Nobody wants a nuclear waste dump in the back yard, but if it's going to happen, and pundits are saying Yucca Mountain is on its way, Southern Nevadans can anticipate reaping economic benefits. Operations at the Department of Energy's Yucca Mountain Project, about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas in Nye County, already provide relatively high-paying jobs in the local economy and constitute a stable proportion of the total gross state product, according to a recent report by the Center for Business and Economic Research at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2000, the project contributed $195.7 million to Nevada's economy and accounted for 3,650 jobs, the report estimated. That translates to real disposable income of about $131 million each year in Nevada. "If the Yucca Mountain Project were discontinued, economic losses, relative to the current economy, would be substantial," said Keith Schwer, director of the center, and one of the report's authors. The construction phase of Yucca Mountain would generate the largest gross state product, the report said. Wages and salaries to workers, with in-state procurement business, could boost the gross state product by as much as $228 million during peak activity in 2006. "We estimate that perception-based risk impacts will initially partially offset some of the gains in employment and GSP," Schwer said. Catherine Levy, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, said the business group has not changed its opposition to Yucca Mountain. Las Vegas pulled out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after that organization announced its support of the project. "Certainly there is an economic impact when you're talking about jobs, but I think our main concern is on the impact of trying to recruit businesses to diversify our economy and on the tourism environment that will suffer because of people's concern about our proximity to the site," Levy said. If Yucca Mountain is approved as a nuclear waste repository, the economy would be helped by construction of the facility and transportation routes and by operational costs, the UNLV report said. "Of course, it's already providing jobs and fueling the economy here," said Steve Holloway, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors in Southern Nevada. "We've had contractors going out there for years. Of course, they don't talk much about it. They're sworn to secrecy. "We've known about waste storage at Yucca Mountain for many years now, and even though most people think it's a foregone conclusion, it has not deterred businesses from coming here or people coming here looking for jobs. "Most of the people I talk to in the industry believe it's a foregone conclusion and believe the state should be getting what it can to allay the risks." Average annual economic benefit from transportation and operations would exceed $102 million, topping $127 million in many years, the report said. Unlike gaming and tourism, which are subject to national and international recessionary cycles, Yucca Mountain is expected to be a "sustained source of economic activity independent of the vagaries of the financial markets," Schwer said. But there is a "market externality" with nuclear waste, the toxicity of high-level radioactivity that raises health and safety concerns. "In particular, the public has expressed concern about the safe transport of nuclear waste," said Mary Riddel, associate director of the center and co-author of the Yucca Mountain report. "If households perceive the risk as too high, they may relocate in order to protect themselves from transportation accidents." That effect would be diminished by residents who are more tolerant of risk replacing those who leave their homes. Housing prices, predicted to rise by about 5 percent in 2010, the year transportation of nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain is scheduled to start, will see a one-time decrease in the growth rate of 1.7 percentage points, the report said. Shelli Lowe, director of Integra Realty in Las Vegas, said home prices would crash because of Yucca Mountain only if a catastrophe occurred. "It's the transportation of the waste rather than the storage that's risky," she said. "I'm not in favor of it, not in my back yard, so to speak. But I haven't seen anybody leaving (Las Vegas) because of Yucca Mountain." Riddel and her colleagues conducted a 2003 survey of 343 Southern Nevada residents about their housing decisions and found that 1 percent to 3 percent of households living near the proposed truck routes would relocate. The survey showed that compensation could influence households to remain at their location and bear the risk. Riddel estimated the social cost of truck transport would average $10,000 a household annually. The methods and routes for transporting the waste have not been decided. The DOE's final environmental impact statement preferred a "mostly rail" scenario. There are five alternative new rail spurs considered in the DOE report: the Caliente alternative, Caliente-Chalk Mountain alternative, Carlin-Big Smokey alternative, Valley Modified alternative and the Jean alternative. Construction employment varies from 3,200 jobs for the Valley Modified alternative to 4,000 jobs for the Caliente alternative. Another scenario assumes legal-weight trucks will transport most of the waste along existing roadways, which would require little or no new construction or road work. Also, because it's likely that most truckers and trucking companies used to transport the waste will be based outside of Nevada, there would be little direct economic benefit beyond construction, maintenance and operation. Direct and indirect effects of Yucca Mountain include employment, wage differential and capital expenditures, the university report said. Induced effects would include the response by local industries caused by new household expenditures generated by direct and indirect effects. "In time, it is becoming more likely to occur than it was 17 years ago when I first came here," Schwer said of Yucca Mountain, a lightning rod for scientific studies, political opposition from state representatives and a growing number of lawsuits. "This report is one small step toward getting a handle on the benefits and costs relative to the risk." Schwer said the economic effect of Yucca Mountain detailed in the report is largely based on wages and employment. "In other words, we