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NUCLEAR POLICY
1 New York Times: Irans President Criticizes Bush in Letter to Americ
2 washingtonpost.com: Iranian President Makes Direct Appeal to America
3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iran never had hidden N-activities
4 AFP: US may seek UN vote on Iran sanctions despite Russian, Chinese
5 UPI: Analysis: Iran's growing array of missiles
6 AFP: US says 'ball in North Korea's court' after stalemate on talks
7 AFP: Canada slaps sanctions on North Korea
8 Korea Times: Six-Way Talks
9 Guardian Unlimited: Envoy: North Korea Won't Abandon Program
10 UPI: Bush ready to meet N.Korea's Kim: reports
11 Guardian Unlimited: U.S., N. Korea Reach No Deal on Talks
12 Guardian Unlimited: Japan Capable of Making Nuclear Weapon
13 Guardian Unlimited: Vote on Trident 'in New Year'
14 Guardian Unlimited: Rebellion brewing as MPs face Trident vote withi
15 GAZETA.KZ: Agreement on export of nuclear fuel to EU to be reached
16 AFP: Government to publish plans next week on replacing nuclear dete
17 Guardian Unlimited: Spy probe: Trail leads to Moscow
NUCLEAR REACTORS
18 US: [NukeNet] PG&E looking at nuclear plants
19 US: NRC: New NRC Senior Resident Inspector Assigned to Calvert Cliff
20 US: APP.COM: Yearly turtle toll at reactor may be limited |
21 US: Detroit Free Press: Critics slam plan for state to buy former nu
22 Financial express : Nuclear deal to power NPCILs capacity addition
23 ITAR-TASS: Date of building Chernobyl reactor confinement marked in
24 IHT: Rice letter raises concerns about conditions in U.S.-Indian nuc
NUCLEAR SECURITY
25 US: washingtonpost.com: U.S. Settles Suit Filed by Ore. Lawyer -
NUCLEAR SAFETY
26 33,000 BA passengers alerted over radiation
27 [NYTr] New twists in spy poisoning saga
28 [NYTr] Poisoned Spy: 12 UK sites show radioactive traces
29 Coastal Post: Horror Of US Depleted Uranium In Iraq Threatens World
30 Guardian Unlimited: Intro to Radiation, Its Danger to Humans
31 Guardian Unlimited: Inquest opens into spy's death
32 Guardian Unlimited: BA passengers in radiation alert
33 Guardian Unlimited: Full protective clothing for team performing aut
34 Guardian Unlimited: Radioactive material found on BA planes
35 Guardian Unlimited: More planes 'of interest' in Litvinenko case
36 AFP: Airline radiation alert as inquest into spy's death opens -
37 TorontoSun.com: Toronto And GTA - Radioactive parcels stop mail at b
38 Guardian Unlimited: FBI Joins Investigation of Poisoned Spy
39 BBC: Radiation found at 12 locations
40 REGNUM: United Nuclear informs about trade in polonium
41 Guardian Unlimited: Litvinenko was victim of 'Russian rogue agents'
42 AFP: Radioactivity scare spreads after former Russian spy's death -
43 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Find out about radioactivity
44 US: AZOM: Public Needs Better Understanding of the Safety of Nuclear
45 The Local: Radiation traces on BA Stockholm flights
46 Kommersant Moscow: Flying the Radioactive Skies -
47 US: KFVS12: Ammunitions plant fire raises concerns
48 US: UPI: NNSA fines firm for nuke safety violation
49 Whitehaven News: Radiation testing on beach
NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
50 reviewjournal.com: Yucca director downplays project timeline
51 US: The State: S.C. groups eligible for nuclear fuel study
52 US: Lexington Herald-Leader: Grants to let states vie for nuclear fu
53 US: SPI: Hanford is among federal choices to recycle nuclear fuel
54 US: The Enquirer: Piketon on list for nuclear-recycling plant
55 US: PE.com: Government will test LA dog park for radiation
56 US: El Paso Times: Department of Energy stops WIPP shipments
57 US: Salt Lake Tribune: EnergySolutions gets funding for nuclear repr
58 US: Cumberland Times-News: Meeting opened eyes to local uranium thre
59 Japan Times: JNFL's MOX-benignity claim hit
60 AU ABC: Nuclear laws spark waste storage fears.
61 US: UPI: Old radioactive waste feared in L.A. park
62 US: UPI: Analysis: U.S. far from nuclear waste home
63 Whitehaven News: US firm opens new offices
PEACE
64 Guardian Unlimited: IAEA Chief Urges Ban on Nuclear Tests
65 Guardian Unlimited: Clarke 'sceptical' on Trident move
66 US: SF Chron: Summary of classified plutonium study released / Feins
67 washingtonpost.com: Plutonium Lifespan in U.S. Weapons Much Longer T
68 Independent: Nuclear stockpiles cut to placate Trident opponents
69 US: Guardian Unlimited: Study: Warhead Plutonium Long-Lasting
70 Radio New Zealand: Key pledges to keep NZ nuclear-free
US DEPT. OF ENERGY
71 Aiken Today: Centrifugal force is part of new process to help clean
72 DOE: Energy Secretary and Secretary of the Treasury Announce the
73 Tri-City Herald: Hanford considered for recycling project
74 Hanford News: Reach center kicks off fundraising; Battelle official,
75 Knox News: OR plot considered for nuke recycling site
76 Chattanoogan.com: Oak Ridge Selected For DOE Siting Grant -
77 AS: Berkeley Lab Earth Sciences Leader Gudmundur 'Bo' Bodvarsson Die
78 Carlsbad Current-Argus: Energy alliance among DOE grant recipients
79 Columbus Dispatch: Old Piketon plant to be considered for nuke recyc
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FULL NEWS STORIES
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1 New York Times: Irans President Criticizes Bush in Letter to American People -
By MICHAEL SLACKMAN
Published: November 30, 2006
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 29 Irans president, Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, told the American people on Wednesday that he was
certain they detested President Bushs policies his support
for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties and he
offered to work with them to reverse those policies.
The call came in the form of a six-page letter in English,
published online and addressed to noble Americans that
discussed the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S.
administration. It suggested that Americans had been fooled
into accepting their governments policies, especially toward
Israel.
What have the Zionists done for the American people that the
U.S. administration considers itself obliged to blindly support
these infamous aggressors? Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote. Is it not
because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of
the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?
This was the latest public step by Irans president to promote a
dialogue with the United States. He wrote a letter to Mr. Bush
in May, calling on him to shift his policies and open a
discussion, but it was dismissed by the White House as
irrelevant to the central issue dividing them Irans nuclear
program. Then Mr. Ahmadinejad challenged Mr. Bush to a public
debate, also dismissed by the White House.
On Wednesday, the administrations reaction remained unchanged.
This is a transparently hypocritical and cynical letter,
Nicholas R. Burns, under secretary of state for political
affairs, said in Washington about the latest letter. It
reflects a profound lack of understanding of the United States.
Still, at least tactically the letter seemed to take a page from
Mr. Bush himself, who, speaking to the United NationsGeneral
Assemblyin September, sought to bypass the Iranian government
and address the people directly. The letter also distinguished
between the administration and the people.
Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this
behavior, and they showed their discontent in the recent
elections, Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote. I hope that in the wake of
the midterm elections, the administration of President Bush will
have heard and will heed the message of the American people.
But it was the emphasis on religious themes, specifically Shiite
Muslim notions of justice and fighting oppression, that
characterized the new letter as it did his letter to President
Bush.
Both our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and
justice-seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection,
the letter said.
The letter seemed directed at three audiences. It sought to
reach out to Americans through religious values; to the Arab
world, by emphasizing the Palestinian conflict with Israel; and
to Mr. Ahmadinejads political base at home, which includes the
military, hard-line clerics and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the
supreme leader.
The letter also employed an inferential, Iranian style of
communication that experts say is likely to leave Americans cold.
Americans are going to be very puzzled by it, said William
Beeman, a linguistic anthropologist at Brown Universitywho
specializes in Persian. People are simply not used to being
talked to this way. He added, It is almost a sermon, which is
very much in keeping with his religious background. But I should
also point out it is also a lecture.
The letter reminded Americans that many victims of Katrina
continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in
poverty and homelessness.
It also lamented: Civil liberties are increasingly being
curtailed. Even the privacy of the individuals is fast losing
its meaning.
