[ src=] of
governors after Iran resumed uranium enrichment work on January
10. Enriched uranium can serve either as fuel for atomic
reactors or the raw material for nuclear weapons.
The European trio and the United States want to take Iran before
the UN Security Council, which has enforcement powers such as
sanctions, in order to put pressure on Tehran to cease all
nuclear fuel work and to comply fully with a now three-year-old
IAEA investigation into an Iranian atomic program which the
United States charges hides secret weapons work.
IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei said in a Newsweek
magazine interview earlier this month that if he is not able to
confirm the peaceful nature of the Iranian program, "that's a
conclusion that's going to reverberate, I think, around the
world."
The IAEA deputy director general for safeguards, Ollie Heinonen,
was leading a delegation of about six inspectors, the diplomat
said.
Another diplomat confirmed the visit would take place.
Heinonen is seeking answers from Iran on five main questions
that remain open.
The IAEA wants to be allowed to visit a former military site in
Tehran and to get answers to questions about Iran's dealings
with an international nuclear black market that supplied it with
crucial atomic technology, and about possible nuclear
weapons-related work, which may include outfitting missiles to
carry nuclear payloads.
Diplomats have told AFP that Iran may have received in 1997
three sophisticated P-2 centrifuges, which are machines capable
of enriching uranium, from the black-market network of disgraced
Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan.
Iran denies having received imports of such centrifuges.
A diplomat said the IAEA has only recently obtained declassified
US intelligence on P-2 centrifuges as well as on alleged work by
Iran on adapting missiles for nuclear warheads.
Heinonen is to file a progress report ahead of the February 2
meeting, with a more detailed account coming in March, ElBaradei
said Monday.
ElBaradei wants to give Iran until a regularly scheduled IAEA
board meeting March 6 to fully comply, when he intends to file a
full report, but the United States and EU negotiators Britain,
Germany and France are insisting on a written progress report
for the February session.
One diplomat said the West is looking for "ammunition" for its
case to take Iran to the Security Council.
A European diplomat said: "Cooperation and transparency are
already overdue so we hope Iran comes into line with board
resolutions" calling for it to cease all nuclear fuel work and
to comply with all requests from IAEA inspectors.
The European trio and the United States are trying to convince
key Iranian trading partners Russia and China to back their hard
line against Tehran.
But diplomats said the two camps still disagreed on the wording
of a resolution for the February 2 meeting, with Russia wanting
to put off full referral until at least the March IAEA board
meeting.
*****************************************************************
13 IRNA: Iran, Russia review expansion of nuclear cooperation
Moscow, Jan 24, IRNA
Iran-Russia-Nuclear
Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali
Larijani conferred here Tuesday with the Secretary of Russia's
National Security Council Igor Ivanov on expansion of mutual
relations, international issues as well as nuclear cooperation
between the two countries.
At the meeting, the Russian official highlighted the importance
of current cooperation between the two countries and its impact
on the stability and security of the region and expressed his
country's interest in continuing talks with Iran on these issues.
Given significant role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the
region, he underlined the need for talks on issues pertaining to
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine.
He called for further negotiations on expansion of mutual
cooperation as well as peaceful nuclear cooperation between Iran
and Russia.
Referring to the previous visit of Igor Ivanov to Iran,
Larijani said the current visit has led to expansion of sincere
ties between the two countries.
He expressed the hope that the two sides would adopt identical
stands on regional and international issues leading to promotion
of stability and security of the region.
Talks between the two sides officials continued behind closed
doors.
Larijani and his entourage arrived in Moscow Tuesday morning to
hold talks with his Russian counterpart.
The visit is taking place within the framework of official
exchange of visits by officials of the two countries and at the
invitation of Ivanov.
Ivanov last visited Iran in November.
*****************************************************************
14 IRNA: Iranian diplomat defends nuclear rights
Kuala Lumpur, Jan 24, IRNA
Iran-New Zealand-Nuclear
Iranian Ambassador to New Zealand Kambiz Sheikh-Hassani said on
Monday that any move to impose additional sanctions on Iran
would cause problems for other countries.
The Iranian ambassador's remarks were made during an interview
with Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint program, where he gave a
synopsis of Iran's peaceful nuclear programs.
"The main problem is that certain countries are interfering in
the technical activities of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) with political intentions.
"Iran's nuclear activities are peaceful. Judged by
international rules and regulations, Iran has not committed any
violation.
"The IAEA adopted confidence-building measures during two years
of extensive and detailed research," he said.
Asked about the threats leveled by the United States and some
European states against Iran, he said, "In accordance with the
governing law, the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), there is no
legal basis for referring Iran to the UN Security Council.
"The US has imposed unilateral and illegal sanctions against
Iran in the past 25 years. Imposing more sanctions against us
can prove to be a disaster since Iran is one of the world's five
main oil producers and exporters.
"Referral will mean higher oil prices causing unnecessary
economic problems for other countries."
Sheikh-Hassani added: "We look to a peaceful solution to the
nuclear issue within the framework of IAEA regulations and
through cooperation and dialogue.
"We expect all independent states, including New Zealand, not
to support the threat of sanctions against Iran."