assume that the bulk of the capital, machinery and construction materials are purchased out of state," he said. Copyright Las Vegas Review-Journal ***************************************************************** 51 Las Vegas SUN: $880 million requested for Yucca Today: February 02, 2004 at 11:06:20 PST By Suzanne Struglinski WASHINGTON -- The Energy Department has asked Congress for $880 million for Yucca Mountain in the 2005 budget, marking the largest amount it has requested in its plan to store nuclear waste in Nevada. The amount is $303 million more than Congress approved for the project this year, according to budget documents, issued this morning, which say that "substantial resources will be needed to complete the application process and construct the repository." The department plans to submit its license application for the repository, which would store 77,000 tons of nuclear waste at Yucca, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the end of the year. The budget summary contained no mention of Nevada's pending legal challenges argued in federal appeals court on Jan. 14, which could stop or delay the project. The budget included a photo of one of the tunnels inside the mountain with the caption "Due to open in 2010." Each year, as it does for almost all federal programs, the administration proposes a budget for Yucca and then the House and Senate fit it in among the other programs in the annual energy and water spending bill. The bill is subject to a limit that it cannot exceed. The system pits programs against each other for funding. The project received $580 million for work this fiscal year, the largest amount approved since its inception in 1982. The Energy Department had asked for $591 million. In the House, Reps. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., and Jon Porter, R-Nev., continue to talk with their colleagues about the problems with the program and are calling for decreases in funding. All three voted against the final version of the energy and water spending bill last year. "As we have every year, the members of Nevada's congressional delegation will work to slash this bloated request and to use the budget process to draw attention to the fatal flaws in Yucca's design and the terrorist risks that accompany shipping nuclear waste," Berkley said. "Given the record deficit faced by our nation, I can think of no better place to trim fat from the budget than by eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars from the Yucca Mountain budget." Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who is the top Democrat on the Senate appropriations subcommittee that writes the bill that funds Yucca Mountain each year, said he will fight to negotiate the number down. Last year, the House approved more than the request, voting for $765 million. The Senate approved $425 million, and a $580 million compromise was reached. "DOE's only interest is jamming the project through, and I intend to force them to prioritize their work on safety studies and science first by restricting the amount of money they have," Reid said today. "The more DOE is forced to do the science and safety work, the more we see they are incapable of passing either requirement." Reid said a high amount requested for Yucca Mountain can "upset a lot of members, not just the Nevada folks," because it will affect other requests in the bill, including national laboratory funding and renewable energy programs. "I think it's pretty clear that it's a terrible waste of resources," Reid said. "How can they spend a half-billion dollars a year? They can't, reasonably." Reid's committee only gets a certain amount of money to spend on energy and water projects. Last year the committee's bill included $27 billion worth of projects. Reid questioned the amount of the spending when other programs needed to be funded in the same bill, including flood control projects, making sure nuclear weapons are up-to-date and completing radioactive waste contamination at sites around the country, including the Nevada Test Site. "I don't know how they can justify this but it's the big utilities that are determining what is going on." Reid said. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee that approves the Defense Department's portion of the budget. Because some defense waste will be stored at Yucca, the Defense Department pays into the Yucca Mountain budget, and he said he would work to cut the funding the project gets. "At a time when budget deficits are an urgent concern and there are funding demands for the war in Iraq and homeland security that must be met, it is unacceptable to see a 43 percent increase for the funding of the Yucca Mountain Project," Ensign said. Of the $580 million for this fiscal year, lawmakers authorized $392.5 million of defense money to toward the project, a $38 million decrease from the administration's request. The remaining dollars come from the Nuclear Waste Fund, an account created in 1983 that collects fees from nuclear ratepayers to help pay for the project. But also in the budget summary, the administration requests a legislative proposal that uses utility company contributions to create a new funds "to ensure that adequate funds are available for the repository to being accepting waste in 2010." Right now, nuclear ratepayers put about $725 million a year into the Nuclear Waste Fund. They have paid about $18 billion into the fund since its creation in 1983 but close to $12 billion still sits in the account waiting to be spent on the project. The industry and the administration have tried unsuccessfully in the past to change how the project receives money. A pending House bill would also alter its funding, securing the $725 million for the project each year and then allowing Congress to allocate money beyond that amount. "Budget oversight is the only way to hold DOE to any kind of accountability," Reid said. He pledged to work to prevent changes in how the project is funded. A Reid aide has said such ideas are not well-received in Congress since none of the appropriators, whether for the project or not, wants to give up any control over the spending process. The budget summary also says the department is working on ways to monitor "this major construction endeavor," including clearer cost estimates and schedules and regular reports to Congress. ***************************************************************** 52 The Mercury: Landfill allowed