The president made no reference to the level of poverty,
political freedom or judicial independence in his own country.
After referring to Abu Ghraib in Iraq and the prison at
Guantnamo Bay, Cuba, he wrote: I have no doubt that the
American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed
deplore it.
Since his election in June 2005, Mr. Ahmadinejad has pursued an
aggressive and outspoken foreign policy, relying on the bully
pulpit of his position to make up for the limited powers of
Irans presidency.
His refusal to end enrichment of uranium and his calls for the
destruction of Israel have won him few friends in the West. But
they have led to increasing popularity across the Muslim world.
Davoud Hermidas-Bavand, a professor of international relations
at Tehran University, said the letter was mostly an effort to
win the allegiance of Arabs. Iran has been trying to position
itself as the pre-eminent power in the Middle East.
His first objective is to get the sympathy of Arabs, said Dr.
Hermidas-Bavand. The letter makes Ahmadinejad a subject of
international talks, particularly in the Middle East.
He said the letter gave insight into President Ahmadinejads
understanding of American society and governance as being driven
largely by Christian beliefs and values.
He has probably been told that American people are religious
and that is how Mr. Bush won, by addressing peoples sense of
faith, he said. Now he wants to capitalize on this sense of
religiousness.
Iran finds its leverage rising, especially as Iraq struggles
through bloody sectarian fighting. In Washington, there is
increased pressure on the White House to open direct talks with
Iran to help stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mr. Ahmadinejad offered a litany of sharp attacks on American
policy calling, for example, for withdrawal from Iraq. And he
once again highlighted a central demand of Tehran: that it be
treated as an equal by Washington.
But Professor Beeman also said that Americans should recognize
that the letter did represent an overture. Iran is saying, We
want to have a dialogue with you, he said.
Helene Cooper contributed reporting from Amman, Jordan, and
Nazila Fathi from Iran.
Copyright 2006The New York Times Company
*****************************************************************
2 washingtonpost.com: Iranian President Makes Direct Appeal to Americans -
By Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page A17
In an unusual letter to the American people, Iranian President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday called for the pullout of U.S.
forces from and charged that Bush administration policy is based
on "coercion, force and injustice."
The five-page letter, which was both conciliatory in references
to "Noble Americans" and scathing in lambasting Jewish influence
in the United States, said there is an urgent need for dialogue
between Iranians and Americans because of the "tragic
consequences" of U.S. intervention abroad.
[Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, left, sought help from Iranian
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in stemming Iraq's sectarian
violence.] Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, left, sought help
from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in stemming Iraq's
sectarian violence. (By Vahid Salemi -- Associated Press)
In Iraq, he wrote, hundreds of thousands have been killed,
maimed or displaced, while terrorism has grown "exponentially"
and daily life has become a challenge. "With the presence of the
US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins,
to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty," he
wrote. ". . . I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the
American people, consent to the billions of dollars . . . from
your treasury for this military misadventure."
U.S. resources would be better spent at home, he added, to
alleviate poverty and help the "many victims" of Hurricane
Katrina.
Ahmadinejad also questioned whether terrorism can be defeated by
traditional warfare. "If that were possible, then why has the
problem not been resolved?" he wrote. "The sad experience of
invading Iraq is before us all."
But the toughest language was reserved for , which Ahmadinejad
referred to as the "Zionist regime." The hard-line Iranian
leader, who won an upset election last year, charged that
Washington's "blind support" for Israel has allowed the nation
to pursue policies against Palestinians without constraints. "No
day goes by without a new crime," he said.
"What have the Zionists done for the American people that the US
administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these
infamous aggressors? Is it not because they have imposed
themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial,
cultural and media sectors?" he wrote. The letter was released
by the Iranian mission to the United Nations.
The Bush administration dismissed the letter as a public
relations stunt that included nothing new. "Actions speak louder
than words, and I think if you look at the record of Iranian
action, we, unfortunately, haven't seen any change in behavior
that would indicate that they've got a new approach to things,"
said Tom Casey, a State Department spokesman.
The State Department also rejected calls for withdrawing U.S.
troops, noting that the letter came one day after the United
Nations, at Iraq's request, had renewed the mandate of the
U.S.-led coalition force for another 12 months.
Casey told reporters that has no credibility on Iraq, given
Tehran's support for violence and the Shiite militias. "That
includes its support for terrorism in Iraq. It includes its
support for Hezbollah. It includes its support for
Palestinianist rejection groups. It includes its continued
defiance of the international community's efforts to deal with
the Iranian nuclear program. . . . And that's why Iran finds
itself in a very isolated place right now," Casey said.
In his letter, Ahmadinejad issued a warning to Democrats taking
over the House and Senate that they would be "held to account"
by history for their decisions.
"If the US Government meets the current domestic and external
challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can
remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the
global resentment and hatred of America," he wrote.
Iran's current positions on regional issues have taken on new
importance in light of the debate over whether to include Iran
and Syria in efforts to stabilize Iraq. The idea has been
discussed within the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel led
by former secretary of state James A. Baker III and former
representative Lee H. Hamilton (D-Ind.) that wrapped up
deliberations yesterday on its policy recommendations for the
White House.
This is not the first letter from the Iranian leader to the
United States. In May, Ahmadinejad wrote a rambling 18-page
letter to President Bush that reflected on common values between
Christianity and Islam, then questioned how a "follower of Jesus
Christ" could order countries to be attacked, lives destroyed
and cities set ablaze. The White House did not respond.
The Washington Post: | | | | | | |
*****************************************************************
3 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Iran never had hidden N-activities
2006/11/30
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said,
"Tehran has never had hidden nuclear activities and has declared
all its activities and nuclear facilities that have been
necessary in accordance with NPT."
Mohammed ElBaradei, Director-General of International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), has recently said that IAEA investigations
have faced with questions without answers concerning Tehran's
sensitive actions."
Hosseini added, "Statements and reports of agency's inspectors
concerning Iran's nuclear activities and program have been so
transparent that would present a clear outlook for the agency
and international observers."
He added, in the last three years more than 2,000 pages of
declaration concerning Iran's nuclear activities has been
dispatched to the IAEA.
On Natanz installation, Hosseini said, Iran declared it before
the due time in accordance with NPT safeguards.
Concerning undeclared activities, Hosseini said, as Mr.
ElBaradei has said the process needs time and it is not only for
Iran.
The Spokesman concluded according to the repeated confirmations
of Mr. ElBaradei all declared activities of Iran to the IAEA
have been examined carefully and there has been no deviation on
them.
mk
Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran
Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center.
E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir
*****************************************************************
4 AFP: US may seek UN vote on Iran sanctions despite Russian, Chinese objections -
Thu Nov 30, 6:01 PM
SHUNEH, Jordan (AFP) - The United States said that it might try
to force through a United Nations resolution imposing sanctions
on Iran over its suspect nuclear program despite objections from
Russia and China. [ src=]
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters following
talks with Arab officials at this Dead Sea resort that she still
hoped to obtain agreement among the five permanent members of
the UN Security Council plus Germany in favor of a sanctions
package against Iran.
The so-called P5-plus-one group -- Britain, China, France,
Germany, Russia and the US -- has been trying for weeks to agree
on what sanctions to impose on Iran for its refusal to comply
with an earlier UN resolution requiring it to freeze a uranium
enrichment program. Washington in particular fears the program
is a cover for producing nuclear weapons.
While all six states have agreed in principle to impose some
sanctions until Iran agrees to suspend the enrichment and enter
into negotiations on its nuclear program, Russia and China have
balked at the terms of a draft resolution drawn up by Britain,
France and Germany.
Rice indicated Thursday that Washington and its European allies
could submit a resolution to the Security Council even without
their partners' accord.
"Obviously we'd like to keep the unity of the P5-plus-one, but
unity is not an end in itself," Rice said.
"I'm all for maintaining unity, but I am also in favor of
action," she said.
The United States and its European allies are seeking sanctions
under Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which legally obliges all UN
members to comply with the punitive measures.
A draft resolution circulated by Britain, France and Germany
would have barred trade with Iran in goods related to its
nuclear and ballistic missile programs and slapped financial and
travel restrictions on persons and agencies involved in the
sectors.
But Russia and to a lesser extent China, which have extensive
economic and energy ties with Iran, have tried to water down the
resolution, while Washington hoped to beef it up.
