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                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 UPI: Cost of Iraq war: $1,075 each
2 [NYTr] White House Plans to Attack Iran Still on Course
3 [NYTr] Iran Urges Europe on Counterproposal
4 [NYTr] Russia, China back Iran's calls for talks
5 IRNA: Iran, SAfrica: NPT states entitled to peaceful nuclear energy 
6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Wants to Talk but Keep Nuke Program
7 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats Pore Over Iran Nuclear Offer
8 Guardian Unlimited: France Gives Iran Condition for Talks
9 Guardian Unlimited: 'Significant gaps' in American intelligence on I
10 IRNA: Solana receives Iran's offer to resolve nuclear issue 
11 Guardian Unlimited: Iran tries to split UN as it rejects nuclear dem
12 Guardian Unlimited: US interventions have boosted Iran, says report
13 BBC: Talks urged on Iran nuclear issue
14 IRNA: French FM: Iran's response to Group 5+1 proposal to be examine
15 IRNA: Russia to study Iran's response to Group 5+1 precisely
16 SF Chron: Iran asks to start nuclear bargaining / Offer to U.N. on
17 IRNA: MP recommends Group 5+1 to give "positive" response to Iran -
18 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI's reply addresses all concerns 
19 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Larijani urges serious nuclear talks 
20 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI's response positive, transparent 
21 AFP: 'War on terror' bolstering Iran's clout in Middle East - think 
22 AFP: US in the dark over Iran - Congress intelligence report 
23 AFP: US gives muted response to Iranian nuclear offer 
24 AFP: World powers weigh options on Iran nuclear offer 
25 AFP: Study 'nuance' in Iran nuclear answer, Russia counsels 
26 AFP: Iran calls for talks over nuclear standoff 
27 AFP: 'Clear evidence' Iran is arming, training Iraqi extremists - US
28 UPI: U.S. senator in awkward Iranian company
29 UPI: United States slams Iran nuclear stance
30 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Urges West to See ``Positive'' Signs
31 UPI: U.N. group pores over Iran's nuclear reply
32 UPI: Report: U.S. intelligence poor on Iran
33 UPI: Outside View: What next for Iran?
34 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Says Iran Proposal Falls Short
35 Guardian Unlimited: S. Korea Urges North Against Nuke Test
36 UPI: Analysis: Seoul fears nuke fallout
37 US: Newsday.com: Top-secret information (US to classify weapon arsen
38 UPI: Analysis: New Middle East realities
39 Guardian Unlimited: Special reports: Nuclear evasions
40 RIA Novosti: Prosecutors appeal court ruling in ex-nuclear minister 
41 Financial express: N-deal: India seeks support of NSG member countri
42 Financial Express: India to retain nuke test option - PM
43 Guardian Unlimited: India Said to Retain Right to Hold Tests
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
44 SABCnews.com: Controversial Koeberg claims must be investigated     
45 Sydney Morning Herald: Libs ditch pro-nuclear MP backed by Howard - 
46 US: Sacramento Bee: Nuclear isn't panacea for energy crisis
47 US: Platts: EIA: US net nuclear generation up 2.9% in June from a ye
48 US: Platts: NRC relicensing study tells Exelon to fix Oyster Creek c
49 US: Platts: NRC finds no safety issues to stop Oyster Creek license 
50 Platts: Anti-nuclear groups challenge Flamanville-3's construction p
51 US: OC Register: No tritium found in San Clemente well 
52 US: NRC:  Tennessee Valley Authority; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Un
53 Prague Daily Monitor: Tens of litres of nitric acid leak at Temelin 
54 US: Newsday.com: Indian Point plant shut down after drain problem de
 
                          NUCLEAR SECURITY
 
55 The Hindu: Sci Tech : The quest for uranium goes on 
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
56 [du-list] U in the news - 24 Aug 06
57 US: Law.com: Nuclear-Fuel Lawsuits Spawn Damage Award Fallout 
58 Aftenposten.no: More radioactive objects - 
59 US: Spokesman Review: Corps rejects blame for pollution 
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
60 US: NC WARN:  Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
61 US: The Australian: MP backs uranium industry review 
62 Pahrump Valley Times: Meetings to address Yucca issues        
63 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Goshute official resigns in protest
64 US: Chattanooga Times Free Press: Hefty price tag for cleanup 
65 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada congressman calls proposed waste dump broken 
66 Channel 4 KRNV.com: Nevada Congressman Visits Proposed Waste Dump
 
                           PEACE
 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
67 [NukeNet] Perma-Fix Gets DOE Contract for SRS waste.Should DOE
68 Knox News: Y-12 runs tight defense against Pearl
69 Knox News: Once designed to fly in space, reactor will be put in gro
70 CONTRA COSTA TIMES: Input on Site 300 cleanup solicited
71 Hanford News: Fate of 'lethal' waste up in the air
72 Hanford News: Burn pits eligibility remains on hold
73 Hanford News: Vit plant to stay paused, DOE official says
74 Pahrump Valley Times: Report says DOE not correcting mistakes
75 Platts: DOE to guarantee $2 billion in loans to back a range of 
*****************************************************************
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                         FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
 1 UPI: Cost of Iraq war: $1,075 each
     
 United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 

8/23/2006 5:31:00 PM -0400                                                                                                                       

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The National Priorities Project has
calculated the cost of the Iraq war by congressional district,
city, state and even household. 

You owe $1,075. 

The NPP bills itself as a non-partisan, non-profit organization
that uses government data to illustrate the impact of federal
policies on local communities. It targets large ticket
government programs and tax breaks -- mostly dear to Republicans
-- for scrutiny, including tax breaks for the top 1 percent of
earners, the cost of missile defense, maintaining a massive
nuclear weapon arsenal, and the Iraq war. 

NPP bases its Iraq war calculations on a Congressional Research
Service report from June, which totaled the war at $318.5
billion. 

"That is $2,844 for every American household or $1,075 for every
American. The money (already spent or allocated) is being spent
at a rate $10 million per hour and $244 million per day,"
according to NPP. 

NPP breaks down the cost by state by cross-referencing the
amount of federal tax revenues collected there, accurate as of
May 2005. 

California, the most populous state, has contributed more than
$40 billion of that amount, with the notoriously liberal Bay
Area contributing more than $10 billion. Los Angeles has
contributed a similar amount. New York contributed $28 billion. 

Texas, the home state of U.S. President George W. Bush, has been
tapped for $26 billion. 

Lightly populated Wyoming, home of Vice President Dick Cheney,
contributed just $546 million.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 2 [NYTr] White House Plans to Attack Iran Still on Course
 
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 17:51:09 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Radio Havana Cuba
http://www.radiohc.cu

White House Plans to Attack Iran Still on Course

Washington, August 23 (RHC)-- Even before Iran gave its formal
counter-offer Tuesday to ambassadors of the P5+1 countries -- the U.S.,
Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- the George W. Bush
administration had already begun the process of organizing sanctions
against Iran to prepare for an eventual military attack.

According to the Inter Press Service, what appeared on the surface to be a
genuine multilateral initiative for negotiations with Iran on the terms
under which it would give up its nuclear program have come to an end. And
what the P5+1 proposal shows is that the Bush administration was determined
from the beginning that it would fail, so that they could bring a halt to
the diplomacy that the hard-liners in the administration had always found
as an obstacle to their plans to attack.

Britain, France and Germany, which had begun negotiations with Tehran on
the nuclear issue in October 2003, had concluded very early on that Iran's
security concerns would have to be central to any agreement. Inter Press
Service notes that it is has been generally forgotten that the November 14,
2004 Paris Agreement between the EU and Iran included an assurance by the
three European states that the "long-term agreement" they pledged to reach
would "provide...firm commitments on security issues."

The European three had tried in vain to get the Bush administration to
support their diplomatic efforts with Tehran by authorizing the inclusion
of security guarantees in a proposal they were working on last summer. In a
joint press conference with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in
July 2005, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy referred to the
need to "make sure...that we discuss with [the Iranians] the security of
their country. And for this, we shall need the United States..."

As one European diplomat explained to reporters, the only reason the
Europeans had not used the term "security guarantees" in their draft back
in May this year was that "Washington is against giving Iran assurances
that it will not be attacked."

The partners of the United States in the P5+1 made one more effort to
convince Rice to reconsider the U.S. position at their final meeting in
Vienna June 1st to reach agreement on a proposal. As Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov revealed in a talk with Russian media the following
day, the issue of security guarantees for Iran was raised by the
negotiating partners of the U.S. at that meeting.

But the Bush administration again rebuffed the idea of offering positive
security incentives to Iran. In the final text of the proposal, the
European scheme for a regional security system was reduced to a simple
reference to a "conference to promote dialogue and cooperation on regional
security issues."

Experts now say that the Europeans, Russians and Chinese knew this outcome
doomed the entire exercise to failure. In the end, only the United States
could offer the incentives needed to make a bargain attractive to Iran. And
the United States, according to Inter Press Service, had no intention of
really negotiating anything with Iran, which is high up on its list of
targets.

Observers now say that despite the apparent desire of other members of the
P5+1 for a genuine diplomatic offer to Iran that could possibly lead to an
agreement on its nuclear program, the Bush administration's intention was
just the opposite.

Inter Press Service says that Bush's objective was to free the
administration of the constraint of multilateral diplomacy. The
administration evidently believed that, once the Iranians had rejected the
formal offer from the P5+1, it would be free to take whatever actions it
might choose, including a military strike against Iran.

As Washington now seeks to the clear the way for the next phase of its
confrontation with Iran, Bush is framing the issue as one of Iranian
defiance of the Security Council rather than U.S. refusal to deal seriously
with a central issue in the negotiations. On Monday, Bush said at a news
conference: "There must consequences if people thumb their noses at the
United Nations Security Council."

Inter Press Service says that if the European three, Russia and China,
allow Bush to get away with that highly distorted version of what happened,
the world will have taken another step closer to general war in the Middle
East.
       
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 3 [NYTr] Iran Urges Europe on Counterproposal
 
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:30:20 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
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Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
AP via Truthout - Aug 23, 2006
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082306R.shtml

Iran Urges Europe on Counterproposal

By The Associated Press

Tehran, Iran - Iran urged Europe on Wednesday to pay attention to
what it called "positive" signals in its counterproposal to a nuclear
incentives package aimed at persuading Tehran to roll back its nuclear
program. Russia and China backed Iran's call for negotiations to end the
standoff.

But the US and France said Tehran's offer falls short, setting the
stage for a possible fight at the UN if the West pushes for sanctions.

Diplomats were studying the details of Iran's offer a day after
Tehran presented it Tuesday without any detailed public comment. Iran's
proposal offers negotiations on its nuclear program but apparently
resists suspending uranium enrichment - the key Security Council demand
to avoid sanctions.

A statement by the State Department acknowledged that Iran considered
its proposal to be a serious one and "we will review it." But it went on
to say that Iran's response "falls short of the conditions set by the
Security Council."

Nevertheless, the Iranians sought Wednesday to portray their detailed
counteroffer as a major initiative that could lead to resolution of the
yearlong dispute without having to resort to a bruising fight over
sanctions.

It appeared the counteroffer was designed to entice European
countries, China and Russia into further negotiations without accepting
a suspension of uranium enrichment - a key step in making nuclear
weapons - as a precondition for talks.

That could drive a wedge among the five veto-wielding powers on the
Security Council, with the Americans, British and French on one side and
the Russians and Chinese on the other. Last month, Russia said the
Security Council was in no rush to pressure Iran, striking a more
conciliatory tone than the United States.

"If the Europeans pay proper attention to positive and clear signals
included in Iran's response, the case will be solved through negotiation
and without tension," state-controlled radio quoted Foreign Ministry
spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying Wednesday.

Asefi described Iran's proposal as a sign of his country's good will
to resolve the standoff.

The dispute over Tehran's nuclear program revolves around Iran's
insistence that it wants to master the technology simply to generate
electricity. But critics say Iran is interested in enrichment because it
wants to make nuclear weapons.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said "the door is still
open" for negotiations but only if Iran suspends uranium enrichment
first. German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger said the demand
to halt enrichment indicated "that Iran clearly has lost the confidence
of the international community that its nuclear program is civilian."

But Moscow and Beijing appeared receptive toward further talks.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a negotiated
solution, and China appealed for dialogue, urging "constructive
measures" by Iran and patience from the US and its allies.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said talk of
sanctions was "premature" before the Aug. 31 deadline set by the
Security Council for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face the risk of
economic and political sanctions.

"The Russian side has started studying the Iranian reply along with
its partners in the sextet," Kamynin said in a statement, referring to
the five permanent Security Council members plus Germany.

"Russia will continue with its course of searching for a political
solution ... and will continue to seek to preserve the role of the
International Atomic Energy Agency and prevent the erosion of the
nonproliferation regime."

Last month, a senior Iranian lawmaker said parliament was preparing
to debate withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the
Security Council adopts a resolution to force Tehran to suspend
enrichment.

Iran delivered the written proposal in response to a package of
incentives offered in June by the five permanent Security Council
members and Germany to persuade Iran to halt enrichment - and the threat
of punishments if it does not.

Last month, the Security Council set the Aug. 31 deadline for Iran to
halt enrichment or face economic and political sanctions. Iran called
the resolution "illegal" but had said it was willing to offer a
"multifaceted response" to the incentives package.

The Western incentives package has not been made public but some
details have leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on sales of
Boeing passenger aircraft as well as providing Iran with some nuclear
technology to build reactors for peaceful purposes.

The current drama is playing out amid fears that the ability of the
pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to withstand 34 days of
Israeli bombardment has emboldened hard-liners in Tehran to risk a
showdown with the Americans.

There has also been speculation in the West that Iran encouraged
Hezbollah to provoke the Israelis to distract attention from its nuclear
ambitions.

In London, a leading British think-tank said Iran has established
itself as Washington's chief rival in the Middle East and now wields
more influence in Iraq than the Americans do.

The report by Chatham House said the ease with which Iran now
operates in the Middle East has "severely compromised" America's ability
to confront Iran.

"While the US has been playing poker in the region, Iran has been
playing chess," said Nadim Shehadi, a report contributor. "Iran is
playing a longer, more clever game and has been far more successful at
winning hearts and minds."

The Iranians have signaled strongly for weeks that they are not
prepared to abandon enrichment as a precondition to talks. In February,
Iran for the first time produced its first batch of low-enriched
uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges.

In recent weeks, Iran has prevented UN nuclear agency inspectors from
inspecting an underground site meant to shelter its enrichment program
from attack, diplomats said Monday.
       
                                *
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 4 [NYTr] Russia, China back Iran's calls for talks
 
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:52:55 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
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Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
AP via Yahoo - Aug 23, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060823/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_nuclear

Russia, China back Iran calls for talks

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI
Associated Press Writer

TEHRAN, Iran -Iran urged Europe on Wednesday to pay attention to what it
called "positive" signals in its counterproposal to a nuclear incentives
package aimed at persuading Tehran to roll back its nuclear program. Russia
and China backed Iran's call for negotiations to end the standoff.

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said "the door is still open"
for negotiations but only if Iran suspends uranium enrichment first, a step
Tehran appears reluctant to agree to.

Diplomats from Europe, the U.S., Russia and China were studying the details
of Iran's offer a day after Tehran presented it Tuesday without any
detailed public comment.

The initial comments made clear the United States is likely to face
difficulty getting at least two of the five veto-wielding permanent members
of the U.N. Security Council -- Russia and China -- to agree to any tough
sanctions against Iran.

Iran said Tuesday it was ready for "serious negotiations" on its nuclear
program and cast its counterproposal as a new formula to resolve the
crisis. But a semiofficial news agency said the government was unwilling to
abandon uranium enrichment -- the key U.S. demand.

The Iranian offer appeared aimed at enticing European countries and China
and Russia into further negotiations by offering a broad set of proposals
vague enough to hold out the hope of progress.

"If Europeans pay proper attention to positive and clear signals included
in Iran's response, the case will be solved through negotiation and without
tension," the radio quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as
saying on Wednesday. He described Iran's response as a sign of his
country's good will.

If the Iranians were to leave the door open to halting enrichment as talks
progress, for example, that would drive a wedge between the Americans,
British and French on one side and the Russians and Chinese on the other.
Last month, Russia said the Security Council was in no rush to pressure
Iran, striking a more conciliatory tone than the United States.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a negotiated
solution. China appealed for dialogue, urging "constructive measures" by
Iran and patience from the U.S. and its allies.

The White House has so far held off commenting until it can study the offer.
But the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said Washington
was prepared to move forward with sanctions against Tehran if the response
was not positive.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said the document
was "extensive" and required "a detailed and careful analysis."

Iran delivered the written proposal in response to a package of incentives
offered in June by the five permanent Security Council members and Germany
to persuade Iran to halt enrichment -- and the threat of punishments if it
does not.

Last month, the Security Council set the Aug. 31 deadline for Iran to halt
enrichment or face economic and political sanctions. Iran called the
resolution "illegal" but had said it was willing to offer a "multifaceted
response" to the incentives package.

The yearlong standoff over Tehran's nuclear program revolves around Iran's
insistence that it wants to master the technology simply to generate
civilian nuclear power. But critics say Iran is interested in enrichment
because it wants to make nuclear weapons.

The current drama is playing out amid fears that the ability of the
pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to withstand 34 days of Israeli
bombardment has emboldened hard-liners in Tehran to risk a showdown with
the Americans.

There has also been speculation in the West that Iran encouraged Hezbollah
to provoke the Israelis to distract attention from its nuclear ambitions.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, refused to disclose Tuesday
whether the response included an offer to suspend enrichment. But the
semiofficial Fars news agency reported that Iran had rejected calls to
suspend "nuclear activities" -- or uranium enrichment -- and "instead has
offered a new formula to resolve the issues through dialogue."

"I want to point out again that France is available to negotiate, and I
recall that, as we have always said -- and as Mr. Larijani knows very well
-- a return to the negotiating table is linked to the suspension of uranium
enrichment," Douste-Blazy said after a meeting with his Israeli
counterpart.

Germany backed the French position.

"This demand to suspend enrichment has its cause in the fact that Iran
clearly has lost the confidence of the international community that its
nuclear program is civilian," Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Jaeger
said.

Iranian officials familiar with Larijani's response said Tehran also had
included a list of questions in its counterproposal, although they would
not give details. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of
the sensitivity of the information.

The Iranians have signaled strongly for weeks that they are not prepared to
abandon enrichment as a precondition to talks. Last month, a senior Iranian
lawmaker said parliament was preparing to debate withdrawal from the
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if the Security Council adopts a resolution
to force Tehran to suspend enrichment.

In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of
low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. In recent weeks,
Iran has prevented U.N. nuclear agency inspectors from inspecting an
underground site meant to shelter its enrichment program from attack,
diplomats said Monday.

The incentives package has not been made public but some details have
leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on sales of Boeing passenger
aircraft as well as providing Iran with some nuclear technology to build
reactors for peaceful purposes.

Copyright ) 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
       
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*****************************************************************
 5 IRNA: Iran, SAfrica: NPT states entitled to peaceful nuclear energy -
                              
Pretoria, Aug 22, IRNA

Iran-SAfrica-Communique
 
South Africa and Iran on Tuesday stressed that all signatories
to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are entitled to
peaceful use of nuclear energy.

 In a joint communique, issued at the end of Iran's Foreign
Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to Pretoria on Tuesday, Tehran and
Pretoria stressed that the NPT provisions should not interpreted
in a way that would give way to restricting right of the
signatories to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

 As for Iran's peaceful nuclear case, the communique called for
continued peaceful diplomacy and dialogue with an aim to find a
long- term solution to the issue with an approach to observing
rights, commitments, needs and demands of all the interested
parties.

 Somewhere in the communique, the two sides highlighted
significance of multipolarism and observation of the
international rules and regulations, stressing the role of the
United Nations in that connection.

 They also asked for overall reforms in the UN and the Security
Council with regards to the post-cold war era developments.
*****************************************************************
 6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Wants to Talk but Keep Nuke Program
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 6:31 AM

AP Photo WX106 

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Tuesday it was ready for ``serious
negotiations'' on its nuclear program, offering a new formula to
resolve a crisis with the West. A semiofficial news agency said
the government was unwilling to abandon uranium enrichment - the
key U.S. demand. 

Iran delivered its written response to a package of incentives
offered by the United States and five other world powers to
persuade Iran to roll back on its nuclear program - and
punishments if it does not. The world powers, the five permanent
U.N. Security Council members plus Germany, have given Iran
until Aug. 31 to accept the package. 

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said
Washington will ``study the Iranian response carefully'' but was
prepared to move forward with sanctions against Tehran if it was
not positive. The White House held off commenting until it had
studied the text. The European Union's foreign policy chief,
Javier Solana, said the document was ``extensive'' and required
``a detailed and careful analysis.'' 

Iranian officials offered no details of the response, but it
appeared geared at enticing those countries into further
negotiations by offering a broad set of proposals vague enough
to hold out hope of progress in resolving the standoff. 

If the Iranians leave the door open to halting enrichment as
talks progress, that would drive a wedge in the Security Council
between the Americans, British and French on one side and the
Russians and Chinese on the other. Last month, Russia said the
Council was in no rush to pressure Iran, striking a more
conciliatory tone than the United States. 

On Wednesday, China also appealed for dialogue to settle the
dispute over Iran's nuclear program, urging the parties involved
to ``remain calm and patient, show flexibility, stick to the
orientation of peaceful resolution and create favorable
conditions for resuming talks as soon as possible.'' 

Tuesday's announcement was the latest development in the
yearlong standoff over Tehran's nuclear program. Iran says it
wants to master the technology to generate nuclear power. But
critics say Iran is interested in uranium enrichment because it
can also be used to make the fissile core of nuclear weapons. 

The current drama is playing out in the wake of fears that the
ability of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to
withstand 34 days of Israeli bombardment has emboldened
hard-liners in Tehran to risk a showdown with the Americans, who
are bogged down in neighboring Iraq. There has also been
speculation in the West that Iran encouraged Hezbollah to
provoke the Israelis to distract attention from its nuclear
ambitions. 

Iran has pursued a confrontational stance on the nuclear issue
since the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year.
The hard-line president has used the nuclear issue to encourage
a sense of national pride among Iranians by standing up to the
United States and other Western countries. 

On Tuesday, Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani,
hand-delivered his government's response to ambassadors of
Britain, China, Russia, France, Germany and Switzerland - which
represents U.S. interests - nine days before a Security Council
deadline for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face economic
and political sanctions. 

Larijani refused to disclose whether the response included an
offer to suspend uranium enrichment. But the semiofficial Fars
news agency reported that Iran rejected calls to suspend
``nuclear activities'' - or uranium enrichment - and ``instead
has offered a new formula to resolve the issues through
dialogue.'' 

The state-run television quoted Larijani as telling the
diplomats Iran ``is prepared as of Aug. 23rd (Wednesday) to
enter serious negotiations'' with the countries that proposed
the incentives package. 

The Irna official news agency reported that ``Larijani said
Iran's answer has logically, fairly and constructively addressed
demands of the proposed package, recommending the P5+1 group to
return to the negotiation table immediately despite the false
atmosphere created against Iran that it was buying time.'' 

Last month, the Security Council set an Aug. 31 deadline for
Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face economic and political
sanctions. Iran called the resolution ``illegal'' but had said
it was willing to offer a ``multifaceted response'' to an
incentives package that the six powers offered in June. 

Iranian officials familiar with Larijani's response said Tehran
offered a ``new formula'' to resolve the dispute. The officials
spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of
the information. 

``Iran has provided a comprehensive response to everything said
in the Western package. In addition, Iran, in its formal
response, has asked some questions to be answered,'' one
official said without providing more details. 

But the Iranians have been signaling they are not prepared to
abandon uranium enrichment as a precondition to talks. Last
month, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the country's parliament
was preparing to debate withdrawal from the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty if the U.N. Security Council adopts a
resolution to force Tehran to suspend enrichment. 

On Monday, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said
the Islamic Republic ``has made its own decision and in the
nuclear case, God willing, with patience and power, will
continue its path.'' Khamenei accused the United States of
putting pressure on Iran despite Tehran's assertions that its
nuclear program was peaceful. 

Iran's former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, who is now a
top adviser to Khamenei, said Iran's national interests, not the
West's demands, should be the basis for Iran's decision. 

``What we have achieved in nuclear technology is worth more than
the pressures against us at the international stage,'' the
semiofficial Iranian Students News Agency quoted Velayati as
saying Tuesday. 

In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of
low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. 

In the last few weeks, Iran prevented U.N. nuclear agency
inspectors from inspecting an underground site meant to shelter
its uranium enrichment program from attack, diplomats said
Monday. 

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed
ElBaradei, is to report by Sept. 11 to the agency's board on
Iran's compliance with the U.N. deadline to freeze enrichment
and other aspects of Tehran's cooperation with U.N. inspectors. 

The Western incentives package has not been made public but some
details have leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on
sales of Boeing passenger aircraft, providing Iran with some
nuclear technology to build reactors for civilian purposes and
guaranteeing a supply of nuclear fuel. 
		 	 	   
      Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 7 Guardian Unlimited: Diplomats Pore Over Iran Nuclear Offer
 
From the Associated Press        
[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 10:46 AM

AP Photo WX106 

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's apparent reluctance to suspend
uranium enrichment in its counterproposal to a Western nuclear
incentives package sets the stage for a showdown at the U.N.
Security Council next week - with no certainty the U.S. will win
a promise of tough sanctions from its partners. 