to release more poisonous gas under state permit Monday 2 February, 2004 By Evan Brandt ebrandt@pottsmerc.com WEST POTTSGROVE -- On the heels of an announcement that will cause the closure of the Pottstown Landfill in a year or so, the state has issued two controversial-but-unrelated permits to the 276-acre facility. One permit will allow the landfill, owned by Waste Management Inc., to increase the amount of poisonous nitrogen oxide emitted from the landfill’s five landfill gas-fired turbine/flares into the air. The second approves the landfill’s plan for monitoring and dealing with any radioactive waste that attempts to enter the landfill. Air pollution permit The nitrogen oxide permit is part of a federal Clean Air Act requirement called Title V and is actually a change to a permit issued in January 2002. According to a statement issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, "the adjustment is being made to correct an initial error in calculating the turbine flow rate." The limit was increased from 20.8 tons per year to 24.77 tons per year for each turbine. Nitrogen oxide is a family of gases, each of which carries a laundry list of health concerns. "Although the landfill will be preparing for closure, the air permit revisions are still needed to ensure proper handling of the landfill gas," said Joseph Feola, regional director of DEP’s Southeast region based on Conshohocken. "We carefully reviewed the data, as well as public comments, and saw no evidence that these changes would result in any adverse impact to the community or the environment," Feola said. That’s not how Donna Cuthbert, vice president of the Alliance for a Clean Environment and entrenched landfill opponent, sees it. "The DEP has really sold us down the river," she said. "They have given this community five more years of air pollution with increases." She said she is particularly peeved that DEP issued the permits just days before the Pottstown Environmental Advisory Board held a program on "non-burn technology" as a means of disposing of landfill gas. The seminar was held Saturday morning in Pottstown Borough Hall. ACE contends that technology exists to break landfill gas down into its components, allowing for the "safest handling" of the more volatile pollutants in the gas. "DEP had a golden opportunity here to make Waste Management responsive and protect this community, but they ignored our invitation so I guess they’re not interested," Cuthbert said. Radiation monitoring The second permit DEP issued Jan. 27 has to do with the landfill’s plan to comply with the DEP requirement that all Pennsylvania landfills develop a plan for monitoring all incoming waste for radiation. "For the remainder of its operation, the public can be assured that the Radiation Protection Action Plan will provide the required protection for the Pottstown Landfill," Feola said. At its most basic level, the plan calls for fixed "portal monitors" to be installed at the landfill’s scale. Alarms are designed to sound if radiation is detected, although the plan does include "requests for blanket approval to accept and dispose of certain types of radioactive material with a half-life of less than 65 days, naturally occurring radioactive material and consumer products containing radioactive material," according to the DEP announcement. That is the sort of foot note that makes the folks at ACE extremely upset. "We have said from the outset that the issuing of such a permit is meant to magically absolve DEP of any responsibility for allowing illegal dumping that went on there previously," said ACE President Lewis Cuthbert. "This gives the landfill and DEP a free pass," he said. Patty Barthel, a spokeswoman for the Waste Management, couldn’t disagree more. "The plan is a DEP requirement for us to conduct this monitoring to protect our employees, the community and the environment," she said. "This couldn’t be more beneficial." She said the landfill already scans commercial and industrial waste as it comes in to the landfill for radioactive loads. This permit primarily adds the requirement to include residential waste. Barthel said engineers at the landfill are still reviewing the DEP permits and that it would be "about four months" before the actual radiation monitoring begins. An odd assortment of items common in residential waste are said to generate low levels of radioactivity, things like wristwatches, medical items thrown out by people who have come from a radiological procedure at a hospital, even kitty litter. Asked if the landfill presently contains any radioactive waste, Barthel was careful to define her terms. Because the state and federal government define "radioactive waste" in a very specific way, she said the landfill does not contain anything government agencies define as "radioactive waste." "But obviously, if some residential items contain small amounts of radioactivity, some of that is surely in the landfill," she said. What concerns environmentalists is that the federal Environmental Protection Agency has announced its intention to redefine what it defines as "radioactive waste," which under current regulations may not be deposited in landfills not license to accept "radioactive waste," no matter how low its radiation level. Called "below regulatory concern," some items, which could come from nuclear power plants, or nuclear weapons plants, could conceivably be allowed into municipal landfills like the one in West Pottsgrove, according to the Washington, D.C.-based Nuclear Information and Resource Service. ©The Mercury 2004 ***************************************************************** 53 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Paducah FR Doc 04-2025 [Federal Register: February 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 21)] [Notices] [Page 4932-4933] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02fe04-38] AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Notice of open meeting. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------ SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Thursday, February 19, 2004; 5:30 p.m.--9:30 p.m. ADDRESSES: 111 Memorial Drive, Barkley Centre, Paducah, Kentucky. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William E. Murphie, Deputy Designated Federal Officer, Department of Energy Paducah Site Office, Post Office Box 1410, MS-103, Paducah, Kentucky 42001, (270) 210-2215. