*****************************************************************
10/25/06 ****     RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL)       **** VOL 14.253
*****************************************************************
   RADBULL IS PRODUCED BY THE ABALONE ALLIANCE CLEARINGHOUSE
*****************************************************************
Send News Stories to news@energy-net.org with title on subject
line and first line of body

                         NUCLEAR POLICY
 
1 [NYTr] Former UN Weapons Inspector Says US Has Failed in Iraq
2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Expands Controversial Nuclear Work
3 AFP US: Iran uranium enrichment 'full steam ahead' - 
4 AFP: Rice calls on UN to adopt Iran sanctions resolution now - 
5 AFP: Key UN powers unveil Iran sanctions draft 
6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Starts Second Series of Centrifuges 
7 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Confirms Expansion of Nuke Program 
8 Guardian Unlimited: SKorea Officially Confirms North Nuke Test 
9 Guardian Unlimited: N. Korea Warns South Against Sanctions 
10 Guardian Unlimited: Japanese Official Warns of Nuke Debate 
11 Japan Times: China downbeat on North Korea plans
12 Korea Herald: Seoul drafting measures against N.K.   
13 Korea Herald: Changing Pyongyang regime remains ultimate goal - Bolt
14 Korea Herald: [HERALD INTERVIEW]'Get tough' on N.K., says George Sor
15 Korea Herald: North Korea point man quits   
16 Korea Herald: China's N.K. policy unlikely to change   
17 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Time for dialogue?   
18 BBC: Pyongyang warning to South Korea
19 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Tiny sample of xenon confirms nuclear test
20 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Leading dove on North says he's resigning
21 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North warns against Seoul sanctions
22 AFP: Japan FM renews call for debate on nuclear weapons - 
23 Korea Times: Seoul Confirms North's Nuke Test 
24 Korea Times: N. Korean Leader Believes Sanctions Will Weaken
25 Korea Times: Silent Response to Nuclear Threat 
26 Korea Times: Direct Talks 
27 AFP: Rice plays down veiled Putin criticism of US handling of NKorea
28 AFP: North Korea signalling readiness for nuclear talks - Putin -
29 AFP: Japan FM renews call for debate on nuclear weapons - 
30 AFP: China and US closing ranks over North Korea issue - US 
31 Japan Times: Aso skeptical of North Korea's nuclear plans
32 Guardian Unlimited: Rice Presses South Korea on Sanctions 
33 AFP: Bush says alliance against North Korea 'firm' 
34 UPI: Putin: West shouldn't corner North Korea
35 UPI: Australia considers North Korean sanctions
36 UPI: North Korea warns South over sanctions
37 UPI: Bush: N.Korea just making threats
38 UPI: SK preparing sanctions report for U.N.
39 US: Small Tactical Nukes Nothing New
40 UPI: Analysis: Cold War policies could return
41 UPI: Israel experts uphold nuclear vagueness
 
                         NUCLEAR REACTORS
 
42 IHT: EU approves new French nuclear reactor - 
43 Sydney Morning Herald: Govt might consider nuclear subsidies - 
44 BBC: Two nuclear reactors are
45 US: Charlotte Business Journal: Duke: Critics mistaken on nuclear co
46 Business Day: SA to spend R6bn on nuclear reactor
47 The Raw Story: Nine of Sweden's 10 nuclear reactors back online
48 US: UPI: FPL, Constellation merger called off
 
                          NUCLEAR SECURITY
 
49 US: Federal Times: Radiation detectors for borders unreliable, GAO s
 
                          NUCLEAR SAFETY
 
 
                         NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE
 
50 London Times: Local councils are offered millions to bury nuclear wa
51 London Times: Scots' plan for England as radioactive dustbin - 
52 US: Gallup Independent: Waste to be moved through Gallup
53 BBC: Radioactive waste 'to be buried'
54 BBC: Row over nuclear waste disposal
55 BBC: Sellafield train closes station
56 AFP: Britain to offer incentives for town to house nuclear waste dum
57 ITN News: Search begins to find nuclear waste site
58 US: Salt Lake Tribune: Goshutes elect new tribal leadership
59 GREENPEACE UK Government nuclear waste strategy panned 
60 Hemscott: UK govt recommends deep disposal for nuclear waste
61 News & Star: Nuclear waste dump plan for cumbria
 
                           PEACE
 
 
                        US DEPT. OF ENERGY
 
62 [NYTr] Drug raid yields classified Los Alamos documents
63 London Times: Los Alamos secrets are found in drug factory - 
64 reviewjournal.com: Navy rear admiral to manage test site
65 reviewjournal.com: Groups pressure DOE
66 DOE: U.S. Department of Energy Awards $100 Million in Fuel Cell R&D
67 Guardian Unlimited: Drug Raid Yields Los Alamos Documents 
68 SPI: Hanford workers finish sludge cleanup of basin near Columbia
69 Hanford News: Audit: Cleanup cost may double
70 Tri-City Herald: Richland school named after town condemned for Hanf
71 Hanford News: K East Basin cleanup complete
72 Hanford News: DOE awards $5.6 million grant to PNNL
73 Knox News: ORNL gets $4.5M for hydrogen work
74 Hanford News: Waste treatment firm may be sold; Nuvotec, responsible
75 Knox News: OR guards union OKs labor agreement extension
76 Albuquerque Tribune: Nevada firm seeks to drill in N.M. 
77 Knox News: Munger: Weinberg was Baker's 'guiding light' on science
78 UPI: U.S. nuclear documents seized at N.M. home
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
                         FULL NEWS STORIES
*****************************************************************
*****************************************************************
 1 [NYTr] Former UN Weapons Inspector Says US Has Failed in Iraq
 
Date: Thu, 26 Oct 2006 00:15:24 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Radio Havana Cuba
http://www.radiohc.cu

Former UN Weapons Inspector Says US Has Failed in Iraq

Copenhagen, October 25 (RHC)-Former UN weapons inspector, Hans Blix
reportedly described the US led invasion of Iraq as a failure and the war
has left the country worse off than under the leadership of Saddam Hussein.
The Swedish diplomat added that if the US pulls out of Iraq, there was a
risk of a civil war and it does not seem that the US could help stabilize
the situation.

According to reports, Blix said the situation would have been better if the
US invasion had not taken place. He stressed that the situation in Iraq has
gotten worse than under Hussein.

Hans Blix led UN inspectors for the inspection of the alleged weapons of
mass destruction in Iraq before Washington invaded the country in 2003.
Ultimately a US led coalition invaded Iraq and no weapons of mass
destruction were ever found.
       
                                *
================================================================
.NY Transfer News Collective    *    A Service of Blythe Systems
.          Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us         .
.339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012     http://www.blythe.org
.List Archives:   https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
.Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
================================================================
*****************************************************************
 2 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Expands Controversial Nuclear Work

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 1:46 PM

AP Photo XHS103 

By NASSER KARIMI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran has expanded its controversial nuclear
work by starting a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich
uranium, a semi-official news agency reported Wednesday. 

The news came as world powers moved toward introducing a draft
resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would impose
limited sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to halt
enrichment - a process that can produce material for nuclear
power reactors or weapons. 

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official
Wednesday as saying that Iran had started a second cascade of
centrifuges two weeks ago and that ``gas will be injected into
the cascade during the current week.'' 

``We will exploit the new product from the injection,'' ISNA
quoted the official as saying, meaning that Iran would use the
enriched uranium obtained by inserting gas into the centrifuges. 

The report could not be immediately corroborated, as Iranian
officials were celebrating the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr. 

Neither the official Islamic Republic News Agency nor state
television and radio carried the report by ISNA, an agency that
receives state funding via the national universities. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 3 AFP US: Iran uranium enrichment 'full steam ahead' - 

Wednesday October 25, 12:22 PM 
 
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States deplored Iran's race to
enrich uranium and confirmed the presence of a second set of
centrifuges in the Islamic republic to do the work, a spokesman
said. 

An International Atomic Energy Agency document from August 31
"mentioned an installation of a second 164-centrifuge cascade
was proceeding, and it was unclear at that point whether or not
it was up and running," State Department spokesman Sean
McCormack said. 

"So just based on these public documents, it is clear that Iran
is moving forward, full steam ahead with its nuclear program. 

"And I think this underscores the importance of the
international community acting -- acting by way of passing a
resolution which imposes sanctions on Iran, in an effort to get
the Iranians to change their behavior and to underscore that the
international community means business," McCormack told
reporters. 

According to a senior State Department official, discussions are
going ahead on a UN draft resolution outlining possible
sanctions against Iran. 

"We are very close on the actual text of the resolution among
the P3+1," the official said on condition of anonymity, using
diplomatic shorthand for Britain, France, Germany and the United
States. 

"We are not quite there yet but yesterday we had a sort of
widespread agreement on all the elements of it. Now it is
starting to glue together with language so it sort of looks like
a resolution," the official said, adding that the draft may be
submitted in the next day or so. 

According to diplomatic sources, a stumbling block to drafting
the resolution is a civilian nuclear power plant in Bushehr, a
billion-dollar project Russia would like to complete and which
the United States opposes. 

Asked about the matter, the source said the plant is "still in
question." 

Russia has supported calls for Iran to suspend nuclear
enrichment, but has been reluctant to endorse sanctions and
wants to continue work on building a nuclear power station at
Bushehr, in southern Iran. 

While enriched uranium is used as fuel for nuclear reactors,
highly enriched uranium can also be used to make nuclear bombs. 

The United States maintains that Iran is seeking to develop
atomic weapons, but Iran insists its nuclear program is for
purely peaceful purposes. 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Monday that his
country would not retreat even "an inch" from its nuclear
ambitions despite the threat of sanctions. 

The centrifuges spin gaseous uranium at high speeds to separate
heavier isotopes. Cascading refers to the sequential use of the
centrifuges, in which each successive centrifuge spins the
product of the one before it into ever more concentrated
isotopes. 

Copyright © 2006 AFP. All rights reserved. All information
*****************************************************************
 4 AFP: Rice calls on UN to adopt Iran sanctions resolution now - 

 Wed Oct 25, 2:38 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> 
Condoleezza Ricecalled for the UN Security Council to adopt a 
resolution "now", imposing sanctions on Iran" /> Iranover its 
nuclear program, or face losing its credibility. 

 "For the international community to be credible, it must pass a
resolution now that holds Iran accountable for its defiance,"
she said. 

Addressing the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank, Rice
said Iran's regime should pay close attention to the
wide-ranging sanctions being imposed on North Korea" /> North
Koreasince it carried out its first test of a nuclear bomb on
October 9. 

The sanctions were enacted unanimously by the UN Security
Council, which is now debating a milder sanctions resolution
against Tehran for its refusal to comply with an earlier UN
order to halt enrichment of uranium. 

"The Iranian regime is watching how the world responds to North
Korea's behavior and it can now see that the international
community will confront this behavior," Rice said. 

"Iran can now see that the path North Korea is choosing is not
leading to more prestige or more prosperity or more security;
it's leading to just the opposite," she said. 

Key Western UN powers this week presented China and Russia with
a draft resolution mandating Security Council sanctions against
Iran. 

The text, crafted by envoys of Britain, France and Germany in
consultations with the United States, was presented to the
Russian and Chinese ambassadors late Tuesday. 

Diplomats said the council's five veto-wielding members --
Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus
Germany could meet Thursday to review the draft. 

Western powers fear Iran's uranium enrichment could be diverted
to make nuclear weapons, but the Islamic republic insists its
nuclear program is solely aimed at generating electricity. 

Diplomats cited differences of opinion between Washington and
its European allies during consultations over whether the draft
should call for a suspension of Russian assistance to the
construction of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power station, a step
Moscow would oppose. 

Wednesday, a State Department spokesman suggested it could take
the major powers weeks to agree on the sanctions resolution. 

Iran on Wednesday confirmed it has installed new equipment to
step up uranium enrichment work despite the threat of UN
sanctions. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 5 AFP: Key UN powers unveil Iran sanctions draft 

 by Gerard Aziakou Wed Oct 25, 5:11 PM ET 		 	 

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - Key Western UN powers have unveiled 
proposed sanctions that would target Iran" /> Iran's nuclear and 
missile programs over its failure to halt sensitive nuclear fuel 
work, diplomats said. 

 A Security Council resolution drafted by envoys of Britain,
France and Germany in consultations with the United States, was
presented to the Russian and Chinese ambassadors late Tuesday,
they added. 

According to the draft, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, the
Security Council would invoke Article 41 of Chapter Seven of the
UN Charter which calls for sanctions not involving the use of
force. 

The text proposes that UN member states "take necessary measures
to prevent the supply, sale or transfer directly or indirectly
from their territories or by their nationals ... of all items,
materials, equipment, goods and technology which could
contribute to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs." 

The states are also urged "to take the necessary measures to
prevent the provision to Iran of technical assistance or
training, financial assistance, investment brokering or other
services and the transfer of financial resources or services
related to Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile programs." 

The draft warns that the council would "consider further
measures" if Iran still refuses to comply with a demand that it
freeze uranium enrichment, a process used to produce fuel for
nuclear reactors but which, if extended, can also provide the
raw material for bombs. 

China's UN delegate Li Junhua told reporters that the French,
British and German envoys "would like to have an initial
consultation tomorrow (Thursday) among the council's five
veto-wielding members (P5) -- Britain, China, France, Russia and
the United States -- plus Germany. 

"It's premature to say that the council is in a position to
impose sanctions," he added. 

But in Washington, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" />
Condoleezza Riceurged the 15-member council to immediately slap
sanctions on Iran or face losing its credibility. 

"For the international community to be credible, it must pass a
resolution now that holds Iran accountable for its defiance,"
she said. 