Diplomats from Europe, the U.S., Russia and China were poring
over the details of Iran's offer Wednesday, a day after Tehran
presented it, and withheld any detailed public comment. But
initial comments from Russia and China made clear the United
States is likely to face difficulty getting at least those two
nations to agree to any tough sanctions against Iran. 

Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a
political, negotiated solution to the dispute with Iran over the
nuclear program. China appealed for dialogue, urging
``constructive measures'' by Iran and patience from the U.S. and
its allies. 

The White House has so far held off commenting until it can
study the offer. But the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations,
John Bolton, said Tuesday that Washington was prepared to move
forward with sanctions against Tehran if the offer was not
positive. 

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said
the document was ``extensive'' and required ``a detailed and
careful analysis.'' France's foreign minister said Wednesday the
document was complex and that it was consulting with partners on
it. 

Iran said Tuesday it was ready for ``serious negotiations'' on
its nuclear program and cast its counterproposal as a new
formula to resolve the crisis with the West. But a semiofficial
news agency said the government was unwilling to abandon uranium
enrichment - the key U.S. demand. 

The Iranian offer appeared aimed at enticing European countries
and China and Russia into further negotiations by offering a
broad set of proposals vague enough to hold out the hope of
progress. 

If the Iranians were to leave the door open to halting
enrichment as talks progress, for example, that would drive a
wedge between the Americans, British and French on one side and
the Russians and Chinese on the other. Last month, Russia said
the Security Council was in no rush to pressure Iran, striking a
more conciliatory tone than the United States. 

Iran delivered the written proposal in response to a package of
incentives offered by the United States and five other world
powers to persuade Iran to roll back on its nuclear program -
and offer punishments if it does not. The world powers, the five
permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany, have given
Iran until Aug. 31 to accept the package. 

The yearlong standoff over Tehran's nuclear program revolves
around Iran's insistence that it wants to master the technology
simply to generate civilian nuclear power. But critics say Iran
is interested in uranium enrichment because it wants to make
nuclear weapons. 

The current drama is playing out amid fears that the ability of
the pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to withstand 34
days of Israeli bombardment has emboldened hard-liners in Tehran
to risk a showdown with the Americans. 

There has also been speculation in the West that Iran encouraged
Hezbollah to provoke the Israelis to distract attention from its
nuclear ambitions. 

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, refused to disclose
Tuesday whether the response included an offer to suspend
uranium enrichment. But the semiofficial Fars news agency
reported that Iran had rejected calls to suspend ``nuclear
activities'' - or uranium enrichment - and ``instead has offered
a new formula to resolve the issues through dialogue.'' 

Last month, the Security Council set the Aug. 31 deadline for
Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face economic and political
sanctions. Iran called the resolution ``illegal'' but had said
it was willing to offer a ``multifaceted response'' to the
incentives package offered in June. 

Iranian officials familiar with Larijani's response said Tehran
also had included a list of questions in its counterproposal,
although they would not give details. The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
information. 

The Iranians have signaled strongly for weeks that they are not
prepared to abandon uranium enrichment as a precondition to
talks. Last month, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the country's
parliament was preparing to debate withdrawal from the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty if the U.N. Security Council adopts a
resolution to force Tehran to suspend enrichment. 

In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of
low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. In the
last few weeks, Iran has prevented U.N. nuclear agency
inspectors from inspecting an underground site meant to shelter
its uranium enrichment program from attack, diplomats said
Monday. 

The Western incentives package has not been made public but some
details have leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on
sales of Boeing passenger aircraft, plus providing Iran with
some nuclear technology to build reactors for civilian purposes. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 8 Guardian Unlimited: France Gives Iran Condition for Talks
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 1:31 PM

AP Photo WX106 

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - France insisted Wednesday that Iran must
suspend uranium enrichment if it wants talks over its nuclear
program. Tehran's apparent refusal to suspend enrichment sets
the stage for a showdown at the U.N. Security Council later this
month - with no certainty the United States will win tough
sanctions against Tehran. 

Diplomats from Europe, the U.S., Russia and China were poring
over details of Iran's counterproposal to a Western nuclear
incentives package Wednesday a day after Tehran presented it.
Initial comments from Russia and China made clear the United
States is likely to face difficulty getting at least those
nations to agree to any tough sanctions against Iran. 

In Paris, however, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy
made clear that his government was sticking by the U.N. demand
for Iran to halt enrichment by the end of this month as a
precondition to further talks. 

``I want to point out again that France is available to
negotiate, and to recall that, as we have always said ... a
return to the negotiating table is linked to the suspension of
uranium enrichment,'' Douste-Blazy said. 

However, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to
seek a political, negotiated solution to the dispute with Iran
over the nuclear program. China appealed for dialogue, urging
``constructive measures'' by Iran but also urging other parties
to ``remain calm and patient, show flexibility, stick to the
orientation of peaceful resolution and create favorable
conditions for resuming talks as soon as possible.'' 

In London, a British Foreign Office spokesman predicted ``some
hard discussions'' when the U.N. Security Council takes up the
Iran issue in the coming weeks. He spoke Wednesday on condition
of anonymity under British government regulations. 

The White House has so far held off commenting until it can
study the offer. But U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John
Bolton, said Tuesday that Washington was prepared to move
forward with sanctions against Tehran if the offer was not
positive. 

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, said
the document was ``extensive'' and required ``a detailed and
careful analysis'' France's foreign minister said Wednesday that
the document was complex and that it was consulting with
partners on it. 

Iran said Tuesday it was ready for ``serious negotiations'' on
its nuclear program and cast the counterproposal as a new
formula to resolve the crisis with the West. But a semiofficial
news agency said the government was unwilling to abandon uranium
enrichment - the key U.S. demand. 

On Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Ministry said the country's
response included ``positive and clear signals'' for resolving
the standoff. 

``If Europeans pay proper attention to positive and clear
signals included in Iran's response, the case will be solved
through negotiation and without tension, ``the radio quoted
ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as saying. He described
Iran's response as a sign of his country's good will. 

The world powers, the five permanent U.N. Security Council
members plus Germany, have given Iran until Aug. 31 to accept
the incentives package. 

But the Iranian response appeared aimed at enticing European
countries and China and Russia into further negotiations by
offering a broad set of proposals vague enough to hold out the
hope of progress. 

If the Iranians were to leave the door open to halting
enrichment as talks progress, for example, that would drive a
wedge between the Americans, British and French on one side and
the Russians and Chinese on the other. 

Last month, Russia said the Security Council was in no rush to
pressure Iran, striking a more conciliatory tone than the United
States. 

Iran delivered the written proposal in response to a package of
incentives offered by the United States and five other world
powers to persuade Iran to roll back on its nuclear program -
and offer punishments if it does not. 

The yearlong standoff over Tehran's nuclear program revolves
around Iran's insistence that it wants to master the technology
simply to generate civilian nuclear power. But critics say Iran
is interested in uranium enrichment because it wants to make
nuclear weapons. 

The current drama is playing out amid fears that the ability of
the pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to withstand 34
days of Israeli bombardment has emboldened hard-liners in Tehran
to risk a showdown with the Americans. 

There has also been speculation in the West that Iran encouraged
Hezbollah to provoke the Israelis to distract attention from its
nuclear ambitions. 

Iran has pursued a confrontational stance on the nuclear issue
since the election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last year.
The hard-line president has used the nuclear issue to encourage
a sense of national pride among Iranians. 

Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, refused to disclose
Tuesday whether the response included an offer to suspend
uranium enrichment. But the semiofficial Fars news agency
reported that Iran had rejected calls to suspend ``nuclear
activities'' - or uranium enrichment - and ``instead has offered
a new formula to resolve the issues through dialogue.'' 

Iranian officials familiar with Larijani's response said Tehran
also had included a list of questions in its counterproposal,
although they would not give details. The officials spoke on
condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the
information. 

The Iranians have signaled strongly for weeks that they are not
prepared to abandon uranium enrichment as a precondition to
talks. Last month, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the country's
parliament was preparing to debate withdrawal from the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty if the U.N. Security Council adopts a
resolution to force Tehran to suspend enrichment. 

In February, Iran for the first time produced its first batch of
low-enriched uranium, using a cascade of 164 centrifuges. In the
last few weeks, Iran has prevented U.N. nuclear agency
inspectors from inspecting an underground site meant to shelter
its uranium enrichment program from attack, diplomats said
Monday. 

The Western incentives package has not been made public but some
details have leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on
sales of Boeing passenger aircraft, plus providing Iran with
some nuclear technology to build reactors for civilian purposes. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 9 Guardian Unlimited: 'Significant gaps' in American intelligence on Iran
 
Julian Borger in Washington

Thursday August 24, 2006
The Guardian 		 

A congressional report yesterday warned that the US was facing 
"significant gaps" in its intelligence on Iran that could be as 
serious as the shortcomings in its prewar knowledge about Iraq, 
leaving Washington ill-prepared to assess Tehran's military 
capabilities.

The warning came as the Bush administration struggled to hold 
together an international coalition to force Iran to give up its 
nuclear programme. On Tuesday, Iran rejected a UN security 
council ultimatum to give up uranium enrichment by the end of 
this month, responding instead with a 21-page proposal for 
"serious talks". US diplomats said yesterday they were consulting 
their European allies on how to treat the proposal, in the face 
of Russian and Chinese reluctance to impose strong sanctions.

"We acknowledge that Iran considers its response as a serious 
offer, and we will review it," state department spokesman Gonzalo 
Gallegos said in a statement. "The response, however, falls short 
of the conditions set by the security council, which require the 
full and verifiable suspension of all enrichment-related and 
reprocessing activities. We are consulting closely, including 
with other members of the security council, on next steps."

A new report by the staff of the House of Representatives 
intelligence committee suggested that the administration was 
ill-equipped to drive a hard bargain. It found "significant gaps 
in our knowledge and understanding of the various areas of 
concern about Iran" and said "policymakers will need high-quality 
intelligence to assess Iranian intentions to prepare for any new 
round of negotiations".

Iran, by contrast, is widely considered to be in a strong 
negotiating position. Analysis published yesterday by the Royal 
Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House said there 
was "little doubt that Iran has been the chief beneficiary of the 
war on terror in the Middle East".

The report said Iran had gained from the defeat of two of its 
most immediate regional rivals, Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the 
Taliban in Afghanistan.

"The US-driven agenda for confronting Iran is severely 
compromised by the confident ease with which Iran sits in its 
region," it said. "Iran views Iraq as its own backyard and has 
now superseded the US as the most influential power there."

The month-long war between Hizbullah and Israel has strengthened
Iran's regional influence further, because the Arab world
perceived the US as uncritically backing Israel. Hizbullah,
backed by Iran, saw its status soar in Arab public opinion for
its ability to survive Israeli attacks.

UN diplomats said any concerted response to Iran's offer of
talks would only come after a report on its nuclear programme by
the International Atomic Energy Agency at the end of this month.
 
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 10 IRNA: Solana receives Iran's offer to resolve nuclear issue 

Brussels, Aug 23, IRNA

EU-IRAN-Solana 

Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy received Tuesday Iran's response to the E3+3
offer to resolve the nuclear issue.

 "The Iranian response to our offer was received today. The
document is extensive and therefore requires a detailed and
careful analysis," said Solana in a statement this evening.

 "Pending this detailed analysis, I will be in contact with the
different key interlocutors and will remain in open contact with
Dr Ali Larijani, as we agreed on Sunday in our telephone
conversation," added the brief statement.






*****************************************************************
 11 Guardian Unlimited: Iran tries to split UN as it rejects nuclear demands
 
Robert Tait in Tehran

Wednesday August 23, 2006
 		 
After months of defiant rhetoric over its nuclear programme, Iran 
formally rejected an international demand that it suspend uranium 
enrichment yesterday to allay western fears that it wants to 
build an atomic bomb.

The rejection, in a 23-page response submitted by the country's 
chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, to a broad-ranging 
incentive package, set Iran on a collision course with the UN 
security council. The council has passed a resolution requiring 
Iran to suspend uranium enrichment - a process that can be used 
to produce nuclear weapons - by August 31 or face the prospect of 
economic sanctions.

In what was being seen as a bid to split the council, Iran's 
response came with detailed counter-proposals, including a call 
for future talks under a "new formula".

Mr Larijani, who has criticised the incentives offered, couched 
Iran's answer in conciliatory language, describing it as 
"constructive". "Iran is prepared to hold serious talks," he told 
Iranian state television. "The representatives of the six world 
powers should return to talks to reach an understanding about all 
the issues mentioned in the offer, including nuclear issues, 
long-term technical and economic cooperation, as well as security 
cooperation in the region."

Mr Larijani was speaking after presenting the response to
diplomats from Britain, France, Russia, China, Germany and
Switzerland, which has represented American interests in Tehran
since US-Iranian relations were severed following the 1979-81
embassy siege.

Few details of the document, described by one western diplomat
as "comprehensive", were available. However, the Iranian request
for a "new formula" is thought to include a proposal that
temporary uranium enrichment suspension could be open for
negotiations during further talks.

That idea is virtually certain to be rejected by the US, Britain
and France, which believe Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at
bomb-making, rather than domestic electricity as the Iranians
insist. However, it could be sufficient to persuade the security
council's other two permanent members, Russia and China - both
of whom have extensive economic ties with Tehran - to oppose
sanctions.

America, which has declined to rule out military action, reacted
cautiously to the Iranian response, with John Bolton, the US
ambassador to the UN, promising to study it carefully. He said:
"From this definitive response, we will see whether they are now
prepared to abide by their obligations under the nuclear
non-proliferation treaty and convince the world that their
intentions are peaceful, as they claim. But if it doesn't meet
with the terms set by the security council, we will proceed to
economic sanctions."

The council's permanent five members, along with Germany,
presented the incentive package to Iran in June, two months
after it announced it had enriched uranium sufficiently to
produce its own nuclear fuel cycle. The package proposes a range
of economic sweeteners, including civilian nuclear technology,
in return for Iran abandoning its solo nuclear activities for
international cooperation.

Iran initially greeted the offer positively. But analysts in
Tehran say the Islamic leadership has turned against it, seeing
it as a front for the US desire for regime change. "They think
that if they accept, the Americans will come up with something
else, such as human rights, to destabilise them," one source
said. "They think the nuclear issue is simply the current
American strategy for undermining them. So they've decided that
the nuclear issue is the one over which to have a confrontation,
since it's a national issue supported by most Iranians."

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has ultimate
authority over the matter, said on Monday the country would
continue "on the nuclear path". He dismissed the west's claims
that it was trying to develop nuclear weapons as a pretext for
what he called its opposition to the development of Islamic
countries.

The leadership's tough stand is bolstered by a belief that high
oil revenues will enable it to withstand any sanctions that the
UN imposes. Iran is the world's fourth largest crude producer.

Mr Khamenei's remarks on Monday prompted international crude
prices to surge to $73.05 a barrel.

Tehran's atomic drive

Is Iran a nuclear power?

No. But it has an ambitious uranium enrichment programme
intended to make it a nuclear power. Russia is building and
supplying the fuel for Iran's first nuclear power plant. Iran
says it is developing its own nuclear fuel cycle (uranium
enrichment) to become self-sufficient. The west fears all this
is a front for a bomb programme.

Will it get the bomb?

Iran insists its nuclear programmes are exclusively civil. But
the technologies can quickly be turned to military ends.

What has the west offered?

The US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany offered a
detailed package to Iran in June including long-term talks on
political, economic, trade, security, and nuclear technology
issues. It recognises Iran's right to nuclear power and would
help it develop power stations. Russia would supply nuclear fuel
and repatriate used fuel to prevent it being used for weapons.
Iran has to "suspend" its own nuclear fuel output indefinitely.
It refuses to do so.

What happens next?

A security council deadline ordering the enrichment freeze
expires on August 31. Russia and China are reluctant to impose
sanctions.

Who's winning this battle of nerves?

Iran, so far. Tehran has manoeuvred skillfully, exploiting
divisions, playing for time, coaxing better offers, and still
advancing its nuclear programme. Tehran has looked on as the US
wiped out its biggest foes - Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. The
US travails in the Middle East and the rise of the Shia from
Iraq to Lebanon all boost Iran.

How advanced is the programme?

Iran is converting raw uranium into uranium gas, then feeding
the gas into centrifuges for enrichment. Estimates of when Iran
could have a bomb range from four-10 years.

What's all the fuss really about?

A lack of trust. The neo-cons in Washington don't believe a word
from the mullahs. The hardliners in Iran are convinced the US
wants regime change. The Europeans are playing the middleman,
freezing the nuclear dispute until there's a better climate of
confidence. That could be a long wait.
Ian Traynor
 
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 12 Guardian Unlimited: US interventions have boosted Iran, says report
 
[UP] 

Staff and agencies
Wednesday August 23, 2006

Guardian Unlimited               

The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Photograph:
Elizabeth Dalziel/AP
 
 The US-led "war on terror" has bolstered Iran's power and 
influence in the Middle East, especially over its neighbour and 
former enemy Iraq, a thinktank said today.

A reportpublished by Chatham House said the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan had removed Iran's main rival regimes in the region.

Israel's conflict with the Palestinians and its invasion of 
Lebanon had also put Iran "in a position of considerable 
strength" in the Middle East, said the thinktank.

Unless stability could be restored to the region, Iran's power 
will continue to grow, according to the report published by 
Chatham House

The study said Iran had been swift to fill the political vacuum 
created by the removal of the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam 
Hussein in Iraq. The Islamic republic now has a level of 
influence in the region that could not be ignored.

In particular, Iran has now superseded the US as the most
influential power in Iraq, regarding its former adversary as its
"own backyard". It is also a "prominent presence" in its other
war-torn neighbour, Afghanistan, according to Chatham House's
analysts.

The report said: "There is little doubt that Iran has been the
chief beneficiary of the war on terror in the Middle East.

"The United States, with coalition support, has eliminated two
of Iran's regional rival governments - the Taliban in
Afghanistan in November 2001 and Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq
in April 2003 - but has failed to replace either with coherent
and stable political structures."

The thinktank said the west needed to understand better Iran's
links with its neighbours to see why the country felt able "to
resist Western pressure".

"The US-driven agenda for confronting Iran is severely
compromised by the confident ease with which Iran sits in its
region," said the report.

Western countries, led by the US, are locked in a bitter dispute
with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter, says it will not
give up what it says is its right to peaceful nuclear
technology. The west suspects Tehran is developing nuclear
weapons.

The thinktank said: "While the US and Europeans slowly grind the
nuclear issue through the mills of the International Atomic
Energy Agency and the United Nations security council, Iran
continues to prevaricate, feeling confident of victory as
conditions turn ever more in its favour."

The report added the country was "simply too important - for
political, economic, cultural, religions and military reasons -
to be treated lightly".

One of the report's authors, Dr Ali Ansari, reader in modern
history at the University of St Andrews, told Radio 4: "The
United States needs to take a step back and reassess its entire
policy towards Iran and work out, first of all, what does it
want and how is it going to achieve it, because at the moment
everything is rather like putting a sticking plaster on a fairly
raw wound, and it is not really actually doing much at all."
 
	
[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 13 BBC: Talks urged on Iran nuclear issue
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 23 August 2006
 
[Iran's parliamentary Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad-Adel
is shown around the Bushehr nuclear power plant]

Western powers suspect Iran is trying to produce a nuclear bomb
		
China and Russia have said negotiations are the only way of 
easing tension over Iran's nuclear programme, following Tehran's 
offer of talks on the issue. 

But France has insisted that talks can restart only if Tehran 
halts its uranium enrichment programme first. 

Iran has offered "serious talks" with six world powers, in 
response to a UN resolution which set a deadline of 31 August for 
the programme to be halted. 

It faces possible sanctions amid claims it is making a bomb, 
which it denies. 

Tehran maintains it has a right to civilian nuclear technology. 

The US, UK, Russia, China, France and Germany have offered Iran a 
package of incentives - including help with civilian nuclear 
technology - in exchange for suspending enrichment. 

[Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tours the Natanz nuclear 
plant (file photo)]                             

Iran's leaders insist the nuclear programme has a civilian 
purpose

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, said on Tuesday 
that his country was ready for "serious talks" on the issue - but 
did not give any more details of its response to the offer. 

Beijing said it hoped all parties would show calm, patience and 
flexibility so that negotiations could be resumed, and said it 
was "carefully studying" Iran's reply. 

"China has always believed that seeking a peaceful resolution of 
the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic talks is the best 
choice and in the interests of all parties concerned," the 
Chinese foreign ministry said. 

The Iranians know the rules the game: first a suspension of 
sensitive nuclear activities            

Philippe Douste-Blazy French Foreign Minister

Russia echoed the Chinese stance, stressing its commitment to a 
negotiated solution to the crisis over Iran's nuclear programme. 

Russia will continue "seeking a political, negotiated settlement 
concerning Iran's nuclear programme," Interfax news agency quotes 
a Russian foreign ministry spokesman as saying. 

The US gave no immediate reaction to Iran's response. "We're 
giving it careful consideration and a careful review, as it 
deserves," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. 

But in Paris, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said 
fresh talks were dependent on Tehran first suspending its nuclear 
activities. 

"As we have said all along, and as Mr Larijani well knows, the 
return to the negotiating table is tied to a suspension of its 
uranium enrichment activity," he said. 

"The Iranians know the rules of the game: first a suspension of 
sensitive nuclear activities." 

Sanctions threat 

Although Mr Larijani has spoken of "serious talks", what the 
Security Council needs to know is whether Iran is willing to 
suspend uranium enrichment by 31 August or not, says the BBC News 
website's world affairs correspondent, Paul Reynolds. 

While the US has been playi poker in the region, Iran has been 
playing chess Nadim Shehadi Chatham House expert Iran 'boosted' 
by US-led wars Iranian press defiant European press berates Iran
       
If it is not, or gives no clear response on this, the US and its 
allies will take it as a "no" and will press for sanctions, 
though these would need a separate council decision, our 
correspondent adds. 

Iranian officials had previously said the response would address 
ambiguities over its right to nuclear technology. 

Enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors, but highly 
enriched uranium can also be used to make nuclear bombs. 

Iran points out that as a signatory to the nuclear 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) it is entitled to a nuclear power 
programme and says it has broken no rule. 

But the Western powers accuse Iran of concealing an enrichment 
programme, and Washington has refused to rule out military 
action. 

Iranian leverage 

Meanwhile, a report by UK-based think tank Chatham House says 
Iran can afford to continue equivocating in the dispute over its 
nuclear programme because of its regional supremacy. 

"The US-driven agenda for confronting Iran is severely 
compromised by the confident ease with which Iran sits in the 
region," the report says. 

The report argues that Iran has emerged as the biggest 
beneficiary of the US-led "war on terror" in the Middle East. 

Recent US-led wars have "eliminated two of Iran's regional rival 
governments - the Taleban in Afghanistan and the Saddam Hussein 
regime in Iraq in April 2003". 

The report says the US "has failed to replace either with 
coherent and stable political structures". 

Iran wields more influence than the US in Iraq, the report said, 
and is also "a prominent presence" in Afghanistan. 
*****************************************************************
 14 IRNA: French FM: Iran's response to Group 5+1 proposal to be examined
      
, Aug 23, IRNA

-- 

French Foreign Minister Filippe Douste Blazie on Wednesday said 
that Iran's response to the proposal of the five permanent 
members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) plus 
Germany (5+1 group) will be examined.

 The minister made the remark in an interview with the Second 
French TV Channel.

 Blazie said, "Iranian officials have called for holding talks.

 We will consider Iran's response and will express our view after 
consulting with our European partners, Russia, the US and China.

 Iran's Supreme National Security Council Secretary, Ali 
Larijani, presented Iran's response to the proposed package of 
the 5+1 group on August 22, as previously promised.

 After presenting Iran's response, Larijani said, "In most cases 
where ambiguities existed, we tried to pave the way for fair 
negotiation on Iran's nuclear issue through rational and positive 
interpretation." The SNSC secretary said that Iran has proposed a 
constructive approach to the 5+1 group and is prepared to enter 
into serious talks on the matter.
*****************************************************************
 15 IRNA: Russia to study Iran's response to Group 5+1 precisely

Moscow, Aug 23, IRNA

Russia-Iran-Nuclear 

Russia, like its other partners in Group 5+1, would study with 
precision Iran's response to a package of incentives in exchange 
for its freeze on all uranium enrichment and related activities, 
Russian Foreign Ministry said here Wednesday in a statement.

 Iran's top nuclear negotiator and Secretary of Supreme National 
Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, on Tuesday presented 
Iran's official response to a package of incentives offered by 
five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- China, 
Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany 
(Group 5+1) to Tehran on June 6.

 Larijani delivered Tehran's answer to ambassadors of the Group 
5+1 Group as well as Swiss ambassador as caretaker of the US 
interests in Iran.

 The Russian ministry's statement said it should be determined 
whether it would be possible to cooperate with Tehran based on 
proposals of Group 5+1.

 Russia would continue its efforts to find political strategies
to settle Iran's nuclear case through negotiations and intends
to preserve the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) to prevent violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
(NPT), it added.

 The statement also expressed Russia's readiness to hold
bilateral talks with Iranian officials and multilateral
negotiations and make use of the United Nations Security
Council's potentials.