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE and its regulators in the areas of environmental restoration and waste management activities. Tentative Agenda: 5:30 p.m. Informal Discussion 6 p.m. Call to Order; Approve January Minutes; Review Agenda 6:05 p.m. DDFO's Comments 6:25 p.m. Ex-officio Comments 6:35 p.m. Federal Coordinator Comments 6:45 p.m. Public Comments and Questions 6:55 p.m. Break 7:05 p.m. Task Forces/Presentations Waste Operations Task Force Water Task Force Long Range Strategy/Stewardship --DUF6 --Risk-Based End States 8:05 p.m. Public Comments and Questions 8:15 p.m. Administrative Issues Review of Work Plan Review of Next Agenda [[Page 4933]] Retreat 8:35 p.m. Review of Action Items 8:50 p.m. Subcommittee Reports Community Concerns Public Involvement/Membership 9:15 p.m. Final Comments 9:30 p.m. Adjourn Copies of the final agenda will be available at the meeting. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. Written statements may be filed with the Committee either before or after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements pertaining to agenda items should contact David Dollins at the address listed below or by telephone at (270) 441-6819. Requests must be received five days prior to the meeting and reasonable provision will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Each individual wishing to make public comments will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments as the first item of the meeting agenda. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room, 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, except Federal holidays. Minutes will also be available at the Department of Energy's Environmental Information Center and Reading Room at 115 Memorial Drive, Barkley Centre, Paducah, Kentucky between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday thru Friday or by writing to David Dollins, Department of Energy Paducah Site Office, Post Office Box 1410, MS-103, Paducah, Kentucky 42001 or by calling him at (270) 441-6819. Issued at Washington, DC on January 27, 2004. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-2025 Filed 1-30-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 54 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Nevada FR Doc 04-2026 [Federal Register: February 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 21)] [Notices] [Page 4933] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02fe04-39] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Nevada Test Site. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Wednesday, February 11, 2004; 6 p.m.-8 p.m. ADDRESSES: Amargosa Valley Community Center, 821 East Amargosa Farm Road, Amargosa, Nevada. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kay Planamento, Navarro Research and Engineering, Inc., 2721 Losee Road, North Las Vegas, Nevada 89130, phone: 702-657-9088, fax: 702-295-5300, e-mail kozeliskik@nv.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Advisory Board is to make recommendations to DOE and its regulators in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda: 1. The Nevada Site Office Environmental Management Program will provide an update to the community on the EM program, with a focus on recent waste management activities. 2. CAB members will discuss technical committee focus areas and plans for FY 2004. From 5:30 to 6 p.m. CAB members will present the CAB Roadshow, an informational overview of the CAB's mission and activities. Copies of the final agenda will be available at the meeting. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. Written statements may be filed with the Committee either before or after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements pertaining to agenda items should contact Kelly Kozeliski, at the telephone number listed above and reasonable provision will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Each individual wishing to make public comment will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments. This notice is being published less than 15 days before the date of the meeting due to programmatic issues that had to be resolved. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room, 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, except Federal holidays. Minutes will also be available by writing to Kay Planamento at the address listed above. Issued at Washington, DC, on January 27, 2004. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-2026 Filed 1-30-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 55 DOE: Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board, Oak Ridge FR Doc 04-2027 [Federal Register: February 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 21)] [Notices] [Page 4933-4934] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02fe04-40] Reservation AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Oak Ridge. The Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meeting be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Wednesday, February 11, 2004; 6 p.m. ADDRESSES: DOE Information Center, 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pat Halsey, Federal Coordinator, Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. Phone (865) 576-4025; Fax (865) 576-5333 or e- mail: halseypj@oro.doe.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Board: The purpose of the Board is to make recommendations to DOE and its regulators in the areas of environmental restoration, waste management, and related activities. Tentative Agenda: The meeting presentation will feature a discussion of the Focused Feasibility Study and Proposed Plan for the East Tennessee Technology Park Zone 2 Soils. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. Written statements may be filed with the Committee either before or after the meeting. Individuals who wish to make oral statements pertaining to agenda items should contact Pat Halsey at the address or telephone number listed above and reasonable provision will be made to include the presentation in the agenda. The Deputy Designated Federal Officer is empowered to conduct the meeting in a fashion that will facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Each individual wishing to make public comment will be provided a maximum of five minutes to present their comments. This notice is being published less than 15 days before the date of the meeting due to [[Page 4934]] programmatic issues that had to be resolved. Minutes: Minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying at the Department of Energy's Information Center at 475 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by writing to Pat Halsey, Department of Energy Oak Ridge Operations Office, P.O. Box 2001, EM-90, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, or by calling her at (865) 576-4025. Issued at Washington, DC, on January 27, 2004. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-2027 Filed 1-30-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 56 DOE: Office of Science; DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee; FR Doc 04-2028 [Federal Register: February 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 21)] [Notices] [Page 4932] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02fe04-37] Meeting AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee (NSAC). Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92- 463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Thursday, February 19, 2004; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, February 20, 2004; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. ADDRESSES: Crystal City Marriott, 1999 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brenda L. May, U.S. Department of Energy; SC-90/Germantown Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-1290; Telephone: 301-903-0536. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of Meeting: To provide advice and guidance on a continuing basis to the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation on scientific priorities within the field of basic nuclear science research. Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the following: Thursday, February 19, 2004, and Friday, February 20, 2004 Perspectives from Department of Energy and National Science Foundation Presentation and Discussion on the Report from the Sub-Committee on Committee of Visitors to the DOE Office of Nuclear Physics Discussion of NSAC Response and Transmittal Letter on Committee of Visitors Report Presentation and Discussion on the Report from the Sub-Committee on GSI to RIA Comparison Discussion of NSAC Response and Transmittal Letter on GSI to RIA Comparison Report Public Comment (10-minute rule) Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements regarding any of these items on the agenda, you should contact Brenda L. May, 301-903-0536 or Brenda.May@science.doe.gov (e- mail). You must make your request for an oral statement at least 5 business days before the meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 10-minute rule. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting will be available for public review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room; Room 1E-190; Forrestal Building; 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Issued at Washington, DC, on January 27, 2004. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee, Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-2028 Filed 1-30-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 57 DOE: Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee FR Doc 04-2040 [Federal Register: February 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 21)] [Notices] [Page 4931-4932] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr02fe04-36] AGENCY: Department of Energy. ACTION: Notice of open meeting. SUMMARY: This notice announces a meeting of the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC). Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register. DATES: Monday, February 23, 2004, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. ADDRESSES: The Hamilton Crowne Plaza, 14th & K Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20005. [[Page 4932]] FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Talamini, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U. S. Department of Energy, 19901 Germantown Road, Germantown, MD 20874-1290; telephone: (301) 903-4563. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of the Meeting: The purpose of this meeting is to provide advice and guidance with respect to the basic energy sciences research program. Tentative Agenda: Agenda will include discussions of the following: News from the Office of Science; News from the Office of Basic Energy Sciences; Preliminary Report of BESAC Subcommittee on Theory and Computation in Basic Energy Sciences; BESAC Discussion. Public Participation: The meeting is open to the public. If you would like to file a written statement with the Committee, you may do so either before or after the meeting. If you would like to make oral statements regarding any of the items on the agenda, you should contact Karen Talamini at 301-903-6594 (fax) or karen.talamini@science.doe.gov (e-mail). You must make your request for an oral statement at least 5 business days prior to the meeting. Reasonable provision will be made to include the scheduled oral statements on the agenda. The Chairperson of the Committee will conduct the meeting to facilitate the orderly conduct of business. Public comment will follow the 10-minute rule. Minutes: The minutes of this meeting will be available for public review and copying within 30 days at the Freedom of Information Public Reading Room, 1E-190, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Issued in Washington, DC on January 27, 2004. Rachel M. Samuel, Deputy Advisory Committee Management Officer. [FR Doc. 04-2040 Filed 1-30-04; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P ***************************************************************** 58 Tri-City Herald: Bidders protest Hanford contract This story was published Thursday, January 29th, 2004 By Annette Cary Herald staff writer Two losing bidders for the contract to provide occupational medicine services at Hanford are protesting a decision to award it to AdvanceMed of Reston, Va. The U.S. Government Accounting Office has up to 100 days to consider the dispute from the filing of the first protest Jan. 16. In the meantime, the award of the contract valued at up to $96 million is in limbo. Hanford Environmental Health Foundation, which has held the contract since 1965, filed the first protest, and Comprehensive Health Services also filed a protest. AdvanceMed was expected to start offering occupational medicine services March 8 for 11,000 workers at the Hanford nuclear site. The Department of Energy is working on an extension of HEHF's contract to provide services until a decision is made on who will have