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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Rejects European Threat of Sanctions
2 albawaba.com: Iran slams UN nuclear watchdog chief's report
3 Guardian Unlimited Europe: Iran Faces Saturday Nuke Deadline
4 Xinhua: Iran denounces US rejection of its parliamentary delegation
5 Xinhua: Iran rejects EU warning of nuclear referral
6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Faces Deadline on Nuclear Work
7 Reuters: Security Council threats won't work,Iran tells West
8 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Nuclear Issue May Go to the U.N.
9 Guardian Unlimited: Iran under growing pressure to halt nuclear proj
10 Guardian Unlimited U.S.: N.Korea Still Building Nuke Facility
11 Korea Herald: U.S. congressman says 'trust' factor key in N.K.'s pea
12 Korea Herald: Speaker to propose 6-party parliamentary-level talks
13 Guardian Unlimited: U.S.: N.Korea Ready to Restart Nuke Talks
14 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: N.Korea's Nuclear Activities Continue: U.
15 Xinhua: DPRK to return to nuke talks in Sept.: US congressman
16 Korea Times: NK Determined to Keep Peaceful Nukes
17 Reuters: U.S. lawmakers tell N.Korea to end nuclear crisis
18 Reuters: U.S, N.Korea to meet ahead of nuclear talks -report
19 Reuters: N.Korea says South responsible for trouble at talks
20 [du-list] Some words on nuclear weapons from a wise & wonderful SriL
21 RIA Novosti: Russian companies step up activities in Libya in
22 WorldNetDaily: Bolton in a china shop
23 Mehr News: Nuclear dossier and a new scenario
24 Guardian Unlimited: U.N. Members Divided Over Summit Document
25 Stuff.co.nz: No nukes is good news, say the voters
26 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Sacks Commander of Russian Navy
NUCLEAR REACTORS
27 US: San Luis Obispo Tribune: Diablo safety concerns solved, feds say
28 US: Minneapolis Star Tribune: Monticello nuclear plant gets high rat
29 RedNovaNews: Ukrainian Nuclear Reactor Stopped Due to Turbine Malfun
30 US: Los Angeles Times: Suite deal has nuclear glow -
31 US: SouthofBoston.com: Pilgrim is running out of room
32 asahi.com: Ministry seeking 3 facilities in Aomori for ITER
33 DAWN: Civil use of N-energy allowed -
NUCLEAR SECURITY
34 Sunday Herald: Nuclear weapons disaster exercise for capital -
NUCLEAR SAFETY
35 [du-list] Planned survey of DU polluted areas.
36 [du-list] DU use in So. Korea
37 US: AR: Pima County plans testing near beryllium-processing plant
38 Fiji Times Online: Nuclear veterans await pension -
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
39 US: Bradenton Herald: Tallevast residents file lawsuit
40 US: AP Wire: Tallevast residents sue Lockheed Martin over plant cont
41 US: Daily Sentinel: Mill could make difference for uranium miners
42 US: PE.com; Trustees wrestle with tests
PEACE
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
43 Seattle Times: 11 fired Hanford workers awarded millions
44 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Whistle-blowers awarded damages
45 Tri-City Herald: Jury rules for 11 Hanford pipefitters; $4.8 million
46 lamonitor.com: Review faults NNSA security management
47 lamonitor.com: L.A. scientist to speak on gamma ray bursts
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Rejects European Threat of Sanctions
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Sunday September 4, 2005 10:31 AM
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Sunday that it won't stop uranium
reprocessing work, rejecting a European threat that Tehran had
less than two weeks to freeze uranium conversion or face
referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions.
Iran resumed uranium reprocessing activities at its Uranium
Conversion Facility in Isfahan in central Iran last month. The
facility converts uranium concentrate ore, known as yellowcake,
into uranium hexaflouride gas, the feedstock for enrichment.
In the next stage, Iran could feed the gas into centrifuges used
to enrich uranium at its uranium enrichment plant in Natanz,
also in central Iran. Iran says it won't restart uranium
enrichment for now in Natanz, where it was suspended in 2003
under a deal with Europeans, but insists it will never again
suspend uranium conversion in Isfahan.
Uranium enriched to low level is used to produce nuclear fuel
used to generate electricity, but further enrichment makes it
suitable for use in nuclear weapons.
The United States accuses Iran of using its civilian nuclear
program as a cover to secretly produce nuclear weapons. Iran has
rejected the charges, saying its nuclear program is geared
merely towards generating electricity, not a bomb.
Iran restarted work in Isfahan after it rejected a European
package of proposals that had called on Iran to permanently stop
its uranium enrichment program in return for a supply of nuclear
fuel and economic incentives.
Tehran said the proposals were against the spirit of the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty and against previous agreements between
Iran and the Europeans, which had recognized Iran's right to use
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Iran says it won't give up uranium enrichment, a right granted
to it under the Nonproliferation Treaty.
A report by Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, said on Friday that Tehran had recently produced
about seven tons of the gas it needs to enrich uranium - a
possible pathway to a nuclear weapon - after restarting work in
Isfahan.
Britain, Germany and France, negotiating on behalf of the
25-nation European Union, have said they may get involved in
drafting the language of a resolution demanding that Iran be
referred to the Security Council if Tehran fails to stop uranium
conversion in Isfahan by the upcoming IAEA board meeting on
Sept. 19.
``The issue of Isfahan is a thing of the past,'' Foreign
Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters Sunday.
Asefi said ElBaradei's report does not justify Iran's referral
to the Security Council and said Europeans must stop threatening
Iran.
``The era of threats to force Iran to give up its rights is
over. We have said it and say it again, that threat and
resorting to two-sided language won't help Europe,'' he told a
press conference.
Meanwhile, an Iranian official noted that ElBaradei's report
gave Iran credit for cooperating with the agency, but also
included sections that would give Europeans the excuse to bring
political pressures on Iran.
``ElBaradei confirms that traces of highly enriched uranium,
which had been used by America as a sign that Iran was moving
towards nuclear weapons, were due to contaminated equipment
imported into Iran. This is a big victory for Iran,'' Mohammad
Saeedi, Deputy Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran,
told state-run television Sunday.
``But it has also used a language that gives Europeans the
pretext to pressure Iran, which is not acceptable,'' he said.
Saeedi said Iran won't answer some questions by ElBaradei simply
because the demands he made are beyond his agency's
responsibilities.
``They have asked us to explain where do we keep dual-use
equipment we have imported and similar demands. These demands
are beyond IAEA's responsibility,'' he said.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
2 albawaba.com: Iran slams UN nuclear watchdog chief's report
Posted: 04-09-2005 , 10:29 GMT
Iran Sunday stated the recent report presented by the UN nuclear
watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on its nuclear activities was
"ambiguous" and had no coherence and integration. [Mohamed
ElBaradei]
"One cannot find any grounds in this report for referral of
Iran's (nuclear) dossier to the UN Security Council," Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi commented, according to
Irna.
In a report to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
board of governors Saturday, Elbaradei wrote that Iran had been
cooperative in providing the IAEA with some new information with
respect to the dates of the plutonium research activities.
"ElBaradei's report pointed to certain minor issues which we
think they are just pretexts. The report mentioned cases that
have nothing to do with us and are related to the IAEA
regulations," Asefi added. In the recent report, ambiguous words
have been used as a stick in the hands of Europe, he stressed.
"No threat and taking resort to ambiguous remarks would help
Europe," he conveyed. "National interests and legal rights are
all red lines. "We are ready to cooperate with the agency,
Europe and other states and hope Iran's nuclear case will be
discussed in the next IAEA session with a non-political,
expertised and legal attitude."
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
*****************************************************************
3 Guardian Unlimited Europe: Iran Faces Saturday Nuke Deadline
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Saturday September 3, 2005 12:01 PM
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran faced a deadline Saturday to freeze
work that could enable it to make an atomic weapon. European
Union representatives warned Tehran had just weeks before a
likely referral to the Security Council.
The probability of Security Council referral grew after an IAEA
report revealed Friday that Tehran had pumped out about seven
tons of the gas it needs for uranium enrichment since restarting
the conversion process last month.
Key European nations awaited the results of the report, setting
Saturday as an informal deadline for Tehran to reimpose its
freeze or face the threat of referral to Council.
Diplomats from EU countries accredited to the International
Atomic Energy Agency said talks with other members of the
35-nation IAEA board of governors geared at finding consensus on
referral would begin Monday in Vienna.
They said that as a Sept. 19 board meeting grows closer,
ministers, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and EU
counterparts from France, Germany and Britain will likely get
involved in drafting the language of a resolution demanding that
the Security Council deal with Iran's refusal to stop uranium
conversion, a precursor to uranium enrichment.
On Saturday, a Vienna-based diplomat said the European Union
felt betrayed by Iran's move.
``The Iranians have destroyed the basis for dialogue,'' he said.
The diplomats - who demanded anonymity because they are not
authorized to discuss the Iran game plan with the media - said
Tehran could still avoid referral by reimposing a freeze on such
activities before the start of the board meeting.
That appeared unlikely, however.
Iranian state television on Friday cited Ali Larijani, Iran's
point-man on nuclear issues, as saying his country would
``confine its cooperation with the IAEA (only) to IAEA
regulations and to defined international agreements.''
Iran argues that it is not breaking international law by
carrying out activities linked to uranium enrichment and insists
its intentions are only to generate nuclear power.
The newly released report, prepared by IAEA chief Mohamed
ElBaradei, revealed the amount produced of uranium hexafluoride,
the gaseous feed stock that is spun by centrifuges into enriched
uranium. Depending on the level of enrichment, that substance
can be used either as a source of power or as the core of
nuclear weapons.
The document did not make a determination on whether Iran was
pursuing a nuclear weapon.
But David Albright, a former IAEA nuclear inspector, said that -
were Tehran to use the material for weapons purposes - it would
suffice for one atomic bomb.
Tehran last month rejected economic and other incentives offered
by Britain, France and Germany - negotiating on behalf of the EU
- and resumed uranium conversion.
Iran argues that it has a right to enrichment for peaceful
purposes. The Europeans say Tehran broke its word by
unilaterally resuming conversion while still negotiating with
them on ways to reduce international suspicions about its
nuclear agenda.
If Iran is hauled before the Security Council, it, in turn,
could impose sanctions - although members China and Russia are
believed to oppose such a move. At a minimum, the issue would
receive world attention if debated by the U.N.'s top body.
``China and Russia remain to be convinced,'' along with
nonaligned board members said the diplomat. Still, he said the
Europeans, Americans and their allies were ready this time to
take the issue to a vote at the board meeting, although such
gatherings usually take decisions by consensus.
Friday's IAEA report also said that despite more than 2 1/2
years of investigation, questions remain about key aspects of
Iran's 18 years of clandestine nuclear activity and that it
still was unable ``to conclude that there are no undeclared
nuclear materials or activities in Iran.''
``Iran's full transparency is indispensable and overdue,'' said
the confidential document obtained by The Associated Press.
Among the unanswered questions, according to the report, were
gaps in the documented development of Iran's centrifuge program
used in uranium enrichment - and in what was received, and when,
from the black market network headed by the Pakistani scientist
A.Q. Khan.
Overall, the report confirmed recent revelations that most of
the traces of weapons-grade uranium were imported to Iran on
equipment from Pakistan that it bought on the black market -
even though it said it was not possible to determine the origins
of other traces enriched to less than weapons grade.
That finding hurts U.S. arguments that the traces were likely
the result of enrichment done in Iran, as part of a secret
program to make nuclear weapons.
---
On the Net: www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
4 Xinhua: Iran denounces US rejection of its parliamentary delegation to UN
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-09-04 07:50:55
TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran on Saturday denounced
the United States refusal to issue visas to an Iranian
parliamentary delegation which intended to take part in a
UN-sponsored conference in New York.
"The United States proved through its recent immoral act
that it is not competent to host international conferences,"
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefi was quoted as saying
by the semi-official Mehr news agency.
"Parliaments are signs of democracy and the parliament
speakersplanning to attend the conference want to discuss ways
to develop and institutionalize democracy. However, the recent
decision showed that the United States is clearly opposed to
democracy," Asefi said.
The spokesman said that Washington had "always violated its
international commitments due to its political motives". He
further urged other countries to review the idea of holding
international conferences in the United States and called for
the UN to move its headquarters out of the country.
Iranian Majlis (Parliament) speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-e Adel
originally planned to attend the Second World Conference of
Speakers of Parliament at the United Nation's New York
headquarters from Sept. 7 to 9.
Iran and the United States has severed relations since 1979
Islamic Revolution.
Washington, accusing Iran of developing nuclear weapons and
sponsoring terrorism, has labeled Iran as the "axis of evils"
and imposed harsh sanctions on the country.
In return, Iran termed the United Sates as the "enemy of the
Islam," calling on all Muslims to frustrate its attempt to
controlthe Middle East.
On Aug. 11, Washington said that Iranian President Mahmood
Ahmadinejad would be given a US visa to attend the UN General
Assembly meetings in New York in mid-September.
The United States had previously said that it had to review
Ahmadinejad's visa request because Washington had been looking
into allegations that the new Iranian president played a role in
the 1979 siege of the US embassy. Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
5 Xinhua: Iran rejects EU warning of nuclear referral
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-09-04 19:54:46
TEHRAN, Sept. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Iran on Sunday rejected an EU
warning of referring its nuclear case to the UN Security Council
if Tehran did not stop sensitive nuclear activities.
"We will never retreat on the uranium conversion in Isfahan,
which has been an issue of the past," Foreign Ministry spokesman
Hamid-Reza Asefi told a weekly news briefing.
The European Union on Saturday urged Iran to re-suspend its
uranium conversion activities within two weeks as the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General
Mohamed ElBaradei submitted a comprehensive report on Tehran's
nuclear program.
ElBaradei's report criticized Iran for failing to keep
suspension on uranium enrichment activities as it had promised
and defined Tehran's cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog as
"overdue".
Asefi said the IAEA report provided no base for EU's threat
of referring.
"There is not any grounds in this report for referring
Iran's case to the UN Security Council, and what the EU has
picked up to support the referral are just some minor issues,"
Asefi said.
Iran has been under international pressure since it resumed
uranium conversion activities in the central city Isfahan on
Aug. 8and rejected EU's comprehensive proposal to solve the
issue.
The EU proposal asked Iran to permanently halt all of its
activities related to uranium enrichment in order to provide
objective guarantees that Iran's nuclear program will not be
used for military purpose.
Tehran has repeatedly stressed that it will never give up
its legal rights including uranium enrichment activities but
will continue to cooperate with the international community.
The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons
under the disguise of civil usage, a charge rejected by Tehran.
Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Faces Deadline on Nuclear Work
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Saturday September 3, 2005 3:16 PM
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Iran faced a deadline Saturday to freeze
work that could enable it to make an atomic weapon. European
Union representatives warned Tehran had just weeks before a
likely referral to the U.N. Security Council.
The probability of action by the Security Council, which could
impose sanctions, grew after an IAEA report revealed Friday that
Tehran had pumped out about seven tons of the gas it needs for
uranium enrichment since restarting the conversion process last
month.
Key European nations had awaited the results of the report,
setting Saturday as an informal deadline for Tehran to reimpose
its freeze or face the threat of referral to Council.
Diplomats from EU countries accredited to the International
Atomic Energy Agency said talks with other members of the
35-nation IAEA board of governors geared at finding consensus on
referral would begin Monday in Vienna.
The diplomats - who demanded anonymity because they are not
authorized to discuss Iran with the media - said Tehran could
still avoid referral by reimposing a freeze on such activities
before the start of a Sept. 19 board meeting.
That appeared unlikely, however.
Iranian state television on Friday cited Ali Larijani, Iran's
point-man on nuclear issues, as saying his country would
``confine its cooperation with the IAEA (only according) to IAEA
regulations and to defined international agreements.''
Iran argues that it is not breaking international law by
carrying out activities linked to uranium enrichment and insists
its intentions are only to generate nuclear power. The United
States and others accuse it of seeking to develop atomic
weapons.
Diplomats said that as the date of the board meeting approaches,
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her counterparts
from France, Germany and Britain will likely get involved in
drafting a resolution demanding that the Security Council deal
with Iran's refusal to stop uranium conversion, a precursor to
uranium enrichment.
A senior U.S. diplomat said Iran's choices were narrowing.
``Unless Iran stops its conversion, cooperates fully with the
IAEA and returns to the (EU) negotiating table, the board should
report this matter to the U.N. Security Council,'' he said.
A Vienna-based European diplomat said the European Union felt
betrayed by Iran's move.
``The Iranians have destroyed the basis for dialogue,'' he said.