The US, which has for six months been threatening action against
Iran within "weeks, not months," is running out of patience,
Rice said.
"We have to do something, and we'll just have to look at what
the options are," she said.
Rice would not elaborate. But a US official speaking privately
said Washington was considering pushing through a resolution
over Russian and Chinese objections in hopes that it would
either "shame" the two into voting for the measures, or least
getting them to abstain in a security council vote.
China and Russia both have veto power on the council.
Rice said she had a positive discussion on the issue with
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of a
Pacific Rim summit last month, but there was no guarantee that
would translate into action at the UN.
She said Washington could be satisfied with getting a Chapter 7
resolution through the Security Council, almost regardless of
the specific content or vote count.
"The passage of a Chapter 7 resolution will make a difference,
because whatever's in it, the Iranians will be in a very small
club of countries," she said, adding that international
corporations, banks and institutions will all think twice before
dealing with a country under the shadow of UN reprobation.
"It has an affect on reputation, on people's willingness to deal
with you," she said, describing the effect as a "shadow on the
future" for the targeted government.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
5 UPI: Analysis: Iran's growing array of missiles
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence -
11/30/2006 9:56:00 AM -0500
By JOSHUA BRILLIANT UPI Correspondent
TEL AVIV, Israel, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- With missiles that can reach
every corner of the Middle East and survive preemptive strikes,
Iran is already "the major missile power of the region, at least
in theory," said a former head of Israel's missile defense
program.
"No other country in the world ... comes close to Iran in the
number and variety of ballistic missiles in development or
already deployed," Uzi Rubin wrote in a study published by the
Institute for National Security Studies.
And yet, some of those missiles' effectiveness is questionable,
he noted.
Rubin based his study on published materials but his background
-- from 1991 to 1999 he was the Arrow anti-ballistic missile
program manager -- enables him to better analyze those reports.
He wrote that most of the missiles designed to control the sea,
land, and air near Iran show Chinese and Russian pedigree. The
Raad, apparently an advanced version of the Chinese Silkworm, is
a shore based anti-ship missile whose range should be sufficient
to bloc the Persian Gulf at its widest point.
The Zelzal, which originally hails from China, is intended to
hit hostile troops concentrated some 125 miles away. Other
programs are externally similar to the old Soviet Strela, and
anti-tank missiles.
During naval exercises, in April 2006, Iran unveiled a rocket
propelled underwater projectile and a flying boat. However, "A
cursory examination of the video images revealed them to be
1960s vintage Soviet technologies" that Russian companies are
marketing, "Apparently with no great success."
Iran's Shahab family of ballistic missiles shares the heritage,
propulsion technology and general layout of the Soviet R11
missiles of the 1950s, also known as the Scuds. Gradually it has
been increasing its missiles' ranges and they are, "an
indispensable complement to its nuclear ambitions," according to
Rubin.
Iran bought Scud B and Scud C missiles with their launchers and
production lines, dubbed them Shahab 1 and 2, and manufactured
them "in considerable quantities," Rubin noted.
That program was initially designed to counter the Iraqi threat.
Eventually Iran amended its threat perception. It sought to
dissuade Saudi Arabia from hosting U.S. forces, and -- if the
U.S. attacked -- planned to strike at Israel.
Hence the Shahab 3. It is, "a very close relative, if not a full
fledged clone of the North Korean mysterious No Dong," wrote
Rubin.
In 2004, Iran tested an extended version of the Shahab 3. It is
a longer missile, its internal design seems to have been
significantly modified, and it "carries the telltale signs of
Soviet-style missile engineering."
After that test the Iranians said their missiles have a range of
about 1,250 miles.
With them, "Every major city and military installation between
the western shores of Turkey and the eastern border of Pakistan
and between the Black Sea in the north and the southern narrows
of the Red Sea are within range," Rubin noted.
Moreover, it can hit any point in the Middle East from fixed
sites deep inside Iran. It can deploy the missiles from
well-protected silos "survivable against preemption."
Only 10 Shahab 3 flight tests were conducted between July 1998,
when it was first tried, and May 2006.
"This is a remarkably low number for what is surely a strategic
weapon for Iran." About half those tests ended in total or
partial failure, Rubin said.
By Western standards the Shahab 3 would not yet be considered
operational. It would not be mass-produced. However, Iranians
seem to think that if the design works once or twice, they are
ready to take the chance that it will work in the battlefield
too.
"There should be no doubt that in case of conflict, Iran will
launch Shahab 3 missiles regardless of their flight test record,
and that some of them will reach their destinations," Rubin
stressed.
Last year Iran's then-Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani elaborately
extolled solid propellant rocketry and alluded to a twin-engine
missile; Rubin inferred that Iran is engaged in developing a
multi-stage strategic range ballistic missile.
He told United Press International he believes Iran's
intelligence was behind the theft of KH55 (Kent) cruise missiles
in the Ukraine. The plane that flew them out belonged to a
company whose address was a Tehran mailbox.
"The theft ... will serve for the development of an indigenous
version of a strategic cruise missile," he maintained.
According to Israeli intelligence, and a German account, a BM 25
missile, with a range of roughly 1,500 to 2,200 miles, was
transferred from North Korea to Iran.
But the Iranians do not need such a missile to hit targets in
the Middle East. The Shahab 3's range is sufficient for that. It
should, however, concern the Europeans since it could reach
central Europe.
Iran is also developing satellites. Its achievements have been
"relatively meager," according to Rubin, but its statements and
disclosures about that program suggest it is picking up speed.
"Any suitably modified SLV (Space Launch Vehicle) can serve as
an ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile), Rubin noted.
All indications are that Iran's missile and space programs "have
suffered from deficiencies in leadership and resources ... The
disparate programs are making headway, but in a somewhat chaotic
manner," he wrote.
Nevertheless, Iran's missile and space programs "are no paper
tigers."
At the rate they are going, "Iranian missiles will dominate the
entire continent of Europe by the end of this decade. Once they
perfect their workhorse SLV, their reach will become truly
global," Rubin added.
Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
6 AFP: US says 'ball in North Korea's court' after stalemate on talks -
November 30, 10:40 PM
NARITA, Japan (AFP) - A US envoy has said the burden was on
North Korea to resume negotiations on ending its nuclear program
after intense talks in Beijing failed to produce a breakthrough.
Christopher Hill, the chief US negotiator with the communist
state, said Thursday he was still optimistic that six-nation
disarmament talks would resume by the end of the year, even
though there was "a lot of work to do".
Hill insisted that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons,
while Pyongyang stood firm that it would only disarm in return
for concessions.
"I want to stress the ball is in their court. They know what
they have to do," Hill told reporters on a brief stop in Japan
as he flew between Beijing and Washington.
"We are not interested in having a situation in which they
pretend to denuclearize and we pretend to believe them. They've
got to denuclearize," he said.
North Korea on October 9 defiantly tested an atom bomb. But
three weeks later it said it would return to six-way talks it
had shunned for a year.
Hill met for two days in Beijing with his North Korean and
Chinese counterparts on setting a date for the talks.
Envoys from South Korea and Japan also gathered in the Chinese
capital to jump-start the roundtable negotiations, which involve
Russia as well.
Hill said much of the discussion focused on implementing a
September 19, 2005 deal, under which North Korea agreed in
principle to give up its nuclear program in exchange for aid and
security guarantees.
North Korea launched a boycott of the talks two months after the
September agreement to protest a set of US financial sanctions.
In Beijing, North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said North
Korea had agreed to return to talks because the nuclear test
strengthened its position. Kim said Pyongyang would not give up
nuclear weapons without concessions in return.
"There are many commitments in the September 19 joint statement
and at this stage, there won't be any unilateral abandonment" of
nuclear weapons, Kim said.
The latest crisis began when the administration of US President
George W. Bush, who famously branded North Korea part of an
"axis of evil", accused the regime of secretly producing nuclear
bombs.
North Korea kicked out inspectors from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2002 as tensions built up.
On a visit to Tokyo, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei said the UN
nuclear watchdog was ready to go back into North Korea if the
six-party talks reached a deal.
IAEA involvement would help "assure the international community
that all nuclear activities in the DPRK (North Korea) are
exclusively for peaceful purposes," he said.