the long-term contract for occupational health services. In addition, time also will be allowed for the transition, unless HEHF is successful in winning back the contract. HEHF is a nonprofit company formed when the Atomic Energy Commission split off several functions of General Electric Co. -- then Hanford's main contractor -- in 1965. Its last contract for a maximum of five years was awarded in 1998, but the contract already has been extended as DOE asked for proposals for the occupational medicine program. Comprehensive Health Services, with corporate headquarters in Vienna, Va., was founded in 1975 and clients include 30 Fortune 200 firms and several large federal agencies, according to its Web site. It has 8,000 affiliated doctors at more than 6,000 locations nationwide. The fourth bidder, which has not filed a protest, has not been named by DOE. All four bidders submitted strong proposals, but their charges for performing the work varied significantly, said Doug Shoop, Hanford's deputy assistant manager for safety and engineering, when DOE's choice for the contract was announced earlier this month. The contract was put up for bid under requirements of federal procurement regulations intended to keep government costs in check. AdvanceMed, which was announced as the winning bidder Jan. 6, has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Computer Sciences Corp., or CSC, since last March. CSC acquired AdvanceMed's former parent company, Dyncorp. Its proposal included work to be done by HPM Corp., a start-up company in Richland owned by Hollie Mooers. The occupational medicine contract is for three years initially with options for seven more years at an estimated total cost of $96 million. The contractor's responsibilities will range from planning for emergencies to employee counseling to treatment of work-related injuries and illnesses. Workers are at risk of chemical, radiological and construction hazards as they clean up the Hanford site where plutonium was once produced for nuclear weapons. The winning contractor also will help with epidemiological studies of Hanford workers. © 2004 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services ***************************************************************** 59 The Daily Californian: Berkeley Lab Contract Renewed By KIM-MAI CUTLER Daily Cal Staff Writer Monday, February 2, 2004 The U.S. Department of Energy gave an anticipated one-year contract extension for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Friday. UC has held sole stewardship of the lab since its inception more than 70 years ago. The lab shares the closest relationship with the university out of all three UC-run labs. The lab’s contract was scheduled to end Saturday—just one month after federal legislation mandated that five national laboratories’ contracts be offered for bidding. Other contenders, including the University of Texas and Lockheed Martin, may compete against UC to run one or more of UC’s three labs. The extension gives UC one more year to run the lab. Although a timetable for the competition has not been announced, it is expected to finish by Jan. 31 of next year, said lab Director Charles Shank. “By extending the contract, the excellent work at the laboratory will continue without interruption and the employees can remain focused on their mission,” said Robert Foley, UC vice president for laboratory management, in a statement. The lab, adjacent to the UC Berkeley campus, holds hundreds of ties to the university through its research projects and management. Nearly two-thirds of the lab’s leaders are UC Berkeley faculty, including the director, and there are more than 900 joint faculty, graduate and post-doctoral students who work at the lab. “I don’t think there’s any question that UC should compete. This laboratory brings $500 million into the local region and a good fraction of that is done with UC Berkeley,” Shank said. The UC Board of Regents has yet to decide whether to bid for any of the three labs, including Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos national laboratories. A single bid could carry an estimated $25 million to 30 million price tag—a steep cost for the cash-strapped university. The competition price for Lawrence Berkeley, the smallest of UC’s three labs, will run about $3 million to $5 million. The board took a step forward last month by voting to keep the option open to compete for all three labs. “The laboratory clearly is one of our nation’s leading centers of groundbreaking science,” said UC Regent John Moores in a statement. “We look forward to continuing our responsibilities to the nation in preserving excellence in both science and management at the laboratory as a result of this contract extension.” Until fall 2002, the DOE held a close relationship with UC, which exclusively ran three labs. But a string of financial fraud and management problems at Los Alamos severed the tight bonds between the university and the department. Lawrence Berkeley is UC’s only lab which does not research nuclear weapons. It maintains multidisciplinary labs in nanotechnology, life sciences, energy, physics and cosmology. Berkeley, California dailycal@dailycal.org ***************************************************************** 60 Oak Ridger: BNFL completes equipment removal at three K-25 buildings Story last updated at 1:23 p.m. on February 2, 2004 OFFICIAL: 'In August 2004, we will have successfully completed one of the largest decommissioning projects in the United States, and the only one of its kind.' By: Paul Parson | Oak Ridger Staff BNFL Inc. recently completed the removal and disassembly of the last converter located in Building K-29 - one of the three facilities the company is under contract to clean up at the historic Oak Ridge K-25 site. Completion of this milestone in the cleanup project was 41 days ahead of the company's schedule, officials said. Buildings K-29, K-31 and K-33 housed a total of 1,536 converters, which weighed as much as 30-plus tons each, and 1,534 compressors. This equipment was used to enrich uranium for commercial nuclear power and defense purposes for more than 40 years. BNFL Inc. A converter is removed from Building K-29 as part of environmental cleanup activities at the Oak Ridge K-25 site. This 12-ton piece of equipment was one of 309 removed from K-29, in addition to the 632 from Building K-33 - weighing 33 tons each - and 595 from Building K-31 - weighing 15 tons