The report, prepared by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, revealed
seven tons of gaseous of uranium hexafluoride had been produced
but did not make a determination on whether Iran was using it to
pursue a nuclear weapon.
But David Albright, a former IAEA nuclear inspector, said that -
were Tehran to use the material for weapons purposes - the
amount already produced would suffice for one atomic bomb.
Tehran last month rejected economic and other incentives offered
by Britain, France and Germany - negotiating on behalf of the
25-nation EU - and resumed uranium conversion.
Iran argues that it has a right to enrichment for peaceful
purposes. The Europeans say Tehran broke its word by
unilaterally resuming conversion while still negotiating with
them on ways to reduce international suspicions about its
nuclear agenda.
``China and Russia remain to be convinced,'' along with
nonaligned board members said the diplomat. Still, he said the
Europeans, Americans and their allies were ready this time to
take the issue to a vote at the board meeting, although such
gatherings usually take decisions by consensus.
Friday's IAEA report also said that despite more than 2 years of
investigation, questions remain about key aspects of Iran's 18
years of clandestine nuclear activity and that it still was
unable ``to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear
materials or activities in Iran.''
``Iran's full transparency is indispensable and overdue,'' said
the confidential document obtained by The Associated Press.
---
On the Net: http://www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
7 Reuters: Security Council threats won't work,Iran tells West
Sun Sep 4, 2005 5:11 AM ET
TEHRAN, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Iran said on Sunday threats of U.N.
Security Council referral would not persuade it to abandon its
nuclear programme.
U.S. and European Union officials have warned they will push for
Iran's nuclear case to be sent to the Security Council -- which
could impose sanctions -- if Tehran does not halt all nuclear
fuel work and resume negotiations with the EU.
But Iran, which denies harbouring secret plans to make atomic
bombs, says it has no intention of freezing uranium conversion at
its Isfahan plant -- where U.N. seals were broken and work
resumed last month.
"Gone is the time when they could deny Iran its rights by
threatening it," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza
Asefi.
"It's our legitimate right to have peaceful nuclear technology
and we will not give that up," he told a weekly news conference.
"The Isfahan issue belongs to the past and we are not going to go
back on that, we should think of other issues now," he added.
A report by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog on Friday confirmed Iran
had converted several tonnes of raw uranium into a gas at Isfahan
which could at a later stage be enriched to make atomic reactor
or bomb-grade fuel.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report also said
it could not yet conclude that Tehran had no secrete atomic
weapons programme.
Iran says it has answered almost all of the IAEA's outstanding
questions about its nuclear programme and that nothing has been
uncovered which would justify sending Tehran to the Security
Council.
Speaking on state television on Saturday night, the deputy head
of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Mohammad Saeedi described
talk of Security Council referral as "ridiculous".
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani, who has been
engaged in a flurry of diplomacy with non-Western countries ahead
of an IAEA meeting later this month, said Tehran would not be
bullied.
"The belief that they can weaken the will of this great nation
with the baton of the Security Council is mistaken logic and they
are only losing their dignity," he told state television.
"They are asking why we do not continue negotiations, but they
are the ones who cancelled talks," he added.
© Reuters 2005.
All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
8 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Nuclear Issue May Go to the U.N.
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Saturday September 3, 2005 8:46 PM
By GEORGE JAHN
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - U.S. and European resolve to bring Iran
before the U.N. Security Council grew Saturday following
revelations that Tehran had recently produced about seven tons
of the gas it needs to enrich uranium - a possible pathway to a
nuclear weapon.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran had pumped
out that amount of uranium hexafluoride gas since resuming
conversion from uranium ore last month. The gas can be spun by
centrifuges into enriched uranium. Depending on the level of
enrichment, that can then be used either as a source of power or
as the core of nuclear weapons.
The confidential IAEA document, prepared Friday by agency head
Mohamed ElBaradei, did not make a determination whether Iran was
pursuing a nuclear weapon, Iran insists it wants to enrich only
to generate electricity.
But David Albright, a former IAEA nuclear inspector, said the
seven tons produced would suffice for one atomic bomb.
Key European nations had awaited the results of the report,
setting Saturday as an informal deadline for Tehran to reimpose
its freeze on conversion or face the start of a countdown
culminating in a joint EU-US push to have Iran referred to the
Council.
The IAEA board of governors meets Sept. 19 on the question. But
Iran appeared unlikely to back down before that date. It argues
that it is not breaking international law by carrying out
activities linked to uranium enrichment for peaceful purposes.
Iranian state television on Friday cited Ali Larijani, Iran's
point-man on nuclear issues, as saying some comments by
ElBaradei were ``non-legal'' and were ``made to lead to further
bargaining'' or ``made under U.S. pressure.''
``Iran will confine its cooperation with the IAEA to IAEA
regulations and to defined international agreements,'' the
newscaster quoted Larijani as saying.
Diplomats from EU countries accredited to the Vienna-based IAEA
- the U.N. nuclear monitor - said talks with other board member
nations geared at finding consensus on referral would begin
Monday in Vienna.
They said that as the Sept. 19 board meeting grows closer,
ministers, including U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
and EU counterparts from France, Germany and Britain, will
likely get involved in drafting the language of a resolution
demanding that the Security Council deal with Iran's refusal to
stop uranium conversion.
A senior U.S. diplomat said Iran's choices were narrowing.
``Unless Iran stops its conversion, cooperates fully with the
IAEA and returns to the (EU) negotiating table, the board should
report this matter to the U.N. Security Council,'' he said.
A Vienna-based European diplomat said the European Union felt
betrayed by Iran's move to restart enriching uranium.
``The Iranians have destroyed the basis for dialogue,'' he said,
adding that unless the freeze on conversion is reimposed, EU
member nations ``don't see any option but to bring the whole
question of Iran's nuclear program to the attention of the
Security Council.''
The diplomats talked to The Associated Press on condition of
anonymity because they're not authorized to discuss the U,S,-EU
game plan for Iran with the media.
Tehran last month rejected economic and other incentives offered
by Britain, France and Germany - negotiating on behalf of the EU
- and resumed uranium conversion.
The Europeans say Tehran broke its word by unilaterally resuming
conversion while still talking with them on ways to reduce
international suspicions about its nuclear agenda.
If the issue is brought before the Security Council, the council
could impose sanctions on Iran - although members China and
Russia are believed to oppose such a move. At a minimum, the
issue would receive world attention if debated by the U.N.'s top
body.
``China and Russia remain to be convinced,'' along with
nonaligned board members said the European diplomat. He said the
Europeans, Americans and their allies were ready to take the
issue to a vote at the IAEA board meeting, even though it
usually takes such decisions by consensus.
Friday's IAEA report also said that despite more than 2 years of
investigation, questions remain about key aspects of Iran's 18
years of clandestine nuclear activity and that it still was
unable ``to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear
materials or activities in Iran.''
---
On the Net: http://www.iaea.org
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
9 Guardian Unlimited: Iran under growing pressure to halt nuclear projects
Ian Traynor
Saturday September 3, 2005
The Guardian
The chief of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency,
Mohamed ElBaradei, criticised Iran last night for persistently
failing to disclose details of its nuclear projects.
In a 15-page report Dr ElBaradei said that, despite
two-and-a-half years of intensive international investigation,
questions remained about key aspects of Iran's clandestine
nuclear activity.
The report was ordered by Britain, France and Germany, who have
been seeking to mediate a settlement of the nuclear dispute with
Iran for two years.
It has left the way clear for the three countries to declare an
end to negotiations and join the US in trying to take the row
from Vienna to the UN security council in New York, which has the
power to impose sanctions on Iran.
Despite 30 months of "intensive inspections and investigations",
said the 15-page report obtained by the Guardian, UN inspectors
were still unable to "clarify some important outstanding issues".
"Iran's full transparency is indispensable and overdue," said
the unusually critical report, supplying ammunition for the
US-led drive to take the dispute to the security council.
For the past two years the Europeans have resisted US pressure,
but they now appear to be running out of options.
Dr ElBaradei confirmed that activities at Iran's uranium
conversion plant at Isfahan were proceeding. Almost seven tonnes
of the processed uranium gas that can be enriched into nuclear
fuel or weapons-grade material has been produced.
The Iranians had frozen the Isfahan operation pending the
outcome of negotiations, but restarted operations last month,
triggering threats from the EU and causing them to order last
night's report.
Last month the Iranians were asked to reinstate the Isfahan
suspension otherwise the EU talks would be ditched.
It remains to be seen how the EU will respond when the IAEA
board of 35 countries meets in two weeks to ponder its next
moves.
[UP]
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
10 Guardian Unlimited U.S.: N.Korea Still Building Nuke Facility
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Sunday September 4, 2005 10:31 AM
AP Photo XBEJ102
By JI-SOO KIM
Associated Press Writer
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea told a visiting U.S.
lawmaker the communist nation was still working to build
reactors that could produce material for atomic bombs, the
congressman said Sunday.
U.S. Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, the chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, traveled to the North this
week with U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif. Leach said the North's
chief negotiator at nuclear disarmament talks, Kim Kye Gwan,
insisted his country ``ought to have the right to a light-water
reactor.''
``Beyond that, there was a notification that they are proceeding
with the building of a graphite facility,'' Leach said in a
reference to the type of reactors used at the North's main
Yongbyon nuclear facility.
The North is also moving to create more weapons-grade nuclear
material for bombs, Leach said.
Leach said Congress has reservations about allowing the North to
have a light-water nuclear reactor, believed to be more
difficult to convert for weapons use, because the country
allegedly violated a 1994 agreement with Washington.
Leach said North Korean officials had made a ``pretty strong
commitment'' to return to six-nation arms talks in the week of
Sept. 12. The date is two weeks later than originally agreed
when negotiators in Beijing went into recess last month after 13
days of talks failed to reach agreement.
The North says it should be allowed to operate a peaceful
nuclear program for power generation. Some of the other
countries at the talks have supported that position but only on
condition the country completely disarms and follows all
international guidelines.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
11 Korea Herald: U.S. congressman says 'trust' factor key in N.K.'s peaceful
nuclear use
: The Nation's No.1 English Newspaper
A veteran U.S. congressman upon returning from North Korea said
yesterday that the U.S. Congress was generally "concerned" about
the trust issue when it came to North Korea's demand for the
right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
James Leach, a Republican representing Iowa, said in a press
conference in Seoul that North Korea appeared resolute in
acquiring the right to have a light water reactor.
"I am hopeful that at a minimum we can proceed with the
statement of principles - but North Korea clearly wants to
retain the right to a nuclear program," of one kind or another,
Leach said.
Leach, along with Democrat Congressman Tom Lantos visited
Pyongyang last week and met with high-rank officials including
North Korea's chief negotiator to the six-party talks Kim
Kye-gwan.
The disarmament talks comprising the two Koreas, the United
States, China, Japan and Russia are slated to resume in Beijing
in the week of Sept. 12, after about a month-long hiatus.
With bilateral discussions among the member countries during the
recess being kept under wraps, the talks are likely to restart
at a point where North Korea demands its right to peacefully use
nuclear energy and see significant development in normalizing
relations with the United States, which demands the communist
state clarify its intention to dismantle all nuclear weapons and
programs once and for all.
Leach said the North appeared to remain committed to returning
to the negotiating table next week and that the delayed summit
meeting between U.S. President George W. Bush and Chinese
President Hu Jintao is not likely to influence the process of
the talks.
"I have no expectations that it (the Hu-Bush meeting) would have
a significant effect (on talks resuming)," Leach said.
The summit meeting between the two power players in the
six-party talks was forecast to have a significant influence on
North Korea's next steps.
The United States is North Korea's most wanted negotiating
partner, while China is the hermit state's closest ally.
The meeting between Hu and Bush was delayed due to the hurricane
catastrophe on U.S. southern regions last week.
Leach said he explained the motive behind Washington's
appointment of a special envoy on North Korea's human rights
issue and the United States' long and strong commitment to
addressing such problems in all parts of the world.
"Human rights concerns are issues of the international community
and the world. One will have to pay attention to the concerns of
others."
Leach explained that although pessimism seems to prevail in the
face of the long-abating nuclear standoff, an optimistic view
would be that the member countries reach a statement of
principles followed by agreements on many aspects in the coming
months.
Lantos was quoted as saying in a separate interview by U.S.
government-funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia that the two
congressmen relayed Washington's strong objection to North
Korea's right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Lantos said that he explained to North Korea that the parties
must discuss drawing up a statement of principles first and that
although the light water reactor matter can be discussed later,
it was not possible for the statement to contain North Korea's
peaceful nuclear energy use.
He added that the U.S. public was currently focused on the
damage from Hurricane Katrina and that both Congress and the
people will lose patience if North Korea stalls on solving the
nuclear problem.
Leach and Lantos, during their four-day visit to Pyongyang, also
met with Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun and Kim Yong-dae, vice
chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly,
according to North Korean media reports.
(angiely@heraldm.com)
By Lee Joo-hee
2005.09.05
*****************************************************************
12 Korea Herald: Speaker to propose 6-party parliamentary-level talks
(milaya@heraldm.com)
By Lee Sun-young
2005.09.05
National Assembly Speaker Kim One-ki left for New York yesterday
to attend an international conference of parliamentary leaders.
The Second World Conference of Speakers of Parliaments,
organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, will be held at the
United Nations Headquarters Sept. 7-9.
In his keynote speech, his aides said, Kim will seek
international support for a peaceful end to the North Korean
nuclear standoff and will propose a meeting of parliamentary
leaders from the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United
States involved in the current six-way nuclear talks.
He will also pursue support for Seoul's push for an inter-Korean
parliamentary meeting.
On the sidelines of the conference, he will have one-on-one
meetings with his counterparts in China, Japan, Russia, Hungary,
and Canada. North Korea is unlikely to attend the meeting.
The conference is expected to draw parliamentary chiefs from
137 countries and leaders of international organizations.
The first world conference of parliament speakers took place in
2000.
*****************************************************************
13 Guardian Unlimited: U.S.: N.Korea Ready to Restart Nuke Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Saturday September 3, 2005 11:16 AM
AP Photo XBEJ104
By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) - Two U.S. lawmakers who visited North Korea said
Saturday that Pyongyang appears ready to return to disarmament
talks as promised the week of Sept. 12, but still wants a
nuclear reactor - a key sticking point.
North Korean officials did not name a date, ``but there was
strong confidence that this would go forth on a timely basis, as
has been indicated,'' said U.S. Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa,
chairman of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific. He
traveled to the North this week with U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos,
D-Calif.
North Korea said earlier it would return to six-nation talks the
week of Sept. 12 following a postponement that it blamed on
U.S.-South Korean military exercises and Washington's
appointment of a human rights envoy to monitor the North. The
talks also include South Korea, host China, Japan and Russia.
Leach said North Korean officials affirmed their desire for a
light-water nuclear reactor as part of a peaceful nuclear
program, an issue that deadlocked the last session of talks in
August.
The North says it should be allowed to operate a peaceful
nuclear program for power generation. But Washington has
expressed skepticism that the North can be trusted with nuclear
technology.
``Clearly the North Korean desire is for a light-water reactor,
and the North Korean desire is to retain a peaceful nuclear
program,'' Leach said at a news conference.
Leach and Lantos, the senior Democrat on the House International
Relations Committee, said they had about 25 hours of meetings
with North Korean officials during their five-day visit.
They met with Kim Gye Gwan, the chief North Korean nuclear
envoy; Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun and other government and
military officials, according to a statement released by their
delegation.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
14 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: N.Korea's Nuclear Activities Continue: U.S. Lawmaker
Home> National/Politics Updated Sep.4,2005 22:26 KST
The chairman of a U.S. House subcommittee on Asia and the
Pacific on Sunday said that North Korea continues building a
graphite reactor and reprocessing weapons-grade materials. Jim
Leach, who returned from a four-day trip to the North, said the
Stalinist country ¡°clearly at this time wants to retain a right
to have a nuclear program of one kind or another."
It appears the graphite reactor in question is a 5 mw facility
in Yongbyon. Activity at the reactor was suspended following the
1994 Geneva Accords, but restarted as the second nuclear crisis
started in 2002 and North Korea declared its withdrawal from the
Non-Proliferation Treaty. North Korea removed spent fuel rods
from the reactor last year and this year for reprocessing into
weapons-grade plutonium.
Leach said it was hard to say if six-party talks on Pyongyang¡¯s
nuclear programs will reach agreement because Pyongyang¡¯s
conditions may not be acceptable to the international community.
Speaking at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Leach did not say what
North Korea's conditions were.