*****************************************************************
 16 SF Chron: Iran asks to start nuclear bargaining / Offer to U.N. on
enrichment called complex and vague

[San Francisco Chronicle] 
				 
Matthew B. Stannard, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Iran made good on its promise to respond by Tuesday to
incentives from the major world powers seeking to halt its
nuclear enrichment program, with a written invitation to
commence serious negotiations and an offer of a new formula to
resolve the crisis. 

But, crucially, Iran apparently did not offer to halt its
enrichment of uranium, the goal of the month-old incentive
package, setting up a showdown Aug. 31 -- the deadline in a U.N.
demand that Iran suspend enrichment or face the possibility of
sanctions. 

Iran's apparent refusal to meet that demand was widely reported
in Iranian and global media Tuesday and had been signaled Monday
by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who vowed in a
speech before Islamic scholars that Iran would continue "with
its nuclear program to produce nuclear energy," according to the
official Islamic Republic News Agency. 

Nevertheless, European and U.S. officials responded with caution
to a document they described as lengthy and complicated. 

"We will obviously study the Iranian response carefully, but we
are also prepared if it does not meet the terms set by the
Permanent Five foreign ministers to proceed ... with economic
sanctions," said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations. "If, on the other hand, the Iranians have chosen the
path of cooperation, as we've said repeatedly, then a different
relationship with the United States and the rest of the world is
now possible." 

Iran continues to insist its nuclear program is for the peaceful
production of energy and is permitted by international law, but
skeptics believe the Islamic republic -- long accused of
supporting terrorism around the globe -- wants to develop a
nuclear weapon. 

Most experts on Iran said the response was pretty much what they
expected: that Iran would refuse to halt enrichment but do so in
a statement vague enough to hold out the possibility of change,
which in turn would allow Russia and China -- the two permanent
members of the U.N. Security Council with major financial ties
to Iran -- to call for more negotiations. 

The full text of the proposal has not been made public, but some
details have appeared in press accounts. 

"It's basically as one expected, trying to prolong the
discussions," said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian Studies
program at Stanford University and co-director of the Iran
Democracy Project at the Hoover Institution. 

On its official news sites, Iran insisted its offer was not a
stalling tactic. But several experts noted that its repeated
offer of negotiations seemed to echo a part of the Security
Council resolution that requires additional talk before the
imposition of sanctions for failure to end enrichment. 

"The thing to remember about the Iranians is they will pay very,
very close attention to the language, and they will play off
that language," said Ken Gause, director of the Foreign
Leadership Studies Program at the CNA Corporation, a think tank
in Alexandria, Va. "If they see any room to maneuver within the
guidelines set out in the language, that is their bread and
butter." 

At the same time, Iran has little incentive to comply with the
demand that it end its enrichment program, even with the threat
of sanctions, said Vali Nasr, professor in the department of
national security affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School in
Monterey and author of "The Shia Revival." 

"What's the day-after scenario for Iran (if it gives up
enrichment)?" asked Nasr. "They still are not reconciled with
the U.S. They still have not spoken one sentence with the U.S.
The only thing they've done is given up the one thing the U.S.
wants from them." 

Iran's ambitions go well beyond the nuclear issue, and its
larger goals can't be reached if it remains a pariah state, said
Kamran Bokhari, senior analyst for the Middle East and South
Asia for Strategic Forecasting, a private intelligence group. 

"Iran wants to be a player, a hegemon in the region, a player on
the global stage. That can't happen unless you have recognition
from the United States," he said. "It's not about survival for
them. They've been surviving." 

At the same time, the Bush administration is worried that
normalizing relations with Iran, without first winning an end to
its nuclear program, would remove even the West's limited
leverage. 

"Both sides have carved out a kind of rhetorical straitjacket,
and their actual negotiating ability is constrained by that,"
Milani said. 

In a way, Nasr argued, the West's fears about a rising Iran have
already been realized. 

"The issue for the U.S. is not whether Iranian hegemony is good
or bad. It's a reality, and we have to deal with it," he said.
"It's very difficult for any American administration to easily
bite the bullet, especially one that has called Iran the axis of
evil ... (but) the question is: How can we negotiate that coming
in from the cold?" 

One way, several experts said, would be to take up the Iranian
offer of talks. The two countries have not had formal contact
since the hostage crisis of 1979. 

"I think if the U.S. called them on that bluff, they would be in
a very, very hard position," Milani said. "They will be left
with few options because then any argument that they have
hitherto had with the Chinese and the Russians -- that the
reason we can't get ahead is (that) the U.S. is being hardheaded
-- they wouldn't have that argument to make." 

Kori Schake, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, said
the United States should insist on seeing some positive moves
from Iran before it comes to the table -- especially in the wake
of Iranian nuclear intransigence, such as its decision earlier
this week, reported by the Associated Press, to bar inspectors
from a uranium enrichment plant in Natanz. 

"Offering unconditional direct talks right now ... rewards
Iranian bad behavior, sending the signal that if they hold out
we'll eventually give them what they want for no compromise on
their part ... (and) it repays poorly the good work done by our
European colleagues to marginalize them now," she said. "We need
the Iranians to do something constructive before we give them
the benefit of direct negotiations." 

Talks run the risk of getting bogged down in the Iranians'
efforts to spin any U.S. concession into an advantage in the
battle for international support, said Wayne White, former
deputy director of the State Department's Middle East
intelligence office. 

"As much as Tehran's offer might appear reasonable -- and
tantalizing ... the Iranians would likely do everything possible
to ensure that they were perceived as 'winners' and we the
'losers,' " he said. 

But even if direct talks take time to work -- if they work at
all -- it's a way forward that is worth exploring, said Nasr --
especially when nothing else seems to be effective in reaching
the West's goals. 

"The main issue for the U.S. is: Can we change Iran's behavior
vis-a-vis Hezbollah, terrorism, human rights, and above all else
the nuclear issue?" he said. "The logical thing is, if your
goals are the same, but your instruments are not up to par, it's
time to look at a new instrument." 

The bottom line, argued David Cortright, president of the Fourth
Freedom Forum, a diplomatic think tank in Indiana, is that there
is too much at stake for the United States to refuse to talk to
Iran -- and too few alternatives. 

"Iran is the key to the most pressing security issues facing the
U.S. right now: Iraq, the aftermath of the Hezbollah war in
Lebanon, global terrorism and of course the proliferation of
nuclear weapons capability," he said. "Washington cannot solve
these problems without some form of understanding with Tehran." 

E-mail Matthew B. Stannard at mstannard@sfchronicle.com. 				
Page A - 1 			

The San Francisco Chronicle] 

*****************************************************************
 17 IRNA: MP recommends Group 5+1 to give "positive" response to Iran -
      
Aug 23, IRNA

 
A Majlis deputy here Wednesday recommended the world six powers
(Group 5+1) to present a "positive" response to Tehran.

 Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission
Alaeddin Boroujerdi made the remark in an interview with IRNA.

 Iran's top nuclear negotiator and Secretary of Supreme National
Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, on Tuesday presented
Iran's official response to a package of incentives offered by
five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- China,
Russia, Britain, France and the United States -- plus Germany
(Group 5+1) to Tehran on June 6.

 Larijani delivered Tehran's answer to ambassadors of the Group
5+1 Group as well as Swiss ambassador as caretaker of the US
interests in Iran.

 The UN Security Council passed a resolution on July 31 giving
Iran a month to halt its uranium enrichment activities or face
possible sanctions.

 "Iran's response to a package of incentives proposed by Group
5+1 was positive and rational," Boroujerdi said.

 He added, "Logically, in reaction to Iran's response to the
package, the Group 5+1 should express readiness to hold talks
with Iran to reach an understanding."

 He said Iran's readiness to hold negotiations was among
positive points of Iran's response to the package, adding,
"After the Islamic Republic of Iran received the proposed
package, it set a deadline at the highest level to present its
response. On Tuesday, Iran fulfilled its undertaking."

 The MP noted that Iran's fulfillment of its undertaking was the
first positive point in the country's response, adding, "Iran
announced its response on due time as it has previously promised.

 "The second point which showed Iran's honest words and attitude
was the country's positive view on the proposed package since
the first day the European Union chief Javier Solana handed over
the package to Iran.

 "Iran has explicitly announced it would study the proposed
package with precision," he said.

 Pointing to formation of various committees to review the
package, the MP said, "Outcome of the committees' work was
handed over within framework of Iran's response to the Group
5+1." Boroujerdi said the opposite side has earlier adopted a
hasty attitude as a result of the US pressure, stressing,
"Despite illogical attitude of the opposite side and adoption of
a resolution at the Security Council, Tehran presented a
positive response to the proposed package."
*****************************************************************
 18 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI's reply addresses all concerns 

2006/08/23   
  
The Atomic Energy Organization of IRI (AEOI) Deputy Director for 
International Affairs Mohammad Saeedi has described IRI's reply 
to the proposed package as comprehensive.
 
Talking to Mehr News Agency (MNA) on Monday, he stressed that the 
Islamic Republic of Iran has tried to address all the concerns of 
the two sides in its response in a bid to find a solution that 
will benefit all parties.
 
Saeedi said that suspension of enrichment could have been 
discussed in the past but it is no longer on the table for the 
talks.
 
"The package contains some ambiguities which have been raised in 
IRI's response," he noted adding that the main ambiguity is that 
those presenting the offer have cleverly ignored article 4 of the 
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which refers to promotion of 
nuclear technology in developing countries.
 
"We have also stated that we are prepared for negotiations if 
they do not set suspension as a precondition," he said.
 
IRI is pressing ahead with its nuclear research activities to 
master small-scale industrial enrichment, he said adding that 
IRI's 164-centrifuge cascade at the Natanz facility is operating 
as planned.
 
Announcing that IRI has discovered new uranium reserves, headded
the mines will come on stream soon.
 
Saeedi said that a plan has been devised for the construction of
a 360-megawatt nuclear power plant by Iranian scientists and
engineers which will be implemented soon.
 
"Withdrawal from the NPT is not on the agenda for the time
being, but if certain countries take illogical measures, our
policies will change as well," he stated.
 
M/D   

  Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran 
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. 
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir     
*****************************************************************
 19 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Larijani urges serious nuclear talks 

2006/08/23   
  
Top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Tuesday that IRI is
ready to enter into serious nuclear talks as of August 23.
 
"Although there is no justification for the other parties'
illegal move to refer IRI's issue to the Security Council, we
prepared the answer to the proposed package positively on the
recommendation of(the UN Chief) Mr. Kofi Annan; and despite
ambiguities on many issues, we tried to pave the way for fair
talks with a logical and positive approach; and despite other
parties' breach of commitments, the Islamic Republic of Iran has
proposed a constructive course to the European Union" said
Larijani in a meeting.
 
Announcing that IRI is prepared to hold serious talks from
Aug.23, Larijani said IRI's answer has logically, fairly and
constructively addressed demands of the proposed package,
recommending the European Union to return to the negotiation
table immediately despite the false atmosphere created against
IRI that it was buying time.
 
He said IRI was ready to discuss all issues raised in the
proposed packages, including nuclear and long-term economic and
technical as well as security cooperation in the region and
reach conclusion in a climate of understanding.
 
He went on to say that in all the three sectors, the Islamic
Republic of Iran -- as a responsible state in the international
system-- is ready to play its constructive role.
 
M/D   

  Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran 
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. 
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir     
*****************************************************************
 20 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: IRI's response positive, transparent 

  2006/08/23   
    
Iran's response to the west proposed package includes "very 
positive and transparent signs", said Foreign Ministry spokesman, 
Hamid-Reza Asefi on Wednesday.
 
He stressed that Iran's nuclear issue will be resolved
peacefully and without tension through negotiations if Europeans
and others pay due attention to each of its transparent and
positive points.
 
"Tehran's response is very comprehensive and includes the
Islamic Republic of Iran's attitudes towards the continuation of
negotiations," he said.
 
Asefi reiterated that Iran's response is the outcome of great
efforts and careful study by different expert committees adding
that it also shows Iran's good will in resolving its nuclear
issue.
 
"Iran's timely response indicates that the country is committed
to international promises and is seeking peaceful transparent
activities," he said.
 
Asefi further called on the Group 5+1 to precisely examine
Iran's response saying that the group is expected to return to
the negotiation table with Iran as soon as possible.
 
The Foreign Ministry spokesman reiterated that negotiation is
the only logical solution to Iran's nuclear case.   

  Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran 
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. 
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir     
*****************************************************************
 21 AFP: 'War on terror' bolstering Iran's clout in Middle East - think tank - 

 Wed Aug 23, 4:45 AM ET 		 	 

LONDON (AFP) - Iran" /> Iran's influence in the Middle East has 
been bolstered by the "war on terror" declared by the United 
States and its allies, a respected British foreign policy think 
tank said. 

 "There is little doubt that Iran has been the chief beneficiary
of the war on terror in the Middle East," Chatham House said in
a report titled "Iran, Its Neighbours and Regional Crises". 

"The United States, with coalition support, has eliminated two
of Iran's regional rival governments -- the Taliban in
Afghanistan" /> Afghanistanin November 2001 and Saddam Hussein"
/> Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq" /> Iraqin April 2003 -- but
has failed to replace either with coherent and stable political
structures." 

This summer's conflicts between Israel" /> Israeland the
Palestinians in Gaza and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon
have added to that instability, the 50-page report added. 

Elaborating on the report, one of its authors, Ali Ansari of the
University of St Andrews in Scotland, suggested that Washington
rethink its policy towards Iran, which President George W. Bush"
/> President George W. Bushhas declared part of an "axis of
evil". 

"The United States needs to take a step back and reassess its
entire policy towards Iran and work out, first of all, what does
it want and how is it going to achieve it," he told BBC radio. 

"At the moment, everything is rather like putting a sticking
plaster on a fairly raw wound and it is not really actually
doing much at all." 

In its executive summary, the report said Iran has superseded
the United States as the most influential power in Iraq, while
"successfully" cultivating relations with Turkey, Pakistan and
its Arab neighbours. 

"Iran is simply too important -- for political, economic,
cultural, religious and military reasons -- to be treated
lightly by any state in the Middle East or indeed Asia," it
said. 

Conflict and instability in Afghanistan and Iraq have "further
strengthened Iran", it said, adding: "The US-driven agenda for
confronting Iran is severely compromised by the confident ease
with which Iran sits in its region." 

Concerning Iran's suspect quest for nuclear weapons, the report
said that its importance in the region "helps explain why Iran
feels able to resist Western pressure". 

"While the US and Europeans slowly grind the nuclear issue
through the mills of the International Atomic Energy Agency" />
International Atomic Energy Agencyand the United Nations" />
United NationsSecurity Council, Iran continues to prevaricate,
feeling confident of victory as conditions turn ever more in its
favour." 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 22 AFP: US in the dark over Iran - Congress intelligence report 

 by Stephen Collinson Wed Aug 23, 4:34 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A congressional committee warned of 
"significant" gaps in US intelligence on Iran" /> , a scenario it 
said precluded confident assessments on Tehran's alleged weapons 
of mass destruction programs. 

 The unclassified report called on US intelligence agencies to
offer better information to policymakers in the event of any
talks on the current nuclear showdown, or to check compliance
with sanctions if negotiations founder. 

It was released as tensions between Iran and the United States
rose another notch, as the State Department said Tehran's
response to an incentives package aimed at ending the standoff
fell short of conditions to avoid sanctions. 

"There is a great deal about Iran that we do not know," the
report, issued by the House of Representatives Permanent Select
Committee on Intelligence, said. 

"The United States lacks critical information needed for
analysts to make many of their judgments with confidence about
Iran and there are many significant information gaps," said the
report, accompanied by a classified annex. 

The committee declined to specify where gaps were evident,
saying it did not want to tip off the Iranian government, but
added that more needed to be done to decipher Iran's nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons efforts, its political and
economic strategy, alleged support for terrorism and involvement
in fomenting violence in Iraq" /> . 

"US policymakers and intelligence officials believe, without
exception, that the United States must collect more and better
intelligence on a wide range of Iranian issues," the report
said. 

Complaints about the structure of intelligence collection struck
a familiar chord. Huge gaps in US knowledge about Iraq's
clandestine programs were exposed after the ouster of Saddam
Hussein" /> in 2003 and the failure to find weapons of mass
destruction, the rationale for war used by the administration of
President George W. Bush" /> . 

Admitting "American intelligence agencies do not know nearly
enough about Iran's nuclear weapons program," the report said
the threat had deepened with the election last year of Iran's
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

Though citing evidence that Iran was bent on making nuclear
bombs, the committee also raised the possibility that it could
be bluffing with a "denial and deception" campaign, similar to
that apparently pursued by Saddam Hussein. 

Iran has denied it is pressing for nuclear weapons development,
saying its program is for purely peaceful purposes of energy
generation. 

Among recommendations, the report said intelligence analysts
must challenge conventional wisdom and called on agencies to
improve human intelligence -- up-close spying on Iran. 

More Farsi speakers should be recruited to work in intelligence,
and new efforts launched to frustrate Iranian
counter-intelligence operations. 

Suspicion in the United States has centered on the role of
Tehran in Iraq, and the report called for better US evaluations
of any Iranian support for the insurgency. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 23 AFP: US gives muted response to Iranian nuclear offer 

 by David Millikin Wed Aug 23, 5:58 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States issued a low-key reply to 
Iran" /> 's offer of negotiations over its suspect nuclear 
program, saying only that the stance "falls short" of a UN demand 
that Tehran halt its uranium enrichment activities. 

 In a brief written statement which took officials more than 24
hours to release, the State Department made no explicit mention
of the sanctions Washington has repeatedly threatened to impose
if Iran fails to abandon the enrichment program. 

It said Washington was still reviewing the Iranian proposals and
would consult further with fellow UN Security Council members on
what to do next. 

"We acknowledge that Iran considers its response as a serious
offer, and we will review it," the statement said of Tehran's
reply to a package of US-backed incentives designed to entice it
to abandon uranium enrichment. 

"The response, however, falls short of the conditions set by the
Security Council, which require the full and verifiable
suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing
activities," it said. 

"We are consulting closely, including with other members of the
Security Council, on next steps," it said. 

The statement was issued after US President George W. Bush" />
and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> met to discuss
the Iran issue early Wednesday. 

Bush and Rice also both spoke about the issue by telephone with
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan" /> , who is expected to visit
Tehran next week, officials said. 

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution last month giving
Iran until August 31 to freeze its uranium enrichment or face
sanctions. 

Iran insists its program is for peaceful power generation,
although enriched uranium can also be used to make nuclear
bombs. 

Tehran has yet to formally reply to the UN demand, but on
Tuesday it gave its answer to the package proposed by the US,
Britain France, Germany, Russia, and China offering incentives,
including help building a civilian nuclear power industry, in
return for an end to enrichment. 

Tehran's ambiguous, 21-page counter-proposal included an offer
to hold "serious talks" on the nuclear issue, but stopped short
of accepting an immediate freeze on uranium enrichment. 

Wednesday's reply from Washington itself stopped short of an
outright rejection of Iran's stance and was far less belligerent
than earlier administration statements. 

As recently as Monday Bush threatened Iran with swift action on
sanctions, saying: "There must be consequences if people thumb
their nose at the United Nations" /> Security Council." 

Wednesday's toned-down reply suggested Washington was concerned
not to open up a rift with fellow members of the coalition
confronting Iran, most notably Russia and China which are both
traditionally reticent to back international sanctions. 

France, so far Washington's strongest ally on the sanctions
option, was the most forthright in its response to Tehran's talk
proposal, with Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy saying
flatly: "The return to the negotiating table is tied to a
suspension of its uranium enrichment activity". 

But Britain and Germany have yet to issue statements, while
Russia said "nuances" in Iran's response should be explored and
China said sanctions were not the way to resolve the crisis. 

"The State Department and the White House are keenly aware that
this is an effort by Iran to fracture the coalition," said Jon
Wolfsthal, an Iran expert at the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington. 

While US officials appear intent on pressing for sanctions in
the likely event Iran maintains its refusal to immediately end
the uranium enrichment, he said, "They recognise that they need
to play good defense as well as strong offense." 

"They are working furiously -- not to figure out what the
response is, but to ensure that there's a coordinated response"
from all coalition partners, he said. 

"If they are seen as acting precipitously, almost welcoming the
chance to impose sanctions, it's not going to play very well
internationally." 

A congressional committee meanwhile warned of "significant" gaps
in US intelligence on Iran, a scenario it said precluded
confident assessments on Tehran's alleged weapons of mass
destruction programs. 	 		 			

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 24 AFP: World powers weigh options on Iran nuclear offer 

 by Hiedeh Farmani Wed Aug 23, 7:44 AM ET 		 	 

TEHRAN (AFP) - The international community was weighing its 
options after Iran" /> Iranresponded to an offer aimed at ending 
a nuclear crisis with a call for "serious talks" but no 
indication it would freeze uranium enrichment as demanded by the 
UN Security Council. 

Europe said Iran's response Tuesday required careful analysis as
signs of a split began to emerge among world powers over how to
respond, with the United States pressing for sanctions and China
appealing for patience. 

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Tehran was ready
for "serious talks" but no details were made public of its
response to a package of incentives offered by world powers in
return for a moratorium on enrichment by an August 31 UN
deadline. 

The response is "obviously disappointing as it overlooks the key
condition", a Tehran-based Western diplomat told AFP. "Iranians
signal they want serious talks, but they do not appear to be
willing to make significant concessions. 

An Iranian official confirmed Tehran's refusal to suspend
enrichment, despite the risk of UN sanctions, but insisted: "We
can discuss all the items of the proposal; this is a sign of
flexibility on Iran's part". 

Washington suspects the nuclear program is a cover for an
attempt to produce a bomb. Enrichment can make fuel for nuclear
power stations or be extended to create the core of atomic
weapons. 

However, Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists
it is purely for peaceful power generation and that it has the
right to the technology as a signatory of the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last
word on all key policy issues, said Monday the Islamic republic
was determined to press ahead with its nuclear program. 

Tehran gave the written response to representatives of the five
permanent Security Council members plus Germany which drew up
the package of trade, technology and security incentives. 

"Iran is ready for serious talks with the 'five plus one' group
from August 23 over the offered package," Larijani was quoted as
telling the envoys. 

The United States began urging punitive action while Russia said
it was important to explore "nuances" in Iran's response and
Tehran's major trade partner China said sanctions were not the
way to resolve the crisis. 

"We will obviously study the Iranian response carefully," US
ambassador to the United Nations" /> United NationsJohn Bolton
said. "But we are also prepared -- if it does not meet the terms
set -- to proceed here in the Security Council... with economic
sanctions. 

The White House also warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would be
"dangerous" to the world. 

Russia, which is building Iran's first nuclear power plant, said
it would continue to press for a political solution and wanted
to keep the UN nuclear watchdog -- not the Security Council --
at the center of the process. 

China's special envoy to the Middle East, Sun Bigan, said too
that Beijing sought a "peaceful settlement rather than resorting
to force or threatening sanctions". 

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he would remain in
contact with Larijani, adding that the Iranian document that
"requires a detailed and careful analysis". 

The Iranian press gave a mixed reaction to the nuclear response,
with conservative newspapers urging the Islamic republic to
reject a nuclear freeze or even pull out of the NPT. 

"The only way ahead is to leave the NPT and put an end to this
ridiculous game," wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the
hardline Keyhan. 

"Suspension: never, negotiation: always," was the headline on
another conservative newspaper, Jomhuri Eslami. 

But the reformist Hambastegi suggested Iran suspend enrichment
in order to resolve the standoff peacefully. 

"If the negotiating team can open talks and have a good stance,
it will protect national interests even by temporary suspension
within a timetable to resolve our problems with the
(International Atomic Energy) Agency," it said. 

The Iran crisis has caused jitters in oil markets since the
OPEC" /> OPECmember threatened to halt exports to the West if
sanctions are imposed. 

But oil prices dropped slightly Wednesday, with Brent North Sea
crude for October delivery sliding 51 cents to 72.73 dollars a
barrel in electronic deals. 	 		 			

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 25 AFP: Study 'nuance' in Iran nuclear answer, Russia counsels 

 Wed Aug 23, 6:02 AM ET 		 	 

MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia has said it was important to explore
"nuances" in Iran" /> 's response to initiatives aimed at
persuading it to drop uranium enrichment. 

 "It is very important to understand nuances, to find
constructive elements if there are any and to determine whether
it is possible to continue working with Tehran," the foreign
ministry said in a statement Wednesday. 

The comment came a day after Iran called for talks as it
delivered its response to a deal aimed at ending a long-running
nuclear standoff, without saying whether it had met demands of
the international community. 

The United States said it would study Iran's response but
insisted that only Iran's halt of uranium enrichment would be
acceptable. The European Union" /> said Tehran's "extensive"
reply would require careful analysis. 

In the foreign ministry statement, Russia said it would continue
to press for a political solution to the Iran nuclear standoff
and wanted to keep the UN nuclear watchdog -- not the Security
Council -- at the center of the process. 

"We are ready to continue using multilateral mechanisms and the
potential of the UN Security Council as well as bilateral
contacts with the Iranian side" to resolve the standoff
peacefully, the statement said. 

Iran is suspected by the West of trying to build nuclear weapons
under cover of a civilian nuclear power program. Tehran has
consistently rejected this suspicion, but has insisted it has
the right to its own nuclear power program. 

Iran has been working on its nuclear power program with the
technical assistance of Russia and an Iranian delegation is
currently visiting nuclear installations in Russia, news
agencies said. 

Russian newspapers meanwhile said the world was going to have to
accept Iran as a nuclear energy power. 