While condemning North Korea's nuclear test, ElBaradei said it
showed the need "to engage in an immediate and sustained
dialogue to address such a situation and its underlying causes".
The Bush administration has refused to talk to North Korea
bilaterally, except on the sidelines of six-nation talks. Hill
said the US was only interested in negotiations that could yield
an agreement.
He said he had asked Kim Kye-Gwan during their two days of talks
for any new ideas on breaking the impasse.
"Unfortunately he did not have anything new, but I told him to
take his time and if he could think of some, we'd be happy to
consider them," Hill said.
"The problem is not setting the date," he added. "The problem is
getting to the talks and making progress because the purpose of
the talks is not (just) to talk."
China, which has faced pressure to show its influence over its
fellow communist country, said Thursday the meetings it hosted
were "meaningful and increased mutual understanding".
Japan also played down the failure to set a date.
"There is no reason to be so pessimistic about it. The content
is more important" than the schedule, said Chief Cabinet
Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki, the government spokesman.
Copyright 2006 AFP. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
7 AFP: Canada slaps sanctions on North Korea
Thu Nov 30, 2:03 PM
OTTAWA (AFP) - Canada announced it was implementing UN-mandated
sanctions against North Korea, while hoping the six-nation talks
on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program would quickly resume. [
src=]
"Canada is fully implementing the Resolution (1718), which is
intended to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks and to
encourage it to abandon all of its weapons of mass destruction
and ballistic missile programs in a verifiable and irreversible
manner," Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay said in a
statement.
"Canada welcomes North Korea's agreement to return to the
six-party talks and hopes that the meetings resume soon," he
added, referring to on-again, off-again negotiations involving
China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United
States.
North Korea tested a nuclear bomb on October 9, triggering UN
Security Council sanctions five days later, but on October 31
said it would return to the six-way talks it had shunned for a
year.
The UN sanctions, which mentioned no recourse to military
options, imposed an arms embargo on North Korea and an embargo
on nuclear and missile technology as well as "luxury products"
and introduced inspections of all cargo moving into and out of
North Korea.
The Globe and Mail newspaper said US and Canadian officials met
in Ottawa earlier this month to discuss possible joint naval
operations aimed at preventing further development of North
Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Canadian officials at the time, however, denied receiving an
official request for such a meeting.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
8 Korea Times: Six-Way Talks
Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion
Meetings About Resumption Make No Headway
Two days of meetings in Beijing between the top envoys of the
U.S. and North Korea about the resumption of the six-party talks
ended Wednesday without an agreement. The expectation that the
long-stalled talks would resume within the year may no longer
hold. U.S. chief envoy to the six-way talks Christopher Hill and
his North Korean counterpart Kim Kye-gwan held 15 hours of
marathon talks over two days. The meetings were brokered by
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei.
The noteworthy thing is that the just-ended talks in Beijing
were face-to-face talks between the two nations ? the format
long requested by North Korea. According to Chinas Foreign
Ministry, the representatives mainly exchanged views on resuming
the stalled six-party talks and enhancing mutual understanding.
Although they agreed to resume the six-party talks as early as
possible, they failed to set a timetable for resumption.
U.S.-imposed financial sanctions on the North were a sticking
point. Pyongyang wanted the U.S. to lift the restriction on
Macau-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA) as a precondition for the
North to come back to the six-way talks. The U.S. demanded that
the North complete a set of preliminary moves toward dismantling
its nuclear weapons program before the U.S. considers lifting
the sanctions.
Hill repeated the earlier promise that the U.S. would guarantee
the security of the North and provide a package of economic
assistance, including oil, if Pyongyang would give up its
nuclear ambitions. It was belatedly reported that President
George W. Bush told President Roh Moo-hyun during their recent
talks in Hanoi that he was ready to declare the end of the
Korean War in a tripartite summit of Bush, Roh and Kim Jong-il
of North Korea if Kim halts his bid for nuclear armament.
What is significant for Pyongyang is that Bush, who used to see
the country as a member of the axis of evil, has recognized
the country as a partner in dialogue. It is a big development
for their bilateral relationship. It is now North Koreas turn
for a goodwill gesture. Pyongyang has repeatedly said that it is
developing nuclear weapons to combat U.S. pressure aimed at
toppling its government. It is now on the verge of getting
everything it has long wanted.
Four other nations - South Korea, Japan, China and Russia - are
ready to give support to the North. It is time for the North to
make a decision over whether or not to give up its futile dream
of becoming a nuclear power not only for itself but also for the
rest of the world. The first step is to return to the six-party
talks as soon as possible.
11-30-2006 19:00
*****************************************************************
9 Guardian Unlimited: Envoy: North Korea Won't Abandon Program
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday November 30, 2006 4:46 PM
AP Photo BEJ113
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO (AP) - North Korea won't unilaterally abandon its atomic
weapons program, the communist nation's nuclear envoy said
Thursday, speaking after two days of meetings with his U.S.
counterpart failed to produce a date on restarting six-nation
disarmament talks.
Japan's envoy said talks could still resume before the end of
the year. But speaking to reporters in Tokyo, Kenichiro Sasae -
Japan's representative - said the timing for a new round would
depend on what progress was made in preparatory meetings.
``The possibility that talks could resume (in December) cannot
be denied. So long as there is a forward-looking prospect we can
hold talks anytime,'' Sasae said after discussions with U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who passed
through Tokyo on his way home from Beijing.
``We need to achieve results when we hold a next round of
six-party talks,'' Sasae said.
The multinational negotiations have been stalled for over a year
due to a North Korean boycott, and efforts to resume the talks
have taken on a new urgency since the North tested a nuclear
device on Oct. 9.
Earlier Thursday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye
Gwan said after two days of meetings with Hill in Beijing that
his country won't unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons
program.
But Kim, after meeting South Korea's main nuclear negotiator
Chun Yung-woo in the Chinese capital, said Pyongyang stands by
an agreement made last year to ban nuclear weapons and
manufacturing facilities on the Korean peninsula.
``Our denuclearization is the great leader's (Kim Il Sung's)
'dying instruction' and we are ready to implement our commitment
in the Sept. 19 joint statement,'' the North Korean envoy said.
Kim Il Sung was the leader of North Korea from its founding in
1948 until his death in 1994, when he was succeeded by his son,
Kim Jong Il.
Kim Kye Gwan added that his country ``cannot unilaterally
abandon'' its atomic weapons program at this point.
Hill said he presented ideas to Kim on how the North Korean
regime could disarm.
``These are ideas designed to make rapid progress,'' Hill told
reporters before leaving Beijing. ``We discussed them and
they're taking them back to Pyongyang and we hope to hear from
them soon.''
He said dates for the next round of six-nation discussions were
raised but gave no details. The China-hosted talks involve the
United States, North Korea, Japan, South Korea and Russia, which
did not send an envoy to Beijing for the informal talks.
Participants in the Beijing talks, however, did not set a
deadline for North Korea to respond, Hill told reporters during
his stopover in Tokyo.
``The purpose is that when we start the talks, that we really do
make progress,'' Hill said. ``The purpose of the six-party talks
is not to talk, it's to achieve the denuclearization of the
Korean peninsula.''
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe echoed Hill's comments.
``The important thing is for North Korea to abandon its nuclear
weapons, including existing plans,'' Abe told reporters. ``We
have to make six-party talks the first step toward that goal.''
North Korea's nuclear test alarmed Japanese leaders, and raised
fears of a regional arms race.
On Thursday, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said his country
has the technological know-how to produce a nuclear weapon, but
has no immediate plans to do so.
``Japan is capable of producing nuclear weapons,'' Aso told a
parliamentary committee on security issues. ``But we are not
saying we have plans to possess nuclear weapons.''
Aso, who has called for discussion of Japan's policy of not
possessing, producing or allowing the introduction of nuclear
weapons on its territory, also said his nation's pacifist
constitution does not forbid possession of an atomic bomb for
defense.
Japan's Kyodo News agency, citing unidentified people at the
Beijing talks, reported that North Korea's envoy Kim demanded
that the U.S. lift financial sanctions and freeze U.N. sanctions
that were imposed after the nuclear test.
Hill said the issue of Washington-imposed sanctions was
discussed but he made it clear that nuclear disarmament had to
be addressed first.
``The best way for them to get out of sanctions is to get out of
nuclear programs,'' he said. ``Unless they denuclearize, nothing
is going to be possible.''