Iran's Islamic regime should pay close attention to the
wide-ranging sanctions being imposed on North Korea" /> North
Koreasince it carried out its first test of a nuclear bomb on
October 9," Rice told the conservative Heritage Foundation think
tank. 

"Iran can now see that the path North Korea is choosing is not
leading to more prestige or more prosperity or more security;
it's leading to just the opposite," she added. 

But diplomats here cited disagreements between Washington and
its European allies during consultations over whether the draft
should call for a suspension of Russian assistance to Iran's
Bushehr nuclear power station. 

The sanctions proposed by the Europeans Wednesday exempt the
Bushehr project, diplomats said. 

China and Russia, which have significant economic interests in
Iran, are reluctant to slap tough measures on Tehran, and a
Western diplomat made it clear that Moscow was certain to oppose
any call to suspend aid to Bushehr. 

Monday, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Security
Council deliberations on the sanctions against Iran were likely
to last for several weeks. 

Russia has also indicated that agreement on an acceptable text
was likely to take some time. 

Western powers fear Iran's uranium enrichment could be diverted
to make nuclear weapons, but the Islamic republic insists its
nuclear program is solely aimed at generating electricity. 

Last June the P5 and Germany drew up a list of 15 possible
punitive measures against Iran as part of a "carrots and sticks"
package that also included economic and security incentives if
Tehran agreed to suspend uranium enrichment. 

The six powers have been considering gradual but reversible
sanctions, firstly targetting Iran's military programs and
later, if these fail, moving to broader political and economic
sanctions. 

Meanwhile an official from the Russian company heading the
Bushehr project said Wednesday that the project had been delayed
for technical reasons. 

Last month, Russia and Iran officially agreed on a 12-month
deadline for completing the controversial project, despite
earlier pressure from Tehran that the station be completed in
half that time. 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has meanwhile repeatedly
stated that Iran has no plan to halt its uranium enrichment and
has noted that the Islamic republic is not far from doing so on
a larger scale. 

And Iran on Wednesday confirmed it has installed new equipment
to step up uranium enrichment work despite the threat of UN
sanctions. 	 		 			

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 6 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Starts Second Series of Centrifuges 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 7:01 PM

AP Photo XHS107 

By NASSER KARIMI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran has expanded its controversial nuclear
work by starting a second cascade of centrifuges to enrich
uranium, a semiofficial news agency reported Wednesday. 

The news came as world powers moved toward introducing a draft
resolution in the U.N. Security Council that would impose
limited sanctions on Iran because of its refusal to cease
enrichment - a process that can produce material for nuclear
power reactors or weapons. 

The Iranian Students News Agency quoted an anonymous official
Wednesday as saying that Iran had started a second cascade of
centrifuges two weeks ago and that ``gas will be injected into
the cascade during the current week.'' 

``We will exploit the new product from the injection,'' ISNA
quoted the official as saying, meaning that Iran would use the
enriched uranium obtained by inserting gas into the centrifuges. 

The report could not be immediately corroborated as Iranian
officials were off for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr that
marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan. 

Neither the official Islamic Republic News Agency nor state
television and radio carried the report by ISNA, an agency that
receives state funding via the national universities. 

Diplomats in Vienna said this week that Iran has started its
second cascade of centrifuges in Natanz. The move violates a
resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N.
watchdog group that has required that Iran cease all
enrichment-related activity. 

The United States accuses Iran of secretly trying to build an
atomic bomb under the guise of a civilian nuclear program. But
Iran denies this, saying its program is strictly for the
generation of electricity. The country ignored an Aug. 31
deadline to cease enrichment. 

European diplomats said the proposed U.N. sanctions - banning
the sale of missile and atomic technology to Iran and ending
most U.N. help for its nuclear programs - are narrowly focused
in hopes of winning Russian and Chinese backing. The diplomats
spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity
because the draft resolution is not yet public. 

The United States has consistently pushed for tough sanctions,
and Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the
United Nations, said there would be ``American changes to the
proposed European text.'' He refused to elaborate. 

China and Russia, which can veto Security Council resolutions,
are reportedly pushing for continued dialogue with Iran instead
of punishment. 

In Washington, President Bush said more talks are not possible
until Iran agrees to suspend uranium enrichment. ``If they would
verifiably stop their enrichment, the United States would be at
the table with them,'' he said. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there is ``no choice'' but
to pursue sanctions against Iran after Tehran's refusal to halt
uranium enrichment, calling it ``regrettable'' that Iran has not
responded to the demands of the international community. 

Iran produced a small batch of enriched uranium in February from
a cascade of 164 centrifuges at its nuclear plant at Natanz in
central Iran. Iran says it plans to install 3,000 centrifuges at
Natanz by the end of this year. 

Production of enough uranium to fuel a reactor would require
54,000 centrifuges. Although Iran is nowhere near that goal, its
successful operation of more cascades of centrifuges indicates
the country is gradually mastering the complexities of producing
enriched uranium. 

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday his country's nuclear
capability had increased tenfold despite Western pressure. 

``The enemies, resorting to propaganda, want to block us from
achieving (nuclear technology). But they should know that today,
the capability of our nation has multiplied tenfold over the
same period last year,'' Ahmadinejad said. 

--- 

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this
report from the United Nations. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 7 Guardian Unlimited: Iran Confirms Expansion of Nuke Program 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 10:16 PM

AP Photo XHS107 

By NASSER KARIMI 

Associated Press Writer 

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran confirmed Wednesday that it had
expanded its controversial uranium enrichment program, a
semiofficial news agency reported, even as the U.S. and its
partners prepared a U.N. resolution to impose limited sanctions. 

Tehran's plan to inject gas into a second cascade of centrifuges
- a process that yields either nuclear fuel or material for a
warhead - was a tiny step unlikely to bring Iran within grasp of
a weapon. 

But its timing, while Western powers prepared recommendations
for possible sanctions, was a further sign of defiance. 

The move also violates a resolution of the International Atomic
Energy Agency, a U.N. watchdog, that requires Iran to cease
enrichment-related activity. 

The confirmation came on the semiofficial Iranian Students News
Agency. Iran's government sometimes uses the agency to leak
information deemed too sensitive for official channels. 

Politicians were on holiday for the Islamic feast of Eid
al-Fitr, and the report could not be immediately corroborated. 

Iran started a second cascade of centrifuges two weeks ago, and
``gas will be injected into the cascade during the current
week,'' the agency reported. That step produces enriched
uranium, which Tehran intends to use, the agency added. 

Tehran says its uranium enrichment program aims only to generate
electricity, while the United States and others suspect it is a
cover for building atomic weapons. 

A draft U.N. resolution floated by Germany, France and Britain
would ban the sale of missile and atomic technology to Iran, and
end most U.N. help for its nuclear programs, diplomats said on
condition of anonymity because the draft was not yet public. 

The U.S. indicated Wednesday it saw the European proposal as too
weak. 

``We look forward to a full meeting of the five permanent
members where we will obviously have American changes to the
proposed European text,'' said Richard Grenell, spokesman for
the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. He refused to comment on
any U.S. proposals. 

The United States, France, Britain, Russia and China have veto
power on the 15-nation Security Council and could block any
measure. All five were expected to meet in the next day or two
to discuss the European draft. 

One diplomat said it contained moderate language aimed at
winning support from Russia and China - both of whom agreed in
principle to imposing sanctions after Tehran bypassed an Aug. 31
deadline to cease all experiments linked to uranium enrichment. 

But Moscow and Beijing also have major commercial ties with
Iran, and they continue to publicly push for dialogue instead of
U.N. punishment. 

In Washington, President Bush ruled out more talks until Iran
agrees to suspend uranium enrichment. ``If they would verifiably
stop their enrichment, the United States would be at the table
with them,'' he said. 

Echoing Bush, Germany's chancellor also took a hard line
Wednesday, saying Tehran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment
left the West ``no choice'' but to impose sanctions. 

``It is regrettable that Iran has not yet responded to any of
the demands of the international community,'' Chancellor Angela
Merkel said during a speech in Berlin. ``For that reason, we had
no choice but to pursue sanctions in the U.N. Security
Council.'' 

``There must be no Iranian nuclear program,'' Merkel said. 

Earlier this week, diplomats in Vienna said Iran started the
second cascade of centrifuges in the central Iranian city of
Natanz. A small batch of enriched uranium was produced there in
February, from a previous cascade of 164 centrifuges. 

Centrifuges are machines that rotate at high speed, using
centrifugal force to separate lighter and heavier substances. 

Iran says it plans to install 3,000 centrifuges at Natanz by the
end of this year, but it would take 54,000 centrifuges to churn
out enough uranium to fuel a reactor. Iran is believed to be
nowhere close to that number, but its addition of more cascades
shows the country is gradually mastering the complexities of
producing enriched uranium. 

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday that his
country's nuclear capability had increased tenfold despite
Western pressure to curb its atomic program. 

--- 

AP Writer Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the
United Nations. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 8 Guardian Unlimited: SKorea Officially Confirms North Nuke Test 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 11:31 AM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea officially confirmed 
Wednesday that North Korea conducted a nuclear test earlier this 
month, saying abnormal radiation has been detected in the 
country. 

Xenon, an inert gas released in a nuclear explosion, has been 
found in air samples collected in South Korea, the Science and 
Technology Ministry said in a brief statement. 

``The government officially confirms the fact that North Korea 
conducted an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9,'' the ministry 
said. 

The finding corroborates the U.S. government's announcement last
week that air sample analysis detecting radioactive debris
``confirms that North Korea conducted an underground nuclear
explosion.'' 

The ministry said the test was believed to have taken place in
Punggye-ri in northeastern North Korea. It didn't provide any
more details. 

Earlier this month, South Korea borrowed a sophisticated
radioactivity detector from Sweden to help determine if North
Korea had tested a nuclear bomb. 

It was North Korea's first time conducting a test to prove its
claim of having nuclear bombs. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 9 Guardian Unlimited: N. Korea Warns South Against Sanctions 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 2:31 PM

AP Photo SEL104 

By JAE-SOON CHANG 

Associated Press Writer 

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea warned South Korea against
joining international sanctions, saying Wednesday that its
neighbor would ``pay a high price'' if it joins the U.S.-led
drive to punish the reclusive communist nation for its nuclear
test. 

The statement from the North's Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of the Fatherland came as South Korea struggles to
determine how it should enforce the U.N. sanctions, including
whether to help interdict North Korean cargo ships suspected of
transporting materials for unconventional weapons. 

``If the South Korean authorities end up joining U.S.-led moves
to sanction and stifle (the North) we will regard it as a
declaration of confrontation against its own people ... and take
corresponding measures,'' the North's Committee for the Peaceful
Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement. 

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a sanctions
resolution five days after the North's Oct. 9 test, and a South
Korean task force met this week to determine how the country
should address the measures, including what to do about joint
economic projects with the North. 

South Korea's participation in the sanctioning the North is
important because the country is one of the main aid providers
to the impoverished communist nation, along with China. 

But both countries have been reluctant to impose stern measures
against their volatile neighbor. China, North Korea's closest
ally, voted for the U.N. resolution but is concerned that
excessive measures could worsen the situation. South Korea has
expressed similar concerns, although there was no immediate
response to Wednesday's statement from North Korea. 

``If North-South relations collapse due to reckless and
imprudent sanctions against us the South Korean authorities will
be fully responsible for it and will have to pay a high price,''
said the statement, carried by the North's official Korean
Central News Agency. 

A top U.S. diplomat said North Korea's test has brought China
and the United States closer together and both countries want a
unified response. 

``China has been in a very important relationship with us for
many years and at no time did we feel any closer together with
China than we felt in the wake of the North Korea provocation,''
Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters
during a meeting of Pacific leaders in Fiji. 

``I think the Chinese understand that the North Korean ...
decision to proceed with a nuclear weapons program is really
something quite beyond the pale and something we need to all
speak with one voice about,'' said Hill, the chief U.S. envoy to
six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program. 

The U.N. resolution gave member countries 30 days from its Oct.
14 adoption to report on implementing the sanctions. 

The South Korean panel, which met for the first time Tuesday,
also is trying to decide how to handle the interdiction of North
Korean cargo ships and what to do about the economic projects
that have been criticized for providing hard currency to the
North. The United States suspects the funds might have helped
the North's arms programs. 

One is a tourism program run by South Korea at North Korea's
Diamond Mountain and the other is a South Korean-run industrial
complex in the North Korean city of Kaesong. The North has
received at least $900 million under the projects since the
1990s. 

South Korea prizes the projects as symbols of reconciliation and
has been unwilling to halt them. But it plans to make
adjustments to meet Seoul's requirements under the U.N.
sanctions. 

Also at issue was whether South Korea would expand its
participation in a U.S.-led drive to interdict North Korean
ships and aircraft suspected of carrying weapons of mass
destruction or related material. 

South Korea has been reluctant to participate fully in the
Proliferation Security Initiative because of concerns it could
lead to clashes with North Korea and undermine efforts to
persuade the communist state to give up its nuclear ambitions
through diplomacy. 

South Korea has only sent observers and attended briefings on
the program. 

South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, a strong
supporter of engagement with North Korea, offered to resign
Wednesday because of the nuclear test. Critics have accused Lee
of being too supportive of North Korea, but even if his
resignation is accepted, it is not likely to lead to any
immediate change in the South's engagement policy. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, also warned that
pressuring the North could backfire. 

``One should never lead the situation into an impasse, one
should never put one of the negotiating sides in a position from
which it virtually has no way out but one: an escalation of the
situation,'' Putin said in televised comments broadcast in
Moscow. 