But the lawmaker said North Korea seemed determined to resume
the talks in the week of Sept. 12. He visited the North with
fellow U.S. lawmaker Tom Lantos and met with Foreign Minister
Paek Nam-sun and the chief negotiator at the talks Kim Kye-gwan.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
*****************************************************************
15 Xinhua: DPRK to return to nuke talks in Sept.: US congressman
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2005-09-04 13:37:59
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- The Democratic People's
Republic of Korea (DPRK) is very likely to attend the six-party
nuclear talks aimed to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean
Peninsula in September, said James A. Leach, US congressman of
Iowa.
Leach, who also serves as chairman of the Subcommittee on
East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the US House of
Representatives, arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday for a four-day
trip there along with Tom Lantos, a California congressman.
Leach said although DPRK officials did not make very clear
when they will return to the six-party talks, he still has
"strong sense that there was pretty strong commitment to the
week of September talks," the 63-year-old congressman said at a
press conference held at the Information Resource Center of the
US Embassy here in downtown Seoul.
Earlier this week, Pyongyang proposed to postpone its
participation in the second phase of the fourth round six-party
talks to the week starts with Sept. 12 because Washington has
recently started large-scale military exercises dubbed "Ulji
FocusLens-05" with South Korea and appointed a presidential
envoy to oversee the DPRK's human rights issues.
At the end of the first stage of the fourth round of the
six-party nuclear talks in early August, the concerning parties
agreedto resume the talks in the week starts with Aug. 29.
"In terms of the direction of the six-party talks, I think
all of the parties are committed to the development of
principles, to form basis to proffer serious discussions about
agreements," said Leach.
The six participants of the talks are China, the DPRK, the
United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan.
Leach also outlined an optimistic development in the process
ofresolving the nuclear issue.
He said "it's very hopeful" that when the six-party talks
resumed, "principles can be agreed." Then, in the months
followed,parties may reach "agreements on various subjects." And
last, the "agreements are accepted in formal way by individual
states".
He also said during his visit there, he met several times
with DPRK Vice Foreign Minister and the chief negotiator to the
six-party nuclear talks Kim Kye Gwan.
"We did not go into details precisely in terms of the North
Korea's usage of its nuclear capacities, but he (Kim Kye Gwan)
made clear the North Koreans do hold very strong that they have
the right to have light water reactors," said Leach.
Construction of the reactors, part of a 1994 US-DPRK
agreement in exchange for dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear
weapons program, was suspended in December 2003 after the latest
nuclear issue erupted. Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
16 Korea Times: NK Determined to Keep Peaceful Nukes
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation
By Reuben Staines
Staff Reporter
North Korea is determined to keep the right to operate a
peaceful nuclear energy program, two U.S. congressmen said on
Sunday, presenting a gloomy forecast for progress at the
six-party nuclear negotiations set to resume next week.
Jim Leach, an Iowa Republican, and Tom Lantos, a California
Democrat, said North Korean officials told them that they are
unwilling to give up the country's nuclear energy capacities, a
major stumbling block in the protracted multilateral talks.
``North Korea clearly at this time wants to retain a right to
have a nuclear program of one kind or another,'' Leach said
during a news conference arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
``There's probably a little greater case for pessimism than
optimism. But I do not rule out optimism,'' said Leach, chairman
of the House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
The congressmen arrived in South Korea on Saturday after a
five-day visit to the North to discuss the nuclear standoff with
top officials.
They met with Kim Gye-gwan, North Korea's chief delegate to the
nuclear talks, Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun and other
government and military officials, a statement released by their
delegation said.
Pyongyang's insistence on maintaining a peaceful nuclear program
after verifiably scrapping its nuclear weapons one is likely to
be the make-or-break issue when the talks resume.
The U.S. has demanded the communist North give up all nuclear
programs, including any civilian one, saying it broke previous
nuclear accords and cannot be trusted.
But South Korea and China have come out in support of Pyongyang
during the recess in the talks and have pressed the U.S. to show
greater flexibility.
Leach and Lantos said North Korea probably will return to the
negotiating table as promised next week, despite concerns that
it may put off the talks further.
The six participating nations were originally scheduled to
reconvene in Beijing late last month but North Korea postponed
the meeting.
It cited joint U.S.-South Korea military drills and Washington's
appointment of an envoy to monitor North Korean human rights
abuse as aggravating factors leading to the delay.
While he did not expect rapid progress, Leach said he was
hopeful that the talks would yield a statement of principles on
how the nuclear crisis should be solved.
rjs@koreatimes.co.kr 09-04-2005 18:59
*****************************************************************
17 Reuters: U.S. lawmakers tell N.Korea to end nuclear crisis
Sat Sep 3, 2005 5:36 AM ET
BEIJING (Reuters) - Two U.S. congressmen told North Korea during
a visit to Pyongyang that the clock was ticking to find an
amicable resolution to the crisis over its nuclear ambitions.
If the current round of six-party talks aimed at persuading
Pyongyang to scrap its nuclear weapons programme fails to bring
results, the United States has said it may refer the issue to the
U.N. Security Council.
North Korea says sanctions would be tantamount to a declaration
of war.
"When the talks resume on September 12, we fully expect them to
conclude in short order," Tom Lantos, the ranking Democrat in the
House International Relations Committee, told a news conference
in Beijing on Saturday after a four-day visit to Pyongyang.
"If we can't agree on principles within a reasonable span of
time, there is very little patience in the American public to
engage in protracted discussions," he said, referring to the
verifiable denuclearisation of the peninsula.
The fourth round of six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the
United States, Russia, Japan and host China is scheduled to
resume in the week of September 12 after a five-week recess.
Japanese daily Mainichi Shimbun said on Saturday that the United
States and North Korea would hold talks in Beijing around
September 11.
U.S. delegate to the talks, Christopher Hill, would meet his
North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan, the North's Vice Foreign
Minister, the Mainichi quoted diplomatic sources in Washington as
saying.
North Korea had demanded the bilateral meeting as a condition for
agreeing to resume the six-way talks, the Mainichi said.
REACTOR STICKING POINT
A light-water nuclear reactor was the major sticking point of the
talks, said Jim Leach, a Republican from Iowa who is chairman of
the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
"They of course did (insist on a reactor) and that of course is
the stickiest part of any discussions," he said.
"In theory you have the question from their perspective of the
rights and needs of the sovereign state and from the American
perspective, you have the question of trust, the issue of North
Korean withdrawal from international sanction regimes, that is
the NPT, and all that is associated with that," he said.
Leach was referring to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, from which
North Korea withdrew in January 2003 after throwing out
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in 2002.
Washington said in 2002 that Pyongyang had admitted to a secret
programme to enrich uranium in violation of a 1994 agreement, a
claim North Korea later denied.
Ethnic Koreans abroad could become the greatest facilitators of
foreign trade with Pyongyang if relations with Washington
improved, Leach said.
Leach and Lantos said in a statement they urged North Korean
officials to improve human rights and crack down on
counterfeiting of foreign currencies.
They also said Washington would welcome the prospect of a tour by
the Pyongyang circus and a visit by the North Korean wrestling
team. The University of Iowa has invited North Korea to send a
poet to its International Writers' Programme.
During their visit, Lantos and Leach held talks with Vice Foreign
Minister Kim, Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, Vice President of
the Supreme People's Assembly Kim Song-dae and General Li
Chan-bok of the Korean People's Army.
(Additional reporting by Elaine Lies in Tokyo)
© Reuters 2005.
All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
18 Reuters: U.S, N.Korea to meet ahead of nuclear talks -report
Sat Sep 3, 2005 6:21 AM ET
TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States and North Korea will hold
talks in Beijing around September 11, shortly before the
resumption of six-party talks aimed at persuading Pyongyang to
abandon its nuclear weapons programmes, Japan's daily Mainichi
Shimbun said on Saturday.
The fourth round of six-party talks involving the two Koreas, the
United States, Russia, Japan and host China, are scheduled to
resume in the week of September 12 after a five-week recess.
Foreign diplomatic sources in Washington were quoted by the
Mainichi as saying that Christopher Hill, the U.S. delegate to
the talks, would meet North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan "around
September 11" to discuss key issues.
North Korea had apparently demanded the bilateral discussions as
a pre-requisite for agreeing to resume the six-way talks, the
Mainichi said, adding that the six-way talks would start after
the two nations had met.
Washington said in 2002 that Pyongyang had admitted to a secret
programme to enrich uranium inviolation of a 1994 agreement, a
claim North Korea later denied.
The first three rounds of talks have ended inconclusively. The
fourth round began in late July, after a break of a year, and
went into recess after 13 days.
© Reuters 2005.
All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
19 Reuters: N.Korea says South responsible for trouble at talks
Sun Sep 4, 2005 11:04 AM ET
SEOUL, Sept 4 (Reuters) - North Korea criticised the South on
Sunday for conducting annual war games with the United States and
said the two allies would be held responsible for problems that
may affect six-country nuclear talks.
South Korea and the United States assess defence readiness
against possible North Korean attack in computer-simulated drills
called Ulchi Focus Lens each year.
The drills began this year on Aug. 22 and ended on Friday.
"The South Korean authorities will together with the United
States be held entirely responsible for the adverse effects the
invasion exercises against the North will have on the progress of
the six-party talks and on North-South relations," the North's
KCNA news agency said.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency, which monitors KCNA in Seoul,
carried the commentary.
"Our army and the public once again experienced the duplicit
nature of U.S. and South Korean authorities' words and actions
through (Ulchi Focus Lens) as they speak loudly about dialogue,
peace and respect for sovereignty but waste no time to turn
around and act in reverse," KCNA said according to Yonhap.
The warning follows a similar protest by the North on Friday
that grouped the South with the United States in its criticism of
the defence drills, and comes before the six countries prepare to
resume negotiations on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programmes next
week.
South and North Korea, the United States, Japan, Russia and
China are set to meet in Beijing after a delay of two week, but
there was concern that Pyongyang might again balk at returning to
the table.
North Korea had postponed the talks in August, saying the
military exercises made dialogue meaningless. Its previous
protests have been primarily directed at the United States.
Relations with the South have improved rapidly in the past four
months after a tense standoff of over a year.
© Reuters 2005.
All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
20 [du-list] Some words on nuclear weapons from a wise & wonderful SriLankan
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 01:15:32 -0700
http://www.dailynews.lk/2005/06/20/fea02.htm
Turning swords into ploughshares
JUDGE C. G Weeramantry's speech at Atomic Art Exhibition at the
United Nations, May 5, 2005.
Judge C. G Weeramantry
TURNING swords into ploughshares has been the dream of
philosophers, theologians, poets and artists for thousands of
years. Yet this line of thinking has not yet penetrated into the
centres of power.
This exhibition gives expression to that idea in a powerful way
for it converts the very substance of nuclear weapons into works
of art, thus juxtaposing two extremes of human activity-total
destruction and inspirational artistic creation.
>From the legal point of view nuclear weapons stand condemned
by at least a dozen bedrock principles of international law. I
have no time here to elaborate on these but they include basic
principles of humanitarian law, the prohibition of cruel and
unnecessary suffering, the prohibition of genocide, the
prohibition of intergenerational damage, and the prohibition of
irreversible environmental damage, to mention just a few.
The total inconsistency of nuclear weapons with universally
agreed norms of conduct becomes evident when we consider that all
cultural traditions are so sensitive to the use of weapons that
cause unnecessary suffering that in the nineteenth century the
use of expanding (dum dum) bullets was solemnly agreed by all the
recognised powers of the time to be too cruel to be used in
warfare among "civilised nations".
Yet nations claiming to be civilised seriously contend in the
21st century that it is quite in order to use nuclear weapons
which can kill hundreds of thousands if not millions of innocent
civilians in one second and cause lingering suffering to hundreds
of thousands more - not to speak of intergenerational damage.
The absurdity of this contention is evident even to a school
child but evidently not to those in the centres of power.
The expenditure of earth resources on nuclear power must surely
be one of the most monumental wastages of earth resources in
human history - a waste not only of earth resources but of hard
earned national wealth and of intellectual resources that could
well have been devoted to projects of construction and human
happiness rather than to works of destruction and human misery.
The US alone has spent 5.5 trillion dollars on nuclear weapons
from 1940 to the end of the Cold War in 1996.
According to the Atomic Audit of the Brookings Institute, 1998
this exceeds the combined total federal spending on education,
social services, agriculture, general science, space research,
law enforcement and energy production.
As if that wastage were not enough, the U.S. is now spending 40
billion dollars a year on its nuclear forces, and nuclear weapons
spending has grown by 84% since 1995.
What could all this money do for human welfare? According to the
United Nations Development Report of 1998 this same sum of 40
billion dollars could, in a world where billions suffer from want
and deprivation, achieve basic education for all, basic health
care for all, reproductive health care for all women, adequate
food for all and clean water and safe sewerage for all.
Imagine what the combined result would be if we added to that the
spending of other nuclear powers as well, including the powers
that are seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. There is also a
moral dimension to this waste of resources which is scarcely
perceived.
How does it square with the individual conscience of citizens
that governments elected and supported by them should indulge in
such an immoral use of resources that belong to the people. If an
individual wastes earth resources in this way all society would
condemn him.
If governments act in this way, using not their own money but the
wealth of their citizens, those citizens scarcely protest.
Moreover economic deprivation is one of the main causes of
international discord and war, and such spending would do much to
avoid future wars before they erupt as well as to engender global
harmony.
Exhibitions like this highlight this message to every individual
citizen and stimulate thought on the wastefulness of the entire
nuclear endeavour.
They are particularly significant at a key time like this when
the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty comes up for its five yearly
review.
Our thanks go out in a special way to the late Tony Price who
created these 20 sculptures from nuclear weapons salvage. Seeing
the waste that resulted from the nuclear weapons program he was
inspired to turn these weapons of destruction into icons of
peace.
We must also thank the many dedicated peace workers who devoted
so much effort to making this exhibition a reality, and in
particular Cora Weiss who has been a principal source of strength
and inspiration, without which this exhibition would not have got
off the ground.
*****************************************************************
21 RIA Novosti: Russian companies step up activities in Libya in
absence of economic sanctions
03/ 09/ 2005
MOSCOW, September 3 (RIA Novosti) - Since the United Nations
lifted economic sanctions against Libya in 2003, Russian
companies have stepped up activities in the country.
"Russian economic operators have intensified activities on the
Libyan market in recent years, above all on its fuel and energy
segment," Mikhail Kamynin, Russian foreign ministry spokesman,
said. "A number of Russian companies have been registered and
opened their representations in Libya, taking part in tenders
for prospecting."
Before the UN imposed the sanctions in 1992-1993, Russian-Libyan
trade and economic cooperation was estimated at about $1
billion, Kamynin said. For example, Russia helped Libya build
its nuclear research center Tajura, two 570- and 1,401-foot-long
power lines, a 1,710-foot-long gas pipeline, and bored nearly
130 oil wells.
Kamynin said power engineering, investment, industrial and
transport infrastructure were also interesting spheres in terms
of bilateral cooperation.
Kamynin said bilateral commodity had remained rather
insignificant, although it had trended upward somewhat.
© 2005 "RIA Novosti"
*****************************************************************
22 WorldNetDaily: Bolton in a china shop
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 3 2005
[Supercritical Thoughts] [Gordon Prather]
Posted: September 3, 2005
For more than a year, representatives of 35 member-states have
been preparing a draft "Outcome Document" for the "High Level
Event" involving heads of state that will immediately precede
this month's 60th Session of the U.N. General Assembly.
If anyone thought John Bolton – our ambassador to the United
Nations for the next year, sans Senate confirmation – had been
kicked upstairs where he couldn't do more harm, internationally,
think again.
Bolton immediately dashed off letters to each U.N. member-state
conveying last-minute amendments to the draft Outcome Document
on a) Poverty, Hunger and Disease, b) Counter-Terrorism, c)
Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing, d) Secretariat Management Reform, e)
Establishment of a Peacebuilding Commission, and f) Disarmament
and Non-Proliferation.
The Bolton "amendments" to the draft Outcome Document consist of
additions and deletions – mostly deletions – having little
chance of being accepted.
For example, the draft Outcome Document called on all member
states to "pursue and intensify negotiations with a view to
advancing [nuclear] disarmament and strengthening the
international [nuclear] non-proliferation regime."
Bolton agreed that the proliferation of "weapons of mass
destruction and their delivery systems" and "the possibility
that terrorists might acquire such weapons" continues to be the
pre-eminent threat to international peace and security. But
Bolton deleted all that about pursuing nuke disarmament and
strengthening international non-proliferation regimes.