North Korea agreed in September 2005 to abandon its nuclear
program in exchange for security guarantees and aid. But
Washington imposed financial sanctions against a Macau-based
bank on suspicions it was laundering counterfeit money for the
North Koreans. Angered by the move, Pyongyang withdrew from the
talks two months later.
---
Associated Press Writer Charles Hutzler in Beijing contributed
to this report.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
10 UPI: Bush ready to meet N.Korea's Kim: reports
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence -
11/30/2006 9:35:00 AM -0500
SEOUL, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush would meet
with North Korea's Kim Jong Il to sign a peace document if he
abandons nuclear weapons, South Korean reports say.
Bush expressed the intention when he met South Korean President
Roh Moo-hyun on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum summit in Hanoi earlier this month, according
to Seoul's largest daily Chosun Ilbo.
"Bush said he was be willing to meet face-to-face with North
Korean leader Kim Jong Il and sign a document declaring an end
to the 1950-53 Korean War if the North dismantles its nuclear
weapons," a diplomatic source was quoted as saying.
Bush also told Roh that Washington would provide "new economic
incentives" if the North gives up the nuclear programs, the
daily said.
The United States, representing 16-nation U.N. forces, is a
signatory to the 1953 armistice agreement that technically ended
the Korean War. The peninsula still remains in a state of war as
the Korean War ended without a peace treaty. The proposed end to
the war is seen as a step toward concluding a peace treaty.
North Korea has long called for the conclusion of a peace treaty
with the United States to replace the armistice mechanism,
saying it is essential to end the nuclear standoff.
Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
*****************************************************************
11 Guardian Unlimited: U.S., N. Korea Reach No Deal on Talks
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday November 30, 2006 6:31 AM
AP Photo BEJ103
By CHARLES HUTZLER
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) - U.S. and North Korean diplomats failed to reach
an agreement Wednesday on when to resume six-nation talks on
Pyongyang's disputed nuclear program, but stressed their
commitment to moving the process forward.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill left Thursday
after two days of talks with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister
Kim Kye Gwan, during which he said presented ideas on how the
regime - which conducted its first nuclear test last month -
could disarm.
``These are ideas designed to make rapid progress,'' Hill told
reporters at the airport without elaborating. ``We discussed
them and they're taking them back to Pyongyang and we hope to
hear from them soon.''
The North said in its own statement that it ``promised to study
these ideas.''
Kim also met South Korea's main nuclear negotiator on Thursday
in a Beijing restaurant, and told reporters afterward that
Pyongyang remains committed to an agreement made last year on
denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
``Our denuclearization is the great leader's 'dying instruction'
and we are ready to implement our commitment in the Sept. 19
joint statement,'' Kim said, referring to Kim Il Sung, the
leader of North Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death
in 1994, when he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong Il.
``There are many commitments according to the Sept. 19 joint
statement,'' said Kim, who added that his country ``cannot
unilaterally abandon'' its atomic weapons program at this point.
The China-hosted six-nation talks involve the United States,
North Korea, Japan, South Korea and Russia, which has not sent
an envoy to Beijing.
``The purpose is that when we start the talks, that we really do
make progress,'' Hill said. ``The purpose of the six-party talks
is not to talk, it's to achieve the denuclearization of the
Korean peninsula.''
Japan's Kyodo News agency cited unidentified officials at the
talks as saying Kim had demanded the U.S. lift financial
sanctions and freeze U.N. sanctions that were imposed after the
October nuclear test.
Hill said the issue of the Washington-imposed sanctions was
discussed but he made it clear that denuclearization had to be
addressed first.
Hill, who had been scheduled to fly to Seoul after Beijing,
canceled the trip, said Susan Stevenson, spokeswoman for the
U.S. Embassy in Beijing. She did not give a reason.
North Korea agreed in September 2005 to abandon its nuclear
program in exchange for security guarantees and aid. But
Washington imposed the financial sanctions against a Macau-based
bank on suspicions it was laundering counterfeit money for the
North Koreans. Angered by the move, Pyongyang withdrew from the
talks two months later.
Kim's trip to Beijing - a rare overseas visit for a North Korean
official - and the presence of other negotiators had lifted
expectations that there could be a breakthrough in ongoing
efforts to restart the talks.
An unannounced meeting between Hill and Kim last month in
Beijing led to Pyongyang agreeing to return to the arms
negotiations amid heightened tensions after the Oct. 9 nuclear
test.
A South Korean lawmaker said Wednesday he believed the North was
making preparations to possibly conduct a second nuclear test
next month or early next year unless the U.S. offers economic
concessions, such as lifting financial restrictions against
Pyongyang.
``I believe that there are specific movements in North Korea to
prepare for a second nuclear test,'' lawmaker Chung Hyung-keun
said, citing intelligence obtained by state intelligence
agencies, according to Chung's office. He did not elaborate.
There had been speculation that Pyongyang was preparing for a
second test after it conducted its first nuclear explosion Oct.
9. Last month, however, South Korean media reported that the
U.S. military had not detected any signs of preparations for a
second test.
Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
12 Guardian Unlimited: Japan Capable of Making Nuclear Weapon
From the Associated Press
[UP]
Thursday November 30, 2006 5:16 AM
AP Photo TOK104
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press Writer
TOKYO (AP) - Japan has the technological know-how to produce a
nuclear weapon but has no immediate plans to do so, the foreign
minister said Thursday, several weeks after communist North
Korea carried out a nuclear test.
Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who has called for discussion of
Japan's non-nuclear policy, also asserted in parliament that the
pacifist constitution does not forbid possession of the bomb.
``Japan is capable of producing nuclear weapons,'' Aso told a
parliamentary committee on security issues. ``But we are not
saying we have plans to possess nuclear weapons.''
Japan, the only country ever attacked by atomic weapons, has for
decades espoused a strict policy of not possessing, developing
or allowing the introduction of nuclear bombs on its territory.
Aso's comments appear to be stronger than those made last month
by Defense Minister Fimio Kyuma, who stated that Japan has
``advanced technology and missile capabilities so perhaps we do
have the potential to make nuclear arms.''
The non-nuclear stance has come under increasing scrutiny since
North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test, which raised severe security
concerns in Japan.
The test has raised fears it could trigger a regional arms race.
The North's nuclear test followed Pyongyang's test firing of
several ballistic missiles capable of hitting Japan.
Kiyomi Tsujimoto of pacifist opposition Social Democratic Party,
criticized Aso for supporting open debate over a possession of
nuclear weapons amid such concerns.
``International community is greatly concerned about Japan's
plutonium possession,'' she said. ``As foreign minister, Mr.
Aso, are you aware of global impact of saying it's not bad to
discuss nuclear possession under the circumstances?''
Aso, however, denied he was fanning the debate.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has asserted several times since the
test that Japan would not stray from its non-nuclear policy, and
he has refused to initiate a formal review of that stance.
Several high-ranking government and ruling party members,
however, including Aso, have argued for a high-level reappraisal
of the nuclear policy in light of the North Korean threat.
In a hearing before the lower house of parliament's Security
Committee, Aso reiterated his belief that the constitution's
pacifist clause does not prevent Japan from having nuclear bombs
for the purpose of defense.
The constitution's Article 9 bars Japan from the use of force to
settle international disputes.
``Possession of minimum level of arms for defense is not
prohibited under the Article 9 of the Constitution,'' Aso said.
``Even nuclear weapons, if there are any that fall within that
limit, they are not prohibited.''
Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
13 Guardian Unlimited: Vote on Trident 'in New Year'
[UP]
Press Association
Thursday November 30, 2006 11:43 AM
A White Paper on the future of Britain's Trident nuclear weapons
system is to be published by the Government on December 4,
followed by a vote in Parliament early in the New Year, Prime
Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman said.
Earlier former Cabinet minister Charles Clarke said he was
"extremely sceptical" of the need to replace Trident.
Mr Clarke is the most senior Labour politician to speak out
openly over his concerns about the Trident replacement, which is
estimated to cost at least 20 billion.
Both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown have
indicated their support for a replacement, and the Government's
position will be set out in the White Paper.
Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the plans have caused
disagreement within the Cabinet, with Peter Hain and Margaret
Beckett reported to have reservations.