*****************************************************************
15 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: Seoul Maneuvers Itself to the Sidelines on N. Korea
Home> Editorials/Columns Updated Jan.24,2006 20:31 KST
U.S. Investigators Smash Hopes of N.Korea Compromise
Unification Minister Clams Up on N.K. Counterfeiting
Seoul's U-Turn on N.Korean Counterfeiting Could Be Fatal
U.S. Urges Seoul to Match N.Korea Sanctions
Was the U.S. Trying to Force Seoul's Hand?
The U.S. Embassy in Korea on Tuesday issued a statement saying
the Treasury Department¡¯s deputy assistant secretary for
terrorist financing and financial crimes, Daniel Glaser, during
a visit the previous day focused on global efforts to crack down
on illegal financial activities ¡°led by the North Korean
regime¡± and urged Seoul to match sanctions Washington has
slapped on North Korean firms.
Glaser thus made it clear that the U.S. will not pretend the
country¡¯s financial crimes were the work of individual firms or
organization to lure Pyongyang back to six-nation talks on its
nuclear program. Washington also insists that steps it has taken
against the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia, which it has fingered
as the North¡¯s main money-laundering channel, do not constitute
sanctions but are a self-protective measure.
The Korean government has put priority on the resumption of the
six-party talks and has tried to gloss over the
dollar-counterfeiting issue by saying it was North Korean
organizations rather than the Kim Jong-il regime that made the
fakes. North Korea insists the accusations are a ploy and has
warned it will stay away from the talks until the sanctions are
lifted. But now the U.S. has redefined the sanctions as
defensive, the issue is bound to rear its ugly head even if
efforts to reconvene the talks bear fruit - with the result that
participating nations must address the whole package, nuclear
and criminal, if any progress is to be made.
A South Korean government official denied Glaser asked anything
of the government the previous day, in blunt contradiction to
the embassy press release, which twice says the U.S. asked Seoul
to join in efforts to combat the North¡¯s illegal activities.
The fact that the embassy took the rare step of distributing its
own statement and bypassing the host government smacks of fears
in Washington that the South Korean government would present a
substantially different version from the U.S.¡¯ own.
Seoul will need to take a cold look at the situation that may
well shatter its perception that it plays a key role in
resolving the North Korea issue.
*****************************************************************
16 Korea: Digital Chosunilbo: Was the U.S. Trying to Force Seoul's Hand?
Home> National/Politics Updated Jan.24,2006 21:11 KST
U.S. Investigators Smash Hopes of N.Korea Compromise
Unification Minister Clams Up on N.K. Counterfeiting
Seoul's U-Turn on N.Korean Counterfeiting Could Be Fatal
U.S. Urges Seoul to Match N.Korea Sanctions
Seoul Maneuvers Itself to the Sidelines on N. Korea
On Tuesday at 1 p.m., an inconspicuous looking fax from the U.S.
Embassy quietly exploded in the press room of the Foreign
Ministry. There in black and white was mention of a U.S. request
for Seoul to fall in line with financial sanctions it imposed on
North Korea.
The ministry had mentioned no such request when it briefed
reporters on a meeting with U.S. Treasury officials the previous
day. Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon predictably faced a barrage of
questions on the discrepancy during a regular briefing later in
the day.
The official who had briefed reporters the previous day
reappeared, obviously disgruntled. Asked Monday whether the U.S.
had made any requests of Korea, he said there were none,
emphasizing the point several times. The requests in fact came
in a meeting between the U.S. investigators and the Ministry of
Finance and Economy, which did not hold a separate briefing.
Washington¡¯s financial sanctions against North Korean firms go
beyond a technical matter: they are what Pyongyang says stands
in the way of a resumption of six-party talks on its nuclear
program. The South Korean government is making efforts behind
the scenes to help reconvene the six-nation talks, efforts
Washington is hardly unaware of. As a result, there are those in
the diplomatic corps who say the U.S. is trying to catch Seoul
off guard as well as those who charge the Korean government with
trying to hide the truth.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
*****************************************************************
17 Xinhua: China calls for early resumption of six-party talks
www.xinhuanet.com
www.chinaview.cn 2006-01-24 20:59:12
BEIJING, Jan. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- China on Tuesday urged
participants in the six-party talks to show more goodwill so
that the talks can be resumed at an early date.
"All parties should be dedicated to bridging differences
through dialogue and dealing properly with postponement factors
so that the six-way talks can restart soon," Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said at a regular press briefing.
He said that, when the six parties concluded the last phase
of talks, they agreed to hold the second phase of the fifth
round of talks at an early date.
"But it is worrying that new problems and complicated
factors have emerged during the follow-up process," he said.
He expressed his hope that the other five parties will be
more cooperative and show more goodwill in order to create
favorable conditions for the resumption of the talks.
When asked to comment on the reported meeting between Japan
and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Beijing
in early February, the spokesman said China supports the two
countries' attempts to solve bilateral problems through
one-on-one consultation.
The six-party talks, which aim to find a peaceful solution
to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, involve China, the DPRK,
the United States, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Japan. So
far, the six countries have held five rounds of talks in
Beijing.