Nor does Bolton agree with the other delegates that "progress in
disarmament and nonproliferation is essential to strengthening
international peace and security." In fact, Bolton wants to
strike the term "disarmament" almost every place it appears in
the HLE draft document – just as his minions prevented any
discussion at the 2005 Review Conference on the Treaty on
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons of our "unequivocal
undertaking" at the 2000 RevCon "to accomplish the total
elimination" of our nuclear arsenal.
Nor is Bolton willing to allow the other delegates to
"reiterate" their "firm commitment to the NPT and its three
pillars: disarmament, non-proliferation and the peaceful use of
nuclear energy." Bolton refuses to honor Iran's "inalienable
right" under the NPT to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, much
less honor our commitment to implement "13 practical steps" to
nuke disarmament.
Nor will Bolton agree to a call by the other delegates to
"maintain a moratorium on nuclear test explosions, pending entry
into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty." Nor is
Bolton receptive to a call by the other delegates to "sign and
ratify the Treaty."
Nor is Bolton willing to "support and continue to work toward
the establishment of effectively verifiable nuclear-free zones,"
especially in the Middle East, which would require Israel to
give up its nukes.
Nor to reaffirm our commitment made pursuant to Security Council
Resolution 984 to provide assurances to non-nuclear-weapon
states parties to the Treaty – such as Iran – that we won't nuke
them.
Nor to "take action" to "prevent the proliferation of weapons of
mass destruction and their means of delivery" only within a
"multilateral framework." Bolton insists on the right not only
to take unilateral action, but to take such action against "the
possibility that terrorists might acquire such weapons."
Nor to "respect the full rights of states that meet their
non-proliferation obligations under the NPT to the peaceful uses
of nuclear energy, including through access to markets for
nuclear fuel and related services."
Nor to agree to "the commencement, without delay, of
negotiations on a fissile material cut-off treaty" or for
"effective measures for the prevention of an arms race in outer
space."
Finally, Bolton urges all the HLE delegates – as he urged all
delegates to the 2005 NPT RevCon – to "endorse" the Bush-Bolton
Proliferation Security Initiative and its Statement of
Interdiction Principles.
In general, Bolton believes the HLE draft final document is
"overly prescriptive, repetitive and unfocused, reflecting
little that promotes reform of the United Nations."
In particular, it "emphasizes 'disarmament' when the true threat
to international security stems from proliferation. It does not
include issues of contemporary importance such as the
Proliferation Security Initiative."
It "attempts to purport agreement" on various issues that have
not been resolved here or in other venues, including "aspects of
the NPT that did not achieve consensus" at the 2005 RevCon.
Consensus was not achieved on those issues at the 2005 RevCon
largely because Bolton's minions wouldn't allow those issues to
even be mentioned, much less debated.
Because of Bolton, the 2005 RevCon was an unmitigated disaster.
It is beginning to look like – because of Bolton – the High
Level Event will be a disaster, too.
Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy
implementing official for national security-related technical
matters in the Federal Energy Agency, the Energy Research and
Development Administration, the Department of Energy, the Office
of the Secretary of Defense and the Department of the Army. Dr.
Prather also served as legislative assistant for national
security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, R-Okla. -- ranking
member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate
Energy Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had
earlier worked as a nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory in California and Sandia National
Laboratory in New Mexico.
[WorldNetDaily.com]
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.
*****************************************************************
23 Mehr News: Nuclear dossier and a new scenario
MehrNews.com - Iran, world, political, sport, economic news and
headlines
Tehran Times editorial column for Sept. 4, By Parviz Esmaeili
TEHRAN, Sept. 3 (MNA) - The most recent report of Mohammad
ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), on Iran’s nuclear activities was released
on Saturday upon the demand of the IAEA Board of Governors.
At the same time reports from Vienna suggest that following the
failure of a strategy by the European troika to gradually
annihilate Iran’s nuclear technology the United States and
Britain have now prepared a new scenario to link Iran’s nuclear
dossier with the international nuclear smuggling network.
However, this is a passive approach since it has been taken to
escape previous failures, to influence Iran’s new decisive
spirit of nuclear diplomacy through psychological warfare, and to
overshadow the Islamic Republic’s legal right to resume nuclear
activities in the Natanz nuclear complex.
An appropriate reaction to this ineffective measure would be for
Iran to actively continue with the new process. Thus, serious
efforts should be made to strengthen Iran’s new diplomatic
maneuver in the international arena, to insist on the country’s
inalienable nuclear rights in line with the IAEA charter, and to
preserve a close cooperation with the IAEA inspectors.
The fact the agency has confirmed Iran’s remarks about the
foreign origin of the 36% LEU contamination as well as Tehran’s
legal and decisive insistence on its nuclear rights, its measure
in re-launching the Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility with the
supervision of the IAEA, and finally the extended range of
Iran’s diplomatic tactics, are some of the factors that led
Britain and the U.S. to adopt such a passive approach.
According to the IAEA Board of Governor’s September and
November resolutions, only two ambiguities remained in Iran’s
nuclear dossier namely the origin of the 36% LEU contamination,
which was recently resolved and the scope of the P2 centrifuge
program on which Iran presented the agency with a fully-detailed
report stating that the centrifuge program was only at a research
phase. The IAEA inspectors did not reject this report and there
remained no ambiguity on the issue.
Therefore, Elbaradei’s recent references to previously resolved
issues such as the issue of polonium lack technical and legal
validity and indicate his submission to political motivations as
did some of his previous actions including the exaggeration of
the comic Bismuth project.
ElBaradei also apologized to Iran last year for forgetting part
of the country’s official and detailed report on its nuclear
program.
Iran should organize active legal movements against any kind of
legal or technical violation in Elbaradei’s reports and the
IAEA board’s resolutions.
Linking Iran’s nuclear dossier to the international nuclear
smuggling network is against both the nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA charter. In both of the aforesaid
texts, it is explicitly mentioned that relating countries’
activities to measures that are connected to third parties, or
hindering the process of an NPT member’s accession to nuclear
technology meant for peaceful purposes is not legally permitted.
The IAEA’s failure in discovering the nuclear intentions of one
country can not serve as a license to terminate the nuclear
activities of another country. Such a measure, if taken, can only
indicate the IAEA’s submission to the U.S. demands and the U.S.
is willing to keep Iran’s nuclear dossier open for political
reasons.
So, as we have learned from past experiences, the IAEA cannot
object to Iran if it totally ignores such cases.
As for Iran’s refusal to heed the IAEA board request to
re-suspend nuclear activities in the Isfahan UCF, both the IAEA
and the Board of Governors can only reiterate their ‘serious
concern’ on Iran’s nuclear activities but can not use this
issue as a legal means to refer Iran’s nuclear dossier to the
UN Security Council.
At this new juncture, Iran should not overlook the important role
that third countries can play at critical situations.
Their probable behavior should be assessed and the necessary
diplomatic, legal and technical strategies should be taken. The
adoption of diplomatic punishing tactics, for instance against
Singapore, can be an alarm and signal in this regard.
Iran should not be stopped by other countries in the path it has
chosen to take but should rather affect the path of other
countries through totally vigilant approaches. Natanz is only one
of Iran’s bargaining chips. Calling for further negotiations
and cooperation with the IAEA on how to begin manufacturing
centrifuge parts can be a new step.
SA/HL/MS End
MNA
© 2003 Mehr News Agency
*****************************************************************
24 Guardian Unlimited: U.N. Members Divided Over Summit Document
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Sunday September 4, 2005 8:16 PM
By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - There is a growing sense of crisis as the
United Nations prepares for history's biggest gathering of world
leaders next week.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan wants the leaders to take action to
tackle poverty, reform the United Nations and address global
security. But the 191 member states are deeply divided on what
the summit should accomplish, and negotiators have not agreed on
a single key issue.
``We are in a crisis situation at the moment,'' said Pakistan's
U.N. ambassador, Munir Akram. ``There has to be something for
the heads of state and government to adopt, but obviously we're
not going to reach a conclusion by doing what we've been
doing.''
Others, including U.S. Ambassador John Bolton and Dutch
Ambassador Dirk Jan van den Berg, said it was too early to talk
about a crisis, saying some progress had been made.
But no one played down the gaps to be bridged and the short time
to do it before more than 170 world leaders arrive for the Sept.
14-16 summit.
Seven issues are snagging talks: poverty and development,
terrorism, collective action to prevent genocide, disarmament
and nuclear nonproliferation, a new Human Rights Council to
replace the discredited Human Rights Commission, a new
Peacebuilding Commission to help countries emerging from
conflict; and the overhaul of U.N. management.
Diplomats involved in the negotiations said the United States,
Egypt, India, Pakistan, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela had taken
hard-line positions on different issues. The diplomats spoke on
condition of anonymity because the talks are continuing.
In March, Annan laid out his blueprint for the most sweeping
changes to the United Nations administration in its 60-year
history along with proposals to achieve U.N. development goals
that world leaders adopted at the Millennium Summit in September
2000.
General Assembly President Jean Ping then began consultations
with the 191 member states to turn Annan's vision into a
document for leaders to adopt at the summit marking the world
body's 60th anniversary. His first draft was issued in June and
the last - 39 pages long - in early August.
The United States submitted hundreds of proposed amendments
after every draft but they were never made public. When Bolton
sent every ambassador similar amendments to the latest text, the
Bush administration came under intense criticism, drawing
accusations it was entering the negotiations late and was trying
to sabotage the talks.
Ping chose a ``core group'' of 32 countries Aug. 26 to try to
reach consensus on a final text. He hoped they would reach
agreement by Friday, so he could submit the text to member
states Monday for approval.
Instead, ambassadors from the 32 countries met Saturday to take
stock of progress by small negotiating groups.
With serious gaps remaining, Indian Ambassador Nirupam Sen said
Ping sent the small groups back to negotiate Sunday and Monday.
Ping is then expected to prepare a new text that would include
any agreements and put all the remaining outstanding issues on
the table for tough final negotiations.
``There's much yet to be done, but I'm heartened that all of the
secretary-general's major proposals are still on the table and
being taken seriously,'' U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Robert
Orr told The Associated Press.
Bolton told reporters: ``The negotiating process ... is like
making sausage. It isn't necessarily pretty. It takes a long
time, and that's the process we're engaged in.''
He also said negotiators had made some progress. ``I wouldn't
describe it as spectacular, but I think this is what you have to
do to bridge the significant differences that still exist.''
Van den Berg, the Dutch ambassador, said about 125 countries
supported Ping's latest 39-page text, including the 25-nation
European Union.
India's Sen said that differences remained on all the key issues
and that some ``are insurmountable,'' citing disarmament and
nonproliferation and intervention in another country in case of
genocide or war crimes.
Nonetheless, many ambassadors remained hopeful they could agree
on a serious document for their leaders to adopt.
``I believe we'll have a substantive statement,'' said Brazilian
Ambassador Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, noting there have been
down-to-the-wire negotiations at the last summit and many U.N.
conferences.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
25 Stuff.co.nz: No nukes is good news, say the voters
Zealand Election news &blogs on
ELECTION 2005 >> STORY
© Fairfax New Zealand Limited2005. All the material on this
04 September 2005
By HELEN BAIN
"Don't go there!" voters are warning political parties who
intend to change New Zealand's nuclear-free legislation or
decriminalise cannabis.
The BRC/Sunday Star-Times poll of 985 voters, conducted last
month, found significant opposition to changing the nuclear or
cannabis laws suggesting the National Party and the Greens risk
losing support if they pursue those policy areas.
The poll found 57 per cent of voters wanted to keep the
nuclear-free stance, and 27 per cent thought a referendum should
be held. Only 13 per cent thought nuclear-propelled ships should
be allowed to visit.
Support for the anti-nuclear policy was higher among women (66
per cent compared to 47 per cent of men) and young people (66
per cent of 18 to 29-year-olds).
Strongest support came from young women (80 per cent) and Labour
supporters (79 per cent).
A third of National supporters thought the anti-nukes policy
should stay, 24 per cent thought nuclear-propelled ships should
be allowed to visit, and 40 per cent backed a referendum.
The issue has been a sensitive one for National, which has said
it supports a referendum on the nuclear policy. But leader Don
Brash has said he has no plans to hold such a referendum.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
After allegations that National told a group of Americans
legislators the anti-nuclear policy would be "gone by
lunchtime", doubts about National's stance could leave it
vulnerable in a tight election race.
A spokesman for Brash said National's policy, "far from being
ambiguous", was for "no change to the anti-nuclear policy unless
this was desired by a majority of New Zealanders in a
referendum".
Labour Party president Mike Williams said the anti-nuclear
policy was "iconic" and parties meddled with it at their peril.
Its popularity was probably strengthened by former prime
minister David Lange continuing to defend the anti-nukes stand
until his death last month.
In the same poll, 55 per cent of voters said New Zealand's law
on cannabis should not be changed, and 37 per cent said cannabis
should be decriminalised, suggesting a similar vulnerability for
the pro-decriminalisation Greens.
The Greens' policy is to allow possession of cannabis for
personal use by those aged 18 and over. Their slogan says, "It's
a health issue, not a crime."
The Greens say the existing law does not reduce drug use, but
drives cannabis underground, "turns cannabis users into
criminals" and wastes about $20 million in police resources
every year.
It says more drug education and treatment would be more
effective.
Support for decriminalisation was strongest among younger
voters, who are highly represented among Green supporters at 45
per cent of 18 to 29-year-olds.
In the Star-Times' Great Morality Debate, only 10 per cent of
the nearly 10,000 people who responded to the survey supported
decriminalisation of cannabis, while 33 per cent supported
"limited" decriminalisation.
The demotion of drugs spokesman Nandor Tanczos, a Rastafarian
who uses cannabis, down the Greens list this election has been
attributed to discomfort among some in the party at his
pro-cannabis stance, and concerns that it might cost the Greens
support from parents who don't want their children getting into
drugs.
Tanczos said the Greens decided policy on the basis of what the
party believed in, not on what would win votes, but said the
cannabis policy was not a main theme of the Greens' campaign.
He said his private members' bill to decriminalise cannabis
would punish users with instant fines and would not lead to
increased use.
Tanczos said he shared voters' concerns about cannabis abuse and
use by minors, and that his bill addressed those concerns.
*****************************************************************
26 Guardian Unlimited: Putin Sacks Commander of Russian Navy
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Sunday September 4, 2005 6:31 PM
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
Associated Press Writer
NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia (AP) - President Vladimir Putin fired the
head of Russia's Navy on Sunday, and called on the new commander
to boost discipline in the flagging fleet following a pair of
submarine disasters.
Putin did not give a specific reason for sacking Adm. Vladimir
Kuroyedov and replacing him with Adm. Vladimir Masorin. But he
indicated that Kuroyedov was bearing the blame for a series of
embarrassments in the navy.
Last month, a mini-sub with seven men aboard was trapped at the
bottom of the Pacific Ocean. The Navy had no means of rescuing
them without emergency help from abroad.
Kuroyedov also presided over the Navy during the 2000 Kursk
submarine sinking that killed 118 crew members. Last year, he
publicly said that a Russian nuclear-powered missile cruiser was
in such dire condition that it could explode at any moment. He
was forced to retract the statement.
At a meeting at his suburban residence with the two admirals and
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, Putin told Kuroyedov
that the Navy he inherited when he took command in 1997 was in
poor shape and that it had showed signs of improvement.
``At the same time, there were difficult events, tragedies,''
Putin said during the meeting, which was attended by reporters.
``But I would like to underline once again that with all these
problems, all these tragedies, the main thing is that the Navy
is undergoing a revival.''
He told Masorin that he faced a difficult task, in spite of
progress.
``We have seen the level of training of navy pilots and sailors,
which has grown. Many naval ships have been repaired and others
were launched and some of them were already commissioned,''
Putin said.
``We would not be able to solve all these problems even with the
state's economic potential growing if we do not strengthen
discipline and order and solve tasks of social protection of
seamen.''
Unlike the Kursk sinking, the August mini-sub crisis ended with
all seven crewmen surviving unhurt - thanks to an underwater
robotic vehicle sent from Britain.
The need for foreign help underlined the troubles of a Navy that
once was formidable but has fallen prey to money shortages and,
many critics say, poor leadership. Sea rescue vehicles were
among the first Soviet-built vessels to be scrapped amid the
desperate funding shortages that followed the 1991 Soviet
collapse.
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
*****************************************************************
27 San Luis Obispo Tribune: Diablo safety concerns solved, feds say
09/03/2005 |
PG&E had to correct issues with the plant's safety culture and
worker performance by order of NRC
By David Sneed
The Tribune
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has corrected lingering safety
problems at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, federal nuclear
officials said.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified plant manager David
Oatley this week that the utility has made good progress in
correcting three areas that have been causing low-level safety
violations in recent years.