Former home secretary Mr Clarke said on Thursday he would study
the White Paper closely before deciding whether to vote against
the Government on the issue.
But he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I am extremely
sceptical. Trident was an expensive weapons system developed in
the Cold War to meet the conditions of the Cold War, which ended
17 years ago.
"It is still capable of functioning for about another 15 years. I
think we have to take our security decisions on the basis of what
are likely to be the main security threats in the future, rather
than building weapons to fight the last war."
Trident was developed to deter the invasion of Europe or the
deployment of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union, while
Britain's main security threats today involve terrorism,
organised crime and people trafficking, said Mr Clarke.
"These types of threats that we have to face today aren't in my
opinion confronted by the Trident submarine-borne missile
system," he said.
Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.
About this site Guardian Unlimited Guardian News and Media
Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
14 Guardian Unlimited: Rebellion brewing as MPs face Trident vote within three months
Patrick Wintour and Richard Norton-Taylor
Friday December 1, 2006
The Guardian
Tony Blair is personally to launch a white paper backing an
expensive replacement for Britain's Trident nuclear submarine in
a Commons statement on Monday.
The cabinet will endorse the white paper hours earlier at a
special morning session. However, some cabinet ministers have
protested they were not aware until yesterday that Monday's
discussion would be followed by immediate publication of the
white paper, meaning in effect they will have no chance to alter
the detail of a paper that will already be printed.
MPs will vote on the issue about 10 weeks after Christmas, Jack
Straw, the leader of the house, said.
The government is expecting a large rebellion both in the party
and in the Commons, but is confident that it will win as long as
it secures Tory support. Mr Straw yesterday rejected suggestions
by the former home secretary Charles Clarke that the cabinet
decision was premature, and the retention of nuclear weapons
inappropriate in a post-cold war world.
Mr Straw argued that nuclear weapons remained relevant: "There
was a good deal of optimism when the Berlin wall collapsed that
this spelt the end of both ideological and military global
conflict. But the world has become, paradoxically, a much less
certain place and in some respects a more dangerous place." In
conversations with cabinet ministers, the defence secretary, Des
Browne, and the foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, have been
telling cabinet members that they must adopt a new weapons
system, rather than prolong the existing submarine-based system.
Mr Straw said yesterday that the cost, spread over a number of
years, need not be seen as excessive.
Mr Clarke said: "I think we have to take our security decisions
on the basis of what are likely to be the main security threats
in the future, rather than building weapons to fight the last
war."
Trident was developed to deter the invasion of Europe or the
deployment of nuclear weapons by the Soviet Union, while
Britain's main security threats today involve terrorism,
organised crime and people trafficking, Mr Clarke said.
CND's chairwoman, Kate Hudson, attacked the nature of the
consultation: "The government has promised a three-month
consultation period, but what is the point of a consultation if
the decision is already made?
Jon Trickett, Labour MP for Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, said:
"There should not be a predetermined outcome on a decision of
this magnitude. There is more than one alternative to Trident
replacement and there should be a full debate on each one."
Email your comments for publication to
politics.editor@guardianunlimited.co.uk
Guardian Newspapers Limited
*****************************************************************
15 GAZETA.KZ: Agreement on export of nuclear fuel to EU to be reached
during presidential visit
30.11.2006
Kazakhstan today
ASTANA. It is planned that documents on energy co-operation will
be inked during a visit of the President of Kazakhstan to
Brussels, during which opportunities of Kazakh nuclear fuel
supplies to the EU will be regarded. Bahtikoja Izmuhambetov,
Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of RK, has stated this
today, November 20, in an interview to journalists, Kazakhstan
Today correspondent reports.
"It is planned that during the visit of Nursultan Nazarbayev to
Brussels documents on energy co-operation between RK and the EU
and a memo on a peaceful use of nuclear energy will be inked," -
he has said.
He has reminded that possessing 20% of the world's uranium
reserves, Kazakhstan is going not only to extract uranium, but
also to receive products with high added value - the fuel for
nuclear stations.
"Today we are already producing such "tablets" for nuclear power
stations of Russia, in the future we are going to export them to
other countries. The memorandum that is suggested to be inked
during the presidential visit to Brussels provides an
opportunity for co-operation with the EU member states in this
area," - the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of RK has
said.
Copyright Internet Department of PH "Alma-Media", 2000-2006
*****************************************************************
16 AFP: Government to publish plans next week on replacing nuclear deterrent -
Thu Nov 30, 7:57 AM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Plans on the future of the country's nuclear
deterrent missile system will be set out next week and a
parliamentary vote will follow next year, Prime Minister Tony
Blair" /> Tony Blair's spokesman has said.
The government will formally publish its proposals about the
ageing Trident weapons system on Monday. Members of the lower
House of Commons will then vote on whether to replace it early
in the new year, he told reporters Thursday.
The proposals will be published after a cabinet meeting on
Monday. Government members had already been briefed "in detail"
by Defence Secretary Des Browne and Foreign Secretary Margaret
Beckett, he added.
Blair's government is widely expected to give the green light to
developing a replacement for the US-built missiles, which are
carried on four Royal Navy Vanguard class submarines, one of
which is always on patrol.
Trident will become obsolete in the mid-2020s. A successor would
require many years of development and according to observers
could cost up to 25 billion pounds (37 billion euros, 46 billion
dollars).
Blair and his finance minister Gordon Brown have both indicated
that they back the maintenance of an independent nuclear
deterrent, despite the costs.
But opposition to nuclear weapons and power is historically a
central plank of Labour policy and Blair may have a fight on his
hands to push through his proposals.
Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain and International
Development Secretary Hilary Benn are reportedly against Trident
and about 120 backbench lawmakers from Blair's governing Labour
Party have lobbied him to rethink.
In the 1980s, Labour leaders like Neil Kinnock spoke at marches
organised by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the issue
figured prominently in the party's general election manifestos.
Since Blair took over as leader in 1994 and took the left-wing
party to the centre ground, however, that position has been
reversed.
Blair is also in favour of new nuclear power stations to help
address Britain's future energy needs.
Copyright 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
17 Guardian Unlimited: Spy probe: Trail leads to Moscow
From Press Association
[UP]
Thursday November 30, 2006 10:33 PM
Moscow is at the centre of the investigation into the poisoning
of Alexander Litvinenko after a radiation alert on several
aircraft that flew to the Russian capital.
Friends of the former spy said the discovery of radioactivity on
at least two British Airways planes further reinforced claims
that Russia's security agents were behind the poisoning.
But there was another dramatic twist in the saga with fresh
poisoning claims involving the former Russian Prime Minister
Yegor Gaidar.
Mr Gaidar is gravely ill and until recently was receiving
treatment in Ireland - where he had been attending a conference
- for what was thought to have been a diabetes-related
condition.
He has since returned to Moscow, but one of Mr Gaidar's aides
said the doctors treating him there now believed he too had been
poisoned. "Doctors don't see a natural reason for the poisoning
and they have not been able to detect any natural substance
known to them in Mr Gaidar's body," spokesman Valery Natarov
said. "So obviously we're talking about poisoning (and) it was
not natural poisoning."
Officially, Scotland Yard made no comment on the Gaidar
revelations. Detectives are aware of the case, but have had no
involvement so far, while Alex Goldfarb, one of Mr Litvinenko's
closest friends, said it was too early to draw any links between
the two.
The Litvinenko investigation meanwhile, continued to gather
pace. The inquest into his death was opened and adjourned at St
Pancras coroner's court in north London where Dr Andrew Reid
confirmed it appeared as though he had been exposed to, or
administered polonium 210.
Home Secretary John Reid revealed that the number of
contaminated sites had doubled from six to 12 and was likely to
rise again. Mr Reid also revealed that another two aircraft had
been caught up in the radiation alert, although one was later
given a clean bill of health. Government scientists are still
pursuing a Russian aircraft to search for traces of alpha
radiation - the type emitted by polonium 210.
But it was the Moscow connection in the spotlight, after it
emerged three grounded planes flew between London and the
Russian capital more often than any other route. An initial
sweep by Home Office scientists found low levels of radioactive
traces on two of the aircraft, Boeing 767s, at Heathrow. A third
is grounded in Moscow.
Later, Russian Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Natalia
Lukash said the ministry tested two Transaero Boeing-737s at the
airline's request, and found radiation levels were normal. She
did not say what routes the planes had been flying. And in
Britain, thousands of passengers aboard some 200 British Airways
flights were being contacted.