each. Officials said the original plan for the disposal of these converters was to ship them intact to a recycling facility. However, as a result of several changes and unforeseen challenges, a new plan was devised which called for the disassembly of the converters. "BNFL Inc. thoroughly evaluated all possibilities for stabilizing and/or dispositioning the converters at our project and concluded that disassembly was the safest and most cost-effective solution," said John Christian, the company's chief operating officer. "Despite early challenges and painfully slow progress, the team tenaciously developed a safe, disciplined and highly productive approach," Christian said. "It was not easy and the learning curve was steep, but there is no question that the hazard is fully eliminated and we delivered on schedule - no excuses. "I'm particularly proud of our project team. It is a significant milestone for [the Department of Energy] and the community to have completed all of the converters from K-33, K-31, and K-29." K-25 began operating as part of the Manhattan Project during World War II to produce enriched uranium for use in atomic weapons. The plant then produced enriched uranium for the commercial nuclear power industry from 1945 to 1985 and was permanently shut down in 1987. BNFL is on schedule to wrap up the three-building cleanup project in August 2004. "With the dismantling operations virtually complete, we continue on our accelerated schedule," said Project General Manager Jeff Stevens. "As we reach the end of the contract and the project population decreases, we look back on our accomplishments with pride. In August 2004, we will have successfully completed one of the largest decommissioning projects in the United States, and the only one of its kind." Laurie Dreyling, workshop manager for decontamination and decommissioning efforts, said teamwork was key to the success of the BNFL project. "Our team was presented with numerous challenges and obstacles over the history of the project, and only through the exceptional contribution of the craft personnel could we meet those challenges safely and successfully," said Dreyling. "This teamwork allowed us to achieve our milestones on or ahead of schedule." Although no decisions have been made, the fate of the K-29, K-31 and K-33 buildings ranges from demolishing the facilities to leasing the buildings. Building K-33 is one of several structures at K-25 that could be transferred to the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee - an economic development organization that has received funding from DOE. K-25, which is also referred to as the East Tennessee Technology Park or the Heritage Center, literally got a new lease on life around 1996 when DOE instituted its reindustrialization program. This effort made available parts of the vast complex for lease to private-sector companies through CROET. ***************************************************************** 61 [du-list] DU in the news - 2nd Feb. 04 Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 19:46:34 -0800 BAGHDAD Greetings Ithaca Times ... Quoting from Daniel's E-mail: "Yesterday we visited a hospital in Baghdad and met some children with cancer caused by US depleted uranium munitions that were ... <http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10802609&BRD=1395&PAG=461&dept_id=216620&rfi=6> SCIENTIFICALLY speaking Denver Post ... Depleted uranium discussion: Dan Bishop, a chemist, will show a video and lead a discussion about depleted uranium at 7 pm For location and information, call ... <http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~1926313,00.html> DEAR Secretary General Annan, International Action Center ... The US did - 900 tons plus of depleted uranium, fuel air explosives, super bombs,, cluster bombs with civilians and civilian facilities the "direct object of ... <http://www.iacenter.org/rc_un0104.htm> FEBRUARY 2004 The World Crisis Web ... The man is using special bullets, tipped with depleted uranium; the shot explodes the boy's shoulder in a spray of red mist and sends his gangly body ... <http://www.world-crisis.com/archives/A2004021/> TAMING the Arabs Pakistan News Service ... Who will bring them to justice for their heinous crimes? What about the cluster bombs and the depleted uranium that continues to kill and poison Iraq? ... <http://www.paknews.com/articles.php?id=4&date1=2004-01-09> To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com. In the body of the message type unsubscribe and send. Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT e3c8dd.jpg e3c910.jpg ---------- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: * http://groups.yahoo.com/group/du-list/ * * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: * du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. Attachment Converted: e3c8dd.jpg: 00000001,08ce2617,00000000,00000000 Attachment Converted: e3c910.jpg: 00000001,08ce2618,00000000,00000000 ***************************************************************** 62 Nuclear Calendar Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 09:33:07 -0500 (EST) FCNL Nuclear Calendar
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Friends Committee on National Legislation

Nuclear Calendar

Feb. 2 President submits the federal budget to Congress.
Feb. 2 Defense and Energy Departments report to Congress on the Strategic Nuclear Force Structure Plan (Public Law 107-314, Sec. 1031) (possible, was due March 1, 2003)
Feb. 2 Energy and Defense Departments report to Congress on the Nuclear Weapons Stockpile Plan (House Report 108-357, p. 154).
Feb. 2 Central Intelligence agency reports to Congress on the number of Russian strategic nuclear warheads dismantled under the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty (SORT), or "Moscow Treaty" (Public Law 108-137, Sec. 1033).
Feb. 3 9:30 a.m., Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vote on the "Additional Protocol" to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement (possible). 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Webcast on CapitolHearings.org.
Feb. 3 Arizona, Delaware, Missouri, New Mexico (caucuses), North Dakota (caucuses), Oklahoma, and South Carolina presidential primaries
Feb. 3 9:30 a.m., Senate Armed Services Committee, hearing on the Defense Department budget with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers. 216 Hart Senate Office Building. Webcast on CapitolHearings.org.