"This is extremely positive news and demonstrates our continued
improvement," Oatley said in an e-mail to plant workers.
Starting in 2002, NRC inspectors noticed persistent problems in
the plant's general safety culture, worker performance and the
way employees identify and solve problems.
Although the problems did not pose any immediate public safety
threat, they reduced overall efficiency at the plant and could
have led to more serious problems if left uncorrected, officials
said.
For example, mistakes during a refueling in 2002 caused a
shutdown to last longer than normal. Also, battery chargers had
to be repaired six times before the root problem was identified.
The NRC held several public meetings with Diablo Canyon managers
to discuss the problems and get public feedback. At those
meetings, plant managers outlined efforts they were taking to
improve safety.
Those included more training, establishment of a performance
improvement board and new standards for monitoring worker
performance.
On Wednesday, the NRC informed Oatley that Diablo Canyon's last
area of concern, problem identification and resolution, has been
corrected. The utility promised to continue improving in those
areas.
David Sneed covers environmental issues for The Tribune. E-mail
story ideas and comments to him at dsneed
@thetribunenews.com.
*****************************************************************
28 Minneapolis Star Tribune: Monticello nuclear plant gets high rating
Last update: September 2, 2005 at 10:42 PM
September 3, 2005 NUKE0903
Federal officials gave Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear
generating plant and nearby public safety agencies near-perfect
marks Friday following a preparedness exercise this week that
simulated a dangerous release of radioactivity.
In Tuesday's drill, authorities in Wright and Sherburne counties
were asked to demonstrate their ability to evacuate wide areas
within 10 miles of the power plant and were evaluated on 140
performance categories.
Only two glitches arose, said Gary Naskrent of the Federal
Emergency Management Administration (FEMA): A noisy state
helicopter couldn't issue bullhorn warnings audible to those on
the ground, and an evacuation shelter for schoolchildren outside
the danger zone would have become overcrowded in a real
emergency.
About 120 officials from FEMA and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) participated in the exercise. The NRC's Thomas
Ploski said Xcel's performance raised no concerns. "Basically,
we're satisfied," he said.
Preparedness exercises are conducted regularly at all U.S.
nuclear power plants, including those at Monticello and Red Wing.
Conrad deFiebre
[Star Tribune] Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488 |(612) 673-4000 [''
*****************************************************************
29 RedNovaNews: Ukrainian Nuclear Reactor Stopped Due to Turbine Malfunction
Sunday, 4 September 2005, 15:00 CDT
Excerpt from report by Ukrainian news agency UNIAN
Kiev, 4 September: The No 2 power unit of the Khmelnytskyy
nuclear power plant was stopped on 3 September due to a
malfunction in the turbine system, the Ukrainian state nuclear
regulator has said.
The malfunction occurred during the launch of one of the main
pumps after planned maintenance. The incident did not affect the
radiation level at the plant and did not pose any danger to the
plant's personnel.
Because of the emergency shutdown, the reactor's launch tests
scheduled for 3 September were cancelled. The No 2 generating
set, which was first launched last year, has not been officially
commissioned for industrial use yet. The launch tests are needed
to confirm the reactor's readiness for industrial use and for
the state commission's approval.
[Passage omitted: repairs continue at three other reactors]
Source: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union Ads by Google
© 2002-2005 RedNova.com. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
30 Los Angeles Times: Suite deal has nuclear glow -
[The Los Angeles Times - latimes.com
September 4, 2005
By Jack Miles, JACK MILES was a member of The Times' editorial
board from 1991 to 1995.
GOV. ARNOLD Schwarzenegger lives in a $6,000-a-month hotel
suite in Sacramento paid for by special-interest groups, notably
including Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric,
The Times reported on Aug. 24. What do SCE and PG&E expect from
Schwarzenegger in exchange for their largesse? The Times rightly
raised that question in a strongly worded editorial on Aug. 29.
Ironically, the answer appeared elsewhere in the newspaper on
the very same day. Staff writers Jordan Rau and Miguel Bustillo
reported Schwarzenegger's nomination in effect, his interim
appointment of two nuclear industry lobbyists as California's
representatives on the Southwestern Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Commission, or SWLLRWC. The commission's abbreviation is long
enough to make voters' eyes glaze over, but it makes eyes light
up at SCE and PG&E.
Here's why. Nuclear power plants have a finite life span, but a
dead plant remains dangerously radioactive and must be guarded
indefinitely at company expense if it cannot be chopped up,
turned into radioactive garbage and moved to somebody's dump.
But where can that waste be sent? There's the rub. In 2003 and
2004, SCE sought to ship 900 tons of radioactive waste from its
defunct reactor at San Onofre southward to and through the
Panama Canal and then up the East Coast to a dump at Barnwell,
S.C. Understandably, Panama refused passage; the cargo was not
only too risky, it was too heavy. SCE then sought permission to
send the garbage barge down the length of South America, around
Cape Horn through the fiercely stormy Strait of Magellan, and
then back north to Barnwell. Nothing doing: Recognizing the risk
of a catastrophic nuclear shipwreck, Argentina denied SCE
passage through its coastal waters.
Which brings us back to the two foxes that Schwarzenegger
appointed to the henhouse. In the early 1990s, when I was
writing on this topic for The Times' editorial page, Donna
Earley (one of the two, then representing the California
Radioactive Materials Management Forum, a lobby serving the
interests of the radioactive waste producers), visited the Times
editorial board and told us with a straight face that a proposed
radioactive waste dump at Ward Valley, near Needles, was
principally for medical and pharmaceutical waste. Nuclear power
plant waste, she said, would constitute only a small fraction of
the waste flow. Nuclear safety watchdogs, notably Daniel Hirsch
of the Committee to Bridge the Gap, offered public-record
evidence to the contrary. But definitive refutation of Earley's
claim only came 10 years later in the form of that garbage
barge, proof positive of SCE's desperate determination to hand
off responsibility for hundreds of tons of radioactive waste
from its dead plant, vastly more than ever had or would come
from medical or pharmaceutical sources.
Public opposition to the proposed Ward Valley dump mounted
steadily through the 1990s as hydrological and geological
evidence accumulated showing that radioactivity could migrate
from the unlined dump through soil to groundwater and from the
groundwater on to the connecting Colorado River, barely 20 miles
away. The dump was slowed in court and finally, in 2002, stopped
by a law (AB 2214) that also created guidelines for better
radioactive waste disposal. The water supply was saved.
Or so it seemed until April, when James Tripodes,
Schwarzenegger's second commission interim appointee, wrote to a
colleague on the commission that "California should be requested
to repeal AB 2214 in its entirety…. Repeal of this statute,
resumption of the land transfer process from the federal
government to California and activation of the license would
assure timely development of regional LLRW disposal capacity to
meet the needs of SWLLRWC generators" including those now
picking up the governor's hotel tab.
On Aug. 31, thanks to this letter (and Tripodes' clumsy attempt
to disown it), the State Senate Rules Committee defied
Schwarzenegger and declined to recommend confirmation and
renewal of Tripodes' appointment. As for Earley, the committee
voted to recommend her confirmation only after exacting a pledge
that she would break with the industry lobby that still employs
her and oppose repeal of AB 2214. The full Legislature may still
vote against her appointment.
Pockets as deep as those of SCE and PG&E are intimidating. Yet
in the home state of the Sierra Club, voters by the millions
have proved that they will respond to leadership that stands up
for clean air and clean water. This time, the leadership came
from Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), Don Perata (D-Oakland) and
especially Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey). As for the Ward
Valley dump, the cry of the Terminator "I'll be baaack!" has
been stifled for the moment. But make no mistake: Somewhere,
somebody has a sequel already on the storyboard.
Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times | Privacy Policy | Terms of
*****************************************************************
31 SouthofBoston.com: Pilgrim is running out of room
By Daniel Axelrod
MPG Newspapers 9 Long Pond Rd. Plymouth, MA 02360 (508) 746-5555
CONTACT US
Plymouth officials will have some pull after Entergy applies
with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission in January to
relicense the Pilgrim nuclear power plant for 20 years beyond
2012.
Town officials and the public can influence the scope of the
environmental impact study the utility must complete and raise
concerns about how well some of the plant's aging technical
systems work.
If the plant gets a new license, town officials can even
negotiate a more lucrative annual tax payout deal. But one thing
Plymouth's brass can't control is whether and when Entergy
officials remove multiple tons of spent nuclear fuel.
All the nuclear fuel ever used to power the Pilgrim plant's
boiling water reactor since 1972 is still at the plant cooling
in a concrete pool full of water.
Spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste is
temporarily stored above ground at 131 locations in 39 states.
That fuel is part of a decades-old controversy about whether
Nevada's Yucca Mountain is the place to put it.
Plymouth officials visited Yucca Mountain
The Yucca Mountain Ridge sits on the edge of the nuclear weapons
test site in Nye County Nevada, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas
and its population of nearly 2 million.
Over the years, military and government officials tested some
800 nuclear weapons at the site, which abuts Nellis Air Force
Base. Death Valley is nearby over the California border.
Roughly 15 people live 12 miles south of the Yucca Mountain site
in Lathrop Wells.
About 1,400 people live 18 miles to the south in the small
farming community of Amargosa Valley.
Most jobs near Yucca Mountain relate to farming, tourism and the
government.
Three years ago, chairman of the board of selectmen Kenneth
Tavares, former selectman David Rushforth, former town manager
Eleanor Beth and Pilgrim plant spokesman David Tarantino visited
the mountain.
The Nuclear Energy Institute, an industry-lobbying group, paid
for the trip.
After receiving security clearance and safety training the town
officials put on hard hats and earplugs and rode a mining train
equipped with emergency respirators into the main tunnel under
the mountain's ridge.
Town officials explored the 25-foot diameter 5-mile long
U-shaped main tunnel 1,000 feet below the Yucca crest. The
tunnel sits 1,000 feet above the water table.
Scientists work in several alcoves off that main loop and tests
are performed in a 161/2 foot diameter roughly 2-mile long drift
cut through the mountain.
At the time, the selectmen came away impressed and convinced
Yucca Mountain is where the country's nuclear waste should go.
"I was very impressed by what had been done," Tavares said. "We
toured all day with people who had worked on the construction,
and they were telling us everything from how it had been
constructed to why it was a safe place to be."
"The people we talked to were in favor of it, saying it was the
place to be, but at same time there was a great deal of
discussion in newspapers that senators and the governor didn't
want it out there and didn't want it to be a desert dumping
ground," Tavares added.
Water cooler chat or cover-up?
Critics of the government's plans to store the nation's nuclear
waste at Yucca Mountain think the mountain's seemingly remote
and secure looks are deceiving.
Michele Boyd is the legislative director of Public Citizen, a
national non-profit public interest organization that, along
with Nevada officials and a host of public safety and
environmental organizations, sued the government to prevent the
use of Yucca Mountain.
"The groundwater under Yucca Mountain is used for drinking and
irrigation," Boyd said.
"One area that uses the water is an organic community called
Amargosa Valley that's 20 miles away, which provides a huge
amount of milk to the state."
Boyd is concerned about the accuracy of U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) models about the amount of moisture that will
penetrate the mountain and corrode containers of radioactive
materials, the speed of groundwater in the mountain and the
rock's ability to keep radiation from escaping.
Water underneath Yucca Mountain flows toward the Amargosa Valley
and that water is the "vehicle most likely to move radioactive
particles from a repository to the water table and on to contact
with people and the environment," according to Office of
Civilian Radioactive Waste Management's Web site.
Energy department officials' April announcement that they
discovered e-mails written by U.S. Geological Survey employees
that could have lead to data being falsified about Yucca
Mountain are fueling Boyd's concerns.
According to an April Las Vegas Sun article, Rep. Jon Porter,
R-Nev., released edited copies of the e-mails and various
documents in which "employees discussed how to 'fudge'
information, make things up and get around a Quality Assurance
program in place to back up and document scientific work."
"The Investigator General's Office of both the DOE and the USGS
as well as the FBI are checking to see if there was criminal
activity along with the Work Force Subcommittee," Boyd said.
"But the problem is the DOE is doing an internal investigation
about the ramifications of the falsification," Boyd said.
In May, Nevada officials released additional e-mails containing
long conversations between DOE employees and contractors -
documents the state officials claim support their position Yucca
Mountain is unsafe for nuclear waste storage.
The Nevada officials found the e-mails after months of compiling
documents from the Licensing Support Network.
That network is a database of DOE documents related to the Yucca
Mountain project entitled a "Chronology of Selected Yucca
Mountain Project E-mails," according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Nevada officials posted the e-mails they found on the state's
Web site including correspondence sent from DOE employee Larry
Rickertsen to Robert Andrews, Jean Younker and Thomas Statton in
1996.
One e-mail from Rickertson reads: "We have been able to get by
NWTRB (Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board) reviews and other
similar situations, but ... we will have severe difficulties
when we get into the real arenas," the Las Vegas Sun reported.
"I am convinced that the data we have been using are not only
uncertain, they are not even representative of the ranges that
we will be able to defend when we get into those arenas,"
Rickertson wrote.
A year later Rickertsen wrote another e-mail to Jan Docka.
In it, Rickertsen wrote that it's impossible to show the doses
of radiation released from the spent fuel containers - even with
special drip shields designed to keep out moisture - would be
less than the standard the EPA originally set of how much
radiation individuals could be exposed to annually.
According to the Las Vegas Sun, another e-mail sent from
government employee Bob Levich to Paul Dixon reads: "We CANNOT
and CAN NEVER rely completely (or even mostly) on engineering
barriers for protection of the public health and safety in a
geologic repository system. If we try to do so, this program is
dead! Just build concrete pads on Jackass Flats and shove the
waste inside concrete bunkers.... It is ridiculous to completely
rely on engineered barriers, the lifespan of which has never
been tests for even tens or hundreds of years."
Indeed, Yucca Mountain critics think the government is trying to
cover-up evidence and data that show the site isn't safe for
nuclear waste.
Allen Benson, DOE Communications Manager for Yucca Mountain
Project, said the DOE reviewed and tested the mountain and the
validity of the e-mails' information and determining the
mountain is safe for storage.
"We found these issues and we made them public, so I don't know
what kind of cover-up others are talking about," Benson said.
"And in a Congressional hearing the principal architect of the
e-mails testified under oath that he falsified no information
(about the mountain or its safety)."
"In terms of these e-mail issues, a couple of people were
involved in venting, if you will, and my comments to the press
at the time when all this came out, were this was water cooler
chatter," Benson added.
Benson said the DOE took the e-mails very seriously.
"We're giving credence to these because we referred them to
Inspectors General of Department of Energy and the Department of
the Interior," Benson said.
Go put it in the mountain
More than 161 million Americans- including Plymouth's 56,000
residents - live within 75 miles of a nuclear waste storage
facility.
In 30 years, U.S. utilities will produce 105,000 more metric
tons of nuclear waste, roughly double the current amount in the
U.S. today.
Government workers plan to put roughly 70,000 tons of spent
nuclear fuel and solid high-level radioactive waste in Yucca
Mountain.
"Unfortunately with nuclear power there is no good solution,"
Boyd, of Public Citizen, said.
"We need a finite problem, not an infinite problem, so we need
to stop making the waste and leave it where it is until we
figure out a better solution.
Congress began planning for a nuclear repository in 1982, when
it enacted the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, which directed the
federal government to take charge of disposing the nation's
nuclear waste.
Before choosing Yucca Mountain, scientists considered leaving
spent nuclear fuel at current storage sites, burying it in the
ocean floor, sticking it in salt flats, putting it in polar ice
sheets and sending it into outer space.
According to the Office of Civilian Waste Management, experts
ruled out the most of those options. Current sites don't have
enough room. Waste put in salt flats would sink and be
irretrievable, hot nuclear waste containers could melt polar ice
sheets.
It would also be too expensive - and dangerous if there was an
accident - to send nuclear waste into space.
Placing it deep underground in a geologic repository became
government officials' favored waste disposal option.
The Congressional legislation in the early '80s created the
Nuclear Waste Fund to pay for the cost of fuel disposal.
"People paying electric bills have been paying a fee into a DOE
fund and there's been somewhere between $18 and $20 billion
collected by the federal government for the purpose of shipping
and storing fuel," Entergy spokesman David Tarantino said.
Congress charged the DOE with selecting, designing and operating
a repository, while the EPA must decide standards for protecting
the environment from radiation.