"Iran wants to be a strong country. Perhaps its ambitions should
be satisfied, as long as it does not have the bomb," the
business daily Vedomosti said in a commentary. 

The opposition daily Kommersant said Iran sought to win its
confrontation with the West to become a world power and the
leader of the Islamic world, and was benefiting from divisions
in the international community. 

"The only way to prohibit Iranian access to nuclear technologies
is to liquidate the regime of the country," Kommersant said. 

For the centrist daily Vremya Novostei, the response Tuesday
from Tehran was derisory. 

"Iran has once again mocked the major powers," the paper said. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 26 AFP: Iran calls for talks over nuclear standoff 

 by Hiedeh Farmani Wed Aug 23, 3:54 AM ET 		 	 

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran" /> Irancalled for talks as it delivered its 
response to a deal aimed at ending a long-running nuclear 
standoff, without saying whether it had met the demands of the 
international community. 

 US officials said they would study Tehran's Tuesday response 
carefully, but added that they were ready to move ahead quickly 
in seeking UN enforcement action if Iran did not suspend 
sensitive nuclear fuel cycle work as demanded by the UN Security 
Council. 

The European Union" /> European Unionsaid the document required
careful analysis. 

China said Wednesday it was carefully studying Iran's response
and urged the Islamic republic to be constructive in its
dealings on the issue. 

Iran's nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani delivered the written
response to representatives of the five permanent Security
Council members plus Germany, which drew up the package of
incentives for Iran to renounce uranium enrichment and
reprocessing activities. 

"Iran is ready for serious talks with the 'five plus one' group
from August 23 over the offered package," the student ISNA news
agency quoted Larijani as telling the envoys. 

"We prepared the response to the package with a positive view
and even tried to open a way for fair talks by interpreting the
many cases of ambiguity logically and positively," he said. 

He called on the world powers that backed the offer to "return
to negotiations," adding that Iran "is ready to play its role as
a responsible country." 

But he did not elaborate on what was in the written response,
and made no direct reference to an August 31 deadline for Iran
to freeze enrichment or risk UN sanctions. 

All the indications ahead of Iran's submission were that it was
set to reject the basic precondition set by the six powers. 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the last word on all key policy
issues, said Monday that Iran was determined to press ahead with
its nuclear program despite the Security Council deadline. 

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization deputy head Mohammad Saeedi
said the same day that Iran would "provide Europe with an
exceptional chance for an understanding and a return to the
negotiating table," but insisted an enrichment freeze was "no
longer possible." 

Differences emerged among world powers over how to handle the
crisis, with the United States baying for sanctions while China
said punishing Iran was not the way to resolve the international
concerns about the purpose of its nuclear program. 

"We will obviously study the Iranian response carefully," US
ambassador to the United Nations" /> United NationsJohn Bolton
told reporters in New York. 

"But we are also prepared -- if it does not meet the terms set
-- to proceed here in the Security Council ... with economic
sanctions. 

"I think we will be prepared to submit elements of a resolution
in the council very quickly," he said. 

The White House warned that a nuclear-armed Iran would be
"dangerous" to the world, but declined to assess Tehran's reply. 

"Let's let the diplomats take a look at this response before we
parse it out too much here," spokeswoman for US President George
W. Bush" /> President George W. Bush, Dana Perino, said. 

Washington suspects Iran's nuclear program is a cover for an
attempt to produce a bomb. However, Iran, the world's fourth
largest oil producer, insists it is purely for peaceful power
generation. 

"We are aware of the rhetoric that's been coming out of the
regime about a nuclear program," she said, adding that Bush made
it clear on Monday that he believes that continuing with the
nuclear program "would be a mistake, and dangerous for the
region and the whole world." 

"China is carefully studying the reply," the foreign ministry
said in a statement to AFP. 

"China hopes Iran will earnestly consider the concerns of the
international community and adopt the necessary constructive
measures." 

China hoped "the other parties will maintain calm and patience
and exercise flexibility while persisting in the direction
towards a peaceful solution, so as to create conditions for a
speedy resumption of talks," it said. 

"It is China's consistent belief that the peaceful solution to
the Iran nuclear issue through diplomatic negotiations is the
optimal choice, and is also in accordance with the interests of
all parties." 

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said "the document is
extensive and therefore requires a detailed and careful
analysis." 

Solana added that he would "remain in open contact" with
Larijani. 

With the threat of sanctions looming large, and bellicose
warnings from the United States, Iran has been showing off its
military muscle during war games this week to demonstrate its
readiness to "respond to any threat." 

Crude oil futures rose ahead of the response from the OPEC" />
OPECoil cartel's number-two producer, which has warned that it
might halt exports to the West if the Security Council imposes
sanctions. 

In London, Brent North Sea crude for October delivery gained 20
cents to 73.58 dollars per barrel in electronic trade, dealers
said. Prices later eased, with Brent at 73.31. 

A diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency" />
International Atomic Energy Agencytold AFP the UN watchdog's
inspectors had faced obstacles carrying out their work at
Iranian nuclear facilities in recent days although these were
not yet "deemed to be systematic and obstructionist." 

As well as blocking a visit to a uranium enrichment facility
under construction, Iran had refused visas for a few inspectors
and was giving mainly short-term, single-entry visas instead of
longer-term, multiple-entry ones. 

Saeedi said reports of UN inspectors being blocked were
"inaccurate" as "the IAEA inspectors ... could go to the Natanz
plant last week," the semi-official Mehr news agency reported in
Tehran. 	 		 			

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 27 AFP: 'Clear evidence' Iran is arming, training Iraqi extremists - US general

 Wed Aug 23, 4:15 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A senior US military official said there is 
"clear evidence" that Iran" /> is funding, training and arming 
Shiite extremists to destabilize Iraq" /> . 

 "I think it is irrefutable that Iran is responsible for 
training, funding and equipping some of these Shia extremist 
groups, and also providing advanced IED technology," said 
Brigadier General Michael Barbero, using the acronym for 
"improvised explosive devices." 

"And there is clear evidence of that," he added at a Pentagon" /> 
press conference. 

His comments came the same day that Iran turned aside demands by 
the international community that it halt uranium enrichment as 
required by a UN Security Council resolution, offering "serious 
negotiations" instead. 

Barbero, deputy operations director of the joint staff, said
support for Shiite extremist groups was the policy of Iran's
central government. 

He said he had seen no reports of "direct contact" involving
Iranian paramilitary or intelligence forces, but had seen
"reports of their involvement and presence there as trainers to
train these terrorists and Shia extremist groups." 

How to respond to destabilizing Iranian activity was a question
for US policymakers, Barbero said. 

But he said neutralizing the Shiite extremist groups in Iraq
"will go a long way to removing their direct influence into the
affairs of the sovereign country of Iraq." 

In recent weeks, US military forces have stepped up raids
against Shiite and Sunni extremist groups in Baghdad in an
effort to tamp down a wave of violence that has raised fears of
civil war. 

The violence last month forced the United States to extend the
tours of nearly 4,000 troops, preventing a reduction in the size
of the 133,000-strong US force. 

"Our intent is to draw down the number of troops," Barbero said.
"And, as I said, that will be driven by the conditions on the
ground and the requests from the commanders on the ground." 

The campaign in Baghdad was key because 90 percent of the
incidence of sectarian violence is within a 30 mile radius of
the capital, he said. He said 84 percent of the incidence of
violence were within four provinces. 

Initial indications are that the campaign is having a positive
impact in Baghdad but is too soon to tell whether the violence
will come down enough to allow a reduction in US forces this
year. 

"Over the last five weeks, the number of incidents of sectarian
violence have dropped steadily. Over the last three weeks, the
number of attacks on infrastructure have dropped," he said. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 28 UPI: U.S. senator in awkward Iranian company
     
United Press International - NewsTrack - 

8/23/2006 1:33:00 PM -0400                                                                                                                      
 
PRETORIA, South Africa, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, 
D-Ill., is in a diplomatically awkward situation in South Africa, 
staying in the same Pretoria hotel as Iran's foreign minister. 

The Bush administration has a "no contact" policy with the 
Iranian government, so Obama and his entourage were startled to 
learn Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and his 
entourage were also staying on the same floor of the same hotel. 

A Chicago Tribune reporter traveling with Obama said he and 
Mottaki have not crossed paths, but members of their groups have. 

Obama said he's aware he must avoid contact, particularly now as 
various Western governments are trying to persuade Iran to 
abandon its uranium enrichment before a U.N.-imposed deadline of 
Aug. 31. 

Mottaki is in Pretoria to meet with South African government 
officials, who are seeking to help resolve the dispute, the 
newspaper said.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
*****************************************************************
 29 UPI: United States slams Iran nuclear stance
     
United Press International - NewsTrack - 

8/23/2006 7:00:00 PM -0400                                                                                                                      
 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The United States Wednesday said 
Iran's proposal for nuclear negotiations fell short of United 
Nations demands that it stop enriching uranium. 

Spokesmen for the White House and State Department said the 
United States was consulting with other members of the U.N. 
Security Council to determine the next steps in the process aimed 
at ending Iran's nuclear program. 

Iran's response "falls short of the conditions set by the 
Security Council, which require the full and verifiable 
suspension of all enrichment-related and reprocessing 
activities," State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said. 
"We are closely consulting with the other members of the Security 
Council on the next steps." 

The administration has said it would seek sanctions in the 
Security Council if Tehran did not step enriching uranium. 

Iran said Tuesday an incentive offer from the major world powers
contained ideas that would allow serious talks. 

But it did not agree to suspend the enrichment of uranium by the
end of the month, the West's primary demand.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 30 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Urges West to See ``Positive'' Signs
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 10:46 PM

AP Photo XHS102 

By NASSER KARIMI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran said Wednesday it had offered
``positive and clear signals'' in its proposal to resolve the
standoff over its nuclear program, as the key U.N. Security
Council members diverged over their responses - setting the
stage for a possible fight if the West pushes for sanctions. 

China and Russia suggested they might support further talks, but
the U.S. and France said Tehran's proposal falls short of U.N.
demands. None unequivocally rejected or accepted Iran's
counteroffer to a package of incentives offered by the U.S. and
five other world powers to persuade Tehran to roll back on its
nuclear program. 

Diplomats at the U.N. and foreign capitals were studying what
Germany called Iran's ``voluminous and complex'' offer, a day
after Tehran presented it without releasing full details. Iran's
proposal offers negotiations with the six nations but apparently
resists suspending uranium enrichment - the main Security
Council demand to avoid sanctions. 

A statement by the State Department acknowledged that Iran
considered its proposal to be a serious one and ``we will review
it.'' But it went on to say that Iran's response ``falls short
of the conditions set by the Security Council'' and Washington
would be consulting with its partners ``on next steps.'' 

Nevertheless, the Iranians sought Wednesday to portray their
detailed counteroffer as a major initiative that could lead to a
resolution of the yearlong dispute without having to resort to a
bruising fight over sanctions. 

It appeared the counteroffer was designed to entice Europe,
China and Russia into further negotiations without accepting a
suspension of uranium enrichment - an important step in making
nuclear weapons - as a precondition for talks. That could drive
a wedge among the five veto-wielding powers on the Security
Council - the Americans, British and French on one side and the
Russians and Chinese on the other. 

The six countries that offered the incentives package - the five
permanent council members plus Germany - must now decide whether
to respond to questions Iran reportedly raised in its response.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton had said the United States would
move quickly to circulate elements for a new Security Council
resolution calling for economic sanctions against Iran if its
response was not positive. 

``If the Europeans pay proper attention to positive and clear
signals included in Iran's response, the case will be solved
through negotiation and without tension,'' state-controlled
radio quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi as
saying Wednesday. 

Asefi described Iran's proposal as a sign of his country's good
will to resolve the standoff. 

But a senior U.S. official familiar with the outlines of the
Iranian proposals suggested Tehran's offer strengthens Russia
and China, which are reluctant to move to immediate sanctions. 

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was
not authorized to discuss the issue with the media, said Iran's
response gives those two countries ammunition to oppose
sanctions by giving the appearance of wiggle room even if there
is none. 

Both Russia and China have significant economic ties to Iran.
China is in the market for sources of oil to fuel its economic
boom, and Moscow has had nuclear deals with the Iranians dating
back to Soviet times. Russia is also a major supplier of weapons
to Iran and is building the country's first nuclear power plant
in the southern port of Bushehr under an $800 million contract. 

The dispute over Tehran's nuclear program revolves around Iran's
insistence that it wants to master the technology simply to
generate electricity. But critics say Iran is interested in
enrichment because it wants to make nuclear weapons. 

Diplomats at the United Nations said the United States, Britain,
France and Germany were consulting Wednesday from their
capitals. 

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said ``the door is
still open'' for negotiations but only if Iran suspends uranium
enrichment first. German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin
Jaeger said the demand to halt enrichment indicated ``that Iran
clearly has lost the confidence of the international community
that its nuclear program is civilian.'' 

But Moscow and Beijing appeared receptive toward further talks.
Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a
negotiated solution, and China appealed for dialogue, urging
``constructive measures'' by Iran and patience from the U.S. and
its allies. 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said talk of
sanctions was ``premature'' before the Aug. 31 deadline set by
the Security Council for Iran to halt uranium enrichment or face
the risk of economic and political sanctions. 

``The Russian side has started studying the Iranian reply along
with its partners in the sextet,'' Kamynin said in a statement. 

``Russia will continue with its course of searching for a
political solution ... and will continue to seek to preserve the
role of the International Atomic Energy Agency and prevent the
erosion of the nonproliferation regime.'' 

Last month, a senior Iranian lawmaker said parliament was
preparing to debate withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation
Treaty if the Security Council adopts a resolution to force
Tehran to suspend enrichment. 

Iran delivered the written proposal in response to a package of
incentives offered in June by the five permanent Security
Council members and Germany to persuade Iran to halt enrichment
- and the threat of punishments if it does not. 

Last month, the Security Council set the Aug. 31 deadline for
Iran to halt enrichment or face economic and political
sanctions. Iran called the resolution ``illegal'' but had said
it was willing to offer a ``multifaceted response'' to the
incentives package. 

The Western incentives package has not been made public but some
details have leaked. They include an offer to lift a ban on
sales of Boeing passenger aircraft as well as providing Iran
with some nuclear technology to build reactors for peaceful
purposes. 

The drama is playing out amid concerns in the West that the
ability of the pro-Iranian Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon to
shower northern Israel with rockets despite 34 days of
bombardment this summer has emboldened hard-liners in Tehran to
risk a showdown with the Americans. 

In London, a leading British think-tank said Iran has
established itself as Washington's chief rival in the Middle
East and now wields more influence in Iraq than the Americans
do. 

The report by Chatham House said the ease with which Iran now
operates in the Middle East has ``severely compromised''
America's ability to confront Iran. 

``While the U.S. has been playing poker in the region, Iran has
been playing chess,'' said Nadim Shehadi, a report contributor.
``Iran is playing a longer, more clever game and has been far
more successful at winning hearts and minds.'' 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 31 UPI: U.N. group pores over Iran's nuclear reply
     
 United Press International - NewsTrack - 

8/23/2006 8:27:00 AM -0400                                                                                                                      
 
TEHRAN, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- With eight days left until a U.N.
deadline on Iran's uranium enrichment, diplomats were poring
over Iran's "long, complex" response Wednesday. 

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani on Tuesday presented
a response to an incentives package in June but details of it
were not immediately released. 

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France 2
television Wednesday world powers would need "a few days" to
analyze Iran's response. 

"It is a very long, complex document and we are studying it,"
Douste-Blazy said. 

The Financial Times said Tehran has given no indication it will
comply with the U.N. Security Council Aug. 31 deadline and
suspend its enrichment activities, which Iran says are purely
peaceful but which the United States and the European Union
suspect are intended to develop nuclear weapons. 

Tuesday, Larijani described the resolution as "illegal," but
said "Iran is prepared to hold serious talks from Aug. 23,"
ISNA, Iran's student news agency reported.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 32 UPI: Report: U.S. intelligence poor on Iran
     
United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 

8/23/2006 6:12:00 PM -0400                                                                                                                       

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- There are "major gaps" in U.S.
intelligence about Iran's development of weapons of mass
destruction, according to a congressional panel. 

"The United States lacks critical information needed for
(intelligence) analysts to make many of their judgments with
confidence about Iran and there are many significant information
gaps," reads a report issued Wednesday by the House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence. 

Gaps in intelligence reporting, and in particular the paucity of
effective human sources, were contributing factors to the "dead
wrong" conclusions U.S. intelligence agencies reached about
Iraq's weapons programs, according to the presidential
commission that probed the failure last year. 

Wednesday's House committee report acknowledges that the
evidence is "neither voluminous nor conclusive. Nevertheless,
U.S. intelligence agencies have determined based on the evidence
available that Iran likely is pursuing (chemical weapons) and
(biological warfare) weapons." 

"A special concern is major gaps in our knowledge of Iranian
nuclear, biological, and chemical programs," the report states,
adding, "It would be irresponsible to list the specific
intelligence gaps in an unclassified paper, as identifying our
specific shortcomings would provide critical insights to the
Iranian government." 

The report recommends stepped up efforts to spy on Iran,
including enhancing human intelligence and Farsi-language
capabilities and improving intelligence coordination and
analysis to eliminate duplication of effort.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 33 UPI: Outside View: What next for Iran?
     
 United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

8/23/2006 10:07:00 AM -0400                                                                                                                      

 By GHAZAL OMID UPI Outside View Commentator

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Iran's determination to become a
nuclear power in defiance of world opinion is motivated solely
by its leader's declared intent to wipe Israel from the face of
the earth. I repeat my mantra: If Iran achieves nuclear power,
the world, particularly Israel, should start digging our
shelters, or rather, our graves. 

Iran has recently conducted ten short range missile tests inside
Iran and military maneuvers on the Pakistani border. The real
purpose of this activity is to get Iranians mentally ready in
the upcoming weeks for a possible war with Israel. 

Since the Islamic revolution, this regime has been scheming and
dreaming of a perfect time to start a war with Israel. The
coming winter guarantees the continuation of high oil prices
that have enabled Iran to arm itself to the teeth. With U.S.
troops spread thin chasing the ghost of Osama bin Laden in
Afghanistan and refereeing Sunni/Shiite militia clashes in Iraq,
the Iranian regime has never felt more secure and powerful than
at this moment in history. 

The eternal, impotent bickering in the United Nations has been
extremely beneficial to the Iranian regime, giving them the time
they need to prepare for both sanctions and war at the same
time. 

Russia's generosity in supplying the educational aid needed to
make the nuclear bomb and the Chinese government's facilitating
equipment and materials for Iran's nuclear program should not be
ignored or forgotten. 

The Iranian regime is so sure of itself that it has recently
renewed its vow to gather all satellite dishes, one-by-one, from
every household in Iran, and arrest every Iranian who owns one.
Iran has also renewed its attempt to stop the use of the
Internet. The Iranian Majlis, or parliament, has passed a
resolution declaring that the Internet is being used to foment
opposition to the regime. Web logs advocating freedom are
banned, leaving the Iranian people in the dark about world news
and the future of Iran. Iran is following North Korea's path in
isolating Iranians from outside news. 

With no government sanctioned source of news, Iranians have to
rely on piecemeal information from personal external sources,
passed from person to person. Iranians have finally grown
smarter than to wait for the regime to make more promises about
their future. The past 27 years are proof that this regime will
never care if Iranians live or die. 

The Iranian government will fight with the utmost brutality. The
result will be the destruction of the beautiful Persian culture.
Iran is not only harboring the terrorist group Hezbollah; it has
adopted their method of fighting. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad,
in his recent interview with 60 Minutes' Mike Wallace, said that
the number of registered suicide bombers has increased from
2,000 in January 2006 to the current number of 54,000. These
"martyrs" are often students. Some were forced to register as
"martyrs" so they or members of their family might work in a
government job. Some registered on their own in order to receive
a bomb and a key to heaven! 

Ahmadinejad, a man of many talents, may be the Tiger Woods of
politicians. He certainly showed a talent for handling a
reporter and dodging important questions. 

Such as: Will Iran hit Israel? Of course, the president of Iran,
like his mentor, Ayatollah Khomeini, who didn't hesitate to make
false promises to the poor, has no problem bluffing about Iran's
power and how it is willing to wage war against a country that
already has more than 300 nuclear missiles. 

Even as he frustrated Mike Wallace with his weaving and
waffling, the Iranian president was unmistakably proud that
these young people are willing to kill themselves and murder
innocents for an idiotic, irrational idea that makes the hairs
on the back of the neck of every civilized person stand up. 

Among Iran's possible unholy plans is the use of biological
bombs and banned materials. Although Iran denies making any
substances banned by the United Nations, Iran does not honor or
live by U.N. resolutions. Let's be honest, where is the
guarantee Iran will follow U.N. mandates? 

While Iran was at war with Iraq, Ayatollah Khomeini kept
referring to the eight-year war as a blessing. Iran's only
"blessing" from that war was over 1,000,000 casualties,
including half a million dead. The regime, of course, survived
many uprisings, killing over 2,500 of its opposition per month
and no one from the international community even blinked. 

Hezbollah is Iran's iron arm and hope for paradise. War is a
blessing in the sky. This regime knows that unless there is a
unifying war, they will soon be uprooted by a united Iranian
movement on a different front. War is an imminent remedy to
avoid a revolution. 

Iran's regime is smarter than we think. Anticipating hard times,
key figures have already pulled their assets from national
banks; at the same time, they are trying to find allies among
the very fragile circle of friends in the Arab community. 

Iran will stage a war on Israel and the United States on all
fronts in the coming months. U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf can
be hit by their fast boats; at least that is what Iran banking
on. 

Iran will not put all its eggs in one basket. It will hit Israel
at the same time as it steps up the militia aggravation of U.S.
troops in Iraq and Afghanistan; and will hit U.S. troops via
supporters in Arabic countries. 

And, Iran will interrupt the oil flow. Iran has always
entertained the idea of closing the Straits of Hormuz. This may
be more difficult than Iran envisions, but it is certainly
temporarily possible. 

The flow of oil and cargo through this passage is a crucial
factor affecting international markets that the United States
and its allies have to consider. 

Iran will try to turn the war against Israel into a full-fledged
war in the region. To do that, Iran has already secured support
of their followers in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and
other Persian Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates
and Kuwait, and has even been praised by the Saudis. 

Iranians will use Hezbollah's fighters to keep Israeli troops
busy. The biggest losers of all these plans will be the common
people of the region. The only beneficiary will be the Iranian
regime, which will stay in power a bit longer. 

(Ghazal Omid is an author and human and women's rights
activist.) 

(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are
written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of
important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect
those of World Peace Herald or United Press International. In
the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions
are invited.)

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 34 Guardian Unlimited: U.S. Says Iran Proposal Falls Short
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Thursday August 24, 2006 12:16 AM

AP Photo XHS102 

By BARRY SCHWEID 

AP Diplomatic Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration said Wednesday a
proposal by Iran for nuclear negotiations falls short of U.N.
demands that it cease uranium enrichment, and the U.S. began
plotting unspecified ``next moves'' with other governments. 

At the same time, Iran contended it had offered ``positive and
clear signals'' to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program. 

Efforts by the U.S. and other nations could lead to U.N.
sanctions against Iran unless it reverses course and agrees to a
verifiable halt to enrichment activities that can be central to
making nuclear weapons. 

France took a firm and quick stand on Iran's proposal. Foreign
Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said the Iranians must suspend
uranium enrichment if they want to return to negotiations. 

However, Russia's foreign ministry, evidently ambivalent, said
it would continue to seek a negotiated solution. And China
appealed for dialogue, urging ``constructive measures'' by Iran
and patience from the United States and its allies. 

The State Department, in a terse statement, acknowledged that
Iran considered its proposal to be a serious one. ``We will
review it,'' the statement said in what appeared to be a
conciliatory gesture to a government it regularly denounces as a
sponsor of terror. 

But the statement went on to say that Iran's response to a joint
offer of U.S, and European trade and other benefits if the
enrichment program was halted ``falls short of the conditions
set by the Security Council'' - full and verifiable suspension
of all uranium-enrichment activity. 

``We are consulting closely, including with other members of the
Security Council, on next steps,'' it said. The United Nations
has set a deadline of next Thursday for a formal reply by
Tehran. 

President Bush met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at
the White House and then discussed Iran's proposal in a
telephone call with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 

The call was initiated by Annan, White House spokeswoman Dana
Perino said. 

The administration has cautioned Iran that it will seek
sanctions in the Security Council if Tehran does not step
enriching uranium. 

Administration officials have refrained from outlining what
punishment they might have in mind. It could include economic or
political penalties, perhaps international curbs on trade. 

Rice, meanwhile, telephoned Javier Solana, the senior European
Union diplomat who oversees exchanges with Iran. No account of
their conversation, nor of her meeting with the president, was
provided. 

By not rejecting Iran's proposal outright, the administration
indicated there may be a basis for dealing with long-held
concerns that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, an
allegation the Iranians deny. 

``The diplomats are continuing to look at it,'' Perino said.
``We're working with our allies.'' 

The Iranians' offer, which they portrayed as a major advance,
appeared to be aimed at least in part at dividing the Security
Council members with vetoes - the U.S., Britain and France on
one side and Russia and China on the other. 

Analyst Ilan Berman, vice president for policy at the American
Foreign Policy Council, said sanctions can work because Iran's
economy is vulnerable on several levels. 