Feb. 4 1 p.m., House Armed Services Committee, hearing on the Defense Department budget with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers, and Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Dov Zakheim. 2118 Rayburn House Office Building. Webcast on the committee web site.
Feb. 4 3 p.m., Polish Amb. Mariusz Handzlik, recent Missile Technology Control Regime chairman, "The Missile Technology Control Regime and Multilateral Export Control Reform." Center for International Trade and Security, 1900 K St., N.W., Second Floor. RSVP to Chris Leaman at cits@uga.edu or (202) 496-7769.
Feb. 4 5 p.m., Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and Newsweek, "How Presidential Campaign Politics in 2004 Are Shaping the Global and Domestic Security Debate" with Sen. Bob Graham (FL); Rep. Porter Goss (FL); Michael Isikoff, Newsweek; Francis Fukuyama, SAIS; and Daniel Klaidman, Newsweek. RSVP to saispubaffairs@jhu.edu or (202) 663-5648 . A reception precedes the event at 4 p.m. SAIS, Kenney Auditorium, 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Feb. 4 5:30-7 p.m., Amb. Wendy Sherman, The Albright Group, "North Korea and Iran: Crisis and Opportunity." Sponsored by Women In International Security. At the Carnegie Endowment, 1779 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. RSVP to Meaghan Keeler at wiisevents@georgetown.edu.
Feb. 6 NATO informal defense ministers meeting. Munich, Germany
Feb. 7 Michigan and Washington State presidential caucuses
Feb. 8 Maine presidential caucuses
Feb. 9 10 a.m., Heritage Foundation, "Asia 2004: The View from Capitol Hill" with Keith Luse, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Lisa Williams, Peter Yeo, and Dennis Halpin, House International Relations Committee. 214 Massachusetts Ave. N.E. RSVP online or call (202) 675-1752. Webcast on the Heritage web site.
 
 

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***************************************************************** 63 Google News Alert - nuclear Date: Mon, 02 Feb 2004 16:02:14 -0800 (PST) 'NUCLEAR dustbin' plans condemned BBC News Environmental groups have criticised a proposed switch in government policy, which could see foreign nuclear waste dumped in Cumbria permanently. ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/3451821.stm PAKISTAN scientist in nuclear confession Independent The Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, the father of the Islamic bomb, has confessed to sharing nuclear secrets with states such as North Korea, Iran and ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp%3Fstory%3D487288 PAK nuclear threat worried only me, says ex-Army chief Indian Express ... Operation Parakram, today made it clear that never during the year-long deployment did the Army’s planner worry about Pakistan’s possession of nuclear ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php%3Fcontent_id%3D40327 PAKISTAN Humiliates Father of its Nuclear Program Pakistan News Service Similarly Pakistan owes its current existence to the person who single handedly created the nuclear deterrent against bitter rival India. ... EFFORTS to reopen North Korean nuclear talks intensify San Francisco Chronicle Efforts to restart six-nation talks on the North Korean nuclear crisis intensified Monday, with US diplomats visiting South Korea and Japan, and Australian ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi%3Ff%3D/news/archive/2004/02/02/international1517EST0718.DTL UK teen escapes jail in nuclear lab hack case The Register A UK teenager who admits breaking into the network of a US high-energy physics research lab has escaped imprisonment. Joseph McElroy ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/35280.html PAK scientist admits selling nuclear secrets Navhind Times Reuters Islamabad Feb 2: The father of Pakistan’s atomic bomb has confessed to selling nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, but authorities have ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.navhindtimes.com/stories.php%3Fpart%3Dnews%26Story_ID%3D02038 TEMPERATURES rising over imminent release of Israel's "nuclear ... SpaceDaily The upcoming release of Mordechai Vanunu, the whistleblower jailed for exposing Israel's nuclear arsenal, was never going to be an easy pill to swallow but it ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040202143847.w47n4diz.html COMPANY in nuclear waste row has links with BNFL Independent Government proposals to allow British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL) to make hundreds of millions of pounds by storing foreign nuclear waste permanently in Britain were ... NUCLEAR Program Founder Gave Iran Info ShortNews.com Officials investigating the allegations that Pakistan gave information on Nuclear weapons have been given a written statement by the founder of Pakistan's ... See all stories on this topic: http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf8&client=google&num=30&newsclusterurl=http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm%3Fid%3D36598%26rubrik1%3DPolitics%26rubrik2%3DWorld%2520Politics%26rubrik3%3DAsia%26sort%3D1%26sparte%3D4 This daily-once News Alert is brought to you by Google News (BETA)... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Remove this News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts/remove?s=682e52ddd0720101&hl=en Create another News Alert: http://www.google.com/newsalerts?hl=en Try Google News: http://news.google.com/ ***************************************************************** NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: *****************************************************************