Besides Yucca Mountain, the DOE recommended two others sites for
study to President Ronald Reagan in 1986: the salt beds of Deaf
Smith County, Texas and the basalt rocks of the semi-arid region
of the Columbia Plateau in southeastern Washington stateknown as
Hanford.
"Yucca Mountain was recommended by the U.S. Geological Survey
because of the attributes the site possesses including a stable
geology, a deep water table, no one lives there, it's a desert
environment and ... it's remote," Yucca Mountain Project
communications manager Benson said.
Congress later passed the Nuclear Policy Amendments Act of 1987,
which directed the DOE to look only at Yucca Mountain.
"And we did look at it," Benson said. "We studied it,
characterized it and in February of 2002 the (DOE) secretary
recommended it to the president who recommended it to Congress."
If Yucca Mountain does become America's nuclear waste
repository, the waste will be placed in concrete casks or
canisters.
These containers will be laid horizontally on pedestals prior to
closing or sealing the mountain.
Future generations will be able to potentially reuse or
reprocess the spent nuclear fuel. NRC repository regulations
require keeping the mountain open for at least 50 years as waste
is placed inside and allowing individuals to open the mountain
100 or more years later.
The debate continues
Yucca Mountain's critics argue it's in an earthquake zone. They
question how safe the mountain is because there are volcanic
cones in the area. (See sidebar on page A7)
"There are questions whether there could be eruptions in the
area that are unresolved because scientists haven't figured out
the likelihood of volcanic activity," Boyd said.
"Magma could enter underground tunnels and cause canisters to
fail, and of course earthquakes are obvious. They'll cause
massive damage to facilities," she added.
Boyd said it's a myth that using Yucca Mountain will consolidate
all America's waste in one space and make America safer.
"You can't move waste away from a site for five years, because
it needs to cool, so there will always be waste all over (the
country)," Boyd said.
"We'll have waste on site, waste at Yucca Mountain and waste on
roads and rails (while it's transported to the repository), so
instead of consolidating waste we will move it all over the
country," Boyd said.
He wonders how quickly canisters of spent fuel would corrode at
the site. Inevitably, some moisture will absorb into Yucca
Mountain.
Nevada officials argue it's full of holes or faults from past
earthquakes.
Some scientists favor using man-made barriers such as titanium
drip shields to cover the spent fuel canisters to keep them from
corroding as quickly.
"But there's still a lot of controversy around what chemicals
are in the water that could corrode them," Boyd said.
Initially, the spent fuel's canisters will be so hot
condensation won't necessarily form, but as they cool
condensation could form and water could potentially drip on
them, Nevada officials argue.
Benson said the DOE is considering drip shields.
"Even though you get five to six inches of rain each year and
we're in a desert environment, some amount of moisture will
penetrate the mountain and over the millennia we might want to
make sure we'll use a drip shield," Benson said.
Boyd, however, thinks there are alternatives to the government
transporting waste across the country and storing it in the
mountain.
One common alternative idea to using Yucca Mountain is storing
40,000 of tons nuclear waste at an interim site in Utah.
"Right now we don't have a good solution, and we need to do more
research, and we need to stop wasting money at Yucca," Boyd said.
According to U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., the price tag
for Yucca is expected to climb to $60 billion or more.
So far, the enactment of the nuclear waste policy act cost $8
billion, while Yucca Mountain was $5 billion, according to
Benson.
Berkley, along with other Yucca Mountain critics, thinks storing
nuclear waste at the reactor sites themselves is the safest and
most affordable solution for dealing with the nation's nuclear
waste
"High-level nuclear waste is already being stored at nuclear
power plants across our nation, and there is no reason why it
cannot safely remain there for decades," Berkley wrote in a
press release.
Berkley thinks the stakes are too high to transport nuclear
waste across the country for burial in Yucca Mountain because
terrorists might target the waste.
"The terrorist threat created by decades of waste shipments and
the enormous likelihood of an accident involving nuclear waste
make on-site storage the safest option for the nation's spent
nuclear fuel," according to Berkley's press release.
"One accident or terrorist strike involving high-level waste
would endanger lives and cause a catastrophe that would leave
millions of dollars in damages and take years to clean up,"
Berkley said.
Berkley remains unconvinced Yucca Mountain is safe in light of
USGS and DOE employee e-mails that surfaced in recent months
questioning aspects of Yucca Mountain's safety.
"The latest allegations only compound existing deficiencies at
the quality assurance program as identified last year by the
General Accountability Office and outlined in its April 2004
report, 'Yucca Mountain: Persistent Quality Assurance Problems
Could Delay Repository Licensing and Operation,'" Berkley said.
Benson dismissed critics' arguments.
"Yucca Mountain was formed 10 to 15 million years ago, and it's
not a volcano; it's the result of volcanoes," Benson said.
"We did intensely study this, and when you stand on Yucca
Mountain the cinder cones are moving away. The youngest one is
80,000 years old so if any new ones develop they're moving south
and away," Benson said.
He thinks the radiation is going to stay safely in the mountain
because its top is 5,000 feet above sea level.
Plus the waste would sit 1,000 feet under the top of the
mountain and about 1,000 feet above the water table.
As far as safely transporting the waste, Benson said there's
never been a major accident before.
"Everything would be convoyed safely," Benson said. "We've been
moving this kind of material around country for a very long
time, and we're confident in our ability to safely transport
this material."
He added the nuclear material would be shipped over a period of
24 years in multiple shipments and not all at once.
"When you want to stop something you'll find every excuse you
can to question it, but what are the alternatives (to Yucca
Mountain)?" Benson said. "Nobody is coming up with any realistic
or valuable alternatives."
Benson questioned whether Yucca Mountain critics have ulterior
motives against nuclear power itself.
Benson added leaving waste at reactor sites isn't possible since
many sites don't have room to store spent fuel rods, and they'd
have to go off-line as a result.
Here in Plymouth, Entergy spokesman Tarantino said the Pilgrim
plant has plenty of room to bury spent fuel rods in big dry
caste storage after the spent fuel rod pool fills when the
plant's license expires in 2012.
The plant sits on 150 acres of industrial-zoned land. Entergy
owns another 1,600 acres of forestry land to the west of the
plant.
"For however long the plant operates, we have sufficient room to
store things, but that's not the desirable option," Tarantino
said.
Yucca Mountain is located near the Ghost Dance and the Solitario
Canyon faults.
But when it comes to earthquakes, Benson is quick to point out
Yucca Mountain has already proven itself to be sturdy.
"In an earthquake, the motion is at surface," Benson said. "Back
in '92 there was a 5.6 or 5.7 earthquake not far from Yucca, and
there were scientists in a tunnel near the epicenter and they
didn't even know an earthquake happened."
"All facilities will be built to withstand a 6.5 level
earthquake at Yucca Mountain, and the University of Nevada will
monitor seismic activity," Benson added.
So what's next?
For the last 10 years, Nevada officials sued the federal
government on multiple grounds to stop the Yucca Mountain
Project.
These lawsuits were merged into four different cases argued
before the District of Columbia Court of Appeals on Jan. 14,
2004.
Appeals' court judges dismissed all but one of state officials'
claims, but ruled in favor of the Nevada official's radiation
standards complaint.
The judges ruled that the length of time the EPA allowed the DOE
to have for Yucca Mountain before higher levels of radiation
leaked out and the amount of radiation allowed to be emitted
were unacceptable.
The EPA originally had a 10,000-year standard for how long the
mountain must contain most of the spent fuel's radiation, which
didn't follow the standard required by Congress.
According to the EPA's original standard, the DOE would have to
prove individuals were exposed to more than 15 millirems of
radiation - or about the radiation of a chest x-ray - annually
for 10,000 years.
However, Congress requires the EPA follow the National Academy
of Sciences' recommendations, which determined Yucca Mountain
should be able to contain radiation based on peak levels or
what's emitted when the bulk of the radioactive waste is decayed.
Peak doses of radiation could come anywhere from 100,000 to
300,000 years or more from the time the radiation is deposited
in the mountain.
At the beginning of August the EPA announced it was keeping the
standard that individuals only be exposed to 15 millirems
annually from nuclear radiation for the next 10,000 years at
Yucca Mountain.
The EPA retained that standard despite the fact it was thrown
out by the federal appeals court last year because 10,000 was
dubbed "arbitrary" and it didn't follow National Academy of
Sciences Recommendations.
However, EPA officials said they'd create a different limit for
how much radiation it's acceptable for individuals to be exposed
to from 10,000 to 1 million years.
Individuals now can be exposed to 350 millirems per year for
10,000 to one million years, according to the Environmental
Protection Agency.
The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, argues the
average American is exposed to 360 millirems of radiation from
mostly natural sources, such as radon and other radioactive
elements in the earth already.
Nevada officials wonder why the EPA would let Americans be
exposed to 350 millirems more per year than the average exposure.
Medical and dental treatments, television sets and emissions
from coal-fired power plants are also sources of radiation.
DOE officials are convinced Yucca Mountain is safe and sound,
but Nevada officials and other Yucca critics will keep fighting
the project.
Ultimately, NRC officials will decide whether the mountain is
safe. They will consider and potentially issue the application
for Yucca Mountain to be used as a repository.
The next step in the process is for the DOE to certify the
licensing support network of millions of pages of material in
support of the license application.
That could occur sometime within the next several weeks. Six
months later the DOE will submit an application to NRC, which
would determine whether the application is complete and docket
it to be reviewed.
Then, by law, the NRC can review the application for up to four
years.
If the application is approved, the NRC will issue a license to
construct the facility at the earliest in mid- to late-2010 and
construction could be finished by 2012, Benson said.
MPG Newspapers, 9 Long Pond Rd., Plymouth, MA 02360 Telephone:
(508) 746-5555
*****************************************************************
32 asahi.com: Ministry seeking 3 facilities in Aomori for ITER
nuclear-fusion project
09/03/2005 The Asahi Shimbun
The science and technology ministry specified three facilities
it wants to operate as a reward for abandoning its bid to host
the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER),
ministry sources said.
The three ITER-related facilities would be located in Rokkasho,
Aomori Prefecture, and help put Japan on an equal footing with
the European Union in terms of research into the ITER project,
the officials said.
The European Union was named the host of the ITER project after
Japan gave up its bid in exchange for preferential treatment
concerning construction contracts and jobs for Japanese
researchers.
The reactor will be built in France.
The project involves six parties-Japan, the United States, the
European Union, Russia, China and South Korea. It is designed to
create energy by causing a nuclear fusion reaction by heating
deuterium and tritium to temperatures exceeding 100 million
degrees.
One of the facilities the ministry is eyeing is a remote-control
experimental facility that would allow direct access to the
actual ITER, according to ministry officials.
Another facility would house a supercomputer to conduct
calculations for predictions of experimental results. This would
increase efficiency in the research, the officials said.
The third facility the ministry is seeking would serve as a
center for the planning process for next-generation reactors.
The ministry also wants to drastically remodel the fusion plasma
research device called JT-60 at the Japan Atomic Energy Research
Institute in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture. The changes would allow
the JT-60 to be used as a mini-experimental reactor to support
and supplement ITER experiments.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology will field the opinions of experts and officially
endorse the plan by the end of this month, according to ministry
sources.
Tokyo and the EU have already agreed to share the 92 billion yen
in expenses to build the three facilities.(IHT/Asahi: September
3,2005)
[Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights
*****************************************************************
33 DAWN: Civil use of N-energy allowed -
Top Stories; September 4, 2005
By Ihtasham ul Haque
ISLAMABAD, Sept 3: The International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) has mandated Pakistan to extensively use nuclear energy
for civilian purposes in agriculture, industrial, health,
education and environment sectors.
Sources told Dawn on Saturday that the IAEA had decided to
offer substantial funding for 24 research projects, findings of
which would be shared with other Asian countries.
However, the IAEA said that all the nuclear energy-related
projects must be opened for monitoring by its officials to
ensure that everything was done for civilian use and not for
manufacturing nuclear weapons, the sources said.
They said Pakistan had become the “highest recipient of IAEA’s
financial and technical assistance” and that the relevant
international agencies and Islamabad’s bilateral supporters had
been taken into confidence about the application of nuclear
energy for civilian purposes.
They said the IAEA had allowed the Pakistan Atomic Energy
Commission to amply use nuclear energy for improving the
performance of agriculture, industrial, health, education and
environment sectors.
“The PAEC is now providing nuclear technology for civilian
purposes, which used to be taboo till recently,” the sources
said, adding that Pakistani authorities were fully cooperating
with the IAEA on all nuclear and non-nuclear issues.
They said the PAEC-supported civilian organizations were ready
for inspection by everybody, including the IAEA.
The sources said all the PAEC laboratories, including the
Pakistan Institute of Science and Technology, had started
providing extensive services to civilian organizations after the
IAEA’s approval.
They said IAEA officials admitted that a number of sanctions
imposed by the United States and the West in the past on
Pakistan’s civilian nuclear projects were unjustified, for which
the country should be compensated by allowing it to use nuclear
technology in manufacturing, industry etc.
“We have been informed by the IAEA authorities that they are
ready to provide training to Pakistani manpower for improving
its skills relating to nuclear energy,” another source said.
He said that the government had provided Rs178 million for
reclaiming 25,000 acres of salinity-hit and waterlogged land by
using nuclear technology.
He said a laser land leveller had been manufactured with the
help of the PAEC, which, if imported, could have cost a large
amount in foreign exchange. He said a number of initiatives were
being taken in the industrial, environmental, health and
education sectors to use nuclear technology. For promoting
industrial activities, he said, a ‘non-destructive unit’ had
been set up, which would work under World Trade Organization
regulations. This would also help improve the quality of
industrial products for increasing exports, the source said.
© DAWN Group of Newspapers, 2005
*****************************************************************
34 Sunday Herald: Nuclear weapons disaster exercise for capital -
By Paul Hutcheon, Scottish Political Editor
EDINBURGH will be used as a guinea pig this month to test the
UKs response to a disaster involving weapons of mass
destruction, the Sunday Herald can reveal.
The capital has been chosen to host an initiative that will test
the governments capacity to deal with a crash involving a
nuclear weapons convoy.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) says the massive exercise,
codenamed Exercise Sen ator, which will involve more than 100
military personnel and dozens of staff in Scotlands public
services, is essential to test the governments plans for dealing
with a nuclear catastrophe. It will be staged at Dreghorn
Barracks on 14 and 15 September .
The exercise takes place every four years, and it is thought
this is the first time it has been staged in Scotland since
devolution.
Although presided over by armed forces minister Adam Ingram, the
accident response exercise may also require officials from the
Scottish Executive, NHS Lothian and the emergency services to
withdraw from their usual duties.
The Sunday Herald also understands that representatives from
Edinburgh city council, the Scottish Environmental Protection
Agency, Scottish Water, the Food Standards Agency and other
public bodies are being forced to attend.
The two-day programme is thought to be split up into four
sections. In the first phase, emergency services will be asked
to deal with a wreckage of a crashed nuclear convoy. This then
triggers phase two, a command centre response, followed by
ministerial involve ment, concluding with a wash up.
Exercise Senator is also part of the continuing dialogue between
Nato and the Russian Federation on nuclear wea pons issues,
following the 2002 Rome Declaration on mutual co-operation
between military bodies and nuclear agencies.
Representatives from the Nato-Russia Council are expec ted to
attend the Edinburgh gathering, which is similar to the Avariya
2004 event held in Russia 13 months ago.
Staging a nuclear accident response in the wake of the Iraq war
will be seen as controversial because of Tony Blairs tough
stance on WMD in the Gulf. Opponents of the Prime Minister
believe it is hypocritical of the government to lecture other
countries about nuclear wea pons while at the same time spending
taxpayers money on testing the UKs system.
Exercise Senator will also be viewed with suspicion in Scotland
because of the countrys residual hostility to nuclear weapons,
particular the continued presence of Trident.
Defence secretary John Reid has recently taken the first steps
towards replacing Brit ain's nuclear deterrent by opening talks
with the US government on a possible successor to the
submarine-launched system. MoD officials have begun talks with
President Bushs administration and with defence companies on the
controversial nuclear deterrent.
The Prime Minister is also known to want to retain Trident
because it can be deployed quickly anywhere in the world.
Replacing Trident, which the Prime Minister has said is the
right thing for the country, is estimated by some defence
analysts as costing upwards of £20 billion.
Labours election manifesto said of the issue: We are committed
to retaining the independent nuclear deterrent.
Scottish Socialist Party lea der Colin Fox attacked the
redeployment of Scotlands public sector staff for the nuclear
exercise, saying: It is an absolute disgrace that public money
is being spent on an exercise which should never need to take
place.