``But the U.N. approach is going to be tailored to be palatable
to the Russians and the Chinese,'' he said. 

``The problem is we are facing diminishing options, and military
action has to figure in there somewhere if all else fails,''
Berman said. 

Patrick Clawson, deputy director of the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, said the Bush administration may seek
restrictions on providing Iran with dual-use technology -
material that could be put to military use. 

Clawson, in an interview, said that could give the United States
and its allies leverage to pressure companies not to trade with
Iran. 

Iran met its self-imposed deadline Tuesday for responding to the
U.S.-European offer, which includes the possibility of U.S. help
for civilian nuclear programs - but only if Iran stops uranium
enrichment. 

On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, the House Intelligence Committee
issued a report that concluded Iran was a strategic threat and a
country focused on developing nuclear weapons capability. It
also linked Iran to Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups. 

``Iran's support of radical Islamists with weapons and money
demonstrates in real terms the danger it poses to America and
our allies,'' said the committee's chairman, Rep. Peter
Hoekstra, R-Mich. He said Iran ``will not be satisfied until it
poses a threat to the entire world.'' 

The report also said there are gaps in the ability of U.S.
intelligence agencies to keep up with developments in Iran's
nuclear program and suggested hiring more intelligence agents
who speak Farsi. 

Separately, Brig. Gen. Michael Barbero, of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff office, said at the Pentagon it was ``irrefutable'' that
Iran was training and equipping many of the Shiite insurgents
and other extremists in Iraq as part of an effort to destabilize
the Iraqi government. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 35 Guardian Unlimited: S. Korea Urges North Against Nuke Test
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 1:01 PM

AP Photo SEL101 

By KWANG-TAE KIM 

Associated Press Writer 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea on Wednesday warned North
Korea not to conduct a nuclear weapons test, saying it would
further isolate the communist regime, while countries launched
new efforts to persuade the North to resume stalled disarmament
talks. 

South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said a nuclear test
by North Korea would be much more serious than its July missile
tests and create a ``threatening situation that will shake the
foundation of the global nonproliferation system and will
further isolate the North.'' 

Ban said a North Korean nuclear test was a possibility and that
Seoul needs more specific information. He added that the South
was sharing information with other countries and keeping a close
watch on the North. 

Concerns about a possible North Korean nuclear test grew after
an ABC News report last week cited U.S. officials as saying that
potentially suspicious activity had been observed at a suspected
underground nuclear test site. 

South Korea's military has said it sent personnel to keep a
round-the-clock watch at a seismic monitoring station to detect
tremors that could indicate a nuclear explosion. 

North Korea's missile tests last month raised regional tensions
and prompted U.N. Security Council sanctions against the North. 

North Korea has claimed it has nuclear weapons, but hasn't
performed any known test to confirm it has successfully
manufactured an atomic bomb. However, many experts believe the
North has enough radioactive material to build at least a half
dozen or more nuclear weapons. 

Talks on North Korea's nuclear program have been deadlocked
since November, when negotiators failed to make headway in
implementing a September agreement in which North Korea agreed
to give up its nuclear program in exchange for aid and security
guarantees. 

North Korea has since refused to attend six-nation talks on its
nuclear program until Washington stops blacklisting a bank where
the communist regime held accounts, a restriction imposed over
alleged counterfeiting and money laundering. 

Trying to break the impasse, South Korean presidential security
adviser Song Min-soon will make a two-day trip to China starting
Thursday for talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and
other officials. 

Japan's top nuclear envoy, Kenichiro Sasae, arrived Wednesday in
Seoul for similar consultations with his South Korean
counterpart, Chun Yung-woo, and other officials. 

Washington has called on the North to return to the nuclear
talks without conditions, saying the issue is unrelated to the
financial restrictions. The talks involve the two Koreas, China,
Japan, Russia and the U.S. 

Meanwhile, North Korea insisted Wednesday it posed no threat to
the South and condemned ongoing U.S.-South Korea joint military
drills as a prelude to war. 

``There are no forces of war threatening South Korea in the
Korean Peninsula at present,'' the North's main newspaper,
Rodong Sinmun, wrote in a commentary carried by the official
Korean Central News Agency. 

Seoul and Washington have said the exercises - mostly
simulation-driven drills that run through Sept. 1 and involve
some 17,000 troops - are defensive in nature. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 36 UPI: Analysis: Seoul fears nuke fallout
     
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

8/23/2006 1:16:00 PM -0400                                                                                                                       

 By JONG-HEON LEE UPI Correspondent

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- South Korean officials have downplayed
reports on North Korean moves towards a nuclear test, but they
appear concerned the heightened nuclear standoff would further
escalate tensions simmering on the peninsula since the the
North's missile launches last month. 

Officials here admitted they could not rule out the possibility
that the North would conduct an underground nuclear bomb test to
grab the attention of Washington, whose focus was primarily on
Iran's nuclear program and the Middle East crisis. 

"At this moment, we cannot rule out the possibility (of the
North's nuclear test)," said Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon,
speaking to journalists on Wednesday. 

South Korea is closely monitoring North Korea's nuclear
activities around the clock and has dispatched military
personnel to a state-run seismology institute to monitor for
possible underground explosions, according to Ban and defense
officials. 

"The South Korea government is cooperating with relevant nations
and is closely monitoring North Korea's activities through
various channels," Ban said. "We are trying to gather as much
information as we can." 

The diplomatic chief also warned of serious consequences if the
North conducts a nuclear weapons test, defying international
calls. "(A nuclear test) would bring about much more serious
consequences than its missile test last month," Ban said. 

"It would pose a serious threat that would shake the
international non-proliferation system from its foundation, and
North Korea would be further isolated," he said. 

U.S. television network ABC said last week said that North Korea
may be preparing an underground nuclear test. A U.S.
intelligence agency had recently detected "suspicious vehicle
movement" at a suspected nuclear test site in North Korea, a
senior military official was quoted as saying by ABC News. 

North Korea claimed in Feb. 2005 that it possessed nuclear
weapons, declaring itself a nuclear power. The communist state
also boasted of having extracted more weapons-grade plutonium to
make additional atomic weapons. 

Ratcheting up tensions, North Korea test-fired a set of missiles
on July 5, including a long-range ballistic missile. Washington
has been put alert as the North's missile, which could be
equipped with a nuclear warhead, may be capable of reaching the
continental United States. 

In response, the U.N. Security Council unanimously passed a
strong resolution on July 15 condemning North Korea for its
multiple missile launches and barring the country from acquiring
or selling missile technology and materials related to weapons
of mass destruction. 

In protest against the U.N. measures, Pyongyang vowed to take
"stronger physical action," indicating a nuclear weapons test. 

Seoul's fear was heightened this week as the North strongly
responded to an annual South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise. 

The South Korean military said the computer war games are purely
defensive, but North Korea denounced them as a preparation for
an attack, saying it would no longer be bound to an armistice
treaty that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. 

The exercise is "an undisguised military threat and blackmail
against the DPRK (North Korea) and a war action," the North's
military said in its Tuesday statement. 

"The (North) Korean Peoples' Army side, therefore, reserves the
right to undertake a pre-emptive action for self-defense against
the enemy at a crucial time it deems necessary to defend
itself," it said. 

The two Koreas are still technically in a state of war since the
Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. 

For its part, the United States has stepped up pressure on North
Korea to give up its missile and nuclear weapons program. 

The U.S. Treasury Department has forced foreign banks to freeze
North Korean accounts, further squeezing the cash-strapped Kim
Jong Il regime. Pyongyang has already walked out of the
multilateral six-party talks on its nuclear drive in protest
against Washington's financial sanctions imposed last September. 

U.S. President George W. Bush also asked China's President Hu
Jintao to put pressure on Kim Jong Il to abandon his country's
nuclear ambitions. 

Washington and Beijing need "to continue to work together to
send a clear message to the North Korean leader that there is a
better choice for him than to continue to develop a nuclear
weapon," Bush said. 

Some analysts in Seoul call for South Korean President Roh
Moo-hyun to seek summit talks with the North Korean leader to
seek ways to resolve the security crisis on the peninsula. 

"An inter-Korean summit could provide a fresh momentum to
resolve the nuclear and missile issues at a time when dialogue
between Pyongyang and Washington remains cut off," said Paik
Hak-soon, a North Korea expert at South Korea's private Sejong
Institute.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 37 Newsday.com: Top-secret information (US to classify weapon arsenal numbers)

Editorials
 
Move on missile numbers is a mystery

August 23, 2006

A recent Pentagon decision to make the number of missiles the 
nation had in its Cold War nuclear arsenal classified information 
could be bureaucracy run amok. It could be reflexive cautiousness 
or just a snafu. But it is certainly silly secrecy.

 How else to view the decision to black out in public documents 
the numbers of Minuteman and Titan II missiles and 
submarine-launched ballistic missiles the nation had all those 
many years ago? That wasn't even secret during the Cold War. The 
totals were revealed to the Soviet Union as the United States 
sought to maintain a balance of power with that communist 
superpower. In the 1960s and 1970s, U.S. Secretaries of Defense 
put them in public documents, according to a report from the 
National Security Archives. 

So why the secrecy now? Apparently, no one's quite sure. We're 
"trying to figure out what the basis for that classification 
was," Pentagon spokesman Maj. Patrick Ryder said. 

There are a lot of rules governing what should be classified,
and some things do need to be secret. But Washington has an
unhealthy obsession with keeping the public in the dark. So much
material is classified that officials archiving it sometimes
forsake page counts and measure by the cubic foot. So here's
what someone decided the public shouldn't know: At the height of
the Cold War, the nation had 1,000 Minuteman missiles, 54 Titan
II missiles and 656 submarine-launched ballistic missiles. If it
was OK for Soviets to know that then, it's OK for Americans to
know it now. 	 

*****************************************************************
 38 UPI: Analysis: New Middle East realities
     
 United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

	8/23/2006 10:16:00 AM -0400 	 	 				 				 					 

 By CLAUDE SALHANI UPI International Editor

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- There may well be a new Middle East 
taking shape in the horizon, but it looks nothing like the one 
envisioned by President Bush. Instead of democracy being the 
order of the day, there is a real threat of Islamist theocracies, 
led by Iran, imposing their rule. 

After keeping the West waiting for a reply, Iran let it be known 
Tuesday that it would continue its nuclear program despite 
threats of sanctions the United Nations could impose on the 
Islamic republic. 

Iran rejected the Security Council's demand that it suspend its 
uranium enrichment activities, vowing instead to push ahead with 
its nuclear program. 

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "The Islamic
Republic of Iran has made its own decision and in the nuclear
case, God-willing, with patience and power, will continue its
path." 

The announcement came in response to a July 31 Security Council
resolution giving Iran 30 days to stop its nuclear activities or
face possible economic and diplomatic sanctions. 

The Security Council said it had approved Resolution 1696
because it was "seriously concerned that the International
Atomic Energy Agency -- the IAEA -- was still unable to provide
assurances about Iran's undeclared nuclear material and
activities after more than three years...." 

Iranian officials instead called for negotiations and said they
had a "new formula" to resolve the situation. However, since his
election to the presidency last year, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has
continuously insisted on Iran's "inalienable" right to develop
nuclear capabilities. Developing Iran's nuclear program and
maintaining an Iranian foothold in Iraq have been the two top
priorities for Ahmadinejad. 

At the same time, Ahmadinejad has ordered that production of
Iran's military arsenal, including missiles, fighter planes and
torpedoes, be stepped up. And on Sunday, Iran tested
surface-to-surface missiles with a range of up to 155 miles. 

The threat of sanctions does not seem to deter Iran's ruling
mullahs, who believe they have an ace or two up their tunics.
Those come in the form of Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and
Syria, who Raymond Tanter, a founding member of the Iran Policy
Committee, describes as "the junior varsity member sitting on
the bench." 

Here's how one scenario might play itself out: the Western
powers, that is the United States, the European Union and
Israel, want to see the deployment of a multinational force in
the area of south Lebanon between the Litani River and Israel's
northern frontier. This is what has been called for in the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was
unanimously approved earlier this month. 

Resolution 1701 calls for the deployment of some 15,000
international troops to back-up 15,000 Lebanese army soldiers,
some of whom have already deployed in parts of south Lebanon.
But now Resolution 1701, along with any force -- foreign or
Lebanese - will find itself hostage to the new Islamist alliance
composed of Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Syria. So,
too, will the 130,000 American troops in Iraq. 

This, says Tanter, is the new reality in the Middle East, one
that changes the conflict as we know it. 

"For all intents and purposes the Arab-Israeli conflict is
over," says Tanter. The dispute between secular Arabs and Israel
is one that can eventually be resolved. It revolves around the
question of final borders, the right of return of Palestinian
refugees, (or some form of compensation instead) and the final
status of Jerusalem. Whereas the dispute between the Islamists
and Israel, points out Tanter, is a fight to the finish. If
current trends continue, meaning that the mullahs remain in
power in Iran, Tanter sees a three-phase Iranian plan playing
itself out. 

Phase one was playing for time so that Iran could build and
increase the number of centrifuge machines needed to speed up
its nuclear program. "We are already there," Tanter told United
Press International. "This is what links Iran's nuclear policy
with its terror strategy." 

Phase two comes into effect if the United States and the West
impose sanctions on Iran. That's when Iran will be in a position
through its proxy militias to hold hostage, not only the U.N.
troops in south Lebanon, but also the Lebanese army and the
entire peace initiative launched by 1701. 

Phase three gets moving if political tension is allowed to
escalate. In this case, says Tanter, we are likely to see a
repeat performance of what has been a dress rehearsal during the
34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel this past month. Except
this time it will be on a wider scale, possibly along the sort
of exchanges that took place between Baghdad and Tehran during
the Iraq-Iran war. This time the rockets will be flying not only
from the north, but from the east as well. 

"Now that's the worst case scenario," says Tanter, who with his
Iran Policy Committee has been petitioning the U.S. government
to get the Mujahedeen-E-Khalq -- the MeK -- off the State
Department's terrorist list. The IPC believes legitimizing the
MeK will rattle the saber of regime change over Tehran's head
enough to send a stern message to Tehran. 

It remains to be seen if that will work. For the moment, it
seems as though Tehran is holding more aces. 

(Comments may be sent to Claude@upi.com.)

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 39 Guardian Unlimited: Special reports: Nuclear evasions
 
Wednesday August 23, 2006

The Guardian             

Iran took its time in responding to the incentives it was offered 
in June to halt nuclear research work. But when it finally gave 
its answer yesterday there were no surprises and no easy pointers 
about how to defuse the gathering crisis. Ali Larijani, the 
country's chief nuclear negotiator, told the US, Russia, China, 
Britain, France and Germany that Tehran was open to "serious" 
talks but seemed again to reserve its right to continue enriching 
uranium - the process needed to produce both the nuclear energy 
Iran insists is all it seeks, and the atomic weapons many (not 
just in the US and Israel) have reason to suspect are its 
ultimate goal.

It is hard to find an expert or analyst who does not believe that 
Iran has the upper hand. It is certainly operating, as Chatham 
House puts it in a timely new report, in an atmosphere of 
"confident ease". Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline president, 
has been conducting an energetic charm offensive in which much 
attention has been paid to his twinkling eyes and domestic 
popularity. His implacable anti-Americanism reflects the poisoned 
past between the US and Iran - the expression "global arrogance" 
old-new shorthand for how he sees Washington and loose neocon 
talk of "regime change". Bombast or not, he also talks of wiping 
Israel off the map and is a Holocaust denier.

Iran has benefited from US actions in both Afghanistan and Iraq,
where Shia groups once exiled in Tehran have come to power in
the aftermath of Saddam Hussein's overthrow. The catastrophic
war just fought between Israel and Hizbullah in Lebanon, partly
playing proxy roles for the US and Iran, can be counted a big
success for the latter. Taken Iran's readiness to exploit (and
foment) trouble in the ever volatile Middle East (easily done),
the prospect of its acquiring nuclear weapons is alarming even
if on balance (taken the huge disparities between its likely
future and Israel's current capabilities) less alarming than one
of American or Israeli air strikes of the kind that destroyed
Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981.

No one wants this crisis to come to a head, so Mr Larijani's
evasive answer will buy more time and stave off a decision on
sanctions in the security council at the end of the month. What
is needed are cool heads and the understanding that the US and
Europe must engage with Iran to encourage, by dialogue and
investment, those reformers who oppose Mr Ahmadinejad. Iran must
in turn create confidence in its intentions by halting uranium
enrichment and allow UN inspections of all nuclear facilities.
If it does not it cannot expect to be trusted.

[UP] 

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 40 RIA Novosti: Prosecutors appeal court ruling in ex-nuclear minister case
 
23/ 08/ 2006

MOSCOW, August 23 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Prosecutor General's
Office has lodged an appeal with a higher court Wednesday
against a Moscow district court's ruling to return the case of a
former nuclear power minister to prosecutors in order to correct
shortcomings in the investigation. 

Yevgeny Adamov, 67, is charged with embezzlement and abuse of
office. Prosecutors said the former minister, who served from
1998 to 2001, was the leader of an organized criminal group that
inflicted damage worth over 3 billion rubles (about $110
million) on the Russian budget, enterprises and organizations. 

Viktor Antipov, the state prosecutor in the case, said the
appeal has been filed with the Moscow City Court.

 Following the announcement of the verdict at the Zamoskvoretsky
Court Tuesday, Adamov's lawyer, Genri Reznik, said that
prosecutors failed to specify the charges in the indictment.

 "The point is that a lack of concrete charges infringes on the
rights of the defense," he said. "The charges are so generalized
that they make mounting a defense impossible." 

But Antipov said the ruling was illegal.

 "The defense team read the indictment as far back as the
preliminary examination," Antipov said. "It never applied for
any clarification."

 Reznik said prosecutors will not likely be able to change the
indictment in five days, but that the case would not be
dismissed if the deadline was not met. 

Adamov was originally arrested in Switzerland in May 2005 at the
request of the United States, where authorities accuse him of
misappropriating $9 million given to Russia for nuclear safety
projects. He was extradited to Russia in early 2006 to face
charges, and would have faced 60 years in prison if convicted in
the U.S. 

He was in custody for 15 months, and was released by the Russian
Supreme Court July 21 to await trial. 

© 2005 RIA Novosti   
*****************************************************************
 41 Financial express: N-deal: India seeks support of NSG member countries

   Thursday, August 24, 2006

NEW DELHI, AUG 23:  India is trying to garner the support of 
Sweden and Norway in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for the 
Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Foreign secretary Shyam Saran, who is leading a delegation of 
officials from the external affairs ministry and the department 
of atomic energy (DAE) on a four-day visit, will persuade these 
countries to support allowing of international nuclear trade with 
India.

Officials said NSG countries like Britain, France, Russia and
the US had expressed their approval of the deal, but some other
members, particularly the Scandinavian countries, had some
reservations. If India got the support from maximum NSG member
countries, a special session of the group would be called to
decide on the deal, they said.

The 45-member NSG was required to endorse the agreement so that
the member countries could open nuclear trade with India. The US
was also trying to convince the group in this regard, they added.

        © 2006: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. All
*****************************************************************
 42 Financial Express: India to retain nuke test option - PM

Posted online: Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 0000 hours IST    
	 
  NEW DELHI, AUG 23:  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday 
said New Delhi will retain the “sovereign right” on deciding 
whether to carry out any nuclear tests in the future despite the 
civil nuclear deal with Washington.

“There is nothing in the nuclear deal which will hurt the 
strategic interest of this country,” the Prime Minister assured 
the Lok Sabha in his reply during a short discussion on the 
nuclear deal. “We cannot give up the strategic option,” he added.

However, though the Indo-US nuclear deal would put India “at par” 
with the five nuclear weapon states, he admitted that there was a 
“question mark” on the issue of inter-changeability between 
military and civilian nuclear reactors as New Delhi did not have 
the status of a nuclear weapon state as per the non-proliferation 
treaty (NPT) norms.

Singh said that his government would work for a “broad national 
consensus” on the issue. “We cannot give up the autonomy of our 
foreign policy. The nuclear deal is not a means to be subservient 
to any country, either the US or anyone else,” he added.

He reiterated that it was in India’s interest to have good
relations with all major powers including the US, adding that he
perceived a major shift in relationships with major countries
which showed willingness to help India in achieving high growth.

He said India should take advantage of the opportunities
provided due to its strong legal system. India needed increasing
amounts of energy for its development process, the Prime
Minister said, adding that modernisation of the rural economy
would require substantially large non-conventional energy
resources.

“We have substantial hydro-carbon resources” but nuclear energy
would go a long way to help the process. “That inspires us to
look for opportunities for removal of nuclear apartheid regime,”
he said.

If India was not to be “frustrated” in acquiring its energy
needs it should also move towards alternatives, Singh said
adding India only produced 30 million tonne of crude oil as
against the demand of 110 million tonne.

International crude oil prices had also increased to around $70
a barrel from $30, he said.

© 2006: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. All
rights reserved throughout the world.               
*****************************************************************
 43 Guardian Unlimited: India Said to Retain Right to Hold Tests
 
From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday August 23, 2006 5:16 PM

AP Photo DEL102 

NEW DELHI (AP) - India's prime minister said Wednesday the
country would retain its right to carry out future nuclear tests
despite a civilian nuclear deal with the United States, a news
report said. 

``There is no scope for capping of our strategic (nuclear)
program. It will be decided by the people, government and
Parliament of the country and not by any outside power,'' Press
Trust of India quoted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as saying in
a statement in Parliament. 

Singh and President Bush signed an agreement in July 2005 that
would allow U.S. agencies and companies to sell India nuclear
fuel and technology. In return, India would have to strengthen
nuclear safeguards, allow international inspections of its
civilian facilities, and separate its civilian and military
nuclear programs. 

On Wednesday, Singh said also said India would not give any
commitment that goes beyond a unilateral moratorium on future
nuclear tests. 

If required by the circumstances, he said, India would have the
sovereign right to take a decision on atomic tests in its
national interest, PTI reported. 

He also said India didn't favor a bilateral comprehensive test
ban treaty with the United States. ``This has been made
unambiguously clear (to the U.S.),'' PTI quoted him as saying. 

After its controversial 1998 nuclear tests, India announced a
unilateral moratorium on further tests and said it would use
nuclear weapons only if attacked. 

Singh's comments in Parliament came in response to criticism by
Hindu nationalist opposition and leftist allies who say the
government is succumbing to U.S. pressures that allegedly aim to
cap India's independent nuclear program. 

The opposition and communist allies sought assurances from Singh
that India's nuclear program would not be curbed by what they
describe as the shifting of goal posts by U.S. lawmakers. 

The House of Representatives approved the deal last month but
added stringent new clauses, including requiring annual
certification on the use of the technology and fuel for peaceful
purposes. 

The Senate is expected to vote next month on the civilian
nuclear plan. The vote will be followed by several other
legislative and diplomatic steps before the treaty can be
enforced. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 44 SABCnews.com: Controversial Koeberg claims must be investigated                                

South African Broadcasting Corporation Copyright © 2000 - 2005 SABC                                                        

August 23, 2006, 13:15
 				
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it will ask for a Parliamentary 
Committee to investigate statements made by Alec Erwin, the 
public enterprises minister, regarding the cause of power outages 
at the Koeberg nuclear plant. 

Douglas Gibson, the DA Chief Whip, says the Committee must 
establish whether Erwin misled Parliament, when he told a news 
conference earlier this year that a loose bolt in a generator 
that caused the outage, did not get there by accident. Last week 
in Parliament he denied saying it was an act of sabotage.                               








*****************************************************************
 45 Sydney Morning Herald: Libs ditch pro-nuclear MP backed by Howard - 

www.smh.com.au

Phillip Coorey Political Correspondent

August 24, 2006
 	 	
LIBERAL Party members in Perth have ignored an appeal by the
Prime Minister, John Howard, and dumped their federal MP, Dennis
Jensen. 

Dr Jensen, who replaced the retired minister Daryl Williams in
the safe Liberal seat of Tangney at the October 2004 election,
lost his preselection on Tuesday night to Matt Brown, a former
political staffer who has also worked for Woodside Petroleum. 

Although a political rookie, Dr Jensen quickly used his
expertise as a physicist and defence analyst to establish a
national profile as a leading proponent of nuclear energy. 

His critics said his advocacy for nuclear power and the Joint
Strike Fighter project brought him undone because his branch
members wanted someone concerned more with child care, petrol
prices and interest rates. 

"There was a bit of a disconnect there between the things he was
talking about and what the electorate was concerned about," said
one source. 

"He didn't pick it up and he didn't do anything about it." 

Dr Jensen did not live in the seat and he raised the hackles of
some by saying he would not object to a nuclear power station
being built there. 

Dr Jensen was attending a nuclear power conference in Melbourne
yesterday and could not be contacted. 

Mr Howard said Dr Jensen had done a good job and he was sorry he
had lost the vote. "I've got nothing against the man who was
chosen in his place. He's a person of quality as well. But when
a man has only been in Parliament for a short period of time
it's not usual," he said. 

A week before the preselection ballot, Mr Howard sent a letter
to the West Australian Liberals urging that Dr Jensen be
re-endorsed. 

Mr Howard said in the letter he had encouraged Dr Jensen "to be
active in the important community debate about nuclear energy"
because his expertise was rare in politics. 

Mr Howard also defended Dr Jensen as a good local member, saying
"he has not only pursued issues he was familiar with before
entering Parliament". 

But the message was lost on the 27 preselectors, who voted for
Mr Brown ahead of Dr Jensen and another challenger and former
political staffer, Robert Reid. 