Sino-Japanese relations
Japan should take substantial actions to improve
Sino-Japanese relations, Kong Quan said.
Kong told the regular press conference that China had taken
note of the speech by the Japanese prime minister and foreign
minister on attaching importance to Japan's relations with
China.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed on Jan. 20
in his annual policy speech to develop the future-oriented
relations with China. Describing China as a very important
neighbor, Koizumisaid, "We will strengthen cooperation from a
comprehensive standpoint to construct future-oriented relations
based on trust."
Following Koizumi, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said in his
speechthat strengthening relations with China is an unswerving
fundamental policy of Japan.
When asked to comment, Kong Quan said the Japanese side
should take concrete, substantial action to improve bilateral
relations.
The Chinese government, based on the spirit of learning from
history and looking into the future, would continue its efforts
topromote friendly and cooperative relations between China and
Japan,the spokesman said.
East Asia WW2 history
During his visit to Japan, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
Robert Zoellick proposed that the United States, China and Japan
carry out joint research on WW2 history, so as to narrow the
difference between the parties.
When asked to comment on Zoellick's proposal, Kong said that
China, the ROK and Japan should jointly carry out the research.
"We are glad to see that Chinese, ROK and Japanese scholars
have already made some helpful contributions in this field
recently," Kong said, hoping that the three countries would try
to find ways of further promoting cooperation on the research.
Enditem
Copyright ©2003 Xinhua News Agency. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
18 New USA WMDs
Date: Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:55:41 -0500
----- Original Message -----
From: "marylia"
For Immediate Release:
January 23, 2006
Contacts: Adele Cushner, ACE, Alto, Georgia 706-778-8366
Mary Kelly, CPRC, Columbia, South Carolina 803-782-8410
Mary Olson, NIRS, Asheville, North Carolina 828-713-1228 (cell)
Federal Decision Triples Radioactive Burden In
Permanent Sacrifice Zone of the Southeast
January 23, 2006: The Department of Energy decision on nuclear waste in South Carolina announced last week, while it was wrapped in promises of protection for workers, surrounding communities and our environment, in fact establishes that the Savannah River Site is becoming a permanent nuclear dump with a radioactive burden exceeding the adjacent Barnwell dump. Controversy about nuclear dumping in the South has centered Barnwell, the so-called “low-level” radioactive waste dump that takes waste from commercial nuclear power reactors nationwide.
Nuclear dumps are measured not only in geographic size, but also intensity of the radiation in the waste that is dumped. Barnwell, operated by Chem-Nuclear Systems is a 235-acre mess of unlined trenches where radioactive waste that is labeled “low-level” by a skewed classification scheme is going to be left, forevermore. Some of the “low-level” waste is so highly radioactive it must be handled remotely. As of 2003, a state estimate put the radiological burden that was in the Barnwell dump (at that time) at 3 million curies. Since Barnwell has continued to receive waste in the interim, this is now only a ballpark estimate.
The Department’s new policy and its first decision regarding liquid high-level waste currently in tanks at the Savannah River Site, will result in the permanent dumping of an amount radioactivity roughly twice as big as the amount of radioactivity already buried at the Barnwell dump. Since there are extensive burial grounds containing radioactive waste already at Savannah River Site, the new permanent dumping is in addition to the sacrifice zone already created. Without a doubt, this decision makes SRS one of the largest permanent nuclear waste dumps in the US today. It gives pause to know that this is simply the first of what may be an ongoing series of such decisions.
It is not yet clear from the Department’s announcement just how much of the total tank waste will become a permanent fixture – again enlarging the sacrifice zone. If all of the waste impacted by the Department’s decision is permanently dumped at SRS it would be the same as 75 new “Barnwells” on the Savannah River in South Carolina.
Many people do not understand the relatively arcane language of the DOE press release announcing this new decision. Action For A Clean Environment, Nuclear Information and Resource Service and Carolina Peace Resource Service are certain that more people would be outraged at this sudden and extreme leap in the radioactivity permanently consigned to the Savannah River Site basin. Adele Cushner of ACES declared, “This same waste has leaked from the storage site – now it will just leak from the disposal site. The Ogalalla aquifer is at risk!” Cushner added “The DOE is stealing our future, and my grandchildren’s future.”
Mary Kelly of Carolina Peace Resource Center noted, “Once radioactivity is released to our environment it is impossible to reverse this action. Since the radioactive elements move through our environment in a manner identical to non-radioactive forms of the same element, the activity of life results in concentration of radioactivity in our food.” Kelly noted that “Adding to the burden of waste already dumped in South Carolina is not acceptable.”
“The Nuclear Regulatory Commission did an environmental study of the Savannah River Site for the planned new MOX fuel factory. The NRC found that an accident at SRS has a disproportionate impact on low-income and minority people. Dumping at SRS also has a disproportionate impact on these groups.” Olson says her group is “Reaching beyond the environmental community to those concerned about social justice. Dumping nuclear waste at SRS is just plain wrong.”
The Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will be meeting on Wednesday January 25 from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm at the North Augusta Community Center at 101 Brookside Drive.
--end--