At a time when the UK went to war because of WMD that did not
exist in Iraq, it is a terrible irony that Scotland is having to
use public money for exercises that envisage accidents because
of our own WMD.
However, a spokesman for the MoD defended the two-day event,
saying that Edinburgh was a suitable venue for the massive
exercise.
Edinburgh has been chosen because of the suitability of the
exercise location and because the local authority and Edinburgh
police were keen to participate. It has not been chosen because
of the likelihood or otherwise of an accident in Edinburgh, he
said.
In July the Sunday Herald revealed that an internal MoD report
had conceded that Trident warheads could explode if they were
involved in a major road accident or plane crash, despite
previous assurances on safety. Convoys of nuclear weapons travel
about six times a year between the Atomic Weapons Establishment
at Burghfield in Berkshire and the Royal Naval Armaments Depot
at Coulport on Loch Long. According to the MoD, they pass
through 21 local authorities in Scotland.
04 September 2005
© newsquest (sunday herald) limited. all rights reserved
*****************************************************************
35 [du-list] Planned survey of DU polluted areas.
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 01:14:16 -0700
Al-Mashriq publishes on page 4 a 230-word report on the plan
announced by the Environment Ministry to survey locations that
were subjected to bombing and polluted with depleted uranium.
Al-Mashriq publishes on page 4 a 50-word report on the training
sessions being conducted by Ministry of Health to combat
contagious diseases.
Al-Mada publishes on page 2 a 230-word report on the inauguration
of many mobile medical centers allover Baghdad.
Tariq al-Sha'b on 25 August carries on the front page a 200-word
report citing the director of SOMO announcing yesterday that Iraq
has signed contracts with three foreign companies for the sale of
3m barrels of crude oil from Ceyhan Terminal.
Tariq al-Sha'b on 25 August carries on page 2 a 200-word report
on the complaint by Federal Union of Workers in Basra complaining
about the frequent assaults against railway workers and demanding
sufficient protection for passenger and cargo trains.
Tariq al-Sha'b on 25 August carries on page 2 a 500-word column
urging the government to investigate and reveal the facts about
the ongoing large-scale smuggling of fuel out of the country.
Tariq al-Sha'b on 25 August carries on page 2 a 100-word report
citing an official source at the Communication Ministry asserting
that the ministry is planning to enter into a partnership with
private investors to develop mobile telecommunications in Iraq.
Dar al-Salam on 25 August carries on page 6 a 1,700-word report
on fuel crisis.
Dar al-Salam on 25 August carries on page 7 a 500-word column
criticizing the Iraqi Government for its inadequate
anti-corruption measures.
----------
*****************************************************************
36 [du-list] DU use in So. Korea
Date: Sun, 04 Sep 2005 01:14:44 -0700
excerpt, below, link at end. Claims both ways about US use of DU
in So. Korea. And the truth is... ? Sheree "No uranium, no
worries CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea - U.S. Forces Korea said
Friday that firefighters at Rodriguez Range can stop taking
precautions against depleted uranium - such munitions have never
been used in South Korea.
In a Stars and Stripes story last week, Camp Casey Garrison fire
chief Jerry Epperson and South Korean firefighters at the range
expressed concerns about the risk from old depleted uranium
rounds."
The message is ready to be sent with the following file or link
attachments: Shortcut to: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=31369
Note: To protect against computer viruses, e-mail programs may
prevent sending or receiving certain types of file attachments.
Check your e-mail security settings to determine how attachments
are handled.
*****************************************************************
37 AR: Pima County plans testing near beryllium-processing plant
[The Arizona Republic]
Associated Press
Sept. 3, 2005 12:00 AM
TUCSON - Pima County is looking to conduct long-term testing on
a beryllium-processing plant on Tucson's south side as about 600
new homes are being built nearby.
Concerns have been raised by the discovery of a relatively high
level of the toxic metal in a sample taken at a Sunnyside
Unified School District administration building in March.
Sunnyside also has said it will continue monitoring beryllium
levels at schools near the Brush Ceramic Products plant,
including Sunnyside High School.
Beryllium, a naturally occurring metal used in industrial
applications, can be toxic when particles are inhaled.
A recent state report found no violations of maximum beryllium
levels in any of the test results, concluding that the plant
"does not pose a public health hazard."
"I would hope the community would be reassured by the report,"
said John Scheatzle, general manager of Brush Ceramic Products,
which employs about 95 people.
However, 35 Tucson workers at the firm formerly known as Brush
Wellman have contracted incurable chronic beryllium disease,
which slowly suffocates its victims. At least two have died.
Scheatzle said most of those sickened by beryllium exposure
worked at the plant in the 1980s, when the metal's toxicity was
not understood and safety gear wasn't required.
Since the early 1990s, Scheatzle said, workers have been
protected by respirators and protective gear, while filtration
systems protect the public from beryllium dust.
Copyright © 2005, azcentral.com. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
38 Fiji Times Online: Nuclear veterans await pension -
(Monday, September 05, 2005)
VETERAN soldiers who witnessed nuclear tests in the 1950s are
still waiting for word from the Government on their plea for a
State pension and medical care.
The Fiji Nuclear Test Veterans Association met Prime Minister
Laisenia Qarase last year, who promised to look into the matter.
But association vice-president Paul Ahpoy said they had received
no word
since on whether the Government would entertain their plea for
relief.
He said many veterans had died waiting for the Government to
respond with numerous health problems linked to exposure to
radiation during their tour of duty. About 300 soldiers were sent
to Christmas Island and Malden Island from 1957 to 1958 to
witness the British nuclear testing program.
"Most of the veterans have died. They have not died a natural
death but the effects of the testing, " Mr Ahpoy said. "Our
children have been born with deformed bodies, skin diseases and
even dying at very young age."
Mr Ahpoy, 69, has had suffered numerous health problems including
the loss of his hair and fingernails and removal of nodules from
parts of his body.
He also lost his only daughter who was three years old. She
developed physical problems in her growth. He first travelled to
Christmas Island in 1956, one of two Fijian sailors sent to
survey the island on board a New Zealand ship. He said he
witnessed seven of the nine nuclear tests.
Together with British and New Zealand troops, Fijian sailors and
soldiers witnessed three atmospheric British nuclear tests at
Malden Island in 1957 and six atmospheric nuclear tests at
Christmas Island between 1957-1958.
The tests included the detonation of two atomic bomb tests on
Christmas Island and seven hydrogen bomb tests, conducted over
the ocean near the two islands.
Copyright © 2004, Fiji Times Limited. All Rights Reserved Site
*****************************************************************
39 Bradenton Herald: Tallevast residents file lawsuit
| 09/03/2005 |
Lockheed Martin, Loral, WPI Sarasota among defendants being sued
for millions
DONNA WRIGHT
Herald Staff Writer
TALLEVAST - Residents have filed suit against Lockheed Martin
Corp.
Potential damages could be in the tens of millions, if not
hundreds of millions, of dollars, said Sally W. Comollo,
spokeswoman for Motley Rice of Mount Pleasant, S.C., one of
several law firms advising Tallevast residents.
The claim is not a class action lawsuit but a consolidation of
more than 200 cases, Comollo said.
Gail Rymer, Lockheed's director of corporate and community
affairs, said the defense giant would not comment on a legal
action it had not yet seen.
The defendants likely will be served their copies of the suit
next week, said Ed Cottingham, of Charleston, S.C., another
attorney representing Tallevast residents.
Other defendants named in the suit filed in the 12th Judicial
Circuit Court in Manatee County are Loral Corp., Wire Pro Inc.,
WPI Sarasota Division Inc. and BECSD, the holding company
currently listed as owner of the factory at 1600 Tallevast Road,
which has been pegged as the source of the contamination.
None of the other defendants could be reached late Friday.
From 1961 through 1996, Loral Corp. owned and operated the
Tallevast beryllium plant.
Lockheed Martin acquired the facility in 1996 in a corporate
buyout of Loral.
The underground plume of contamination now known to cover more
than 131 acres has been traced back to a broken sump at the
beryllium plant.
Lockheed discovered the leak in 2000 while preparing to sell the
property to WPI, a cable manufacturer that continues to operate
the plant today.
While Lockheed informed Manatee County officials and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection, residents did not learn
of the contamination in their backyards until almost four years
later.
"The alleged non-disclosure is particularly egregious because
the defendants were aware that the plaintiffs were using
potentially contaminated well-water for drinking, cooking and
other general use," Cottingham said in new release Friday.
According to the lawsuit filed Thursday the residents are
seeking relief for property damages and severe emotional
distress from groundwater and soil contamination.
Under existing Florida laws at the time the leak was discovered,
neither Lockheed nor government officials were required to
notify residents of the contamination until a cleanup plan was
in place.
Florida lawmakers led by Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, last
spring rewrote the law to require polluters to notify property
owners of contamination within 30 days of disclosure.
Tallevast residents were invited to Tallahassee in June to
witness Gov. Jeb Bush signing that bill into law.
"These residents are frightened," said Gary Kendall of Michie
Hamlet Lowry Rasmussen & Tweel of Charlottesville, Va., attorney
to the plaintiffs, in Friday's news release.
"They woke up one day and found out that they are living in a
toxic waste dump. They have learned that they had been drinking
water that can cause cancer. They are rightfully scared for
their well-being and for the well-being of their children."
The suit filed by Bruce H. Denson of Whittemore Denson, P.A., in
St. Petersburg, alleges that the defendants had known for years
that their operations and waste management practices were
environmentally unsound, leading to the release of toxic
substances that have migrated off site and into residents'
backyards.
Recent tests have shown that one of those toxins,
trichloroethylene, or TCE, is present at levels hundreds of
times greater than the allowable amounts, the suit claims.
The suit does not seek damages for personal injury or wrongful
death, but Cottingham said other suits may be filed in the
future.
Legal causes of action named in the lawsuit include: common law
strict liability, violation of a Florida law governing release
and discharge of hazardous, negligence, trespass, private
nuisance and intentional infliction of emotional distress and
outrage.
The suit alleges the defendants have, at various times,
"intentionally or recklessly misinformed the public," by
claiming the hazardous chemicals migrating off the site have
been properly evaluated and contained when in fact they have
not.
Lockheed Martin has repeatedly said that tests show the plume
represents no threat to Tallevast residents' health or property.
Tallevast leaders celebrated the filing of the lawsuit.
"I am happy," said Wanda Washington, vice president of Family
Oriented Community United and Strong, or FOCUS, an advocacy
group for Tallevast residents. "It has been a long time coming.
Lockheed didn't step up to the plate to listen to the
community."
The lawsuit represents all but two families living in Tallevast,
said Laura Ward, FOCUS president. Ward declined to name those
families.
The suit requests a jury trial.
Other law firms representing Tallevast residents include Robert
Walker & Associates of Richmond, Va., and the Cottingham Law
Firm of Charleston, S.C.
Donna Wright, health and social services reporter, can be
reached at 745-7049 or at dwright@HeraldToday.com.
*****************************************************************
40 AP Wire: Tallevast residents sue Lockheed Martin over plant contamination
| 09/03/2005 |
Associated Press
TALLEVAST, Fla. - Residents are suing Lockheed Martin Corp. for
buying a beryllium plant with a broken sump that allegedly
contaminated more than 131 acres over almost four decades.
The claim is not a class action lawsuit, but a consolidation of
more than 200 cases, said Sally Comollo, spokeswoman for Motley
Rice of Mount Pleasant, S.C. - one of several law firms advising
Tallevast residents.
Defendants likely will be served with the lawsuit next week,
said Ed Cottingham, a Charleston, S.C. attorney also
representing residents.
Lockheed Martin bought the American Beryllium Co. plant in 1996.
Gail Rymer, company director of corporate and community affairs,
said the defense giant would not comment on court filings it
hadn't yet seen.
Lockheed discovered the leak in 2000 while preparing to sell the
property to WPI, a cable manufacturer that still operates the
plant.
Though the company told Manatee County and the Florida
Department of Environmental Protection about the problem,
residents didn't know until nearly four years later.
Tallevast is about 38 miles south of Tampa.
*****************************************************************
41 Daily Sentinel: Mill could make difference for uranium miners
Sunday, September 04, 2005
By SALLY SPAULDING
Thanks to steady market prices and the subsequent re-emergence
of small mining companies, a mill near Blanding, Utah, may soon
be open for business.
Operations could change at the White Mesa Mill, owned by
International Uranium Corporation, as company executives
consider opening the mill for an ore-buying schedule.
The buying schedule would allow other companies to sell their
mined ore to the company for processing at the mill.
Were doing the final analysis right now, and we expect a
decision by the end of the month, said Ron Hochstein, president
and CEO of the multinational corporation.
The only company in the United States currently buying ore, and
processing it at their mill in Cañon City, is the Cotter
Corporation, a General Atomics affiliate with headquarters in
Denver.
International Uranium Corporations White Mesa Mill has been
operating and processing materials other than conventional
uranium and vanadium ore since the late 1990s but has not been
accepting mined ore for processing.
Were currently recycling waste and recovering more uranium at
the mill, Hochstein said.
Opening the mill in Blanding for processing could be big news
for smaller companies looking to turn profits in the uranium
mining industry of southern Montrose County.
Cañon City is about 300 miles away from the mines, while
Blanding is just 85 miles away.
When a miner must pay for the transport of the ore from the mine
to the mill, and with gas prices skyrocketing, closer proximity
can mean huge savings.
Don Coram, owner of Gold Eagle Mining Inc., is currently looking
into milling agreements, doing the math and trying to cut a
cost-effective deal for his small operation.
With Cotter the only game currently in town, Corams options are
limited.
Cotter will buy the ore at 50 percent, and that seems a little
high, he said. Youre taking ore worth $400 a ton, and theyre
charging $200 for milling ... Its just a little hard to swallow,
and we think there may be other options.
Blanding could be a much better option, Coram said, thanks to
its proximity to his mines.
Plus, old-fashioned competition could make a difference in
Cotters prices, miners hope.
Theres a lot of people waiting on a pin right now, Hochstein
said, but I anticipate a decision very soon.
Sally Spaulding can be reached via e-mail at
sspaulding@gjds.com.
© 2005 Cox Newspapers, Inc. - The Daily Sentinel
*****************************************************************
42 PE.com; Trustees wrestle with tests
| Inland Southern California | Corona-Norco
WYLE: The state says all Norco High rooms need not be checked. A
board member wants to be safe.
12:55 AM PDT on Saturday, September 3, 2005
By LINDA LOU / The Press-Enterprise
School board members will decide Tuesday whether to ask for all
Norco High School classrooms to be tested for a harmful chemical
once used at nearby Wyle Labs. Elevated levels of the chemical
were detected in a science classroom.
Bill Hedrick, school board president, said he wants the
assurance that there aren't other classrooms on campus with
higher levels of vinyl chloride, a cancer-causing chemical. He
is requesting that the state Department of Toxic Substances
Control test each room.
"Ideally, the levels would be lower," he said. "But how do you
know that without testing?"
The recent discovery is having no effect on school operations.
Both Norco High and nearby Norco Intermediate School will start
the new school year Tuesday, as scheduled.
State officials have drafted a letter to parents explaining all
the findings and expect to release the letter next week, said
Rafat Abbasi, the senior project manager.
In August, Department of Toxic Substances Control investigators
found trace levels of industrial solvent and rocket-fuel
contamination at Norco High, Intermediate and Elementary
schools. The substances TCE, PCE and vinyl chloride are
cancer-causing chemicals that were once used in solvents at Wyle
Labs.
In addition, perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel that, if
ingested, can obstruct thyroid function, was found near the high
school's baseball field.
The chemicals were found below ground and in vapor inside
randomly selected classrooms, but the levels were so low that
they pose no immediate health risk, state toxicologists said at
a public meeting last week.
However, one sample of indoor air inside Norco High's science
building was higher than the state's threshold for long-term
health risks. Someone such as a teacher, who can work in the
same classroom for decades, could face a very slightly increased
risk of cancer, said Dr. Bill Bosan, a state toxicologist. Such
exposure could cause one person in a million to get cancer, he
said.
The state investigators detected 0.17 cubic micrograms of vinyl
chloride per liter of air inside the science building, which
exceeds the state's threshold -- 0.003 cubic micrograms per
liter -- for long-term health threat.
The finding raises particular concerns because vinyl chloride
usually volatizes quickly and is not usually found in indoor
air-vapor samples, Bosan said.
Since last week's public meeting, state investigators have
collected more samples at Norco High. On Thursday, samples were
taken from the science building.
Next weekend, the investigators will take more samples -- indoor
air, soil gas and underground -- from the northern part of the
campus, Abbasi said.