Mr Brown, 43, is well known in Canberra from his years as chief
of staff to the former cabinet minister Robert Hill. 

Although classified as a moderate, Mr Brown preferred yesterday
to describe himself as "a progressive conservative". He
attributed his victory to "talking about issues that resonate
with the community". 

"You've got to get those fundamentals right then you start
building on it with those bigger national debates," he said. 

The West Australian Liberal moderate Judi Moylan retained
preselection for the seat of Pearce on Monday night. 

Dr Moylan had been endorsed by Mr Howard even though she crossed
the floor two weeks ago to oppose the contentious legislation on
asylum seekers. 

When news happens:send photos, videos &tip-offs to 0424 SMS SMH

(+61 424 767 764), or emailus. 

lsmh.com.auSydney Morning Herald
2006-08-24

 Copyright © 2006. The Sydney Morning Herald. <img
*****************************************************************
 46 Sacramento Bee: Nuclear isn't panacea for energy crisis

Opinion - Matthew Auer: - sacbee.com

Comments BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — 

Nuclear power is getting its best press in years. More pundits 
are warming up to the peacetime atom than at any time since the 
1970s.

 As was the case 30 years ago, nuclear energy is gaining converts 
as energy prices spiral ever upward and America's reliance on 
Middle East oil goes unchecked. But the current swell of support 
for nuclear has more to do with the perils of coal than with oil.

 Coal is America's most important fuel source for electrical 
power generation and it is responsible for more than one-third of 
the nation's carbon-dioxide emissions — pollution that promotes 
global warming.

 When it comes to emitting carbon, nuclear power is cleaner, and 
that's just the first of many reasons to love nuclear, so say its 
backers. Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, and an unlikely 
convert to the nuclear cause, urges that mining uranium is much 
safer than in years past, and that spent nuclear fuel is not so 
much waste as it is "potential energy" available for extra rounds 
of power generation. What waste remains, Moore contends, is not 
nearly so risky as commonly assumed.

 "In 40 years," Moore and former EPA Administrator Christine Todd 
Whitman write in a Washington Post Op-Ed, "used fuel has less 
than one-thousandth of the radioactivity it had when it was 
removed from the reactor. ... Imagine if the ratio of coal to 
nuclear were reversed so that only 20 percent of our electricity 
was generated from coal and 60 percent from nuclear." Imagine 
indeed. For ample imagination is needed to embrace a plan that 
costs so much, promises so little in clean energy, and risks so 
perilously the country's national security.

 More nuclear plants in the United States will not alleviate the
global warming problem, so long as other countries roll out new
coal-fired power plants. By some estimates, China commissions a
new coal-fired power station every 10 days, even as it moves
forward on ambitious plans to open new nuclear plants.

 In the United States, hundreds of nuclear plants would be
required to replace the current supply of electricity generated
from coal.

 Siting even a handful, not to mention hundreds, of new plants
would send attorneys on both sides of the debate back to school
for refresher courses on plant commissioning; no nuclear power
station has been commissioned in the United States in more than
25 years. Imagine nuclear waste stored at hundreds of surface
sites at new nuclear plants around the nation.

 The probability for a serious accident grows as opportunities
to mishandle radioactive materials increase. More plants mean
more chances for waste to seep out of temporary storage sites,
or that somewhere, sometime, mistakes will be made processing,
transporting, or simply keeping track of fissile materials. It's
the latter problem that gives most grave pause.

 As the United States ramps up nuclear power production, thereby
generating greater amounts of reusable nuclear fuels and
radioactive wastes, nuclear proliferation risks mount. The
thousands of new jobs created to mine and process uranium,
manufacture, load and unload fuel rods, and transport and store
waste represent thousands of additional people with discretion
over potent and greatly feared forms of energy.

 A full-steam ahead plan for nuclear energy means millions of
additional chances for radioactive products and by-products to
end up in the wrong hands. Nuclear power plants offer one-stop
shopping for terrorists: they can be sabotaged or their
radioactive contents can be siphoned for weapons.

 These risks should urge us to keep developing alternatives to
nuclear, be it wind energy, fuel cells, biofuels, reduced energy
demand, deep injection of carbon dioxide, or any number of other
plausible options. None of these options, alone, will solve the
global warming problem, but nuclear power does not belong on the
option list, period.

 
About the writer:
 
  + Matthew R. Auer is a professor of public and environmental
affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. Readers may
write to him at School of Public and Environmental Affairs, IU,
1315 East 10th Street, Bloomington, Ind. 47405. Distributed by
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 

[The Sacramento Bee] 

Wednesday, August 23, 2006
*****************************************************************
 47 Platts: EIA: US net nuclear generation up 2.9% in June from a year ago
 
Washington (Platts)--21Aug2006
 
Net US nuclear generation in June was up 3.4% from June 2005, 
DOE's Energy Information Administration said August 21. For 
January through June, net nuclear generation continued to 
experience fewer days lost to planned and forced maintenance than 
in 2005 and was 2.9% higher than this time last year, EIA said. 

It added that net generation of all fuel types year-to-date was 
0.7% higher than in 2005. 

Meanwhile, EIA reported that, according to the National Climatic 
Data Center, first-half 2006 was the warmest on record in the US 
since recordkeeping began in 1895. The higher temperatures 
increased the demand for electricity over last year's level, EIA 
said. The electric power data for June are at www.eia.doe.gov.
 
														Terms & Conditions 
Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
 [The McGraw-Hill Companies]       

  
*****************************************************************
 48 Platts: NRC relicensing study tells Exelon to fix Oyster Creek corrosion
 
Washington (Platts)--22Aug2006
 
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued a "Safety 
Evaluation Report with Open Items" for the proposed renewal of 
the operating license for Exelon's Oyster Creek nuclear power 
plant, it said. 

     In the report, the staff concludes there are no safety 
concerns that would preclude renewal of the license, provided the 
open items are resolved, it added. 

     All of the open items deal with corrosion issues involving 
the plant's drywell, NRC said. The drywell is a steel shell 
shaped like an inverted lightbulb that surrounds the reactor 
vessel, it added. 

     The drywell is designed to confine steam that would be 
released during a severe accident and direct it downwards to a 
suppression pool, where it would be cooled and condensed into 
water. 

     In some cases, the NRC staff is seeking additional 
information regarding the company's efforts to mitigate corrosion 
on the drywell. In others, it is asking that specific steps be 
taken to confirm the thickness and integrity of the component, 
NRC said. 

     NRC requested responses to the open items identified in the 
report by October 20 and said a complete and revised Safety 
Evaluation Report will be issued by December 1. AmerGen Energy, 
the plant operator, submitted an

application to the NRC in July 2005 to extend the Oyster Creek 
license by 20 years. The operating license of plant, which is 
located in Lacey Township, New Jersey, is scheduled to expire on 
April 19, 2009.

Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved [The McGraw-Hill 
Companies]       
*****************************************************************
 49 Platts: NRC finds no safety issues to stop Oyster Creek license renewal
 
Washington (Platts)--22Aug2006
 
No safety concerns preclude license renewal for Oyster Creek, but 
open issues related to corrosion of the plant's containment 
drywell must be resolved, according to a safety evaluation report 
with open items that NRC issued August 21. 

NRC staff has requested additional information on operator 
AmerGen's program to mitigate such corrosion, and is asking that 
steps be taken to confirm the "thickness and integrity" of the 
drywell. These topics are also at issue in the plant's ongoing 
license renewal hearing before an Atomic Safety and Licensing 
Board. 

AmerGen, an Exelon subsidiary, is asked to respond to the open 
items by October 20. A complete and revised safety evaluation 
report will be issued by December 1, NRC said.
 

Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
 [The McGraw-Hill Companies]       

*****************************************************************
 50 Platts: Anti-nuclear groups challenge Flamanville-3's construction permit
 
London (Platts)--22Aug2006
 
Two anti-nuclear groups challenged Flamanville-3's construction 
permit in court August 21, one of the plaintiffs, Sortir du 
Nucleaire, announced. SDR, a federation of antinuclear groups, 
and Crilan, a local group near the Flamanville site in Normandy, 
filed a challenge in Caen administrative court to the permit 
allowing site preparation issued to Electricite de France August 
4. 

Benoist Busson, SDR's lawyer, told Agence France Presse the 
challenge was "the first round" in a legal battle the groups 
intend to wage against EDF's project to build a 1,600-MW EPR at 
the site. 

The suit is based in part on a 1986 law on protection of the 
seacoast, he said. SDR accuses the government and EDF of "haste" 
in starting construction before conclusions of the public inquiry 
finished July 31 are published. 

Busson told AFP that if the site work starts in September as EDF 
has said it intends, the groups would file for an injunction.

Copyright © 2006 - Platts, All Rights Reserved
 [The McGraw-Hill Companies]       
*****************************************************************
 51 OC Register: No tritium found in San Clemente well 

+ [OCRegister.com] Wednesday, August 23, 2006 <img

By JOHN McDONALD The Orange County Register 

SAN CLEMENTE  Water from the city's only public well was found
free of tritium after reports of a radioactive leak at the San
Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. 

Public Works director David Lund said the water samples showed
no traces of tritium in the well, located about two miles from
the nuclear plant. Plant officials reported last week that
tritium levels up to 16 times higher than permitted in drinking
water by the Environmental Protection Agency had been found in
groundwater beneath Unit 1 of the plant. 

The discovery was made during decommissioning of the unit and
officials said it was believed to have been contaminated during
the unit's operation from 1968 until 1992. 

CONTACT US: jmcdonald@ocregister.comor (949) 465-5424 [Talk

2006 The Orange County Register | Contact
*****************************************************************
 52 NRC:  Tennessee Valley Authority; Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Unit
 
                        FR Doc E6-13940 
[Federal Register: August 23, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 163)] 
[Notices] [Page 49491] From the Federal Register Online via GPO 
Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr23au06-112]                         
 
No. 1; Notice of Withdrawal of Application for Amendment to 
Facility Operating License The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(the Commission) has granted the request of the Tennessee Valley 
Authority (the licensee), to withdraw its application for 
proposed amendment to Facility Operating License No. 50-259 
issued to the licensee for operation of the Browns Ferry Nuclear 
Plant, Unit No. 1, located in Limestone County, Alabama.
 
The proposed amendment would have revised the Technical 
Specifications to increase the emergency diesel generator allowed 
outage time.
 
The Commission had previously issued a Notice of Consideration of 
Issuance of Amendment published in the Federal Register on 
January 18, 2005 (70 FR 2898). However, by letter dated August 4, 
2006, the licensee withdrew the proposed change.
 
For further details with respect to this action, see the 
application for amendment dated December 6, 2004, as supplemented 
October 28, 2005, and the licensee's letter dated August 4, 2006, 
which withdrew the application for license amendment. Documents 
may be examined, and/or copied for a fee, at the NRC's Public 
Document Room (PDR), located at One White Flint North, Public 
File Area O1 F21, 11555 Rockville Pike (first floor), Rockville, 
Maryland. Publicly available records will be accessible 
electronically from the Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management Systems (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room on the 
Internet at the NRC Web site, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm.html. 
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS or who encounter problems 
in accessing the documents located in ADAMS should contact the 
NRC PDR Reference staff by telephone at 1-800-397-4209, or 
301-415-4737 or by e-mail to pdr@nrc.gov. Dated at Rockville, 
Maryland, this 17th day of August, 2006.
 
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
 
Margaret H. Chernoff, Project Manager, Plant Licensing Branch 
II-2, Division of Operating Reactor Licensing, Office of Nuclear 
Reactor Regulation.
 
[FR Doc. E6-13940 Filed 8-22-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P

 
*****************************************************************
 53 Prague Daily Monitor: Tens of litres of nitric acid leak at Temelin - 

"http://www.praguemonitor.com

 Wednesday 23 August 

Ceske Budejovice, Aug 22 (CTK) - Between 100 and 200 litres of 
nitric acid leaked from the Temelin nuclear power plant today 
during repumping, Temelin spokesman Milan Nebesar told CTK. 

The acid leaked from a pipe connecting the chemicals storehouse 
and the auxiliary operations building. 

Fire-fighters neutralized the acid. The accident did not endanger 
staff's health, according to Nebesar. 

"The event was reported to the Czech Environmental Inspection 
Authority. All necessary measures were taken to prevent any harm 
to the environment," Nebesar said. 

The acid leaked on an area of 3x4 metres. 

This story copyright 2006 CTK Czech News Agency. 

 [The Prague Daily Monitor uses the CTK news service, which
*****************************************************************
 54 Newsday.com: Indian Point plant shut down after drain problem detected -
             
August 23, 2006, 5:23 PM EDT

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) _ An Indian Point nuclear power plant was 
shut down Wednesday after safety officials detected a problem 
with a drain monitoring system. 

There was no release of radioactivity, plant spokesman Larry 
Gottlieb said. 

The plant was to be down for a few days to fix the problem with 
the system, which captures drain water from heaters that warm 
non-radioactive water, he said. No homes would be affected, he 
said. 

Another plant at Indian Point was unaffected by the shutdown. 

The two nuclear plants are on the Hudson River about 35 miles 
north of midtown Manhattan. 

Since the terrorist attacks of 2001, many residents of the lower 
Hudson Valley have called for the plants to be closed, but 
federal authorities have found them to be safe and the emergency 
precautions to be sufficient. 

In early August, the 156 sirens designed to alert nearby 
residents of an emergency at the plants were out of service for 
more than six hours because of a computer malfunction. 

	 
 Copyright Newsday Inc. 
*****************************************************************
 55 The Hindu: Sci Tech : The quest for uranium goes on 

Thursday, Aug 24, 2006     

WHEN INDIA began its nuclear programme, scientists did not find
any large and concentrated deposits of uranium ores. Dr Homi
Bhabha then proposed to start an extensive and intense search
for sources of uranium. "These geological surveys would take at
least two years if carried out in any careful and exhaustive
way... " on April 26, 1948, Dr Homi Bhabha wrote to the then
Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru... 

"It is possible that their result may be negative"... he 
cautioned. Dr.Bhabha knew the value of uranium. Neither rare nor 
costly 

Uranium has virtually no use, other than as a nuclear fuel.
Uranium is neither rare nor very expensive. It is more abundant
than gold, silver or mercury. Twenty countries worldwide mine
uranium of ore-grade above 0.1 per cent. The McArthur mine in
Canada has average uranium content of over 26.56 per cent. 

Each uranium atom, while splitting, releases copious amounts of
energy, producing virtually no greenhouse gases; small amounts
of uranium generates large amounts of energy leaving a small
amount of solid waste that we can manage safely. 

The World Nuclear Association, a global organisation that seeks
to promote use of nuclear power, noted that, as uranium supplies
are relatively inexpensive, and highly energy intensive, they
can be easily stockpiled. (One ton of natural uranium can
produce more than 40 million units of electricity. This is
equivalent to burning 16,000 tons of coal or 80,000 barrels of
oil). 

Indian scientists chose Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors of the
CANDU type as their mainstay, as these are the most efficient of
all reactors using uranium. 

Fuel fabrication easier 

CANDU Owner's Group, a not-for-profit organisation of seven
countries operating this type of reactors, noted that the use of
natural uranium widens the source of supply and makes fuel
fabrication easier (COG, July, 2006). India produces just 230
tonnes, just over 0.5 per cent of the worldwide output. We need
more uranium. Currently, the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd
(UCIL) operates four mines and plans to start a few more mines. 

Some NGOs are against setting up uranium mines. Promoters of
nuclear technology must address their legitimate concerns. But a
few NGOs have gone overboard. They call UCIL's projects "atomic
ghosts". 

Do they know that we need uranium-fuelled reactors to produce
cobalt-60? Over 240 cobalt-60 units are being used daily to
treat about 18,000 cancer patients in different parts of the
country. Can the NGOs suggest any alternative to radiation
therapy? An NGO claimed that some women in Chattikocha village
in Jaduguda have a change in menstrual cycle, `gynaecological'
problems and infertility! They alleged that children were born
with one eye, disfigured face, twisted legs and the like. 
Claims unsubstantiated 

Another activist found that people were complaining about lack
of appetite, respiratory problems, skin disease and terminal
illnesses. These claims are unsubstantiated. Specialist medical
teams after exhaustive study did not find any radiation-related
disease in those areas. 

India has nearly forty years' experience in mining, milling and
producing uranium. And the quest for uranium continues, leaving
no stones unturned. 

K.S. PARTHASARATHY FORMER SECRETARY, AERB, MUMBAI 

(ksparth@yahoo.co.uk) 

Comments to : thehindu@vsnl.com  Copyright © 2006, The Hindu 
*****************************************************************
 56 [du-list] U in the news - 24 Aug 06
 
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:17:21 -0700

X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61]
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<x-flowed>

             Post-Conflict Assessment Sought for Lebanon

             http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2006/2006-08-22-01.asp

             Environment News Service Tue, 22 Aug 2006 11:32 PM PDT
             BEIRUT, Lebanon , August 22, 2006 (ENS) - The international 
environmental group Friends of the Earth is appealing to the United Nations 
Environment Programme (UNEP) to send a team from its Post-Conflict Branch 
to Lebanon and Israel to conduct an independent assessment of the 
environmental impacts of the recent war between Hezbollah and Israel.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]






To unsubscribe from this groups send a message to 
du-list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.  In the body of the message type 
unsubscribe and send.
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 57 Law.com: Nuclear-Fuel Lawsuits Spawn Damage Award Fallout 

Rulings pending in six spent-fuel cases

Marcia Coyle
The National Law Journal
August 23, 2006                  

credit: Photodisc Green 	

The federal government may soon face the first wave of damages
awards in its long-running, multibillion-dollar
breach-of-contract litigation with the nation's utilities over
disposal of spent nuclear fuel. 

The U.S. Court of Federal Claims has damages decisions pending
in six of the more than 60 originally filed cases, which, by
some industry estimates, could cost the government upward of $50
billion. 

Some judges in those six completed cases have indicated that
they will be ruling imminently, which is good news to utilities
and their lawyers, some of whom have waited as long as five
years just for resolution of fully briefed summary judgment
motions. 

But even if damages are forthcoming, lawyers, like veteran
government contract litigator Jerry Stouck of the Washington
office of Greenberg Traurig, harbor no illusions that the end of
this litigation saga, begun for some in 1998, is in sight. 

"The Court of Federal Claims does a reasonably good job of
getting the work done and resolving small disputes in government
contracts and federal personnel cases, but when it comes to
these big megacases, like Winstar [breach-of-contract suits
against the government by savings and loan associations] and
spent nuclear fuel, it's a very long and slow and hard row to
fight the federal government," he said. 

Stouck, who is handling four of the most recently completed six
cases, said that he believes the utilities will "mostly win,"
and "big numbers are coming up pretty soon." But he also said
that there is no doubt the government will appeal the damages
awards. 

"What's the downside for the government?" he asked. "There is no
prejudgment interest charged. What does the government have to
lose? Sure, there will be appeals." 

Steven L. Schooner, senior associate dean for academic affairs
and co-director of the government procurement law program at
George Washington University Law School, agrees with Stouck. 

"The Court of Federal Claims isn't going to do anything other
than tee it up for the [U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit]," he said. "Could it go to the Supreme Court? Given the
high stakes, maybe. You're talking about tens of billions of
dollars." 

FINDING A HOME 

The spent nuclear fuel lawsuits charged that the federal
government breached contracts entered into with utilities in
1983 under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Under the act,
the Department of Energy (DOE) was to begin picking up the
utilities' spent nuclear fuel on Jan. 31, 1998, in return for
payments by the utilities into the Nuclear Waste Fund for
construction of a permanent waste site. 

As a nuclear reactor operates, uranium is used up in the fission
process that creates energy to generate electricity. Fission
byproducts build up and eventually interfere with efficiency
until the fuel can no longer produce energy. At that point, the
fuel is "spent." But it continues to emit radiation, so it must
be stored in basins of water or dry storage vaults or containers
until its radiation drops to safe levels. That can take
thousands of years. 

On Jan. 31, 1998, there was no permanent repository for the
spent fuel, and the federal government did not begin, as the
contract required, to pick up that fuel. Many of the utilities
were forced to build temporary on-site storage facilities for
the spent fuel -- the costs of which are now the damages being
sought in their litigation with the government. 

The utilities already have paid more than $15 billion into the
federal Nuclear Waste Fund for a permanent waste site. The
government has designated Yucca Mountain in Nevada as the
repository, but that site has been tied up in politics and
litigation for years. 

In July, DOE announced a new schedule for Yucca Mountain,
projecting that the site will begin to accept nuclear waste in
March 2017 instead of 2010, the previous prediction. 

"We would think the 2017 date is extremely optimistic," said Jay
E. Silberg of the Washington office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw
Pittman, a nuclear attorney who has represented 19 utilities in
the spent fuel litigation. 

The 2017 date makes no allowances for the longer licensing
hearing that will be required by the Yucca site, Silberg said,
nor for related lawsuits. 

"We know the Nevada people are very inventive with reasons why
the project shouldn't go forward," he said. 

In fact, the state of Nevada is in three federal courts right
now on issues related to Yucca Mountain and anticipates
additional lawsuits in the coming months, said Robert Loux,
executive director of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. 

"I honestly believe DOE is so incompetent and the site is so bad
they'll never make progress on Yucca Mountain," predicted Loux.
"Most people believe Yucca Mountain is a dead site or will be." 

Repeated calls for comment to the DOE public affairs office were
not returned. 

Although a final resting place for the spent nuclear fuel is in
doubt, some issues have been resolved in the litigation. 

The Federal Circuit ruled in 2000 that the government did breach
the contract. But the breach is a partial one, according to the
court, and damages are limited to past damages. 

"These contracts are still in force; the utilities are still
paying fees into the Nuclear Waste Fund, and we all continue to
expect and desire performance by DOE even though it's delayed,"
explained Stouck. 

"Since there is the possibility of performance tomorrow, the
courts said, 'If we award damages for the next 10 years and then
DOE actually performs in five years, you might end up with
windfall. Let's not speculate about when they will perform,'" he
said. 

Three New England utilities represented by Stouck initially
sought about $500 million in damages out to 2010, the earliest
date that DOE predicted Yucca Mountain would be ready until its
latest prediction last month. The damages are the cost of
constructing and then operating the on-site storage facilities. 

But the "past" in terms of damages was defined as through 2002,
said Stouck, whose three New England utilities, along with
Pacific Gas &Electric (PG), are awaiting damages rulings. For
the three New England utilities, he sought about $200 million
and about $92 million for PG through 2004. 

"We're just at the beginning of construction for PG and we
already know there is another $50 million in costs through
2006," he said. 

But it is also clear that the utilities can come back for
additional damages if delay continues, said Pillsbury's Silberg,
an issue resolved by his representation of Indiana Michigan
Power Co. 

Most of the damages sought in that case, he said, were future
damages. The company had not yet built its dry storage facility,
Silberg said. 

"We now have a clear right to go back and ask for those
damages," he said. And Silberg said it is also clear now that
damages awarded must be paid from the government's judgment
fund, not from the Nuclear Waste Fund as the government argued. 

"It was not appropriate for the utilities, in essence, to pay
their own damages," he said. "The court agreed with us." 

Of the 66 cases filed, six are awaiting damages decisions; seven
have trial dates, most in 2007; about 40 have been stayed or are
in various stages of discovery; nine have been dismissed; about
three have settled; and two have closed after final judgments. 

The only damage award made thus far has been in the suit brought
by the Tennessee Valley Authority. The suit was filed in 2001
and sought $35.8 million in damages for the construction of dry
storage facilities at TVA's Sequoyah and Browns Ferry nuclear
plants. The court last January awarded $34.9 million for damages
through 2004. 

The government filed an appeal but withdrew it. Lawyers
speculate the government did not pursue the appeal because it
did not want a governmentwide ruling on an issue in the case
peculiar to TVA: whether quasi-governmental agencies like TVA
have standing to sue the government. 

Two years ago, Exelon Corp. and its subsidiaries, Exelon
Generation Co., Commonwealth Edison Co. and AmerGen Energy Co.,
settled their suits with the government. 

Under the settlement agreement, Exelon was to receive $80
million immediately in gross reimbursements for storage costs
already incurred, with additional amounts reimbursed annually
for future costs. If a national repository opens by 2010, which
now is unlikely, gross reimbursements to Exelon would eventually
total about $300 million. 

Settlements are rare in these megacases, said Stouck. "In the
private sector, they settle. Both sides want to resolve that,"
he said. "That doesn't happen in Winstar or spent fuel, partly
because of the magnitude, partly because of the precedential
value of the early cases, and also the government has no real
incentive to settle because no prejudgment interest is charged." 

Key legal issues relating to the contract remain unresolved,
such as how much waste the government was to begin picking up in
1998, and the schedule of pickup. 

The government, according to Silberg, Stouck and others, never
gives up on certain issues even when they have been resolved at
the circuit level. It will reassert an unsuccessful argument
into one case sometimes three years after it has lost it in
another. 

The Court of Federal Claims is partly to blame for the
government's ability to do that, said Schooner of George
Washington University. 

"One of the problems with the Court of Federal Claims is it is
not a disciplined court," said Schooner, an admitted critic of
the court. 

"In Winstar's first big damages case, Judge [Loren] Smith wrote
a long, detailed opinion so everyone, he said, can follow his
lead and Judge [Robert] Hodges came out a week later and said he
was doing the exact opposite." Schooner added. "I think it's
hard to say 'this court' with a straight face. You have a couple
dozen independent contractors there." 