Copyright Press Association Ltd 2006, All Rights Reserved.
*****************************************************************
18 [NukeNet] PG&E looking at nuclear plants
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:40:41 -0800
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
NukeNet Anti-Nuclear Network (nukenet@energyjustice.net)
PG&E looking at nuclear plants
Alternative power sources being explored
- David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
http://www.sfgate.
com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? file=/chronicle/ archive/2006/ 11/29/BUGPNMLIAH
1.DTL&type= business
[foto] The Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, south of San Luis Obispo,
is owned by PG&E, which is exploring the possibility of out-of-state
investments in nuclear plants. Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn
PG&E Corp. is considering investments in new nuclear plants outside
California as a way to curb greenhouse gases, Chief Executive Officer
Peter Darbee said Tuesday at an employee meeting on energy efficiency
and climate change.
Other possible investments include solar power plants that use focused
mirrors to heat water, generate steam and run electrical turbines.
California law forbids building more nuclear plants within the state
until the United States has a permanent site for storing radioactive
waste. But Darbee, whose San Francisco company owns the Diablo Canyon
nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo, argues that the country needs
nuclear power if it hopes to fight global warming.
Nuclear reactors do not produce the greenhouse gases churned out by
plants that burn fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas.
Darbee's remarks Tuesday were the second time he has publicly embraced
nuclear development. He told Wall Street analysts in August that the
company was exploring out-of-state nuclear projects.
He offered few new details at Tuesday's event, saying that the PG&E is
still "evaluating those opportunities. "
Nuclear power, once treated as a pariah by the American public, has
received renewed interest due to fears of global warming.
Some environmentalists have been willing to give nuclear technology a
second look. Most, however, haven't. They argue that nuclear plants are
too expensive, potentially dangerous and produce waste that the nation
still hasn't found a place to store.
Ralph Cavanagh, co-director of the energy program at the Natural
Resources Defense Council, said the United States would have built more
nuclear plants over the years if they weren't such financial risks. He
spoke at Tuesday's PG&E meeting and praised the company for its 30-year
efforts to promote energy efficiency.
Cavanagh said in an interview that he doubts the company will invest in
more nuclear power once it has examined the alternatives.
"I express to you absolute confidence that after Peter Darbee looks at
this, he won't pick nuclear," Cavanagh said. "He has limited funds. He
cannot write blank checks."
Darbee has broken with many of his peers in the energy business on the
climate change issue.
Shortly after taking over as PG&E's chief executive last year, Darbee
studied the science surrounding global warming and concluded that
climate change poses a grave threat. Since then, he has called for a
nationwide system to limit greenhouse gases, supported California's
landmark global warming legislation this year and urged other energy
companies to follow suit.
"There are critics who might say, 'Is Peter on a crusade with this?' But
it's smart business, too," Darbee told employees at the meeting, held at
the company's San Francisco headquarters.
Darbee also expressed interest in a type of solar technology that, he
said, could prove to be more cost-effective than traditional
photo-voltaic cells. Dubbed "solar thermal," the technology uses focused
sunlight to generate steam and power a turbine.
E-mail David R. Baker at
dbaker@sfchronicle.
com.
Page C - 3
URL:
http://sfgate.
com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi? file=/chronicle/ archive/2006/ 11/29/BUGPNMLIAH 1.DTL
2006 San Francisco Chronicle
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"My position is, unless we are caring as much for the vulnerable outside
the womb as inside the womb, we're not carrying out the full message of
Jesus. ... They began to think this might threaten their base or evaporate
some of their support, and they said they just couldn't go there."
- Rev. Joel Hunter, explaining his resignation as president-elect of the
Christian Coalition, after realizing he would be unable to broaden the
organization's focus to include issues such as poverty and the environment.
Molly Johnson
6290 Hawk Ridge Place
San Miguel, CA 93451
Cell: 805 296-0524
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the
all-new Yahoo! Mail beta.
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19 NRC: New NRC Senior Resident Inspector Assigned to Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant
News Release - Region I - 2006-06 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY
COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs, Region I No. I-06-062
November 30, 2006 CONTACT: Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil
A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331 E-mail:
opa1@nrc.gov
Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in King of Prussia, Pa.,
have selected Silas Kennedy as the new senior resident inspector
at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. Constellation Energy
operates the two unit site in Lusby, Md.
Kennedy first joined the NRC in October 2001 as a reactor
engineer and worked as a specialist inspector out of the
Regional office. Most recently he was a resident inspector at
Millstone Station in Waterford, Conn. He served as an officer in
the Navys nuclear submarine service for twelve years and worked
as an engineer for Agere Systems in Allentown, Pa.. He earned a
Bachelors degree in electrical engineering from the University
of South Carolina and a Masters in administration from the
University of Central Michigan.
Silas Kennedy has the experience and commitment to safety that
will help the NRC ensure that Calvert Cliffs conducts operations
with the highest safety standards to protect public health and
safety," said NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins.
Kennedy joins NRC Resident Inspector Marlone Davis at Calvert
Cliffs. Davis was assigned to the site last December. Davis
first joined the NRC in 2003. After completing a rigorous
training program, he was assigned as a reactor inspector in the
Regional Office. Prior to joining the agency he worked as an
engineer for Sargent and Lundy at various nuclear power plants
across the country. Davis has a bachelors degree in nuclear
engineering with a specialization in waste management and
environmental restoration from Kansas State University.
Each U.S. commercial nuclear plant has at least two NRC resident
inspectors. They serve as the agency's eyes and ears at the
facility, conducting inspections, monitoring major work projects
and interacting with plant workers and the public.
The Calvert Cliffs resident inspectors can be reached at
410/586-2626.
NRC news releases are available through a free list serve
subscription at the following Web address:
http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC
homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail
notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are
posted to NRC's Web site.
Last revised Thursday, November 30, 2006
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20 APP.COM: Yearly turtle toll at reactor may be limited |
Asbury Park Press Online
Thursday, November 30, 2006
BY STAFF WRITER
LACEY No more than five endangered and threatened sea turtle
deaths per year would be allowed at the Oyster Creek nuclear
power plant if it is given permission to run for an additional
20 years, according to a report released Wednesday.
The overall impact of that number of deaths wouldn't jeopardize
the existence of three protected species of turtles that are
present off the Jersey Shore five months out of the year,
according to the National Marine Fisheries Service report.
The fisheries service prepared the report for the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, which could decide as soon as May whether
to renew Oyster Creek's operating license. Without the renewal,
Oyster Creek will close in 2009.
While much of the NRC's review so far has focused on safety, the
agency must also determine whether the environmental drawbacks
of continued operation outweigh the benefits of having a reactor
that can power about 600,000 homes.
As part of that work, regulators were required to consult with
the fisheries service, which said it would approve the renewal
as long as the plant agreed to take certain steps to reduce
turtle deaths where river water is sucked into the plant.
Rachelle Benson, spokeswoman for plant operator AmerGen Energy
Co., said the company would review those conditions, but
emphasized that Oyster Creek already has implemented some
measures to save turtles that get into trouble. Some workers,
she said, have been trained in how to rescue turtles using
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
"We take our environmental responsibility very seriously and we
do have actions in place that already protect sea turtles," she
said.
The report placed a limit on the number of dead turtles that can
be found at the plant each year at five, one fewer than allowed
now. If that figure is exceeded the plant would face heightened
scrutiny. Dead turtles in this case also can include ones that
float close to the plant after dying from another cause.
Fisheries service faulted
Julia Huff, a Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic lawyer
representing a group of renewal opponents, said the fisheries
service report was problematic because it did not have enough
data to support its conclusion and the limits on turtle
fatalities.
"I don't know how they reached their conclusions if they don't
know how the sea turtle is doing overall," she said.
While the authors of the 61-page report admitted to lacking some
information they wrote that there is an absence of population
figures on protected turtles in Barnegat Bay and off the Jersey
Shore they cited other data to back their conclusions.
The report looked at what would happen to the endangered Kemp's
ridley and green turtles and the threatened loggerhead species.
According to the most recent estimate of Kemp's ridleys, there
were about 3,000 adults in 1995. Population figures for the
other two species were not listed in the report, but the authors
stated in all three cases that the number of permitted turtle
deaths represented a small percentage of the total number of
each species.