The northern section is where the science building is located
and where the elevated levels of vinyl chloride were discovered,
Abbasi said.
It's not necessary to test every classroom, said Hamid Saedfar,
the state department's division chief for school property and
evaluation. It should be enough to just collect samples from the
northern part of the campus, he said.
So far, only one parent has asked for a school transfer because
of the test results, said Thomas Pike, assistant superintendent.
Parents who want to transfer their children follow the regular
request process, but only Corona High School has space, he said.
Greg Gallington, whose son attends Norco High, said he is not
worried about the trace contaminations found.
"They say it's safe, that it was so low," he said. "I'll go by
what they say."
There's another reason Gallington won't consider transferring
his son, who is in Norco High's agricultural program and enters
vegetable competitions, to a different campus.
"My son loves it there," he said.
*****************************************************************
43 Seattle Times: 11 fired Hanford workers awarded millions
Saturday, September 3, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
By SHANNON DININNY
The Associated Press
YAKIMA A Benton County jury yesterday awarded more than $4.7
million in damages to 11 pipe fitters who sued a contractor at
the Hanford nuclear reservation, saying they were fired for
speaking up about safety concerns.
The workers filed suit six years ago against Fluor Federal
Services, a contractor at the south-central Washington nuclear
site. Appeals had delayed the trial.
In 1997, a crew of seven pipe fitters objected when they were
told to install a valve rated for a pressure of 1,975 pounds per
square inch for a test of radioactive waste pipes that would
need to withstand 2,235 pounds per square inch.
The crew was later laid off, but a settlement was reached that
required Fluor Federal Services to rehire them.
The plaintiffs' attorneys contended that foremen on the job were
told they would have to lay off seven other pipe fitters to
bring the first seven back. The lawsuit was filed by five of the
original seven, plus six of those who were subsequently laid
off.
Attorneys for Fluor Federal Services countered that there simply
was not enough work at the Hanford site for all of the pipe
fitters.
Damages awarded by the Superior Court jury in Richland ranged
from $89,700 for one plaintiff to more than $553,000 for
another.
The workers were gratified by the ruling, but dismayed that it
took as long as it did, said Tom Carpenter, director of the
nuclear-oversight program for the Government Accountability
Project (GAP), a whistle-blower group that filed the lawsuit.
"This was a definitive, very clear-cut victory for
whistle-blowers and for employees at Hanford who raise safety
concerns," Carpenter said.
Randy Squires, an attorney for Fluor Federal Services, said the
verdict was disappointing and that his client would consider an
appeal.
"You can't possibly have an outcome like this and not at least
consider it," Squires said.
"You can, on the one hand, respect the jury's effort here, and
on the other, continue to disagree with it. I believe that's
Fluor's view. The company's view is that it did not retaliate
against these people. Having said that, the jury has spoken."
The company has 30 days to file notice that it plans to appeal,
Squires said.
Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company
*****************************************************************
44 Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Whistle-blowers awarded damages
[seattlepi.com]
Saturday, September 3, 2005
11 get $4.7 million for raising safety concerns at Hanford
By LISA STIFFLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Eight years after Hanford pipefitters blew the whistle on a
hazardous-waste cleanup contractor over safety problems, the
workers Friday were awarded more than $4.7 million in damages.
The 11 workers claimed that they were laid off and harassed for
their actions, and a Benton County Superior Court jury agreed,
awarding back wages and, in most cases, damages for emotional
distress. The individual awards ranged from $89,700 to $553,700.
"I hope it gives some credibility to the workers," said Randy
Walli, the pipefitter who first raised the concerns. He hopes
the unanimous verdict sends a message that workers should speak
out about safety violations.
"They've seen in the past the people who stick their head up
lose it," he said. "You don't want people to have to make a
decision between their careers and doing the right thing."
Walli sued his employer, Fluor Federal Services, in state court
five years ago for what he claimed was retaliation for raising
safety concerns while working on a project with massive tanks
containing radioactive waste buried at the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation. After refusing to use valves he thought were weak,
he and four other workers in his crew were laid off.
Attorneys for Fluor blamed the layoffs on a shortage of work for
the pipefitters.
Randy Squires, one of the attorneys, said Friday the verdict was
disappointing and his client would consider an appeal.
"You can't possibly have an outcome like this and not at least
consider it," Squires said.
The U.S. Energy Department is responsible for the cleanup of
Hanford, contaminated after decades of production of plutonium
and other radioactive material used for bomb making.
The federal agency -- Fluor's employer -- has a policy of paying
for its contractors' legal costs in whistle-blower cases. It's
unknown what that amounts to here, but it could exceed $3
million, said Tom Carpenter, director of the nuclear oversight
program for the Government Accountability Project, a
whistle-blower group that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the
workers.
Fluor's contract says the company must repay Hanford if there is
an "adverse determination" in a case, but whether that will
occur is unclear. A request for comment from the DOE was not
returned Friday.
Repeated challenges to the case delayed the trial, which started
July 18 in Richland.
After so many years of waiting, Walli and his supporters
celebrated their victory.
"We couldn't be happier," Carpenter said. "Clearly, winning this
case is a real vindication for safety and whistle-blowers at
Hanford, a real positive sign that the community realizes the
importance of raising safety issues," he said.
In May 1997, Walli, a foreman, was ordered to install valves to
be used under higher pressure than he believed they were
designed to withstand. He eventually got stronger valves, but
was laid off afterward. Seven workers were ultimately idled
following the incident.
That same year, the men challenged Fluor's actions and the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration ruled in their
favor, ordering the company to rehire the workers.
Other workers lost their jobs so Walli and his colleagues could
return, but ultimately he was laid off again. That resulted in
11 of the workers suing Fluor for what they claimed was
retaliation.
The Government Accountability Project will seek attorneys' fees
in the case, Carpenter said, as well as a fine against Fluor.
The company has 30 days to appeal the ruling.
Walli returned to Hanford this year, working for a different
contractor. Three of the other pipefitters who joined the
lawsuit work with him. This report includes information from The
Associated Press. P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at
206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com.
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA
98119 (206) 448-8000
Send comments to newmedia@seattlepi.com
©1996-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
*****************************************************************
45 Tri-City Herald: Jury rules for 11 Hanford pipefitters; $4.8 million awarded
This story was published Saturday, September 3rd, 2005
By Mary Hopkin, Herald staff writer
A Benton County jury awarded more than $4.8 million Friday in
damages to 11 Hanford pipefitters who say they were fired
because they had raised safety concerns.
The decision marked more than six years since the pipefitters
first filed the lawsuit against Fluor Federal Service, claiming
the company retaliated against the employees for raising safety
issues.
Scott Brundridge, one of the original plaintiffs, let out a long
sigh Friday and smiled after the court clerk read the jury's
decision, which found that each of the plaintiffs had been
wrongfully discharged and harmed by the layoffs.
His co-workers and fellow plaintiffs shook hands, nodded at each
other, and some silent tears were shed.
"(The jury's decision) was a big relief to us," Brundridge said.
"They portrayed us as liars, opportunists and conspiracy
theorists."
In 1997, Brundridge was among a group of seven pipefitters who
objected to installing a valve rated for 1,975 pounds per square
inch for a test of radioactive waste pipes that needed to
withstand 2,235 pounds per square inch.
Members of the crew, who worked for what is now Fluor Federal
Services, were laid off. Later, when a settlement was reached
requiring Fluor to rehire the workers, the construction foremen
were told they would have to lay off seven other workers to make
room for Brundridge and the others to be reinstated, causing
resentment among the foremen and other craftworkers.
That's when the current case began.
The foremen, who were charged with choosing those who would be
laid off, picked four people who had supported the original
whistleblowers, including Jessie Jaymes, who brought pies to the
lunchroom to celebrate after the settlement agreement.
Then David Faubion, who had worked his job since the 1970s
without ever facing a layoff, was without a job. Faubion had
carpooled with one of the original whistleblowers.
The other pipefitters eventually laid off included Shane
O'Leary, Pedro Nicacio, James Stull, Clyde Killen, Chuck Cable,
Randall Walli, Ray Richardson and Don Hodgin.
This time around, the plaintiffs spent most of the past seven
weeks testifying, listening and studying the jury from the
hardwood benches in the small courtroom. And as they gathered
Friday morning outside that courtroom, the tension was thick.
"We've waited a long time for this," Brundridge said. "Of course
we're nervous."
The jury looked equally tense as members entered the courtroom.
"I was afraid the jury was going to be mean, but they were
nice," said plaintiff Hodgin.
And although the jury was generous, Brundridge, his fellow
plaintiffs and their Seattle attorney Jack Sheridan said the
case wasn't about money.
It was about safety, Sheridan said.
"So many (Fluor) workers knew just to keep their heads down and
not say anything," said Sheridan. "That can't be the culture we
allow to exist at Hanford. This verdict sends a message."
Jaymes, who was in a car wreck 11 months ago that left her
paralyzed from the waist down, said she hopes the verdict lets
other workers know they shouldn't be punished for speaking up.
"I always believed doing the right thing is the way to go. I
never believed in a million years something like this would
happen," she said.
Jaymes hopes the damages she was awarded help her walk again.
She's been saving money to go to a rehabilitation center in
California.
But she'll probably have to keep waiting. Fluor's attorney,
William "Randy" Squires of Seattle, has 30 days to file a notice
that he plans to appeal, and it's likely he may do that.
"We'll have to look at the trial record," Squires said. "I
definitely am considering it."
Squires said he was disappointed with the jury's decision and
disagreed with the damages. He said it's rare that there is such
stark contrast between the plaintiffs' perception of what
happened and the company's perception, but when these cases
happen, there is little gray between.
In this case, there didn't appear to be any gray, just black and
white. The jury's decision was unanimous.
Tom Carpenter, director of the nuclear oversight program for the
Government Accountability Project, said he was gratified by the
decision. He also said Fluor could face civil penalties from the
Department of Energy based on the outcome of the case.
"I think the Department of Energy should take a hard look at its
contractor," he said. "And now the question is, will Fluor do
the right thing?"
And the same thought passes through Brundridge's mind now that
he's ready to go back to work and could likely end up working at
the Hanford site again.
"We'll never be treated the same at Hanford," Brundridge said.
"We'll never make it past the first layoff ... they'll probably
have special layoffs for us."
© 2005 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services
*****************************************************************
46 lamonitor.com: Review faults NNSA security management
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
ROGER SNODGRASS, roger@lamonitor.com, Monitor Assistant Editor
The agency responsible for the security of the nation's nuclear
complex released a critical independent review of security
programs in the weapons laboratories.
The document was the subject of a request under the Freedom of
Information Act by the Project on Government Accountability.
Peter Stockton, POGO's principal investigator said the release
of the information was long overdue and that it was held
internally because it contained harsh criticism of the National
Nuclear Security Administration.
The document was developed from October 2003 to April 2004, when
a draft was provided NNSA. A final report was transmitted in May.
An NNSA official said Friday that the criticisms were now out of
date.
"It was written in the present tense, but it should be in the
past tense," said spokesman Bryan Wilkes, by phone from
Washington, D.C.
In a press announcement accompanying the release of the report,
NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks said that 70 percent of the
recommendations had already been carried out and that the
remainder should be addressed by the end of the year.
"It's unfortunate that DOE not only kept this report from the
public but is now failing to acknowledge the dramatic changes
this report recommends," said Danielle Brian, POGO executive
director, in an announcement distributed by the public interest
group.
The National Nuclear Security Administration was established as
a semiautonomous agency of the Department of Energy in 1999 in
response to a history of security deficiencies, which have been
the subject of a number of previous audits by Congress, the
department's inspector general and other special commissions.
"Of greatest concern," wrote retired Adm. Richard W. Mies, the
study director, to NNSA Administrator Linton Brooks, "our panel
finds that past studies and reviews of DOE/NNSA security have
reached similar findings regarding the cultural, personnel,
organizational policy and procedural challenges that exist with
DOE and NNSA. Many of these issues are not new; many continue to
exist because of lack of collaboration, and unwieldy, cumbersome
processes."
The Mies panel's comprehensive assessment included interviews
with officials involved in security programs at Los Alamos,
Pantex, Oak Ridge, Livermore, Sandia, Nevada, and Savannah
River, as well as DOE and NNSA headquarters.
"I applaud the NNSA for performing a rigorous self examination
of this critical issue and putting in place recommendations in
response," said Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-NM, in a prepared
statement. "I have some concern it took so long - nearly two
years - for such an important issue related to the security of
Los Alamos and other national labs, and I will monitor the
actions of the NNSA to ensure they continue to implement the
report's findings."
Sen. Pete Domenci, R-NM, contacted in Washington, said he had
not had a chance to review the report, but that he would be
reviewing it in the near future.
The review contains 115 recommendations in 14 areas of weapons
complex security, including culture, policy, protective force,
incident reporting and storage of nuclear materials and waste.
The critique includes background material, documenting previous
findings.
For example, on the subject of "culture," for which Los Alamos
National Laboratory has been criticized by Congress, DOE and UC
officials, the report cites a study entitled "Science at Its
Best, Security at It's Worst" by the President's Foreign
Intelligence Advisor Board in 1999, that said the weapons
laboratories have a "deeply rooted culture of low regard for,
and, at times hostility to security issues."
The panel found NNSA still "plagued by a number of cultural
problems."
Among recommendations, the report calls for greater
collaboration and team building within NNSA.
"Create a stronger climate of trust in the security program,"
the study team advised. "Differentiate honest human security
errors from malicious, grossly negligent ones."
The report said that insufficient resources have been devoted to
address cyber-security problems that have resulted from rapid
changes in interconnected information technologies.
Protective force, the collective body of defensive and offensive
security officers who protect special nuclear material, is
overly focused on worst-case scenarios and denial of access, the
authors observed, and not prepared for intermediate tasks that
might require recapture, recovery and pursuit.
NNSA has taken a number of steps to consolidate nuclear
materials, including its current environmental assessment that
is preparing to centralize plutonium-238 operations for space
applications in Idaho.
But the Mies report underscores the need to move more nuclear
material underground, despite the higher initial cost. It also
questions NNSA's "minimal" and "nonexistent" protection
requirements for radiological waste in the current security
climate.
The security study does not specifically characterize individual
security incidents, nor does it rank or name laboratories in
relation to the overall evaluation.
Wilkes pointed out that the security budget at NNSA has
increased 400 percent since 2001, and the Brooks has been
aggressive on security.
"A very important part of Brooks security push is that NNSA is
holding site office officials and contractor security directors
accountable and has terminated or reassigned people, including
senior security people, in that last two years based on
unsatisfactory performance," Wilkes said.
Stockton said there were many areas of agreement between the
Mies report and POGO's comprehensive review of NNSA security,
which was also completed in May.
"This is a much better report than I might have thought," he
said.
A spokesperson for Los Alamos national laboratory referred all
questions to NNSA headquarters.
On the web: The Mies report is available at www.nnsa.doe.gov
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
47 lamonitor.com: L.A. scientist to speak on gamma ray bursts
The Online News Source for Los Alamos
A few times a day a special type of massive star transforms
itself into a black hole, simultaneously collapsing and ejecting
material in a jet that moves very close to the speed of light.
During their fleeting existence, these jets flood much of the
universe with an enormous burst of gamma rays.
Their power output can be, for an instant, a significant
fraction of the power produced by all the stars in all the
galaxies in the entire universe.
A presentation by Ed Fenimore, Laboratory Fellow and renowned
gamma-ray-burst researcher, will summarize advances from the
recently launched Swift satellite, including an event so huge
that it affected the Earth's atmosphere.
He will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Duane W. Smith
Auditorium.
Gamma-ray bursts were discovered at Los Alamos more than 30
years ago as a result of the Laboratory's early satellite-based
nuclear nonproliferation efforts. Thanks to data from the Vela
satellites, the bursts were recognized as a new type of
transient event in the universe.
They were new to humans but as ancient as the universe itself.
Recently, robotic telescopes on the ground and satellites that
autonomously steer themselves have started to unravel the
mysteries behind these largest explosions since the Big Bang.
The presentation, "Gamma-Ray Bursts: One Reason Why
'Astronomical' is an Adjective," is part of the Laboratory's
"Frontiers in Science" lecture series. There is no admission
charge.
The talk will be offered two more times:
+ Santa Fe - 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the James A. Little
Theater, New Mexico School for the Deaf, 1060 Cerrillos Road.
+ Albuquerque - 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at the New Mexico Museum
of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road NW
For more information, call 667-3807 or check online at
http://www.lanl.gov/science/fellows/lectures.shtml
© 2003 Los Alamos Monitor All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
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:
*****************************************************************