--- 

Associated Press Writer Samisoni Pareti in Nadi, Fiji,
contributed to this report. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 10 Guardian Unlimited: Japanese Official Warns of Nuke Debate 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 
 	 
Wednesday October 25, 2006 5:31 PM

AP Photo XKK109 

By ERIC TALMADGE 

Associated Press Writer 

TOKYO (AP) - Japan should not engage in ``careless debate'' on
whether it should posses nuclear weapons, the country's defense
chief said Wednesday, becoming the latest Japanese leader to
address an issue with sensitivities dating back to World War II. 

Japan's defense chief Fumio Kyuma, a native of Nagasaki, said
the country has no intention of going nuclear despite the recent
nuclear test by North Korea and said Tokyo will abide by its
long-standing non-nuclear policies. 

``We should avoid careless debate,'' he told a news conference.
``We have advanced technology and missile capabilities so
perhaps we do have the potential to make nuclear arms. But we
are not going to do so.'' 

Some prominent Japanese politicians, including Foreign Minister
Taro Aso, have suggested that Japan at least discuss the issue
of developing nuclear weapons as a deterrent against North
Korea. Aso, however, also has insisted that the government would
not change its non-nuclear policy - as did Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe on Wednesday. 

Analysts have said Japan has the knowledge - and enough
plutonium and uranium from its nuclear power program - to easily
develop nuclear weapons if it chose. 

Such a development, however, would be strongly opposed by China
and other countries in the region. U.S. officials have also
expressed concerns that North Korea's nuclear development could
spur a destabilizing arms race in Asia. 

Possession of nuclear weapons is a sensitive political issue in
Japan, which suffered a nuclear attack when U.S. atomic bombs
were dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. 

``I'm from Nagasaki,'' Kyuma said. ``I hope that Nagasaki will
be the last place on Earth ever to suffer a nuclear attack.'' 

Abe, Japan's nationalist prime minister, reiterated Wednesday
that Tokyo has no plans to stray from its postwar non-nuclear
policy. 

``As I've said many times before, there will not be the
slightest change to the government's non-nuclear policy,'' Abe
told reporters. 

Abe made his name as a hard-liner against North Korea when in
2002 he helped negotiate the release of five Japanese kidnapped
by the communist regime in the 1970s and 80s. 

Since then, he has campaigned for sanctions against the
impoverished nation as a way of forcing North Korean leader Kim
Jong Il to solve the cases of other missing Japanese. 

Abe also has pushed for debate on changing the pacifist
constitution to allow Japan's military to take part in more
peacekeeping and other military operations abroad. His agenda
has included teaching patriotism in the schools and playing down
accounts of Japanese wartime atrocities - both likely to cause
tensions with Japan's Asian neighbors. 

Kyuma said Japan's best option is to use the nuclear
capabilities of its closest ally, the United States, as a
deterrent while not actually possessing nuclear arms of its own. 

``I believe it is correct to strongly defend our current
non-nuclear principles,'' he said. ``It is important for us to
work under the U.S. nuclear umbrella.'' 

In a trip last week to Tokyo, the message Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice to Japan was unequivocal. 

``The United States has the will and the capability to meet the
full range - and I underscore full range - of its deterrent and
security commitments to Japan,'' she said, referring to an Oct.
9 statement by President Bush. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 11 Japan Times: China downbeat on North Korea plans
 
japantimes.co.jp               

Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2006

 China downbeat on North Korea plans New talks, end to tests not
certain 

BEIJING (Kyodo) China is not optimistic that North Korea will
end its nuclear program nor that there will be an early
resumption of the six-party talks following the country's Oct. 9
nuclear test, a Japanese lawmaker who met with Chinese Vice
Foreign Minister Wu Dawei said Monday.
 
Wu, who visited Pyongyang together with Chinese State Councilor
Tang Jiaxuan last week, also said North Korean leader Kim Jong
Il did not apologize for carrying out the test as has been
indicated in some media reports, Liberal Democratic Party
lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa told reporters.
 
"Vice Foreign Minister Wu said that at this point, China can by
no means be optimistic toward the resumption of the six-party
talks or toward North Korea's nuclear abandonment," Aisawa said.
 
Wu is China's head delegate and chairman of the six-party talks
that involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and
Russia.
 
The talks have stalled since last November, with North Korea
refusing to return to the negotiating table unless the United
States lifts sanctions it imposed on a Macau-based bank
suspected of laundering money and counterfeiting for North Korea.
 
The United States has rejected that demand, saying the sanctions
are a law enforcement issue that should not be linked to the
nuclear negotiations.
 
According to Aisawa, Wu said that in the talks with the Chinese
officials in Pyongyang, Kim showed "some flexibility compared to
North Korea's initial position."
 
Aisawa declined to elaborate.
 
Diplomatic sources have said Kim told the Chinese officials that
while Pyongyang has no plan at the moment to carry out more
nuclear tests, whether it will do so in the future hinges on
U.S. policy toward the country.
 
Aisawa quoted Wu as saying China is trying to urge the United
States to show some flexibility as well to resolve the current
standoff.
 
Wu also said that while China has criticized the nuclear test
with the strongest expression used in the history of its
relations with North Korea, Kim did not comment on that response
in the talks held last Thursday, said Aisawa.
 
Nor was there any expression of apology from Kim as reported by
some media, Aisawa quoted Wu as saying.
 
Wu said Beijing's goal is to bring Pyongyang back to the point
where it agreed to abandon nuclear programs in exchange for
diplomatic and economic benefits in September 2005.
 
"It is very important to bring the country back to the point of
the six-party joint statement," which is where North Korea faced
the question of whether to go down the path of becoming a
nuclear power or to abandon its nuclear program, Aisawa quoted
Wu as saying.
 
China believes that holding five-party talks excluding North
Korea would not be beneficial toward that end, as it could give
North Korea an excuse to abandon the six-party process,
according to Aisawa.
 
Wu, together with Deputy Foreign Minister Dai Bingguo,
accompanied Tang, who visited North Korea Wednesday and Thursday
as Chinese President Hu Jintao's envoy.

 The Japan Times (C) All rights reserved 
*****************************************************************
 12 Korea Herald: Seoul drafting measures against N.K.   
        
The government has begun drafting a report for the U.N. Security
Council on follow-up measures to a resolution passed against the
proliferation of North Korea's weapons of mass destruction,
Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung said yesterday.

 "We are preparing an implementation report to be submitted to
the Sanctions Committee under the U.N. resolution (1718)," Lee
said at a regular press briefing.

 Lee did not comment on the report's details.

 "We believe that the Gaeseong industrial park and Mount
Geumgang tour projects are not directly related to the UNSC
resolution, and we are reviewing ways to meet the obligation
calling for an expanded participation to the PSI," Lee said.

 PSI stands for Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-led
global network working to intercept and block transportation of
cargo related to weapons of mass destruction.

 Seoul has joined the initiative as an observer, but is being
called on to take a broader commitment.

 Dr. Kim Tae-woo of the Korean Institute of Defense Analyses
said Seoul could consider expanding its role by participating
accordingly to different scenarios.

 "(South Korea) can commit to the initiative according to each
different scenario, thereby avoiding any military collision with
the North," Kim told The Korea Herald.

 For example, Korea can directly participate in interceptions of
terrorist vessels or pirate ships, but limit its involvement
with North Korean ships to intelligence sharing or only
responding with action in seas far from the mainland, he said.

 The text of the South Korean report is likely to start taking
shape before this weekend, when the relevant ministries are to
undergo parliamentary audits.

 Each U.N. member country must submit its report to the
Sanctions Committee before Nov. 13.

 An audit of the Unification Ministry is scheduled for today and
next Tuesday, while the Foreign Ministry will undergo scrutiny
on Friday and next Wednesday.

 The ministries have been holding meetings every day, while the
pan-government taskforce convened for the first time Tuesday.

 While maintaining the two major inter-Korean projects, the
government is considering suspending state subsidies for Mount
Geumgang, and adopting a direct-pay system for North Korean
workers in Gaeseong.

 The government is also pushing to fortify inspections of trade
items and bolstering safety regulations on foreign exchanges
regarding North Korean investment funds.

 The government is yet to decide on the level of PSI
participation, with the ruling Uri Party protesting against
extended participation.

 The UNSC unanimously passed the resolution calling on member
states to impose sanctions on the sale and transfer of
technology related to North Korea's nuclear and ballistic
missile programs.

 (angiely@heraldm.com)

 By Lee Joo-hee

2006.10.26
*****************************************************************
 13 Korea Herald: Changing Pyongyang regime remains ultimate goal - Bolton   
        
From news reports 

WASHINGTON - Changing the regime in North Korea is the end
objective of the United States and its allies, but the United
Nations doesn't share the same goal, a senior U.S. diplomat said
Tuesday. 

Amb. John Bolton, already on record for his disapproving views
of the U.N., said the U.S. goal in Korea has been the same since
1945: to see a peaceful reunification of the country under a
democratic government. 

"And it's not something that people at the U.N. like to talk
about," he said on Fox News. "We have a different vision,
obviously." 

"If you talk about changing regimes, from authoritarian or
semi-authoritarian to democracies, in the U.N. you would have a
lot of countries quite unhappy." 

"But I think that's something the United States and its friends
should be pursuing on their own, because that is our ultimate
objective," Bolton said. 

These goals, however, are more in the future, he said. 
The U.N. should also be "a lot more concerned" about what's
going on inside North Korea and inside Iran as well, Bolton
said, naming the two countries seeking to build nuclear weapons. 

The U.N. Security Council already sanctioned Pyongyang for its
nuclear test Oct. 9 and is discussing similar actions against
Iran for pushing ahead with its uranium enrichment program. 

But the U.N. can help mobilize international support to isolate
regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran economically and politically,
the ambassador said. 

"That puts pressure on them internally. I think that helps
democratic forces in those countries or in their diasporas," he
said. 

The U.S. military would prevail in a war against North Korea but
at a greater cost in lives than if the United States were not
already fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday. 

"It would not be as clean as we would like it to be, but it
would certainly be sure, and the outcome would not be in doubt,"
said Gen. Peter Pace. 

He told a Pentagon news conference that the U.S. military has
plenty of people available to fight wars beyond Iraq and
Afghanistan, but he acknowledged that U.S.-based ground combat
units are not fully equipped. 

"We have 2 million folks who can start protecting this nation
anywhere else we need them to tomorrow, if we need them to,"
Pace said when a reporter asked what sort of threat North
Korea's military poses. 

The fight, however, would be messier than if the U.S. military
did not have 147,000 troops tied up in Iraq and about 20,000 in
Afghanistan. 

"It would be more brute force, wherever we might have to go
next, than it would be if we weren't already involved in the war
we have going on in Iraq and Afghanistan," Pace said. "Why?

Because you need precision intelligence to drop precision
munitions. And a lot of our precision intelligence assets are
currently being used in the Gulf region. So some of those would
not be available if you had to go someplace else." 
As a result, there would be more unintended damage inflicted, he
added. 

"You end up more like a World War II, Korean War campaign," he
said, adding that he was not making any predictions. "I'm just
saying that, on a scale, you're going to have to use more brute
force to get the job done" in North Korea. 

Pace said U.S. intelligence can determine the size of the North
Korean military but it cannot provide an equally important piece
of information in assessing the threat of war: the intent of
North Korea's leaders. 

"What is not knowable is the intent of the leadership in North
Korea to use or not use that power at any given time," he said.
"And applying Western logic to the leadership in Korea is not
something that I would personally want to get my future on." 

Concerns about North Korea's intentions have grown in recent
months following its July missile tests and its underground
nuclear test, which prompted the U.N. Security Council to impose
sanctions on North Korea. 

Pace said he had seen no indication that North Korean forces
have been placed on a higher state of alert. 

"To my knowledge, the North Koreans' status of their armed
forces is stable," he said. "I mean, they haven't raised or
lowered any particular parts of their readiness to cause any
kind of alarm." 

2006.10.26
*****************************************************************
 14 Korea Herald: [HERALD INTERVIEW]'Get tough' on N.K., says George Soros   
        
Billionaire investor George Soros, who previously endorsed
"constructive engagement" with North Korea, now believes Seoul
should get tough and take stronger action. 

"I think South Korea, for its own interest, should also impose
some sanctions. Not maybe take away all the carrots at once -
for instance, continuing Gaeseong is probably a good thing - but
if North Korea follows through on its plan to conduct additional
tests, I think South Korea should be wise to warn the North that
they will close the tourist site or stop supporting people to go
there," Soros said in a recent interview in Seoul with Hong
Jung-wook, chairman and publisher of Herald Media Inc. 

Soros, chairman of the New York-based fund management named
after him and the Open Society Institute, visited Seoul last
week to attend the World Knowledge Forum 2006 and promote his
new book, "The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on
Terror." The institute is named after Karl Popper's two-volume
work: "The Open Society and Its Enemies." 

  George Soros  

Soros said he was a "great supporter" of the South's so-called
Sunshine Policy of engagement with the North, adopted under the
Kim Dae-jung administration. But now the Hungarian-born
financier says this approach should essentially be abandoned -
to the extent of him appearing to agree with U.S. President
George W. Bush, of whom Soros has been a long-standing critic.

"I was very critical of President Bush for rejecting the
continuation of the Sunshine Policy, and I think that had a lot
do with North Korea accelerating its nuclear program and leaving
the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. But now is the time to use
the carrots that have been offered as a stick by taking them
away," he said. 