But Stouck, Silberg and the other spent nuclear fuel lawyers are
clearly prepared for the long haul. 

Even if the government's ultimate liability, as suggested by
DOE, is only $7 billion, Stouck wonders if that will impress
anyone within government to solve the waste problem or whether
it will have an impact on the renaissance of nuclear power in
this country. 

"Frankly, I'm a cynic," he said. "I would hope so, but I don't
know." 

Silberg is more of a fatalist. 

"I attended my first high-level waste conference in 1979," he
recalled. "I've spent 30 years trying to move these issues
forward. This is the nuclear waste program after all. We never
would have anticipated it would have taken this long with this
litigation. Unfortunately, there are some judicial forums that
take a very long time."   About ALM| About Law.com| Privacy
*****************************************************************
 58 Aftenposten.no: More radioactive objects - 

[Aftenposten Nettutgaven]     

First published: 23 Aug 2006, 15:04  

A record number of stray radioactive objects being found
recently may indicate dangerous negligence by Norwegian firms.

First: Radioactive object found in scrap metal in Mo i Rana.
PHOTO: STATENS STRÅLEVERN

Second: A radioactive cable section found at a metal firm in
Kristiansand.
PHOTO: STATENS STRÅLEVERN

Third: A measuring device with a highly radioactive source found
in a playshed in Bærum.
PHOTO: STATENS STRÅLEVERN
  
The Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) is concerned
by the trend and has asked companies that handle radioactive
sources to shape up, NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting) reports.

Three dangerously radioactive objects have been found in the
past six months, and never before have so many such discoveries
been made so quickly in Norway.

"We hope that this is just chance and that this is the peak,"
NRPA director Ole Harbitz told Aftenposten.no, but agreed that
there was reason to suspect Norwegian companies of negligent
practices. 

The first find turned up just before Christmas 2005. Objects
used by the Defense in the 1980s and -90s were found in scrap
metal at a company in Mo i Rana.

Next a radioactive cable section was found at a metal company in
Kristiansand, and in May a stolen measuring instrument with a
powerful radioactive source was discovered by concerned parents
in a shed used as a playhouse by children in Bærum.

"The instrument was intact and not dangerous as such, unless it
was taken apart. But it was quite possible to do that," Harbitz
said.

High dosages of radiation can be harmful and even deadly. The
radioactive objects found recently could have caused burn-like
injuries, Harbitz said.
Aftenposten's Norwegian reporter
 Kristin Solberg
Aftenposten English Web Desk
 Jonathan Tisdall  
  
  Publisher: Aftenposten Multimedia A/S, Oslo, Norway.Telephone: 
+47 - 22 86 30 00. All rights, including copyright and database 
right, are owned by or licensed to Aftenposten Multimedia.© 
Aftenposten Multimedia.  
*****************************************************************
 59 Spokesman Review: Corps rejects blame for pollution 

SR.com: 

It says chemicals in wells didn't come from missile site

  If you go 

What: Spokane Regional Health District and Washington Department 
of Health officials and a University of Washington physician who 
is an expert in toxic chemicals will be available to answer 
health questions regarding the Deep Creek-area contamination 

When: 5:30 p.m. Thursday

Where: First floor auditorium, Spokane Regional Health District, 
1011 W. College Ave.   

Kevin Graman 
Staff writer
August 23, 2006

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not accept responsibility
for toxic chemicals found in numerous wells near a former U.S.
Defense Department missile site on the West Plains because the
contamination could have come from other sources, a corps
spokesman said.

The corps' position was spelled out in a May 26 letter to the
Environmental Protection Agency's Seattle office. On Tuesday,
the letter was made available to The Spokesman-Review, which
previously had reported the corps "has not yet determined
whether it is responsible" for contamination of groundwater near
Fairchild Defense Area Nike Battery 87.

"In fact, the corps has made a determination," Steven Cosgrove,
the corps' public information officer in Seattle, said in an
e-mail to the newspaper on Tuesday. "The corps has determined
that, based on information available to date, the data are
inconsistent with the Nike 87 site being the source of the
contaminants found in the area around Euclid Road."

Four wells in the Deep Creek area of the West Plains have been 
found to be contaminated with the toxic solvent 
trichloroethylene, and numerous other wells have been found with 
perchlorate, a salt used on rocket motor fuel, and 
N-nitrosodimethylamine, or NDMA, a rocket fuel igniter, according 
to EPA officials.

The EPA considers the Nike site, built in the 1950s to defend
Fairchild Air Force Base, "a possible source" of the
contamination. It is one of 40 such "formerly used defense
sites" under review by the EPA in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and
Montana.

On May 31, Cosgrove told the newspaper that the corps had yet to
determine whether the Deep Creek-area contamination was linked
to the missile site and that there were other explanations as to
the source of the chemicals.

"At this point we don't have sufficient information," Cosgrove
told The Spokesman-Review then.

But the Corps of Engineers had already replied to a May 16
letter from EPA Region 10 asking the corps to reconsider its
earlier determination based on new ground water sampling.

"As you are aware, TCE, NDMA and perchlorate are also
constituents found in other products, including organic
fertilizers, herbicides, animal wastes and household bleach, all
of which are common to agricultural areas such as this," the
corps responded on May 26. "TCE is not naturally occurring;
however it was commercially available in the past."

However, Harry Craig, remedial project manager for the EPA in
Portland, was quoted in the newspaper's June 1 editions as
saying, "The combination of these three chemicals is fairly
unique. The only places that I've seen that is at rocket motor
facilities."

Craig could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Though the corps has declined to accept responsibility for the
contamination, the corps' Cosgrove and Tony Brown, EPA spokesman
in Seattle, said the two federal agencies are consulting on the
study area surrounding the former defense facility, the
Hutterite compound and other homes and farms just west of Deep
Creek and just north of U.S. Highway 2.

Cosgrove said that the corps' staff was "very well-versed in the
occurrence of these substances," and that a formerly used
defense site project manager was "in contact weekly" with the
EPA. 

"We continue to work with them," Brown said on Tuesday. "They
haven't closed the doors."
 
S-R.com 
*****************************************************************
 60 NC WARN: Two Progress Energy Nukes Fail Summers Test

Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
 
NEWS RELEASE Contact:  Jim Warren

August 23, 2006 919-416-5077

Second Year of Extended Summer Outages Reflects on Reliability

DURHAM, NC Two of Progress Energys five nuclear power plants are suffering 
extended outages during the middle of the summer air conditioning season 
for the second straight year.  Each outage could be costing the company 
one million dollars per day in lost revenues.

The companys Brunswick 1 plant, south of Wilmington, NC, has been 
producing no power since an unplanned shutdown on August 11 caused by 
detection of a hydrogen leak in a system needed to cool the plants 
electric generator.  That day, the company said the plant would restart 
within 48 hours.  Last Wednesday, Progress told NC WARN the leak had taken 
longer to find than expected.  Yesterday, the spokesman said the plant was 
still off-line because Progress had decided to perform additional 
maintenance during the outage.



NRC records show Brunswick 1 at 2% capacity this morning, indicating the 
company is attempting to restart the reactor.  Normally it takes at least 
two days to resume full power once start up procedures have commenced.

Progress Energys Crystal River Plant in Florida has been at zero power 
since Saturday morning, following leakage of a cooling water system inside 
the reactor containment building that exceeded allowable limits.  Plant 
workers reacted properly by taking the reactor off-line to correct the 
problem.  The two-day start-up process had not begun as of this mornings 
report to NRC.

Last summer, Brunswick 1 was down for a week during the July heat wave due 
to a problem in the reactor cooling system.  Then in August, both 
Brunswick 1 and 2 were down and/or at very low power for a week due to the 
inoperability of backup generator systems.

These problems could be related to the aging of the plants and/or years of 
industry-wide cost-cutting trends.  Both Brunswick reactors and 
ProgressHarris plant have suffered numerous unplanned outages in recent 
years problems which often lower safety margins.  Harris leads the nation 
in one type of outage, called a scram, with nine between 2002 and 2005.

Utilities always schedule refueling outages for spring or fall to avoid 
lost revenues during periods of peak demand.  Increasingly, summer heat 
waves are challenging nuclear power plant outputs and safety levels in 
Europe and the US, as rising river and lake water temperatures impair the 
ability to cool various plant systems.  That problem is likely to worsen 
as global warming keeps advancing.

Despite the industrys prodigious and deceptive public relations offensive, 
nuclear plants are becoming more failure-prone when air conditioning is 
needed most,said NC WARN Executive Director.  Its quite paradoxical that 
pro- nuclear enthusiasts disparage wind and solar energy as unreliable.

##

NC WARN is a member-based, grassroots non-profit using science and 
activism to tackle climate change and reduce hazards to public health and 
the environment from nuclear power and other polluting electricity 
production, and working for a transition to safe, economical energy in 
North Carolina.


Pursuing new power plants is squandering our chances to cut greenhouse gases.

Jim Warren, Executive Director
NC WARN
North Carolina Waste Awareness & Reduction Network
Ph:  919-416-5077      Fax:  919-286-3985
PO Box 61051,  Durham, NC   27715-1051
Email:  Jim@<mailto:ncwarn.org@pobox.com>ncwarn.org    Web: 
<http://www.ncwarn.org/>www.ncwarn.<http://www.ncwarn.org/>org
*****************************************************************
 61 The Australian: MP backs uranium industry review 

This story is from our news.com.aunetwork Source: AAP 

 August 24, 2006 

A COUNTRY Liberal Party (CLP) MP in the Northern Territory has 
backed a proposed review of the viability of a uranium enrichment 
industry in Australia's top end.

The Member for Solomon, David Tollner, today said he would
strongly support a motion for the review to be put to the CLP
central council meeting this weekend. 

"I have been a longstanding supporter of looking at how we can
further develop the uranium industry in the Northern Territory,"
Mr Tollner said today. 

"There are countries such as China who are developing at an
enormous rate and with it are putting pressure on the limited
energy resources of this planet. 

"Along with Canada we have the bulk of the world's uranium
resources, however, it remains a relatively untapped industry
here in Australia." 

Mr Tollner said it was time for a "fair dinkum" look at uranium
enrichment from the perspective of what could be in it for the
territory. 

"Why is it that we are only involved in the mining and export of
this resource and not in the value-adding component of this
industry," he said. 

"The enrichment process could be a massive industry here in the
territory and one that would give us a greater level of control
of how this resource is used and sold internationally. 

"It would be foolish for any government to, out-of-hand, rule
out developing such an industry without at least first getting
the facts on the table." 

The motion to go before this weekend's council meeting welcomes
the national debate on alternative energy supplies including
nuclear power. 

It also calls on the CLP policy committee to undertake research
on the costs and benefits to the territory of establishing a
local uranium enrichment industry to produce power generation
grade rods. 

It said the committee should look at the economic benefits from
such an industry, job creation, regulations as well as waste,
safety and security issues. 

Mr Tollner said if the review found that a uranium enrichment
industry was potentially viable he would "be the first to put my
weight of support behind getting the industry up and running". 

[&raquo;] Print Friendly Version [&raquo;] Email this story 

© The Australian 
*****************************************************************
 62 Pahrump Valley Times: Meetings to address Yucca issues        

Aug. 23, 2006 

The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board will host a
workshop Sept. 25-26 in Las Vegas and will then meet Sept. 27 in
Amargosa Valley to address various issues concerning Yucca
Mountain. 

The workshop will focus on the potential for localized corrosion
of Alloy-22, a proposed material for waste packages in which
radioactive waste will be disposed, under aqueous conditions
that might exist in the proposed repository. The results of
recent and ongoing testing related to the evolution of aqueous
environments in the repository and the potential initiation,
propagation, cessation and consequences of Alloy-22 localized
corrosion will be addressed during the workshop. 

The workshop is open to the public and will be held at the Las
Vegas Marriott Suites, 325 Convention Center Drive; telephone
702-650-2000, fax 702-650-9466. 

The workshop agenda will be available on the board's Web site
(www.nwtrb.gov about one week before the date of the workshop. 

A final meeting agenda for the board's Sept. 27 meeting in
Amargosa Valley will also be available about one week before the
meeting date atwww.nwtrb.gov and available by telephone. 

The meeting will be held at 8 a.m. Sept. 27 at the Longstreet
Inn and Casino, Stateline and Highway 373, in Amargosa Valley. 

The meeting will be public and opportunities for comment will be
provided. 

The board will review the Department of Energy's efforts to
develop and articulate a safety case for a proposed geologic
repository for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level
radioactive waste at Yucca Mountain at this meeting. 

The board was charged with conducting an independent review of
the technical and scientific validity of DOE activities related
to implementing the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. 

Those who wish to speak are encouraged to sign the "public
comment register" at the check-in table. A time limit may have
to be set on individual remarks, but written comments of any
length may be submitted for the record. 

Transcripts for the workshop and the meeting will be available
no later than Oct. 19 and Oct. 23, respectively, on the board's
Web site,www.nwtrb.gov, by email, on computer disk and on a
library-loan basis in paper format from Davonya Barnes of the
board's staff. 

For more information, contact Karyn Severson, NWTRB external
affairs, 2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 1300, Arlington, VA
22201-3367; telephone 703-235-4473, fax 703-235-4495. 	 	     

For comment or questions, please e-mail
webmaster@pahrumpvalleytimes.com
Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2006 
*****************************************************************
 63 Salt Lake Tribune: Goshute official resigns in protest
 
Article Last Updated: 08/23/2006 01:03:56 AM MDT  

Opposes Leon Bear: She says the chairman stripped her authority, 
used her as 'a shell'

  By Judy Fahys The Salt Lake Tribune 
  
  A leader of the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes has submitted
her resignation, attacking the tribal chairman as a “king” who
stripped her of any authority and used her as “a shell.” 

    Lori Skiby, the Skull Valley vice chairwoman, hand-delivered
the note two weeks ago to disputed chairman Leon Bear. In a
response dated last Wednesday, Bear recommended that her seat be
filled by appointment at a tribal meeting on Saturday. Bear
mailed copies of Skiby's letter and his response to tribal
members. 

    The proffered resignation is the latest in a long string of
leadership controversies that have dogged the 120-member tribe
in the past few years. And it raises new doubts about the
tribe's ability to manage its lease for a storage site for
44,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste. 

    The site, about 45 miles southwest of Salt Lake City in
Tooele County, is the first high-level nuclear facility to be
approved in the United States in the three decades since the
Three Mile Island nuclear accident. If constructed, it could
hold nearly all of the nuclear waste produced by commercial
power plants in the United States in the industry's half-century
of operation. 

    Neither Skiby or Bear, who are cousins, could be reached for
comment late Tuesday. But both have explained their positions in
letters mailed this week to tribal members. 

    Rex Allen, a former tribal secretary, said some of the
allegations Skiby raised in her letter were among the reasons he
has been fighting with Bear in court over tribal governance. 

    “I am here merely as his shell to do as he pleases,” Skiby
wrote in the Aug. 9 letter. Although she was supposed to be in
charge of the tribal environmental protection agency, children's
welfare programs and other important projects, she was not given
access to financial information and was forced to sign blank
checks, Skiby alleges in the letter. 

    “The band, in my opinion, is living a dictatorship with Leon
D. Bear reigning as the 'king,' and this I will no longer
tolerate,” the letter said. 

    In an Aug. 16 letter, Bear noted that Skiby hand-delivered
her resignation to him in front of her father, sister and tribal
attorney Scott York. Bear called the resignation “prudent” and
said Skiby ought to return her tribal vehicle and all property
owned by the Skull Valley Goshutes and Private Fuel Storage, the
utility consortium behind the waste-storage project. 

    He also said he would like tribal members to let him appoint
a new vice chairman to replace Skiby along with a new tribal
secretary. 

   Under the Skull Valley government, the tribal council is
comprised of all adult members, which is about 70 people. In
theory, the executive committee - the chairman, vice chairman
and secretary - conduct the day-to-day business. 
    
But there has not been a secretary for the better part of five
years, and the fight over who really leads the tribe has been
going on for about as long. 

   Members have not been able to muster an election at the past
six meetings because there was no quorum. 

    Although York confirmed that he was present in the room when
Bear and Skiby discussed the resignation, he disputed the idea
that Skiby has resigned. He said that would have to be approved
by the general council. 

    “They have got a procedure in place according to tribal
law,” the attorney said. 

    If Skiby's resignation goes forward, it is not clear what
the legal ramifications will be for the nuclear waste project or
for Bear, who is on probation for tax evasion related to his
handling of his tribal salary and expenses. 

    York dismissed the probation question. “I don't think his
probation amounts to a hill of beans,” the attorney said.
“Everyone knows he took one for the tribe” because the tribe's
tax lawyer mishandled the IRS returns. 

    As for the nuclear waste venture, reported years ago as a
$3.1 billion project, York said current approvals by the tribal
members will allow business to continue. 

    “There's no decisions that need to be made for projects that
are in place,” he said. 

    Meanwhile, several tribal members said they see Skiby's
departure as a way to move the Skull Valley Goshutes forward. 

    Longtime waste-project opponent Margene Bullcreek said she
would rally tribal members this weekend to oppose any
appointments. 

    “That's not something that is part of our traditional
government,” she said. Bullcreek, instead, wants an election of
new officers. She also will call for an investigation of the
current leadership by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

    Bullcreek has been part of a group of dissidents who have
sought help with the leadership problems from the U.S. Interior
Department, federal nuclear regulators and state and federal
courts. They insist there is not a legitimate government in
place that is empowered to carry out the tribe's business. 

    fahys@sltrib.com 
    
Â© Copyright 2006, The Salt Lake Tribune. 
*****************************************************************
 64 Chattanooga Times Free Press: Hefty price tag for cleanup 

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 	
 	
By Mike Pare Staff Writer 

With a price tag of almost $85 million, the pollution removal at 
the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant appears to be the 
costliest cleanup in Hamilton County. 

In my 30 years in the environmental business, Ive never heard 
of another project that approached the cost of that cleanup, 
said Wayne Cropp, former head of the local Air Pollution Control 
Bureau. 

Some $60 million in federal funding has been spent so far, said 
Scott Bolton, the Army Command representative on the 6,600-acre 
site where the military produced TNT for more than three decades. 

He said the remaining money must be budgeted by the Army to 
complete the task started more than a decade ago. The cleanup of 
the soil and remaining buildings at the World War II-era facility 
is expected to take another three to four years, and that still 
may not address all of the groundwater beneath the abandoned 
plant. 

 Another large tract, however, is scheduled to be deemed clean 
and turned over to the city and Hamilton County, which own the 
land. 

Mr. Bolton said an additional 800 acres could be ready for
economic developers to market in six months to a year. 

That land goes with 1,600 acres previously cleaned up and
pitched for new business, including to automakers eyeing future
assembly plants, at the Enterprise South industrial park. 

Another 3,000 acres is set aside as a park and buffer. 

Officials with the countys chief economic development group
hope to leverage money spent on the cleanup to spur the creation
of thousands of new jobs. 

A report estimated the industrial park eventually could hold
more than 8,000 jobs and a $240 million payroll. 

Enterprise South, in its first three years, has attracted three
businesses: eSpin Technologies, Tag Manufacturing and Integrated
Data Solutions Inc. The three companies collectively will employ
fewer than 200 employees after Integrated Data Solutions gets
running soon at the site and will use fewer than 40 acres of the
industrial park. 

But Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce leaders said large
tracts of land are needed to recruit major manufacturers, and
more property will help provide space for smaller businesses. 

Trevor Hamilton, the Chambers vice president for economic
development, said hes looking forward to the new property
opening up. 

We continue to strategically plan for small- and medium-sized
companies, he said, adding that the newly cleansed land could
be used for suppliers to an auto plant. 

But the conversion from Army to private use doesnt come cheap. 

In addition to cleanup, the city and county are paying some
$23.2 million for more land at the former Volunteer Site,
although payment of part of the purchase has been deferred. 

Mr. Cropp, a Chattanooga attorney heading a task force looking
at brownfield cleanup in the city, said remediating former
federal facilities such as the Volunteer Site is expensive. 

He cited remediation of Oak Ridges nuclear legacy, for example,
where contractors for the U.S. Department of Energy have spent
about $500 million annually in recent years cleaning up
buildings, soil and water supplies. 

Mr. Cropp said removing contamination and a perceived threat to
public health adds value to the former VAAP property and the
city. 

Tisha Calabrese-Benton, a spokeswoman for the Tennessee
Department of Environment and Conservation, said the cleanup is
making good progress from the states point of view. 

We expect some pretty significant projects to begin in the next
year in terms of the cleanup, she said. 

Tim Andrews, helping oversee the site for county government,
said the vast majority of the still-contaminated land will be
turned over as it is remediated in the next few years. 

He said all the acreage is to be cleaned up, though monitoring
could take place over extended periods of time on small tracts. 

Just as the property thats already cleaned up, Mr. Hamilton
said, there will be no environmental liabilities on the land
turned over for development. 

It comes with a clean bill of health, Mr. Hamilton said. 

Mr. Bolton said officials continue to work on the issue of
ground water at the remaining contaminated locations. He said
that on some sites, there could be instances where the property
is usable but restrictions placed on ground water use. 

Also, future ground water monitoring could take place, Mr.
Bolton said. 

But, he said, water use basically is a nonissue, as the
Eastside Utility District has capacity to handle future supply
needs. 

The VAAP plant produced about 2.9 billion pounds of TNT for
World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, Mr. Bolton
said. 

At one time, the plant employed up to 3,500 people. In 1977, TNT
production ended and the site was declared surplus. The city and
county acquired the first 940 acres in 2000.

E-mail Mike Pare at <EM>mpare@timesfreepress.com</EM>

POTENTIAL PULLOUT NUMBERS:
Former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant site
Acres: 6,600
Estimated cost of cleanup: $85 million
Percent of acreage cleaned up and turned over to local
governments to date: about 70 percent
TNT production: estimated 2.9 billion pounds
Workers at peak: 3,500
Cleanup soil samples taken: 10,000 to 12,000 

COSTLY CLEANUPS
Other big cleanups in the county:
* Chattanooga Creek  estimated to cost $32 million 
* Renaissance Park  $4 million
* Villages at Alton Park  $3.55 million
* Montague Park  estimated to cost $3 million to $4 million

Copyright, permissions and privacy policy                       Copyright
©2006, Chattanooga Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 65 Las Vegas SUN: Nevada congressman calls proposed waste dump broken 

August 22, 2006 

By KATHLEEN HENNESSEY ASSOCIATED PRESS 

YUCCA MOUNTAIN, Nev. (AP) - Rep. Jon Porter called Yucca
Mountain "broken" and questioned its safety and science during a
tour of the proposed nuclear waste repository Tuesday. 

The Boulder City Republican is leading a House panel
investigation into e-mails suggesting some of the project's
quality assurance documents were falsified. 

"(The Department of Energy) has made up its mind that it's safe
and now they're having to build a case," Porter said. "But I
don't trust the government's science." 

The congressman was led through the site's main tunnel and to
the mountain crest by the project's recently appointed director,
Ward Sproat, and its chief scientist, Russ Dyer. 

Dyer told Porter that the research done by the scientists
involved in the e-mail scandal was being reviewed and
recalculated at a cost of "tens of millions of dollars." 

A review of a critical water infiltration experiment indicates
that twice as much moisture as initially believed could pass
through the granite where the nuclear material will be stored,
he said. 

Though water would likely be the vehicle to spread contamination
if it came into contact with radioactive material, Dyer said the
increase was not enough to cause concern. 

"The infiltration model is the genesis of the project. If that
is inaccurate, 20 years and $9 billion have been wasted," a
skeptical Porter said. "Don't you think you ought to wait until
you get the results?" 

Dyer said the Energy Department, which is charged with building
the waste dump 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, had enough
information to continue. 

"You'll never have absolute confidence. The question is do you
have enough confidence to more forward," he said. 

Sproat, who was on his first tour of the site since his May
confirmation in the Senate, said he also had questions about the
work done by the scientists and would be overseeing the research
review carefully. 

"It sounds like we're doing the right things, but I'm not taking
somebody else's word for it," he said. 

Porter suggested other sites should be considered. 

"Why not New Mexico?" he asked officials. 

Dyer said that state's soil was too salty to hold underground
casks. 

The Yucca Mountain repository is scheduled to open in 2017 and
to hold 77,000 metric tons of the nation's spent nuclear fuel.
The Energy Department plans to submit a licensing application in
mid-2008. 

All contents copyright 2005 Las Vegas SUN, Inc.
*****************************************************************
 66 Channel 4 KRNV.com: Nevada Congressman Visits Proposed Waste Dump

  LAS VEGAS

Nevada Congressman Jon Porter is questioning the safety and 
science at the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca 
Mountain. 

Porter toured the site today (Tuesday) as part of an 
investigation into allegations that some quality assurance 
documents relating to the project were falsified. Porter says he 
doesn't trust the government's science. He has subpoenaed 
documents related to his investigation, but has not received a 
draft of the licensing application from the administration. 

Porter's opponent in the November election, Democrat Tessa Hafen, 
says the congressman isn't pushing hard enough to obtain the 
documents. Porter says he negotiating with the administration. 