It is unclear why the creatures enter the Forked River and
encounter the plant's intake pipes, but some scientists believe
the presence of prey, including blue crabs and horseshoe crabs,
might be a reason, according to the report.
Turtles and other sea life can die in the intake canal when the
rush of water heading into the plant pins the animal against a
metal screen affixed to the front of the pipe.
Copyright 2006 Asbury Park Press. All rights reserved.
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21 Detroit Free Press: Critics slam plan for state to buy former nuke plant
Freep.com
By TINA LAM
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
A plan to turn a former nuclear plant near Charlevoix into a
public park is drawing sharp criticism from some environmental
groups, who dubbed it Plutonium State Park.
Besides its legacy of highly radioactive waste stored on the
site, Consumers Energy, which owns the shuttered Big Rock plant,
wants to sell 351 acres of plant property to the Department of
Natural Resources.
The DNRs trust fund board, which votes on whether to recommend
land purchases to legislators and the governor, plans to vote on
the purchase Dec. 6.
The property includes more than a mile of Lake Michigan
shoreline between Charlevoix and Petoskey covered with woods and
wetlands. The plant operated for 35 years and was closed in 1997.
The land would cost the state $19.3 million. The DNR would spend
$3 million now and the rest later. In the middle of the park,
441 bundles of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel rods would
be housed under heavy guard, at least for the next decade until
they could be moved to a site in Nevada.
Its like a bullseye on Lake Michigan, said Mike Keegan,
spokesman for the Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Great Lakes.
Someone would have to determine whether the people going into
the park were tourists or terrorists.
A spokesman for Consumers Power was not immediately available
for comment.
The environmental groups said the site is likely contaminated
with radioactive substances that were allowed to be discharged
into the air and water and have ended up in the soil and
sediment at the site.
Big Rock had a history of spills and leaks and the state hasnt
determined whether it would be buying a highly contaminated
site, nor who would be responsible for any problems that arise
in the future, Keegan said.
We believe the property harbors dangers that may expose future
visitors to unacceptable health risks and could burden the
taxpayers of Michigan with costly legal liabilities, said Hugh
McDiarmid, spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council.
Copyright 2006 Detroit Free Press Inc.
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22 Financial express : Nuclear deal to power NPCILs capacity addition plans
Friday, December 01, 2006
MUMBAI, NOV 30: State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Ltd (NPCIL) is gearing up to reap the benefits of the Indo-US
civilian nuclear energy deal in a bid to play a key role in the
countrys efforts towards adding a nuclear power capacity of
50,000 mw by 2032.
NPCIL, with 16 reactors of 3,900 mw capacity in operation, has
already begun constructing seven reactors with a total capacity
of 3,380 mw. Moreover, the corporation has received an approval
in principle for pre-project activities for an extra generation
capacity of 6,800 mw.
NPCIL chairman and managing director SK Jain said the company
had adequate manpower of 16,000 employees and due to its sound
financial track-record, it could add at least 1,000 mw annually.
This, he said, NPCIL would do by funding its equity through
internal accruals. The upcoming capacity-addition has been
carried out on a debt-equity ratio of 70:30. Jain was speaking
at the Indo-US business summit, jointly organised by the Centre,
the US department of commerce, and industry bodies Ficci and the
CII. Jains presentation was crucial, especially because he,
along with six executive directors of NPCIL, would make a
presentation to visiting US nuclear energy companies on December
1 in Mumbai.
Their presentation will be on Indias nuclear energy position
and opportunities for partnership and financing, and regulatory
issues.
He said it would be too early to comment on the fallout of the
Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, given the fact that private
sector participation in nuclear energy is India was still not
allowed under the Atomic Energy Act.
2006: Indian Express Newspapers (Mumbai) Ltd. All
rights reserved throughout the world.
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23 ITAR-TASS: Date of building Chernobyl reactor confinement marked in Ukraine
30.11.2006, 10.49
KIEV, November 30 (Itar-Tass) - Memorial functions will be held
in Ukraine on Thursday on the 20th anniversary of building a
confinement over a reactor that exploded at the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant in Ukraine on April 26, 1986.
On November 30, 1986, a governmental commission accepted for
technical service the built confinement over Reactor Four.
Roundtable meetings of Ukrainian and foreign specialists and
scientists, news conferences and seminars will be held, and a
memorial plaque in honour of Chernobyl disaster liquidators
unveiled.
The construction of the confinement over seven months after the
tragic nuclear accident involved tens of thousands of people
from all parts of the Soviet Union.
The destroyed reactor containing 200 tons of nuclear fuel was
embedded in 400,000 tons of concrete and 7,000 tons of steel
structures.
The time has had its effect, and the hastily built sarcophagus
no longer guarantees safety.
A decision has been made to build an additional protective
encasing, the cost of which is about 1 billion dollars.
The Chernobyl fund Confinement made up of payments by donor
countries finances the construction.
The funds manager is the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development that announced in March 2004 a render for design and
the construction of a new confinement.
The French company Novarca and the American CH 2M Hill were
final bidders.
Proposals by the French company have been recognised best.
However, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said in this
years April that a new tender was not ruled out if the winner
did not meet additional conditions concerning the strength of
the confinement and restrictions on a construction area.
Liquidators of the Chernobyl accident will be honoured in
Ukraine on December 14.
A presidential decree said that the memorial day was set with
for marking courage, selflessness and high professionalism of
the liquidators.
ITAR-TASS. All rights reserved.
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24 IHT: Rice letter raises concerns about conditions in U.S.-Indian nuclear legislation -
Americas - International Herald Tribune
The Associated Press Published: November 30, 2006
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is telling
lawmakers that U.S.-Indian relations could be damaged if they do
not revise drafts of a bill to allow shipment of American
civilian nuclear fuel to India.
Critics of the plan accused the Bush administration of trying to
remove what they say are the few remaining restraints to guard
against the spread of nuclear weapons. The plan would reverse
decades of U.S. anti-proliferation policy, and President George
W. Bush considers it one of his top foreign policy initiatives.
Rice's objections were expressed in a letter sent Thursday to
leading lawmakers that was obtained by The Associated Press. Her
intervention could complicate prospects for the plan's passage
as lawmakers try to finish work on a final version of the bill
before this year's congressional session runs out.
The letter attempts to deal with problems that India and the
Bush administration have about the legislation, including a
condition that would require Indian cooperation on attempts to
confront Iran about its nuclear program.
Both the Senate and House of Representatives have endorsed
separate versions of the bill overwhelmingly. Starting next
week, lawmakers begin private meetings to try to reconcile
differences in their versions into a final bill that would then
face votes in each chamber before it could be sent to Bush to
enact into law with his signature.
Only a limited number of days remain in this congressional
session, however. If lawmakers fail to pass the bill, they would
have to start over when they return in January.
In the letter, Rice raises objections to a section in the Senate
version that would require that Bush determine that India is
"fully and actively" helping U.S.-led efforts to confront Iran's
nuclear program before allowing nuclear cooperation with India.
Rice said including this determination would "be viewed by India
as adding additional conditions" to the original agreement "and
could reopen the terms of the initiative to re-negotiating."
Rice also questioned a section in the Senate version that bans
the transfer of nuclear enrichment and reprocessing equipment or
facilities to India because "it is not appropriate to single out
India, which has been a responsible steward of its nuclear
technology."
Supporters say the accord strengthens a key relationship with a
friendly Asian power that has long maintained what the United
States considers a responsible nuclear program.
Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley said in an interview: "There's
been a consistent sense by the Indian side that there's been a
movement of the goal posts" as Congress considers an agreement
reached in July 2005 by Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh.
"The failure to follow through on the reached agreement between
the two countries would send a very negative message to India,"
Crowley said.
Critics say the plan could boost India's nuclear arsenal and
spark an arms race in South Asia.
"It's not a good day for nuclear nonproliferation," Democratic
Rep. Edward Markey said in a telephone interview Thursday.
"Apparently, Secretary Rice is allergic to even these few
nonproliferation fig leaves which have allowed the flawed
agreement to proceed."
Congress must approve the nuclear cooperation because U.S. law
bars nuclear trade with countries that have not submitted to
full international inspections. India built its nuclear weapons
program outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which
provides civil nuclear trade in exchange for a pledge from
nations not to pursue nuclear weapons. 
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