Soros described the North Korea regime as an "abhorrent and the
most gross society," noting that the "only way to influence the
North has been to offer inducements" to seek compliance, which
is the basis of the Sunshine Policy. This soft-line policy has
promoted greater political and economic exchanges between Seoul
and Pyongyang, such as the inter-Korean summit in 2000, the
Gaeseong industrial complex and the Mount Geumgang resort and
tours. Opponents, however, have criticized the policy, saying it
supports the Kim Jong-il regime and finances its nuclear
programs. 

Soros, one of the world's biggest philanthropists, donated about
$24 million to various groups seeking to defeat Bush in the 2004
election. 

Soros is certainly no fan of Bush, who labeled North Korea as
part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and Iran in 2002. The
billionaire said last month that Bush's war on terror is
"misleading, counterproductive and destructive," because it
leads to innocent victims and generates the rage that fuels more
terrorism. 

Still, Soros said that he could support Bush when it comes to
North Korea. He said he supported the six-party talks and
expressed hope for the Korean Peninsula. 

"You have the six-party talks; that is the right framework. And
why I was critical of the Bush administration in the past? I
think the United States is following a much sounder policy by
offering to engage in talks with North Korea, and I think that
is a reasonable position. That's why I'm optimistic that there
will be a resumption of talks." 

Soros' interest in philosophy and his philosophical outlook have
doubtless been influenced by Karl Popper, with whom he studied
under at the London School of Economics. 

"To make it simple, (open society) is just another way of
talking about a liberal democracy, but it's based on the
recognition of our imperfect understanding and I define open
society as an imperfect society that holds itself open to
improvement." 

(sohjung@heraldm.com) 

By Yoo Soh-jung 

2006.10.26
*****************************************************************
 15 Korea Herald: North Korea point man quits   
        
President Roh Moo-hyun's most trusted point man on North Korea
announced his resignation yesterday, adding significance to a
scheduled overhaul of the nation's foreign policy and security
team early next month.

 "I deemed it was time for a person of greater caliber to come
to this post, as all the past achievements on inter-Korean
reconciliation and the security of the peninsula are mired in a
political rift due to the North Korean nuclear test,"
Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said in a meeting with
reporters.

 Lee's resignation brings about a complete change in the foreign
policy and security lineup, following the resignations of the
foreign and defense ministers.

 Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon is moving to New York to be the
next U.N. secretary-general.

 Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung offered his resignation on
Monday, citing similar reasons to Lee's.

 Kim Seung-kyu, head of the National Intelligence Service, is
also said to be stepping down soon.

 


    
  Lee Jong-seok  

This is by far the largest revamp of the foreign policy team
under the Roh administration. The government has been severely
criticized for its policy of engagement towards the North after
the communist regime's nuclear test on Oct. 9.

 Lee's resignation is likely to send a strong message to North
Korea, observers said. Lee was a key proponent of Roh's
unification policy.

 But Cheong Wa Dae sources denied such speculation, saying the
Cabinet reshuffle will not lead to a change in the tone of the
engagement policy.

 The government has been sending confusing messages in the
aftermath of the nuclear test, with Cabinet members and senior
officials contradicting each other over several issues, such as
whether to expand South Korea's commitment to the Proliferation
Security Initiative.

 Song Min-soon, the president's chief policy adviser, is most
likely to be tapped to succeed Ban.

 Song, a former chief nuclear negotiator, earned Roh's trust
while serving in the presidential office since January this year.

 First Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan is also a likely
candidate, with positive support from the ministry's
subordinates.

 The simultaneous resignations of NIS head, chief presidential
adviser and relevant ministers will change the make-up of the
National Security Council, the nation's highest-level security
body.

 Lee joined the administration in 2003 as deputy director of the
NSC. He became the 32nd unification minister in February this
year.

 Lee said he now wishes to return to academia.

 Among the likely candidates to fill Lee's post is Ambassador to
China Kim Ha-joong.

 Runners-up for next defense minister are: Korean Assistant
Defense Minister for Policy Ahn Kwang-chan; former Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff Kim Jong-hwan; former presidential
national security adviser Kwon Chin-ho; former Air Force Chief
of Staff Gen. Lee Han-ho, former 2nd Army Commander Kim In-jong;
and former Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Bae Yang-il.

 But Cheong Wa Dae is also open to appointing a nonmilitary
person to the post, reports said.

 Yoon Kwang-ung and senior presidential security secretary Suh
Choo-suk are being considered to succeed Song as chief policy
adviser. 

Yoon is also being considered for the job of the new NIS head,
along with Kim Man-bok, the first executive director of the
agency. 

(angiely@heraldm.com)

By Lee Joo-hee 

2006.10.26
*****************************************************************
 16 Korea Herald: China's N.K. policy unlikely to change   
        
Maintaining the status quo on the Korean Peninsula is in
Beijing's best interests 

This is the sixth in a series of analytical articles about the
impact of North Korea's nuclear test. - Ed.

By Nam Sung-wook

Two weeks have passed since U.N. Security Council resolutions
were unanimously adopted Oct. 14, demanding that North Korea
destroy its weapons of mass destruction and halt work on nuclear
arms development. 

It is widely acknowledged that the success of U.N resolution
1718 ultimately depends on China. The resolution, based on
Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, stipulates, "China's
representative agreed that the Council's actions should both
indicate the international community's form position and help
create conditions for the peaceful solution to the DPRK nuclear
issue through dialogue." 

As the resolution adopted basically reflected that spirit,
China's delegation had voted in favor of the text. However,
sanctions were not an end in themselves. China did not approve
of inspecting cargo to and from the DPRK, and urged the
countries concerned to adopt the same attitude, refraining from
taking any provocative steps that could intensify the tension.
China believed that the six-party talks were a realistic means
of handling the issue. It also firmly opposed the use of force.

 World attention has focused on how China would punish North
Korea for its test of a nuclear device. Unlike the United States
and Japan, whose trade with North Korea is insignificant, China
props up the North Korean regime by providing most of its
external trade and investment. North Korea's trade volume with
China reached $1.58 billion in 2005, 39 percent of total trade.
The DPRK's major exports to China are seafood, iron, ore,
mineral resin, energy and clothing, totaling 85.4 percent of
total exports. 

China faces a tough choice between full-blown sanctions that
would provoke the unpredictable regime across its borders and
limited, symbolic punishment that could scuttle Washington's
tactics of trying to exert pressure on Pyongyang and invite
criticism of coddling a nuclear-armed North Korea.

 China, which the DPRK had informed just 20 minutes before its
test, was unusually harsh and openly expressed its
dissatisfaction of the incident. China's punctilious Foreign
Ministry reserves the Chinese word "hanran," which translates as
brazen or flagrant, for serious affronts to the nation's dignity
by countries that have historically been rivals or enemies. But
it was not until Monday, moments after North Korea claimed to
have tested a nuclear device, that China accused it of a
"brazen" violation of its international commitments. The use of
the word "hanran" clearly indicates that relations between China
and North Korea are at their worst since China unexpectedly
began diplomatic relations with South Korea in 1992.

 Chinese President Hu Jintao said in a meeting with a
representative of Japan's parliament on Oct. 17 that "it is
regrettable for North Korea to test a nuclear weapon, even
though we had already issued a stern warning to the regime. It
is necessary to make it recognize the strong repulsion of the
international society against the nuclear test." China's Foreign
Ministry spokesman Liu said on Oct. 17 that the nuclear test
would undoubtedly have a negative impact on its relations with
the North. 

More signs of China's disapproval of North Korea's nuclear test
last week have emerged in Dandong, the Chinese border city that
has become an entrepot for trade with North Korea. Immediately
after the nuclear test on Oct. 9, China began building fences
along the border. It was unclear, however, whether the fences
were intended to be punitive or only to guard against the
possibility of an influx of North Korean refugees should the Kim
Jong-il government collapse.

 In moves that appear to be more directly punitive, China has
actually cut off at least some of the banking relations that
have fuelled business. Chinese banks have restricted some forms
of transactions involving North Korean interests and expanded a
crackdown on suspected laundering of drug money and
counterfeiting by individuals and front companies associated
with North Korea, according to Chinese officials and local media
reports. 

More importantly, rumor has it that Chinese officials have
staged reductions in oil shipments, even if China has not
publicly threatened to cut off oil supplies and has resisted
imposing economic sanctions on North Korea. China reportedly
provides an estimated 80 to 90 percent of North Korea's oil
imports, shipped by pipeline, at undisclosed but friendly prices
that represent a steep discount from the world market price. Any
reduction in that aid could severely hamper North Korea's
economy, already faltering. The only issue that China does not
agree on right now is interdiction at sea. 

It seems that China is disappointed and angry, and willing to
support stronger sanctions by the United Nations. China is
prepared to escalate pressure on North Korea, including reducing
oil shipments, if the country refuses to return to negotiations
or conducts more nuclear tests. 

It is noteworthy that a crucial meeting took place in Pyongyang
on Oct. 19. State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan of China met with the
North's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il. Before his visit to
Pyongyang, Tang had flown to meet U.S. President George W. Bush
and to Moscow for talks with Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. 

Kim reportedly told Tang that North Korea would not attempt a
second nuclear test. But there still remains the possibility of
another test if financial sanctions imposed by the United States
are not lifted in the near future. It seems that North Korea is
throwing the ball in Washington's court, rather than
surrendering to China's economic sanctions. 

There are two opposing perceptions of North Korea in China. One
group is the pro-North Koreans, who have recognized it as a
traditional old ally, and see North Korea as a buffer zone.
Another group is the unbiased who argue that North Korea is a
liability as a neighboring country. The people most critical of
Kim in the past were a minority. But they have a stronger voice
now. The people supporting the Pyongyang regime have become a
minority since the nuclear test. 

There was reportedly a closed discussion about how to manage the
North Korean situation in Beijing on Oct. 19. The main topic was
how the China leadership, badly stung by the nuclear test, would
redouble its commitment to maintaining a nuclear-free Korean
Peninsula. That China move to firmly roll back the nuclear
program and not accept it is not yet an accomplished fact. 

The North Korean liability demonstrates that the resolve of the
Chinese leadership is going to be less than the resolve of the
Americans. 

However, even though North Korea has sharply increased tensions
on the Korean Peninsula through the nuclear test, there is
unlikely to be a major policy change in relations between China
and North Korea since China does not believe that the test
fundamentally changes China's calculations of its national
interest. 

China's diplomatic policy toward the DPRK - in general and in
the current crisis - involves a hierarchy of several
interrelated interests: first, DPRK regime survival; second,
conciliatory and nonprovocative North Korean behavior on
security issues ranging from its nuclear weapons program to
proliferation of other weapons of mass destruction; third, DPRK
regime reform. 

Therefore, China's priority is stability, which is indispensable
to its high economic growth and closely related to the survival
of Kim's regime. It may be that the core of the issue is not the
nuclear test but peace and stability. Conflict in North Korea
and toppling of the Kim Jong-il regime would upset stability on
the Korean Peninsula. It would seriously destroy China's status
quo policy, key to a successful 2008 Olympic Games. 

A clash is viewed as the worst-case scenario, potentially
creating a wave of refugees into China and serious trouble in
the border area. Until now, Beijing has refused to use its
enormous leverage, fearing that too much pressure could topple
the North Korean government and unleash a mass of refugees over
its border. 

It is apparent that many Chinese still consider North Korea to
be closer to China than South Korea and the United States, even
though the nuclear test has disturbed the stability of the
Korean Peninsula and East Asia. China does not like the word
"influence," frequently used in expressing its power over and
special relationship with North Korea, since it implies that
China has an exclusive responsibility for solving the nuclear
issue. 

China is instead placing great emphasis on a common and
equitable burden. Even if Pyongyang is unruly, flagrant and
brazen, sacrificing an ally to help achieve the goals of
stopping the spread of nuclear weapons would require a much
stronger consensus among China's leader groups and elites. In
conclusion, China does not want to change the status quo on the
Korean Peninsula. 


Nam Sung-wook is a professor with the department of North Korean
studies at Korea University. The views expressed here are his
own. He can be reached at namsung@korea.ac.kr - Ed.

2006.10.26
*****************************************************************
 17 Korea Herald: [EDITORIAL]Time for dialogue?   
        
When International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei
called for dialogue between the United States and North Korea
after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on
Monday, he said, "I think in all these issues, dialogue is
indispensable. I think we have to move away from the idea that
dialogue is a reward; dialogue is an essential tool to change
behavior."

 The Bush administration bases its refusal to engage in
bilateral talks with North Korea on the breakdown of 1994 Agreed
Framework. Charging the communist state with violating that
agreement, the United States has been seeking to resolve the
North Korean nuclear issue through the six-nation talks
involving South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Russia
and North Korea. Since the North Koreans walked out on the talks
almost a year ago, protesting U.S. financial sanctions that were
imposed over allegations of counterfeiting activities, there
have been no talks at all between the United States and North
Korea.

 Washington's position is that the United States would talk
directly to North Korea only within the context of the six-party
talks. The test of a nuclear device by North Korea on Oct. 9,
however, has changed the stakes. The Kim Jong-il regime has
clearly demonstrated that it is a nuclear power with a very real
potential to proliferate weapons of mass destruction. 

In light of the changed security environment, the Bush
government's stated reason for refusing to meet with Pyongyang
bilaterally does not seem to be very convincing. Granted,
bilateral talks between the two countries failed once before,
but a failure does not mean that it cannot be attempted again,
especially given the changed conditions.

 The North Koreans have backed down from their initial position
that it would carry out further nuclear tests. According to the
Chinese Foreign Ministry, Kim Jong-il gave assurances that there
were currently no plans for a second nuclear test when he met
with Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan in Pyongyang last
week. 

Kim is also said to have expressed his willingness to return to
the six-nation talks if financial sanctions imposed by the
United States are first lifted. The United States insists that a
return to the stalled talks should be unconditional. This has
been a long war of nerves, one in which the two sides with the
most influence on the eventual outcome have refused to meet half
way.