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)   
  
All content © Copyright 2001 - 2006 WorldNow and KRNV. All Rights 
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
 67 [NukeNet] Perma-Fix Gets DOE Contract for SRS waste.Should DOE
 
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2006 16:20:18 -0700

X-Nohoney: yes white-hard - relay H=adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net (borg.energy-net.org) [63.203.231.61]
X-Sender-Host-Address: 63.203.231.61
X-Sender-Host-Name: adsl-63-203-231-61.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net
X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY-WHITELIST

<x-flowed>
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)

Dear All,

I did some simple arithmetic and came up with a per gallon cost of $54 per 
gallon.  We all know that reprocessed waste has been reclassified as LOW 
LEVEL WASTE , (LLW) and Transuranic waste.  It is unclear just what  is in 
this LLW.  Supposedly, this is waste left over after it is is "treated" 
(vitrified).  Does it include the bottom of the tanks waste, and which 
Frank Parker, Chairman of the National Academy of Sciences recommended be 
left ungrouted until a new technology is developed to more completely empty 
the tanks?  He estimated that it would take  5 to 10 years for this new 
technology to be developed.

I have been trying to wade thru the draft  NRC- new guideline, NUREG 1854, 
dealing with the reclassification of reprocessing waste, first called 
incidental waste, now reclassified as LLW and transuranic waste.  The 
preface makes it clear that NRC does not have any power to make the rules 
or impose any standards on DOE, but just offers these guidelines to their 
employees. One section deals with "cost-benefit analysis" and left a big 
question mark in my mind that  there will ever be any furhter developments 
as Dr. Parker proposed.

So, my question is, how much of the existing waste do these 50,000 gallons 
represent?  Is this waste the left overs after vitrification?  We need to 
know the total volume to multiply the $54 per gallon to come up with a cost 
of disposal after vitrification, if this is what this contract 
covers..  Also, how will it be handled?  What precautions will be taken to 
prevent contamination of air, soil and water supplies from this unspecified 
process.   This is important because GNEP may hang in the balance.   In the 
2006 budget for Integrated Spent Fuel Initiative,  "Process Storage" 
(translation, Storage of Waste produced by reprocessing) was one of the 
four components.  It has completely been ignored in GNEP, but obviously, 
this is a question that must be addressed.

If this is a first of a kind event, it should require an environmental 
impact statement under NEPA that says, "All significant government actions 
shall be preceded by an Environmental Impact Statement. " Do any of your 
groups have public interest lawyers who could file a request for a 
temporary restraining order until an EIS is prepared and the public has a 
chance to call for hearings?

Comments, please.

Jeannine Honicker

<mailto:djhonicker@msn.com>djhonicker@msn.com





From:  Glenn Carroll <atom.girl@mindspring.com>
To:  SRS Action <srs-action@yahoogroups.com>
Subject:  [srs] Perma-Fix Gets DOE Contract for SRS waste
Date:  Tue, 22 Aug 2006 18:49:27 -0400
 >This brief article cropped up today in the Houston Chronicle.
 >
 >Purex is the reprocessing technology used to extract plutonium from fuel
 >irradiated in five reactors at SRS, then SRP.
 >
 >Hey, is there anything to report from the DHEC meeting on the waste tanks
 >today?
 >
 >Glenn
 >
 >*
 >
 >Aug. 22, 2006
 >Perma-Fix Gets Waste Disposal Contract
 >
 >© 2006 The Associated Press | Houston Chronicle
 >
 >http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4133194.html
 >
 >OAK RIDGE, Tenn. ‹ Perma-Fix Environmental Services Inc. said Tuesday its
 >East Tennessee Materials & Energy Corp. subsidiary received a Department of
 >Energy contract worth up to $2.7 million to treat and dispose of about
 >50,000 gallons of low-level radioactive and Purex solvent waste.
 >
 >The waste is stored at the Department's Savannah River Site in South
 >Carolina. The site is operated by an integrated team led by Washington
 >Savannah River Co. It was constructed in the early 1950's to produce basic
 >materials used in the fabrication of nuclear weapons.
 >
 >
 >Perma-Fix shares were unchanged at $2.06 in morning trading on the Nasdaq.
 >
 >
 >
 >Posted for SRS Action:
 >--
 >Glenn Carroll
 >Coordinator
 >NUCLEAR WATCH SOUTH
 >(aka GANE - Georgians Against Nuclear Energy)
 >P.O. Box 8574
 >Atlanta, GA 31106
 >PHONE/FAX: 404-378-4263
 >atom.girl@mindspring.com
 >
 >STOP PLUTONIUM! GANE ON THE WEB --
 >http://www.greenpeace.fr/stop-plutonium/en/20050301_en.php3
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >
 >Yahoo! Groups Links
 >
 ><*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
 >     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/srs-action/
 >
 ><*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
 >     srs-action-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
 >
 ><*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
 >     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 >
 >
 >

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 68 Knox News: Y-12 runs tight defense against Pearl

After special approval, UT coach helps begin campaign

By BOB FOWLER, fowlerb@knews.com 

August 23, 2006                                                                 

OAK RIDGE - Not even University of Tennessee men's basketball 
coach Bruce Pearl can get around tight security at the Y-12 
nuclear weapons plant. 

Pearl was the guest of honor for Tuesday morning's tip-off of the 
Y-12 United Way fund drive. 

But he forgot to bring proof of citizenship - a passport or birth 
certificate - required to gain admittance. 

So, after a 45-minute delay, Pearl finally received special 
permission from the National Nuclear Security Administration's 
on-site office to gain entry to the sprawling plant. 

"Somebody in security works with a University of Kentucky grad, 
and somehow I became a registered terrorist," Pearl said jokingly 
to the crowd. 

Several hundred employees at the Y-12 National Security Complex 
had waited patiently on a sun-baked concrete pad - the only 
vestige of a World War II-vintage building - for Pearl's arrival. 

As they waited, the crowd listened to the 11-member Y-12 Jazz 
Band, put in silent auction bids on four basketballs autographed 
by Pearl, and bought baked goods - with all proceeds earmarked 
for the United Way. 

Tuesday's events launched the annual fund-raising drive by Y-12's 
4,000 employees for the nonprofit organization. 

The plant and its workers raised $682,416 for United Way last 
year. The goal this year is $720,000. 

BWXT Y-12, the contractor that manages the Y-12 plant, 
jump-started fund raising Tuesday with a $40,000 contribution. 

Bob Fowler, News Sentinel Anderson County editor, may be reached 
at 864-481-3625.

 Copyright 2006, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
*****************************************************************
 69 Knox News: Once designed to fly in space, reactor will be put in ground

By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com

August 23, 2006

A tiny nuclear reactor, originally designed for space use, has 
been defueled after more than 30 years in storage. Its carcass 
will be sent to a Utah landfill for disposal in October. 

The SNAP (Systems for Nuclear Auxiliary Power) reactor was a 
backup to SNAP 10-A, the first and only nuclear reactor launched 
into space by the United States in 1965. 

The sister reactor was tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 
although never operated at full power, and was then sent to the 
Y-12 nuclear weapons plant for storage. It was stored there 
because its fuel was highly enriched uranium - of potential use 
in an atomic bomb. 

Earlier this summer, the little reactor - about the size of a 
kitchen trashcan - was transported from Y-12 to a hot cell at 
ORNL, where the uranium fuel was removed and then sent back to 
Y-12. Steven Wyatt, a federal spokesman at Y-12, said the 
enriched uranium was received there July 13. 

The reactor vessel and contaminated parts will be shipped to the 
EnergySolutions waste-disposal facility at Clive, Utah, according 
to a spokesman at ORNL. 


+ 

The K-29 building is no longer. 

Demolition of the uranium-enrichment facility, built during the
early Cold War to boost the U.S. capacity for producing nuclear
bombs and fuel for nuclear reactors, was completed July 18, said
Dennis Hill of Bechtel Jacobs Co. 

Bechtel Jacobs is the Department of Energy's cleanup manager in
Oak Ridge. 

Workers are still delivering the contaminated debris to the
government's nuclear landfill, and all told, about 37,800 tons
will be shipped there from K-29. As many as 43 truckloads a day
made the trek from the demolition site to the landfill several
miles away. 

K-29 operated from 1951 to 1985. It is the first of the big
uranium-processing plants, which separated the fissile U-235, to
be brought to the ground. The nearby K-27 and K-25 buildings are
up next. Developers are still hoping to find industrial tenants
for the K-31 and K-33 buildings. 


+ 

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., was in Oak Ridge last week for the
opening of a new lung-screening program for workers at Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant. 

During his remarks at the offices of the Atomic Trades and Labor
Council, Wamp cited the important role that advocates play in
getting things done in Washington and elsewhere. The council and
other groups worked for years to get the cancer screenings for
current and retired workers. 

Wamp acknowledged Richard Miller, who's been an unwavering force
in Washington on behalf of sick nuclear workers, and noted that
Miller can sometimes be a pest who elected officials dread to
see coming. It's that persistence, however, that makes Miller
effective, he said. 

After the event, I asked Wamp what's taking place regarding a
pension increase for Oak Ridge contractor retirees. The
congressman said he is working on that issue, trying to get a
compromise between the wants of the Coalition of Oak Ridge
Retired Employees and the Department of Energy, which has
declared a raise isn't going to happen. 

"We're going to fight for that, but we need more help," he said
of other elected officials, including the winner of the
Corker-Ford battle for the U.S. Senate seat from Tennessee. 

"We need to find a way to do something decent," Wamp said. He
said a raise wasn't likely to happen before the fall elections
but hopefully will not long thereafter. 

Meanwhile, Wamp said he planned to visit the Spallation Neutron
Source today. He's also working to get President Bush to attend
the not-yet-scheduled grand opening of the SNS, although he
indicated prospects aren't looking good at the moment. 

Wamp said he wanted Bush to see firsthand the $1.4 billion
federal project, which was built on time and on schedule. "It's
the antithesis of FEMA post-Katrina," he said. 

Senior writer Frank Munger covers the Department of Energy for
the News Sentinel. He may be reached at 865-342-6329 or at
munger@knews.com. This column is also available in the opinion
section of knoxnews.com.

 2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
 70 CONTRA COSTA TIMES: Input on Site 300 cleanup solicited

Wednesday, Aug 23, 2006

TRACY: Department of Energy opens 30-day window to file input on 
contaminated area of Livermore lab site

 By Betsy Mason 

The public has 30 days to comment on a plan to clean up an area
of Lawrence Livermore Laboratory's site 300 near Tracy, which
was used for research and testing of non-nuclear weapons,
testing that resulted in the release of contaminants to the
environment. 

The Department of Energy plan released Tuesday involves cleaning
up an area called Pit 7 in the northwest part of Site 300.
Unlined landfill pits there contain debris from 30 years of
explosives testing that is contaminated with volatile organic
compounds, nitrate, perchlorate, tritium and depleted uranium. 

The DOE discovered in 1982 that during periods of heavy
rainfall, the groundwater level is high enough to reach the
bottom of the toxic landfills. Site 300 made the Environmental
Protection Agency's list of priorities for cleanup in 1990. 

The DOE proposal includes cleaning tainted groundwater and
isolating polluted soil and landfill waste. Drainage diversions
would be built, and ground water would be pumped and treated. 

The DOE estimates it could take 150 years for the ground water
to return to acceptable contaminant levels. However, tritium --
one of the worst pollutants in the landfill -- would take only
45 years. 

Betsy Mason covers science and the national laboratories. Reach
her at or 925-847-2158. 

SEE THE DOCUMENTS: 

COMMENT ON PROPOSAL: 

• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Discovery Center,
located off Greenville Road near Old Patterson Pass Road,
Livermore, 925-422-3272 

• Tracy Public Library, 20 E. Eaton Ave., Tracy, 209-835-2221 

• Department of Toxic Substances Control, File Room, 700 Heinz
Ave., Berkeley, 510-540-3800 

SEE THE DOCUMENTS: 

COMMENT ON PROPOSAL: 

Send written comments by Sept. 21 

• Claire Holtzapple, national environmental policy act document
manager 

U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security
Administration 

Livermore Site Office 

M/S L-574, P.O. Box 808, Livermore, CA 94551-0808 

*****************************************************************
 71 Hanford News: Fate of 'lethal' waste up in the air
 
This story was published Monday, August 21st, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

Some of Hanford's most radioactive waste could end up orphaned
at the nuclear reservation because of uncertainties in its
disposal plan, according to an audit by the Department of
Energy's Office of Inspector General. 

DOE would like to send 1,935 tubes of highly radioactive
strontium and cesium to Yucca Mountain, Nev., for disposal
without vitrifying, or glassifying, the waste. 

That may not be the most viable strategy, according to the
audit. 

The National Academy of Sciences has called the capsules "the
most lethal source of radiation in the United States, except for
the core of an operating nuclear reactor." 

Now the capsules, which account for about 37 percent of the
total radioactivity at the site, are held in underwater pools at
the Waste Encapsulation and Storage Facility attached to
Hanford's B Plant. Storing the capsules under a protective
shield of water costs about $4.1 million a year. 

Before 2002, DOE planned to blend the contents of the capsules
with high-level tank waste and then vitrify the mixture at the
Waste Treatment Plant under construction before sending it to
Yucca Mountain. 

But in response to DOE's Office of Environmental Mangement's
2002 Top-to-Bottom Review, the DOE Hanford office in charge of
the waste decided the capsules could be overpacked and sent
directly to Yucca Mountain. DOE assumed the new plan would save
money, the audit said. 

But the plan is risky and could be expensive, the audit found. 

Yucca Mountain regulations prohibit disposal of the untreated
capsules. Although DOE is working to get acceptance criteria
changed, Yucca Mountain officials have indicated the repository
will not discuss changes until it has received an operating
license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Even if the acceptance criteria were changed, DOE could still be
required to come up with difficult design modifications for
over-pack disposal canisters. 

"By proceeding with direct disposal, one (Hanford DOE) official
estimated shipment could be delayed until 2028," the audit said.
In contrast, the Waste Treatment Plant, or vitrification plant,
could begin operating in 2019. 

However, Hanford DOE officials said the capsules would be
unlikely to go to the head of the line for processing at the vit
plant. The plant is being built to process much of the 53
million gallons of radioactive waste held in aging underground
tanks. 

The audit called for DOE to complete studies to decide how the
capsules should be disposed of and perform a formal cost
analysis. DOE already has a legal deadline of June 2007 under
the Tri-Party Agreement to assess the viability of disposing of
the capsules untreated at Yucca Mountain. 

"Ultimately, the department may incur higher than necessary
costs to dispose of the capsules under the direct disposal
approach," the audit said. "Specifically, by pursuing an option
with significant regulatory barriers, Richland increases the
possibility of making the capsules an 'orphaned waste' that does
not have a disposal path." 

The cesium and strontium in the capsules were once stored in
Hanford's underground tanks. After Hanford reactors irradiated
nuclear fuel, the fuel rods were chemically processed to remove
plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons program. The
radioactive and hazardous chemicals left when the plutonium was
removed have been stored in underground tanks since plutonium
production began during World War II. 

Starting in 1968, the cesium and strontium, which produce heat,
were removed from the waste to keep temperatures lower in the
tanks with less liquid. 

The audit report is posted at www.ig.doe.gov/igreports.htm.cq 

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 72 Hanford News: Burn pits eligibility remains on hold
 
This story was published Tuesday, August 22nd, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

The U.S. Department of Interior has too little information to
determine whether World War II burn pits at Hanford are eligible
for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Department of Energy and the Washington state historic
preservation officer earlier had determined the burn pits are
not eligible. However, that decision was appealed by
archaeologists to the Interior Department's keeper of the
National Register. 

Rather than making a decision, the Department of Interior
responded with a 2 1/2-page report outlining additional
materials it required. It wants more information about the
research potential and integrity of the burn pits. 

During World War II, up to 50,000 people lived at a construction
camp at Hanford as they raced to build the nuclear reactors and
processing plants that produced plutonium for the bomb dropped
on Nagasaki, Japan. Their work played a critical role in ending
the war and ushering in the Atomic Age. 

Trash from the camps was sorted for recyclables, then dumped
into a series of nearby pits. A sample of 339 items, including
bottles, dishes, tin containers and bric-a-brac, has been saved
from the burn pits. 

DOE plans to dig up thousands more items from pits that are
contaminated with burn fuels and to dispose of most of them at a
central Hanford landfill. 

That plan has been challenged by groups ranging from the
Confederated Tribes of the Umatillas to the Society of
Historical Archaeology. They want the pits to be included on the
National Register and the items studied as they are retrieved to
see if they can yield new information or verify existing
information about the workers of the Manhattan Project. 

"We do not have enough information about the research that could
potentially be addressed by the archaeological resources here,"
wrote Erika Martin Seibert, archaeologist for the National
Register, in response to the appeal. 

"Please consider if materials at the property could provide
important information about broad patterns in American history
or about workers 'home life,' or other specific questions about
this unique population," she wrote in a letter to DOE. 

She tossed out a broad range of potential research projects for
consideration: 

What was the male to female ratio and how is that reflected in
items in the pits? Did the secrecy and isolation of the site
affect types of personal items and amenities used there? Do the
canning jars recovered mean that workers were growing and
canning their own food and what would that mean about consumer
goods coming into the camp? What do the bric-a-brac recovered
say about workers' ability and need to make the camp homey? 

She asked if DOE had considered that a research design might be
developed using multiple lines of evidence, such as oral
histories, to examine materials at the property. 

She encouraged DOE to also consider the rest of the remains of
the Hanford Construction Camp for National Register evaluation
with the burn pits. If new information is sufficiently
compelling, the state may choose to provide substantive comments
or change its opinion about the eligibility of the site, she
wrote. 

DOE expects to respond to the letter in the next few weeks.

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 73 Hanford News: Vit plant to stay paused, DOE official says
 
This story was published Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

Construction on key parts of Hanford's massive vitrification
plant will continue to be halted over the next year, a top
Department of Energy administrator said Tuesday during a visit
to Hanford. 

The continued pause in construction into fiscal year 2008, which
begins October 2007, will allow time to finish evaluating data
from a study under way to verify whether new earthquake design
standards are safe. 

In the meantime, construction will continue on buildings that
will not handle high-level radioactive waste and are not
affected by the new earthquake design standards. Those include
the Low-Activity Waste Facility, the Analytical Laboratory and
support buildings. 

Construction on the High Level Waste and Pretreatment facilities
slowed throughout 2005, then was halted earlier this year amid
concerns about earthquake standards and a reduced budget from
Congress. 

DOE remains committed to building and operating the
vitrification plant, said James Rispoli, DOE's assistant
secretary for environmental management. 

"But it has to be done safely and it has to work properly," he
said. 

That includes ensuring that the seismic design standards are
adequate. A small study in 2004 showed that buildings might
shake more than anticipated in a severe earthquake, leading to
an increase in design standards for the Pretreatment and High
Level Waste Facilities after construction had begun. 

A larger earthquake study is under way with new bore holes on
the vitrification plant grounds in central Hanford to verify the
results of the 2004 study. 

The vitrification, or Waste Treatment Plant, is being built to
turn radioactive waste held in underground tanks into a stable
glass form for disposal. The waste is left from the past
production of plutonium for the nation's nuclear weapons
program. 

DOE also continues to support work to see if bulk vitrification
could be a viable alternative for treating some of the
low-activity radioactive tank waste, Rispoli said. Construction
on a bulk vitrification pilot plant also is on hold. 

Because the Waste Treatment Plant was not planned to treat all
53 million gallons of tank waste, Hanford's DOE office has been
looking at other technologies, such as bulk vitrification, to
treat some of the low-activity waste. 

"For a complete solution, we are definitely depending on
supplemental technology," Rispoli said. 

DOE expects to have an in-depth report on the pilot plant's cost
and schedule by November. Those numbers should be independently
validated in time for the start of the congressional budget
process in February, he said. 

Bulk vitrification, which would glassify waste in boxes the size
of land-sea shipping containers, appears to be a relatively
low-cost and straightforward option for some of the waste,
Rispoli said. Waste treatment could begin in 2011 if bulk
vitrification proves viable, he said. 

DOE is expecting a cost and schedule validation report from the
Army Corps of Engineers this month on the main vitrification
plant, he said. The cost of the plant has climbed from $5.8
billion as recently as 2005 to a preliminary estimate of $11.55
billion this summer. 

Once the validation is completed, Rispoli does not anticipate
more dramatic price increases, he said. Expert reviews, a design
that's 70 percent complete and robust contingency to be included
in the final cost and schedule estimate have reduced the
uncertainty and should limit any future increases, he said. 

Price increases during the past 18 months have been blamed on
the new earthquake design standards, other technical problems,
the rising cost of steel, inadequate funding, trouble finding
qualified nuclear vendors and management and oversight troubles. 

DOE plans to stick with Bechtel National as contractor on the
project, after discussing options with DOE and Department of
Defense experts, Rispoli said. 

"We believe anything we would do to shift contractors would be
detrimental to the project," Rispoli said. Bechtel National has
learned from problems on the project, he said. 

Bechtel National has notified employees of the continued halt to
construction on parts of the plant that will handle high-level
radioactive waste. The new construction plan will give the
contractor more flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances
without disrupting the work force, it told employees. 

It also will allow design of key parts of the plant to move well
ahead of construction. 

Under the revised plan, the Low Activity Waste Facility, the
Analytical Laboratory and the support facilities would be
completed by 2012. The entire plant is not expected to begin
operating until between 2017 and 2019. 

Rispoli spent part of Tuesday touring Hanford and plans to be on
the site again Thursday. Today he will speak at 9:15 a.m. at a
public meeting of the Environmental Management Advisory Board at
the Courtyard by Marriott in Richland. 

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 74 Pahrump Valley Times: Report says DOE not correcting mistakes

Aug. 23, 2006 

PROBLEMS COULD CAUSE GREATER YUCCA DELAYS

BY STEVE TETREAULT 

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Energy is still failing to do a
good job correcting mistakes in its nuclear waste program, a
problem that could affect safety and delay the proposed Yucca
Mountain repository even more if it is not fixed, investigators
said in a report issued Friday. 

Since DOE put a new corrections program in place in October
2003, workers have reported more than 5,600 potential problems
with data, software and computer models for repository designs. 

But auditors found more than half of the most significant
potential problems were not addressed in a timely manner, and
mistakes continued to be repeated. More than 100 possible
problems that should have been handled through formal corrective
action were not managed properly, they added. 

The 20-page report released by the Energy Department's inspector
general underscored DOE's continuing struggle to manage details
of the complex undertaking. 

DOE had asked the inspector general to audit its corrections
program, which was put in place after it was found that earlier
systems for fixing deficiencies were not working. 

DOE accepted the latest audit, and "initiated an aggressive plan
of action to improve the program," according to the report. 

"This review shows the commitment that this department has
toward improving the management and oversight of the Yucca
Mountain Project," DOE spokesman Craig Stevens said in a
statement. "This comprehensive report will help us make certain
that our processes and procedures are sound as we move forward." 

Bob Loux, a repository critic and director of the Nevada Agency
for Nuclear Projects, said the latest audit spotlighted the same
DOE problems as before with quality assurance. 

"We have been seeing and hearing about these kinds of things for
some time," Loux said. "If anything, the IG is understating the
effect these problems have. In other nuclear facilities these
things have resulted in cancellations." 

The Energy Department has set a June 2008 goal to send the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission a comprehensive application to
license a repository where 77,000 tons of highly radioactive
spent fuel would be handled and stored within Yucca Mountain,
100 miles northwest of Las Vegas. 

Following an eight-month audit, inspectors said they were told
by Yucca managers that some corrections "proved to be more
complicated than anticipated." In some cases, corrections were
delayed for budget reasons. 

"As a result, potential conditions that could affect the ongoing
design and analysis work may go unresolved," auditors said.
Problems could delay NRC licensing to begin repository
construction, they said. 

DOE missed its original 1998 deadline to open a Yucca
repository, and also abandoned a 2010 startup date. Its new
target for repository operations is March 2017. 	     

For comment or questions, please e-mail 
Copyright © Pahrump Valley Times, 1997 - 2006 
*****************************************************************
 75 Platts: DOE to guarantee $2 billion in loans to back a range of 
renewables projects 

The Department of Energy on August 7 launched a program that will 
make $2 billion in loan guarantees available for a range of 
renewable and fossil energy projects.  

Congress last year directed DOE to make loan guarantees available 
in an effort to encourage the development of alternative fuels 
and low-carbon electricity sources. The program is a favorite of 
lawmakers, who were critical of DOE earlier this year for a delay 
in its implementation, and there is no shortage of companies who 
hope to get coverage for as much as 80% of a project's cost. 

"Projects eligible to receive loan guarantees are vast and 
varied," Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said. "We hope to spur 
investment in new renewable energy projects, like solar and wind, 
as well as clean coal technologies, and efforts that can convert 
cellulosic biomass into ethanol." Nuclear plants, hybrid and 
biodiesel car manufacturing plants, pollution controls and oil 
refineries also qualify for the loan guarantees. 

Because of intense interest, DOE and the White House last month 
decided to issue the $2 billion in guarantees on an interim basis 
under guidelines while they develop regulations that will be used 
to cover billions of dollars in additional loans. 

Bodman unveiled the guidelines at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 
Baltimore for Maryland's first state-run E-85 station, which was 
built with money from DOE's Clean Cities program. The secretary 
said he wanted the loan guarantees to be given to "a diversity" 
of projects; he mentioned the need to advance cellulosic ethanol, 
which the Bush administration hopes can begin displacing gasoline 
in a half-dozen years. 

Source: Platts Global Power Report Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill 
Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Republished by permission.   
    
*****************************************************************

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: 
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml> 
    
*****************************************************************