 Curiously, Rice last week dismissed reports of North Korea's
somewhat conciliatory mood. On the result of Tang's visit to
Pyongyang, Rice said, "I would say there wasn't anything
particularly surprising." Instead, she seemed to take great
relief in the fact that China, which the United States initially
thought would present the greatest challenge in being persuaded
to fully commit to the U.N. Resolution 1718 imposing sanctions
on North Korea, proved to be very supportive. 

Her lightning tour had Rice talking with all the parties to the
six-nation talks - except North Korea. North Korea is the
country which holds the key to defusing the nuclear crisis in
the region. If the communist state calls for direct talks with
the United States, the Bush administration should now reconsider
its position. Sitting down to talks does not mean you are trying
to appease the other party.

2006.10.26
 
*****************************************************************
 18 BBC: Pyongyang warning to South Korea
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
 
[North Korean soldiers parade to celebrate the country's first 
nuclear test]                           

North Korea said the South could pay dearly for imposing 
sanctions                                                                 

North Korea has warned South Korea that its participation in UN 
sanctions against Pyongyang would be seen as a serious 
provocation. 

A spokesman for the country's Committee for the Peaceful 
Reunification warned it would lead to a "crisis of war". 

The comments were carried by North Korea's official news agency, 
KCNA. 

Arms and financial sanctions were unanimously approved by the UN 
Security Council following North Korea's nuclear test on 9 
October. 

"If the South Korean authorities end up joining US-led moves to 
sanction and stifle, we will regard it as a declaration of 
confrontation against its own people ... and take corresponding 
measures," the statement said. 

The UN Security Council voted on 14 October to impose financial 
and arms sanctions on North Korea after it conducted a nuclear 
test. It calls on all members to state how they plan to implement 
sanctions by mid-November. 

South Korea has formed a task force to look at how to impose 
sanctions, which held its first meeting on Tuesday. 

But Russian President Vladimir Putin has said North Korea should 
not be driven into a corner if the world wants to rein in its 
nuclear weapons programme. 

He said some negotiators "failed to find the right tone" with the 
country, adding a solution could be found "with goodwill". 

Nuclear debate 

Meanwhile, South Korea's Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok has 
offered his resignation over his country's handling of North 
Korea's nuclear test. 

Mr Lee was criticised for not having tough enough policies 
against Pyongyang. 

"During this political strife, I thought someone with more talent 
than I have should come to this position and overcome the 
problem," he said. 

It comes a day after the South Korean defence minister, Yoon 
Kwang-ung, tendered his resignation. 

Japan is also debating its handling of the nuclear crisis. 

The country's defence chief, Fumio Kyuma, has said the country 
should not engage in "careless debate" over whether it should 
possess nuclear weapons. 

His comments were in reaction to those made by politicians 
including Foreign Minister Taro Aso, suggesting Japan discuss the 
development of nuclear warheads. 

"We have advanced technology and missile capabilities so perhaps 
we do have the potential to make nuclear arms. But we are not 
going to do so," he said. 

*****************************************************************
 19 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Tiny sample of xenon confirms nuclear test

Octorber 26, 2006 KST 13:25 (GMT+9

  October 26, 2006 ¤Ñ A miniscule amount of radioactive material
produced from the North's nuclear test earlier this month has
been detected in South Korea, the Ministry of Science and
Technology said yesterday.

 "This is an official confirmation that North Korea conducted an
underground nuclear test on Oct. 9," the ministry said.

 The amount detected in the South Korean atmosphere was
extremely miniscule, and not harmful to human health, the
ministry said. 

"The radioactive material, xenon, was found in the air samples
collected in South Korea," said Lee Jae-yeong, a spokesman of
the science ministry, who noted the equipment came from Sweden.
"We, however, cannot say where specifically in the South the air
samples were collected because it is confidential."

 Sweden also sent three specialists to the South on Oct. 11. 
The analysis was completed in Sweden.

 Xenon-133 is a radioactive isotope created in a nuclear
explosion. It is a chemically inert gas, so it can stay in the
air for days after a blast. 

The science ministry also said the United States conducted its
own tests and found radioactive material in an air sample. The
ministry declined to elaborate further on the U.S. information. 
 
Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use |
*****************************************************************
 20 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Leading dove on North says he's resigning

Octorber 26, 2006 KST 13:25 (GMT+9)

  October 26, 2006 ¤Ñ Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok, a
champion of Seoul's controversial policy of engagement with
North Korea despite recent saber-rattling from Pyongyang,
tendered his resignation yesterday after eight months in office. 

He becomes the third member of President Roh Moo-hyun's
diplomatic and security cabinet group to step down since the
North Korean announced nuclear test on Oct. 9. Yoon Kwang-ung,
the defense minister, offered his resignation on Monday; Ban
Ki-moon at the Foreign Ministry will resign in early November
after being elected secretary general of the United Nations.

 More resignations may be coming in the wake of criticism from
the political right about "failed policies" of the Roh
administration on North Korea. Mr. Roh responded to calls for a
new team in office by saying a "partial" cabinet change might be
in the offing, although his spokesman, Yoon Tae-young, denied
yesterday that the resignations of Mr. Yoon and Mr. Lee were at
the initiative of the Blue House. Speculation is rising that Kim
Seung-kyu, the head of the National Intelligence Service, will
also leave his post.

 It was not clear whether the numerous changes signal a change
in policy direction. Mr. Yoon, the Blue House spokesman,
dismissed any idea that Seoul's courtship of the North would
cool. Speaking of Mr. Lee's departure, he said, "A change of one
person does not mean a change in the foundation of the policy."
Another presidential staff member said sharply that there would
be "no change in the broad framework" of North Korea ties. 
But the latter official also reminded reporters of earlier
comments from the Blue House that the president was "making
adjustments in the engagement policy toward the North."

 Mr. Lee said the president has a "firm will" to promote
policies for peace on the peninsula when he announced his
departure to reporters yesterday. "I don't think my resignation
is a signal of a change in the engagement policy. I don't think
I made mistakes as minister in implementing North Korea
policies; I have confidence in that policy's fruits."

 He complained that the benefits of that policy had come under
"reckless criticism and are being used for political strife." He
said a more able person than himself was needed to unify Koreans
behind those policies.

 Mr. Lee said he would return to academic life at the Sejong
Institute. Before being named unification minister in February,
he was the deputy at the National Security Council. 

A Blue House official complained yesterday that Mr. Roh's
ministers have been unable to work effectively because of
"political aggression" by the political right, but denied
strongly that the resignations this week marked a surrender to
that "aggression." 

The Grand National Party savored the news. Their legislative
floor leader, Kim Hyung-o, crowed, "The administration has
admitted the failure of its North Korean policies." Na
Kyong-won, the party's spokeswoman, added, "We just hope they
won't be appointed to other posts." 

The far-left Democratic Labor Party was horrified, however,
calling Mr. Lee's resignation "irresponsible." Mr. Roh's Uri
Party spokesman, Woo Sang-ho, echoed the Blue House contention
that Mr. Lee and Mr. Yoon had voluntarily resigned.

 A senior official at the Blue House refused to confirm
speculation that Song Min-soon would move to the Foreign
Ministry from his post as senior Blue House security adviser,
but added coyly that the job would be filled "in relation" to
Mr. Song's post. 

The same official said Mr. Roh was starting with a "blank sheet
of paper" in selecting Mr. Lee's replacement. 

Mr. Yoon tried to quash speculation that the defense minister
might be named to head the nation's spy agency or as a
replacement for Mr. Song at the Blue House. He told reporters,
"It eludes me why you all speak on the premise that the
ministers will be appointed to other jobs."
 
by Chun Su-jin sujiney@joongang.co.kr>   
	  
Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use |
*****************************************************************
 21 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: North warns against Seoul sanctions

Octorber 26, 2006 KST 13:25 (GMT+9)

  October 26, 2006 ¤Ñ North Korea warned yesterday it would take
"corresponding" action if South Korea joined international
sanctions against the North led by the United States.

 The warning came in a statement by a spokesman for North
Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the
Fatherland released by the Korean Central News Agency yesterday.

 The threatening statement was the first North Korean warning to
the South since the approval by the United Nations Security
Council of sanctions after Pyongyang tested a nuclear device.

 "If the south Korean authorities end up joining U.S.-led moves
to sanction and stifle, we will regard it as a declaration of
confrontation against its own people ... and take corresponding
measures," the statement said.

 "The south should hold all responsibility and pay dearly for it
if international sanctions joined by the south bring forth
destructive results in inter-Korean relations," it continued. 

"Any move by south Korean authorities to support international
sanctions against North Korea is an anti-national act that
overturns the joint statement signed at the June 2000 summit and
will inevitably hamper inter-Korean relations," the statement
went on to say.

 Inter-Korean economic cooperation promotes the common interests
of the two countries and helps facilitate national
reconciliation, it added.   
	  
Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use |
*****************************************************************
 22 AFP: Japan FM renews call for debate on nuclear weapons - 

Wednesday October 25, 06:23 PM 
  
  [Taro Aso]   

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso renewed his call
for a discussion about whether the pacifist nation should
acquire nuclear weapons after North Korea's first atom bomb test.

"We need to discuss once again why Japan came to decide not to
possess nuclear arms," Aso told a parliamentary foreign affairs
committee.

"On the assumption that North Korea really owns nuclear arms
now, the situation of the Far East has changed drastically,"
said Aso. "We should discuss if Japan can stay as it is."

Aso last week alarmed neighboring countries that suffered under
Japan's brutal militaristic past when he said it was important
to debate whether to possess atomic weapons.

Shoichi Nakagawa, the policy chief of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP), who is also a close ally of Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe, has also called for frank discussions on
the topic.

But Abe has repeatedly rejected the idea of developing nuclear
weapons despite his strong support for a more active military
role for Japan, which has been officially pacifist since its
World War II defeat.

He reiterated again Wednesday that Japan would uphold its
three-point non-nuclear principle against the "possession,
production and presence" of nuclear arms on its territory and
said the country would not discuss going nuclear.

Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma also rejected the
idea.

"If Japan develops nuclear weapons, that would lead to a nuclear
arms race in the region," he told journalists.

The South Korean independent Hankyoreh daily has reported that
Seoul was already assessing its options in case Japan decides to
develop nuclear weapons.

Aso, however, has also maintained that Japan will uphold its
self-imposed three-point non-nuclear principle.

Motofumi Asai, a former diplomat and international relations
professor, said there were now differing views within the LDP on
relations with the United States and Japanese foreign and
security policy.

"Apparently Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Aso belong
to the faction which does not accept the post-war system as it
is," said Asai, who is now director of the Hiroshima Peace
Institute.

"Kyuma, despite being director general of the Defence Agency,
knows that discussing the matter itself can shake Japan-US
relations."

Asai said he did not think the United States, which Japan relies
on for its security, would condone any move to acquire nuclear
weapons.

"If it allows Japan to do so, it may open up Pandora's Box. I
think the United States wants to stop such a thing," he said.

Japan and the United States are stepping up their military
alliance, including a missile defense system.

More than any other country, Japan feels a direct threat from
the North Korea, which fired a missile over its main island in
1998 and test-fired seven more rockets in July of this year.

Japan adopted its non-nuclear approach under former prime
minister Eisaku Sato, who was in office from 1964 to 1972 and
won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974.

The country has long campaigned against nuclear weapons. The
United States in 1945 destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki with atom bombs, killing more than 210,000 people
instantly or from horrific burns. 

AFP
*****************************************************************
 23 Korea Times: Seoul Confirms North's Nuke Test 

Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Biz/Finance   

By Kim Tae-kyu Staff Reporter

 The Science and Technology Ministry said yesterday that a
radioactive material has been detected in South Korea,
officially confirming that the communist nation conducted a
nuclear test.

 The ministry said that Xenon _ an inert gas released when there
is a nuclear explosion _ has been detected in air samples
collected in the South.

 The confirmation came from the seismic wave analysis by the
Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources, along with
the latest detection of Xenon in South Korea, it said.

 ``The government officially confirms that North Korea conducted
an underground nuclear test on Oct. 9," it said.

 It, however, declined to reveal the exact area where the
radioactive material has been detected.

 The test is believed to have taken place in Punggye-ri, Kilju
in northeastern North Korea, the ministry said. 

Its announcement goes in line with a U.S. government¡¯s report
last week of an air sample analysis detecting radioactive
debris. 


voc200@koreatimes.co.kr 10-25-2006 22:04         
  
*****************************************************************
 24 Korea Times: N. Korean Leader Believes Sanctions Will Weaken

Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation   

By Kim Sue-young Staff Reporter

Kim Jong-il 
  
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il predicted that the international 
criticism over its nuclear test would be diluted as time goes by, 
a U.S. researcher said yesterday. 

Kim considered the way sanctions played out against Iraq and 
Pakistan, said Larry Niksch, a specialist in Asian affairs at the 
Congressional Research Service (CRS) in the United States. 

``I am sure they calculated what they could expect before he gave 
the final order to go ahead with the nuclear test,¡¯¡¯ Niksch 
said in an interview with the Radio Free Asia (RFA). ``I am sure 
he sat down with First Vice Foreign Minister Kang Sok-ju and with 
other experts to weigh the international reaction.¡¯¡¯

 The North Korean leader had the example of Iraq where sanctions
after the gulf war in 1991 began to soften in three to four
years, he said. 

Kim speculated that the U.N. Security Council would lift
sanctions against the Stalinist state as they have done in other
cases, the reseracher said. 

As for Kim¡¯s meeting with Tang Jiaxuan, China¡¯s state
councilor in Pyongyang on Oct. 19, he said, ``All along during
this entire process, what he has been doing with the Chinese is
to progressively push the boundaries of the kind of North Korean
behavior that China will be willing to tolerate.¡¯¡¯ 

He said that the main goal for the nuclear test on Oct. 9 is to
have a full-fledged nuclear capability and to have North Korea
recognized as a full-fledged nuclear weapons state. 

ksy@koreatimes.co.kr 10-25-2006 17:41         

*****************************************************************
 25 Korea Times: Silent Response to Nuclear Threat 

Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion   

 People Have Stronger Fear Than Government   
      
People here are discontented with our government policy toward
North Korea since its nuclear weapons test. The people¡¯s fear
and distrust toward the government attitude are mounting.

According to a recent survey by the Hankook Ilbo, sister paper
of The Korea Times, ordinary people are far more positive than
government officials on the need to take firm measures against
the North. To our surprise, government officials were found to
regard the unprecedented nuclear crisis less seriously than
ordinary people.

 More than two weeks have already passed since the nuclear
detonation by Pyongyang, but the government has failed to show
any resoluteness. Instead it has been inactive and reluctant to
take any punitive measures. President Roh Moo-hyun has remained
silent without showing any clear-cut attitude while the
governing party has asked to continue the engagement policy.

Moreover, some lawmakers of the ruling camp went so far as to
visit Kaesong and Mt. Kumkang to show support for continuing the
two projects that are opposed by the U.S.

 The nuclear bomb in the hands of Kim Jong-il regime is a threat
we have never experienced before. But, the irresolute government
attitude at this time of crisis makes us wonder where it is
headed. The government is reluctant to be in step with the
international community in slapping sanctions on the North for
fear of provoking armed reaction. But people have no
understanding for such a weak attitude. Our government said that
we have already suspended rice shipments and other necessities
since Pyongyang¡¯s missile test-firing last July and there are
no more available means of punishing the North.

 In an apparent show of displeasure, U.S. State Secretary
Condoleezza Rice told reporters on the heels of her recent
diplomatic swings that South Korea was the most uncooperative
among the four nations she visited in pressuring Pyongyang into
dismantling its nuclear bid. We believe that the engagement
policy is not limited only to offering carrots. Using a stick
can sometime be an effective means of engagement to have the
North return to the negotiating table. We have not shown any
changes at all toward the North since its nuclear blast, just as
if nothing has happened.

 China, staunch ally of the North, is rather more positive than
us in slapping Pyongyang by means ranging from the suspension of
banking transactions to strengthening cargo inspections in the
border region. Driving Pyongyang too harshly into a corner may
cause a problem, but what¡¯s more scary is to become isolated
from the international community. The government¡¯s plan to
replace ministers in charge of diplomacy and national security
could be an occasion to change our overall North Korean policy.
We hope so. 

10-25-2006 17:50         
  
*****************************************************************
 26 Korea Times: Direct Talks 

Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Opinion   

 Washington Should Meet Pyongyang One-on-One   

Two things have become clear in the aftermath of North Korea¡¯s
nuclear test and the U.N. resolution to punish the provocation.
Neither Washington nor Pyongyang seeks a military solution, and
the rest of the world also wants a peaceful, diplomatic
settlement. If so, the ongoing nuclear standoff is little more
than a chicken game between the U.S. and North Korea, calling
for unconditional concessions from each other. And to most
objective observers, it is the United States that is less prone
to dialogue. 

The Republican administration¡¯s avoidance of direct talks with
North Korea appears politically motivated. President Bush says
the 1994 agreement went nowhere due to Pyongyang¡¯s duplicity,
noting the Stalinist regime went ahead with nuclear programs
despite the accord. From the standpoint of the North, however,
Washington also reneged on key provisions. Still, the two sides
could have ironed out differences and normalized relationships
had it not been for the change in the U.S. government.

 As is widely known, the real reason Washington evades
one-on-one talks with Pyongyang is the incumbent
administration¡¯s ideological, and religious, abhorrence of
dictatorial regimes. Personal, or group, inclinations may be
important if they hold sway on a country¡¯s foreign policy. Just
as the U.S. war in Iraq is suspected of being aimed at securing
energy resources as much as establishing democracy in the Middle
East, America¡¯s adherence to its policy on Northeast Asia may
be due more to its global strategy than humanitarian reasons.

 Attracting our attention in this regard is the appeal of
Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the U.N. International Atomic Energy
Agency. The Egyptian diplomat said the only real option for
trying to curb North Korea¡¯s nuclear weapons program is to talk
to the insular regime. ``I don¡¯t think sanctions work as a
penalty,¡¯¡¯ he said, after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice Monday. ElBaradei, who had led the
anti-proliferation agency for almost a decade, said punishment
of North Korea is not the solution.

 Interestingly, not only the U.S. Democrats but some Republicans
and the majority of the American people want direct talks
between Washington and Pyongyang, if the latest survey is any
guide. The U.S. popular sentiments would become a trend if the
Democratic Party wins the by-elections early next month, as is
widely forecast. The U.S. neo-cons appear set to push ahead with
pressuring the isolationist regime, thinking it will implode
soon. But China is hardly likely abandon its communist neighbor.

 The Bush administration sticks to six-party talks instead of
tete-a-tete with the reclusive regime. If Washington keeps
calling for a unilateral concession from Pyongyang, however, it
is highly doubtful whether the multilateral talks, even if
reconvened, would bear much fruit. Now is the time not for
wasting time and gesturing but for genuine dialogue, such as
through exchanging special envoys. 

10-25-2006 17:48         
  
*****************************************************************
 27 AFP: Rice plays down veiled Putin criticism of US handling of NKorea crisis - 

 Wed Oct 25, 3:11 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States brushed aside a complaint by 
Russian President Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putinthat North Korea 
North Koreatested a nuclear weapon because it had been backed 
into a corner by its rivals. 

 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" /> Condoleezza Rice,
who met Putin last week in Moscow, said she had extensive
discussions on the North Korean issue with Russian leaders and
agreed on the need to implement UN sanctions against Pyongyang
over its October 9 test. 

The goal of the resolution, she said, is to force North Korea
back into six-party talks on giving up its nuclear program in
exchange for aid and improved relations with the international
community. 

"It is true that people are concerned that North Korea have a
path out if it decides to choose that path out," she said when
asked about Putin's remarks during an appearance at the
conservative Heritage Foundation think tank. 

"And I think we have established that there is indeed a path,
which is the six-party talks -- that all North Korea needs to do
is return to those and return to them seriously," she said. 

In what was seen as veiled criticism of the aggressive US policy
on North Korea, Putin said earlier on Russian television that
one of the reasons Pyongyang chose to set off its first nuclear
explosion was that "not all participants in the (six-party)
talks process could find the right tone in the talks". 

"You never need to push a situation into a dead end. You never
put one of the participants in negotiations in such a situation
where it has almost no exit, except one -- to escalate the
situation," Putin said. 

Rice played down the remarks. 

"I don't read anything into concerns that you worry about North
Korea being locked into a corner, because everybody understands
that they've got to implement the resolution," she said. 

The six-party talks include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea"
/> South Korea, the United States and North Korea. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 28 AFP: North Korea signalling readiness for nuclear talks - Putin -

 Wed Oct 25, 6:24 AM ET 		 	 

MOSCOW (AFP) - North Korea" /> has sent "signals" that it is 
ready to return to international talks on its nuclear weapons 
programme, Russian President Vladimir Putin" /> said. 

 "We hear there are signals that the country is ready to return
to the six-sided process," Putin said Wednesday. 

North Korea would be ready for negotiations if given a
"guarantee of its national interests regarding its security and
development of peaceful atomic power", Putin said during a live,
televised phone-in with Russians. 

Putin said that North Korea's recent announcement of a
successful nuclear weapon test was "unacceptable". 

However, in what appeared to be veiled criticism of the United
States, Putin said that North Korea had been pushed into
ignoring the international community. 

"I think that one of the reasons is that not all participants in
the talks process could find the right tone in the talks. 

"You never need to push a situation into a dead end. You never
put one of the participants in negotiations in such a situation
where it has almost no exit, except one -- to escalate the
situation," Putin said. 

Putin said that the only "exit" from the current standoff was a
return to the six-party talks which North Korea abandoned in
November last year. 

The other participants are China, Japan, Russia, South Korea" />
and the United States. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 29 AFP: Japan FM renews call for debate on nuclear weapons - 

 by Kyoko Hasegawa Wed Oct 25, 1:23 PM ET 		 	 

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso renewed his call 
for a discussion about whether the pacifist nation should acquire 
nuclear weapons after North Korea" /> North Korea's first atom 
bomb test. 

 "We need to discuss once again why Japan came to decide not to
possess nuclear arms," Aso told a parliamentary foreign affairs
committee. 

"On the assumption that North Korea really owns nuclear arms
now, the situation of the Far East has changed drastically,"
said Aso. "We should discuss if Japan can stay as it is." 

Aso last week alarmed neighboring countries that suffered under
Japan's brutal militaristic past when he said it was important
to debate whether to possess atomic weapons. 

Shoichi Nakagawa, the policy chief of the ruling Liberal
Democratic Party (LDP), who is also a close ally of Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe, has also called for frank discussions on
the topic. 

But Abe has repeatedly rejected the idea of developing nuclear
weapons despite his strong support for a more active military
role for Japan, which has been officially pacifist since its
World War II defeat. 

He reiterated again Wednesday that Japan would uphold its
three-point non-nuclear principle against the "possession,
production and presence" of nuclear arms on its territory and
said the country would not discuss going nuclear. 

Defense Agency Director General Fumio Kyuma also rejected the
idea. 

"If Japan develops nuclear weapons, that would lead to a nuclear
arms race in the region," he told journalists. 

The South Korean independent Hankyoreh daily has reported that
Seoul was already assessing its options in case Japan decides to
develop nuclear weapons. 

Aso, however, has also maintained that Japan will uphold its
self-imposed three-point non-nuclear principle. 

Motofumi Asai, a former diplomat and international relations
professor, said there were now differing views within the LDP on
relations with the United States and Japanese foreign and
security policy. 

"Apparently Prime Minister Abe and Foreign Minister Aso belong
to the faction which does not accept the post-war system as it
is," said Asai, who is now director of the Hiroshima Peace
Institute. 

"Kyuma, despite being director general of the Defence Agency,
knows that discussing the matter itself can shake Japan-US
relations." 

Asai said he did not think the United States, which Japan relies
on for its security, would condone any move to acquire nuclear
weapons. 

"If it allows Japan to do so, it may open up Pandora's Box. I
think the United States wants to stop such a thing," he said. 

Japan and the United States are stepping up their military
alliance, including a missile defense system. 

More than any other country, Japan feels a direct threat from
the North Korea, which fired a missile over its main island in
1998 and test-fired seven more rockets in July of this year. 

Japan adopted its non-nuclear approach under former prime
minister Eisaku Sato, who was in office from 1964 to 1972 and
won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1974. 

The country has long campaigned against nuclear weapons. The
United States in 1945 destroyed the cities of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki with atom bombs, killing more than 210,000 people
instantly or from horrific burns. 	 		 			

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 30 AFP: China and US closing ranks over North Korea issue - US 

 Wed Oct 25, 9:08 AM ET 		 	 

NADI, Fiji (AFP) - The US and China "have never been closer" in 
the wake of North Korea" /> 's nuclear test earlier this month, 
US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said. 

 Hill, who has responsibility for East Asia and the Pacific, has
been travelling recently with US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice" /> in East Asia to try to ensure a united front on the
application of UN sanctions against North Korea after its
nuclear test on October 9. 

"In China we felt we were speaking with one voice on this
issue," Hill told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting of
Pacific Island Forum leaders. 

"At no time have we felt closer together than we have felt in
the wake of these North Korean provocations." 

"I think the Chinese understand that the North Korean
provocations, the decision to proceed with a nuclear weapons
programme is really something quite beyond the pale and
something we need to all speak with one voice about," Hill said. 

"It always used to be that the Chinese would ask for more
patience and we'd ask the Chinese for less patience but I think
today we are really working better together." 

"Ultimately the proof of the pudding will be if we can get North
Korea back to the negotiating table and out of these
programmes." 

China is Pyongyang's closest ally and Beijing's foreign ministry
said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il had told
Chinese envoy Tang Jiaxuan last week that a second nuclear test
was not currently planned. 

However, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman added that
increased international pressure could trigger more action. 


Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 31 Japan Times: Aso skeptical of North Korea's nuclear plans
 
japantimes.co.jp               

Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006

 Aso skeptical of North Korea's nuclear plans 

The Associated Press 

Foreign Minister Taro Aso warned Tuesday there is still a
possibility North Korea will carry out more nuclear tests and
said he is pessimistic about the country returning to
disarmament talks soon. 

Aso praised China for sending top diplomats to Pyongyang last
week to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Il but added "that
does not mean we can be optimistic about North Korea's nuclear
abandonment or a return to the six-party talks." 

Aso, speaking at a Diet defense and foreign affairs committee,
said Japan had to be prepared for the possibility of "second and
third nuclear tests" by North Korea, which carried out its first
test Oct. 9. 

"As long as I remember, no country has halted nuclear tests
after the first one," Aso said. "It's only common sense to
assume there will be a second and a third." 

There have been mixed reports about the talks between China and
North Korea. South Korean media reported last week that Kim
expressed regret for carrying out the nuclear test, ruled out
the possibility of further tests and hinted at an intention to
return to the disarmament talks. 

On Monday, however, a Japanese lawmaker visiting Beijing quoted
one of the delegates to Pyongyang as saying China was not
optimistic North Korea will end its nuclear quest or re-enter
disarmament talks soon. 

Beijing has not released the details of a trip by its diplomats
to Pyongyang, and North Korea has shown no public signs of
flexibility, continuing its bellicose rhetoric aimed at the
United States. 

The developments demonstrate the uncertainty that has surrounded
the nuclear standoff since the North's test, which prompted the
U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on Pyongyang. 

The Japan Times (C) All rights reserved 

*****************************************************************
 32 Guardian Unlimited: Rice Presses South Korea on Sanctions 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 8:01 PM

AP Photo DCCD105 

By ANNE GEARAN 

AP Diplomatic Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gently
prodded South Korea on Wednesday to show a strong commitment to
international sanctions imposed against North Korea for its
nuclear test this month. 

Rice said the U.S. has no wish to tell Seoul how it should
coexist with its neighbor and noted the vigorous debate in South
Korea over the future of its ``sunshine policy'' of partial
rapprochement. 

But she said North Korea's test of a nuclear device Oct. 9
``requires a strong response,'' and said that adherence to a
U.N. resolution banning the sale of weapons material, luxury
goods and more to North Korea is key. The sanctions also seek
interception of ships believed to be carrying suspect materials. 

``It requires a strong commitment by South Korea,'' she told the
conservative Heritage Foundation. ``Any activities need to be
seen in the light of making certain to implement that
resolution.'' 

South Korea so far has balked at taking strong measures to
support the sanctions, mindful of Pyongyang's massive armed
forces poised at the border, its family and cultural ties with
the North and its wish to expand economic relations with its
neighbor. 

``We understand that this is a complicated set of issues for
South Korea,'' she said. ``South Koreans don't need us to tell
them what to do about their policies.'' 

Rice returned Sunday from a weeklong trip to Asia and Moscow to
line up support for the U.N. resolution, approved five days
after the North's nuclear test. 

``North Korea's behavior poses a regional challenge and it must
be addressed in a regional context,'' she said. ``South Korea
must be part of the solution, as should Japan and China and
Russia. 

``These countries all share an interest in a denuclearized
Korean Peninsula. They all have leverage to help bring it about.
And they must all accept their share of the responsibility to
help,'' Rice said. 
		 	 	   
    Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 33 AFP: Bush says alliance against North Korea 'firm' 

 Wed Oct 25, 12:09 PM ET 		 	 

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush" /> President 
George W. Bushsaid he was confident the alliance confronting 
North Korea" /> North Korea's nuclear policy will enforce UN 
sanctions against Pyongyang, despite South Korea" /> South 
Korea's refusal to cut off key economic projects in the north. 

 "The coalition remains firm, and we will continue to work to
see to it that it does remain firm," Bush told a White House
news conference, referring to the five-nation group that is
trying to press North Korea back into disarmament negotiations. 

The president said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" />
Condoleezza Ricehad briefed him on her tour last week of
Washington's partners in the coalition --- China, Japan, Russia
and South Korea -- and that all four governments pledged to back
the sanctions. 

"All countries understand we must work closely together to solve
this problem peacefully," Bush said during the press conference,
which focused primarily on the conflict in Iraq" /> Iraq. 

The UN Security Council unanimously adopted the sanctions after
North Korea carried out its first nuclear test explosion on
October 9. 

The sanctions include a ban on trade in weapons-related
material, financial measures to prevent the funding of
Pyongyang's military and the search and seizure of cargo to and
from North Korea suspected of containing banned weapons. 

Rice reported strong support for the sanctions from all four
countries, and particularly China, North Korea's long-time
benefactor and main source of trade and aid. 

But the South Korean government reaffirmed Wednesday that it
would not close two major investment projects in the North which
critics assert funnel money indirectly to Pyongyang's military
programs. 

The initiatives -- an industrial park in North Korea's Kaesong
and tours to the scenic Mount Kumgang tourist area -- were
launched under Seoul's so-called "sunshine policy" of engaging
the north in hopes of lessening its isolation. 

South Korea said it was drawing up a report for the United
Nations" /> United Nationson measures it will take under the
North Korea sanctions resolution. 

But Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-Hyung said Kaesong and Mount
Kumgang "have nothing to do with the UN Security Council
resolution". 

Bush also brushed aside bellicose rhetoric from North Korean
leader Kim Jong-Il, who has threatened to retaliate against the
United States and neighboring states which join in imposing
sanctions. 

"The leader of North Korea likes to threaten," he said. 

"In my judgment, what he's doing is just testing the will of the
five countries that are working together to convince him there
is a better way forward for his people," he said. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 34 UPI: Putin: West shouldn't corner North Korea
     
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

10/25/2006 8:59:00 AM -0400

MOSCOW, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said
some states provoked North Korea's nuclear test by cornering the
regime in Pyongyang. 

Some participants of the so-called six-party talks on North
Korea's nuclear program had missed the "right tone" in dealing
with Pyongyang and pressured the country into a corner, Putin
said Wednesday on Russian state television while addressing
questions from his fellow countrymen. 

"One shouldn't have forced North Korea into a situation in which
the only way out was an aggravation of the conflict," German
online daily Netzeitung quoted Putin as saying, in what
observers call a criticism of U.S. policy. 

At the same time, however, Putin denounced the nuclear test. 

The United Nations called North Korea's Oct. 9 nuclear test a
"clear threat to international peace and security." Less than a
week later, the U.N. Security Council voted to impose financial
and weapons sanctions on North Korea.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 35 UPI: Australia considers North Korean sanctions
     
  United Press International - NewsTrack - 

10/25/2006 5:18:00 AM -0400

 NANDI, Fiji, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister John
Howard says he will consider helping an international effort to
enforce sanctions against North Korea. 

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Commission from Fiji
after talks with a senior U.S. official, Howard said it was too
early to say whether Australia is prepared to commit military
assets, like warships, to help enforce the sanctions. 

"Clearly it's something that we would look at, provided it was
fully sanctioned internationally and provided that it stacks
up," he said. 

Howard is in Fiji for a meeting of leaders of South Pacific
nations and the United States is lobbying the international
community to support sanctions against North Korea because of
its nuclear program. 

He said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill will be in
Canberra this weekend for more talks on the sanctions.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 36 UPI: North Korea warns South over sanctions
     
United Press International - NewsTrack - 

        10/25/2006 12:11:00 PM -0400
 
PYONGYANG, North Korea, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- North Korea Wednesday
warned South Korea against joining the United States in
implementing U.N. sanctions over its Oct. 9 nuclear test. 

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported that a spokesman for the
Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland said
Pyongyang will take ''corresponding measures'' if South Korea
complies with U.S. calls for it to impose sanctions. 

The spokesman was quoted as saying such a step by the South
would be seen "as a declaration of confrontation against its own
people.'' 

Separately, the Korea Times reported that South Korea is
planning its own punitive measures against North Korea, which
will be submitted to the U.N. Security Council sanctions
committee. 

South Korean officials also were quoted as saying cross-border
economic projects would not be seriously affected by the current
U.N. sanctions. 

On United States' request to South Korea to formally take part
in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative, Vice Foreign
Minister Lee Kyu-hyung said the government is "reviewing
appropriate measures suitable for the Security 

Council resolution," the report said. 

The Times report also said John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to
the United Nations, plans to visit South Korea early next month.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
*****************************************************************
 37 UPI: Bush: N.Korea just making threats
     
   United Press International - NewsTrack - 

10/25/2006 11:46:00 AM -0400
 
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush
downplayed the threat posed by North Korea, saying Pyongyang has
made threats before. 

Bush, at a White House news conference Wednesday, said he thinks
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is "just testing the will of the
five countries working together" to convince him to abandon his
nuclear ambitions. 

"This is not the first time he has issued threats," Bush said.
"Our goal is to continue to remind our partners when we work
together we are more likely to achieve the objective." 

The United States, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have
been working to get North Korea back to the negotiating table
following the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 38 UPI: SK preparing sanctions report for U.N.
     
 United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 

10/25/2006 11:44:00 AM -0400

SEOUL, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- South Korea is drafting its plan for
implementing U.N. economic sanctions against North Korea. 

Second Vice Foreign Minister Lee Kyu-hyung, speaking in a news
conference, said measures would not include the country's
Gaeseong industrial park in the North or tour projects, which it
believes are not directly related to Security Council Resolution
1718, adopted after North Korea continued its nuclear weapons
programs in defiance of international pressure. 

However, South Korean state subsidies for Gaeseong could be
suspended, and salaries to North Korean workers there could be
paid to them directly rather than through the North Korean
government. 

The United Nations is requiring that reports on sanctions
implementation measures by South Korea and other states be
submitted to the Security Council before Nov. 13. 

The Korea Herald Wednesday reported that Lee on Tuesday also
said Seoul was exploring ways to cooperate with calls by the
U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative to stop maritime
cargoes related to weapons of mass destruction. 

South Korea has observer status in the network of countries but
is being asked to become more active. 

"(South Korea) can commit to the initiative according to each
different scenario, thereby avoiding any military collision with
the North," Dr. Kim Tae-woo, of the Korean Institute of Defense
Analysis told the newspaper. 

An example of how South Korea could participate, he said, was by
intelligence sharing on North Korean vessels or only joining in
stop-and-search actions when suspect ships were far from the
Korean mainland.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 39 Small Tactical Nukes Nothing New
 
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 02:08:03 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: SPAM-LOW
X-Spam: [SPAM] - LOW

Apparently there have been some efforts to discredit the existence
of small scale tactical nukes.  They aren't new folks:

"The M-388 Davy Crockett was a tactical nuclear recoilless rifle
projectile that was deployed by the United States during the Cold
War.

It was named after American soldier, Congressman and folk hero Davy
Crockett (1786-1836)."

There is more here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davy_Crockett_(nuclear_device)

Big Medicine http://justanotherblowback.blogspot.com/

"If you give a man the correct information for seven years, he may
believe the incorrect information on the first day of the eighth
year when it is necessary, from your point of view, that he should
do so. Your first job is to build the credibility and the authenticity
of your propaganda, and persuade the enemy to trust you although
you are his enemy." ~ A Psychological Warfare Casebook - Operations
Research Office - Johns Hopkins University (1958)

-- http://www.fastmail.fm - A fast, anti-spam email service.

*****************************************************************
 40 UPI: Analysis: Cold War policies could return

United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

10/25/2006 12:50:00 AM -0400

 By AMBER CORRIN UPI Correspondent

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- With support faltering for the war
in Iraq a return to Cold War-era containment tactics may be in
the works, experts say, but the efficiency of broad strategic
changes could prove troublesome as the United States finds
itself mired in a multifaceted war on terror. 

"After Sept. 11, deterrence and containment were tossed aside
because we were seeing a new form of animal," said Justin Logan,
foreign policy analyst at the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C.
"Maybe we've gone too far in swearing that off; now there's a
call to reevaluate this as a viable policy." 

Favored by the Eisenhower and Truman administrations to combat
the spread of Soviet communism through economic, political and
ideological isolation, a number of proponents cite past
successes to assert the policy could work where military actions
have failed in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East. 

"These are not empires. These are relatively minor countries in
the global sphere" that can be managed, according to Joseph
Cirincione of the Center for American Progress, who noted that
"serious flaws" in containment strategies are outweighed by
benefits that include more time to allow capitalist practices to
penetrate and negotiations to take place. 

Still, an all-encompassing return to Cold War-era tactics could
present problems, and does not guarantee a solution to the many
hurdles the Bush administration now faces in its mission to
democratize the Middle East. North Korea has tested a nuclear
weapon and Iran may soon achieve capability, raising doubts as
to whether old strategies will work as well as before. 

"Containment can fail," asserted James Carafano of the Heritage
Foundation. "In fact, it precipitated World War II. The
isolation of Japan was so successful, their way to break out was
the attack the U.S." 

The success of a modern-day containment policy would hinge on
flexibility and persistence, if not on dialogue between state
actors and a unified multilateral effort, experts said, adding
that any winning strategies toward Iraq or North Korea would be
those that adapt to the changing face of the enemy and the
complex dangers of modern-day warfare. 

"Radical Islam is one of the main challenges (in the Middle
East), but maybe not the principle challenge. We need different
strategies for different concerns. With regard to Iraq,
containment is the name of the game; regional framework,
redeployment," said Lee Feinstein, senior fellow for U.S.
foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. 

In dealing with Iraq and the U.S.-led war on terror, he said
room to maneuver will play a crucial role towards long-term
progress and boosting American morale and support. 

"We have to weigh the costs of remaining deeply involved in Iraq
against accepting the fact that the U.S. is unlikely to achieve
what they went there to do," Feinstein said. 

Moreover, the failure in Iraq is connected to other pressing
global concerns such as the conflict in Darfur, nuclear
standoffs with North Korea and Iran, and the aggressiveness of
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who recently called Bush "the
Devil." 

"Now we're seeing the consequence of the perception of failure
and weakness. With the U.S. distracted, others are testing the
water," he said.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 41 UPI: Israel experts uphold nuclear vagueness
     
United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 

10/25/2006 7:37:00 AM -0400

TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Security experts are
upholding the government's policy of "vagueness" on Israeli
nuclear capability. 

Foreign reports say it has nuclear weapons, but Israel has been
deliberately vague on the issue. 

Arab fears of Israel's likely nuclear capability probably
restrained Egypt in 1973, when it launched a surprise attack
with Syria that stopped in the Sinai. 

In 1991, Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein fired Scud missiles into
Israel but did not use chemical warheads, possibly out of fear
of a devastating retaliation. 

"Vagueness is a policy of keeping a low profile, or restraint.
... It served us and is good for the future," Uzi Arad, formerly
in charge of Mossad (secret intelligence service) research, told
Channel 1 TV. 

The United States, Britain and France understand Israel's policy
and back it, Arad continued. The understandings have been
maintained throughout successive U.S. administrations, he noted. 

Adir Pridor, an expert on military operations research, said
that canceling the policy of ambiguity might expose Israel to
foreign pressure, and that there is no reason to do so. 

"It's better to continue with the vagueness so that they (the
Iranians) will guess and fear," said former Deputy Defense
Minister Ephraim Sneh. 

Several experts said Israel would have to be explicit once Iran
obtains a nuclear weapon. Then there will be no alternative but
to engage in nuclear deterrence because the cost of a mistake
would be intolerable, said Reuven Pedatzur of the Strategic
Dialogue Center of Netanya College. 

Experts agree there is no symmetry between tiny Israel and Iran,
which is 70 times its size. The United States and the Soviet
Union were big enough to sustain a first strike, but most of
Israel is concentrated between Haifa and Ashkelon and is very
vulnerable. 

Sneh suggested that after an attack the damage would be so great
that perhaps retaliation would be pointless, recommending that
Israel develop the capability to hit many targets far from its
borders.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 42 IHT: EU approves new French nuclear reactor - 

Business - International Herald Tribune
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
The Associated Press
 						
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2006
 							 						 					   				 				
BRUSSELS, Belgium The EU on Tuesday approved French plans to 
build a new atomic power reactor expected to be a model for the 
next generation of more fuel-efficient nuclear energy stations. 
Under EU nuclear rules, the European Commission must clear 
investments for building or renovating nuclear power plants.  

Electricite de France SA says the new station â€” to be built at 
Flamanville, northern France â€” will be able to generate 1,600 
megawatts of energy using European pressurized-water reactor, or 
EPR, technology that aims to use 17 percent less fuel.  

It should be operational by 2012, paving the way for other plants 
to adopt the technology by 2020, EDF said.  The company said some 
58 French nuclear plants reach their 40th birthday around 2020 
and may need to be shut down. EDF wants to have the Flamanville 3 
plant up and working as a "technically tested and validated 
reactor model" in place before then.  The new model should have a 
longer life span of 60 years.  ___  On The Net:  EDF's 
Flamanville plant:                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
												 						 						 					   				 				
Herald Tribune All rights reserved   [IHT]    
	 					   				 			
*****************************************************************
 43 Sydney Morning Herald: Govt might consider nuclear subsidies - 

www.smh.com.au
 
October 26, 2006 - 6:54AM

The government would consider subsidising nuclear power to make
it affordable, Environment Minister Ian Campbell has indicated. 

Senator Campbell said the government would not penalise
coal-burning power stations in order to make their energy more
expensive and bring it on a par with nuclear-generated energy. 

Asked on ABC television whether nuclear power would be
uneconomic unless coal-fired power stations were penalised for
polluting the atmosphere, Senator Campbell said the government
preferred incentives over penalties and taxes. 

"When you realise that Australia is 1.46 per cent of global
(carbon dioxide) emissions, creating policy measures in
Australia that put up the price of energy ... that is the Labor
way of doing things," Senator Campbell told ABC television. 

"The other way is to create incentives. 

"Whenever you want to create an energy source that is more
expensive to create infrastructure-wise than what we are doing
at the moment, you will need some sort of subsidy." 

The government announced a $75 million subsidy for a solar
industry project, for example, Senator Campbell said. 

Solar Systems Generation received $125 million in federal and
state grants to build its proposed solar concentrator using
photovoltaic cells in north-west Victoria. 

The $420 million solar power project is expected to pump
electricity into the national grid equivalent to the annual
needs of 45,000 homes, with no greenhouse gas emissions. 

Senator Campbell said solar power was still massively more
expensive than current energy technology and was not the "silver
bullet" solution. 

"I don't want to mislead people by thinking that solar is the
only answer. Nuclear is certainly not the only answer, nor is
solar," Senator Campbell said. 

"It is going to require this portfolio approach." 

But the government would move to replace coal-fired power
stations with solar generation if its price could be reduced
below fossil-fuel generated power, Senator Campbell said. 

"There is no reason why you wouldn't ... You'd be mad not to,"
he said. 

"If the sums add up, that's what could happen." 

Meanwhile, Senator Campbell said the government would be
unlikely to regulate to make new carbon capture technology
mandatory even if a demonstration project in Victoria proved
successful. 

The government announced $50 million to clean up the Hazelwood
coal power station through carbon dioxide capture and storage. 

The scheme has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions
by more than 80 per cent. 

"I don't think you want to legislate to make any particular
technology the requirement," Senator Campbell said. 

"You can't wreck the economy if you want to solve this problem. 

"If you kill either the Australian economy or the global economy
by taking those measures, you kill the opportunity to make the
investment required for these multi-trillion dollar
technological deployments," he said. 	
© 2006 	AAP

(+61 424 767 764), or us. 
*****************************************************************
 44 BBC: Two nuclear reactors are
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
 
[Hinkley Point B]                               

The plant normally provides 3% of the UK's electricity                                                                 

Questions are being raised about the future of Hinkley Point B 
nuclear power station in Somerset. 

Both its advanced gas-cooled reactors are currently shut down and 
a campaign group has said it may never open again. 

Problems at the plant include cracks in a reactor's graphite 
core, and cracks in boiler pipes, which are currently being 
repaired by engineers. 

British Energy said the cracks are within its safety plan and the 
decommissioning date is 2011. 

The company brought forward a safety inspection after the cracked 
pipes were revealed. 

Documents seen by the BBC state it cannot make a safety case for 
the graphite core to cover the next 10 years of the plant's life, 
as it will not last that long. 

I can't see it opening aga
		
	 	Jim Duffy   	

A statement from British Energy said: "All British Energy nuclear 
power stations operate under safety cases agreed and signed off 
by the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate. Without this safety 
case approval, our stations would not operate. 

"The documents [seen by the BBC] reflect only a fragment of the 
on-going dialogue that British Energy has with its regulator. 

"The graphite cores are made up of a number of graphite bricks 
arranged in layers. It is accepted... that cracks will occur in 
some of the bricks as part of the normal ageing process within 
the graphite reactor core." 

UK electricity 

John Large, an independent nuclear consultant, said: "We've known 
there are problems with the graphite cores and now we have the 
cracking of the boiler tubes. 

"It's the occurrence of two faults in parallel that is causing a 
dilemma for Hinkley." 

Jim Duffy, of the Stop Hinkley group, added: "The boiler tube 
cracks are a fundamental problem. 

"Given we've got graphite problems... I can't see it opening 
again." 

Hinkley B's two reactors normally provide 3% of the UK's 
electricity.                                                     



*****************************************************************
 45 Charlotte Business Journal: Duke: Critics mistaken on nuclear costs - 

Charlotte Business Journal - 10:39 AM EDT Wednesdayby Senior
Staff Writer
 
has tried to clarify what it wants from the N.C. Utilities
Commission in its request for authorization to charge ratepayers
the costs of planning for its proposed nuclear plant in South
Carolina. 

Duke says the commission's Public Staff and others who have
objected to the plan have misunderstood the request. In a filing
with the commission late Tuesday, Duke says it simply wants the
commission to declare the costs prudent and recoverable. 

It argues opponents are interpreting the commission's authority
too narrowly when they contend the request exceeds current
statutes. The company calls for a broader interpretation of law. 

The utility has proposed a two-unit nuclear-power plant in
Cherokee County, S.C., with Georgia's at a cost of $4 billion to
$6 billion. For months, executives have stressed Duke won't
attempt to build a nuclear plant without the authority to
recover at least some of the costs while construction is under
way. 

N.C. law typically requires that any plant or equipment be "used
and useful" before a utility can pass its costs onto ratepayers.
But Duke says the long lead time for construction -- 10 to 20
years for a nuclear plant -- and the uncertainty of public
opinion, which turned radically against nuclear power in the
1980s, means it cannot take the risk of losing its investment in
the plant. 

"It is unfair and inappropriate to ask Duke ... to wait over 10
years, after it has spent billions of dollars, before it learns
whether the commission finds that the activities being pursued
today are prudent or not," the filling states. 

The Public Staff, the N.C. Attorney General and other interested
groups have objected, contending Duke is seeking broad authority
to add its planning and construction costs for the nuclear
plants to customer bills. Several groups also contend the nature
of Duke's request is unclear. Opponents have uniformly argued
the request appears to be beyond the commission's statutory
authority to grant. 

Duke says they are mistaken. It is not seeking to add any costs
to customer bills at this time -- a point made in the company's
initial filing. It argues it simply wants assurance that the
commission will not later declare the money was imprudently
spent -- particularly if the plans are abandoned, as Duke's
initial plans for a nuclear plant at the Cherokee site were 20
years ago. 

Duke says it would not attempt to impose any hike in rates
without a full rate hearing. Duke contends that if the
commission has the authority later to declare the costs prudent,
it has the authority now to make that same finding. It says that
is all it has asked the commission to do. 

Duke does not deny it will seek to recover these costs as
construction goes forward. Its initial filing, on Oct. 5, makes
it clear the company intends to come back to the commission for
authorization of at least some planning and construction costs
if the project proceeds. 

Some environmental groups contend the commission can't determine
a plant's necessity until it decides if Duke has made sufficient
efforts at conservation. But Duke says such objections miss the
point. Duke says such questions are appropriate in a rate-case
hearing, but not in this initial step. 

The company is seeking a finding from the commission that its
current efforts are reasonable and necessary in order to provide
adequate electrical service at the lowest possible price. 

Duke argues the planning efforts themselves meet the "used and
useful" standard in that Duke will take the information from the
planning process to determine how best to proceed. 

Charlotte-based Duke Energy Corp. (NYSE:DUK) is a diversified
energy company with a portfolio of natural gas and electric
businesses, both regulated and unregulated, and an affiliated
real estate company. 

Reach John Downey at (704) 973-1130 or jdowney@bizjournals.com. 
Contact the Editor Need Assistance? More Latest News 

© 2006 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors.
*****************************************************************
 46 Business Day: SA to spend R6bn on nuclear reactor
 	 	 		 
  Posted to the web on: 25 October 2006

Reuters
 
SA has set aside R6bn over three years to fund plans to build an 
advanced nuclear reactor, the National Treasury said today. 

"A total of R6bn is set aside for the PBMR (pebble bed modular 
reactor) project over the period ahead," Finance Minister Trevor 
Manuel said in his Medium Term Budget Policy Statement to 
parliament, which lays out spending plans for the next three 
years. 

SA plans to build the reactor near its only existing nuclear 
facility at Koeberg, north of Cape Town, as it scrambles to find 
new energy sources to meet growing demand for electricity. 

The reactor is an advanced design said to dramatically improve 
safety and efficiency but which environmentalists say is unsafe 
and creates radioactive waste.   

Copyright Â© 2005 BDFM Publishers (Pty) Ltd. All Rights
*****************************************************************
 47 The Raw Story: Nine of Sweden's 10 nuclear reactors back online

dpa German Press Agency

 Published: Wednesday October 25, 2006 

Stockholm- Nine of Sweden's 10 nuclear reactors, including four
that were taken offline last July over flaws in their backup
systems, were Wednesday back online, according to the state
Nuclear Power Inspectorate. The decision to take the reactors
offline was made after one of the four reactors at Forsmark,
north of Stockholm, shut down late July after a short circuit in
a switchyard outside the plant. 

When the reactor shut down, two of four emergency generators
failed to start. Several other systems partly malfunctioned,
sparking a debate over nuclear safety although the nuclear
watchdog SKI said the incident did not harm the reactor. 

Operators of the Forsmark plant have been ordered by SKI to
present daily reports of operations as part of tightened
security measures, and on Tuesday restarted the last of their
reactors that was offline. 

One reactor at the Oskarshamn plant in south-eastern Sweden
would remain shut down till the end of the year as part of
planned overhaul. 

Sweden operated 12 nuclear rectors at most. Two at the Barseback
plant in southern Sweden have been decommissioned, the most
recent in May 2005.
 
© 2006 dpa German Press Agency
 
*****************************************************************
 48 UPI: FPL, Constellation merger called off
     
United Press International - NewsTrack - 

10/25/2006 3:27:00 PM -0400
 
JUNO BEACH, Fla., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- FPL Group Inc. and 
Constellation Energy jointly said Wednesday they were ending 
their planned $11 billion merger in Maryland. 

Constellation Energy initiated a request to end the planned
merger, citing "continued uncertainty over regulatory and
judicial matters in Maryland and the potential for a protracted
and open-ended merger review process." 

The combination would have created the nation's second-largest
utility and third-largest nuclear energy provider, but political
repercussions of a rate hike stemming from Constellation's
utility, Baltimore Gas &Electric Co., complicated the plan. 

FPL Group owns Miami-based Florida Power &Light Co., Florida's
largest electric utility with more than 4 million customer
accounts. 

"As we considered the situation in Maryland, we determined the
risks and uncertainties were too significant to overcome," said
Mayo A. Shattuck III, chief executive officer of Constellation
Energy.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
*****************************************************************
 49 Federal Times: Radiation detectors for borders unreliable, GAO says 

By STEPHEN LOSEY

October 25, 2006                                                                                                                                
																																																										
The Homeland Security Department used faulty estimates to justify 
its $1.2 billion purchase of radiation-detecting devices, which 
may not work as well as promised, according to a new report.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
The

Government Accountability Office said in an Oct. 17 report that 
Homeland Security’s Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) used 
incomplete and unreliable data to evaluate the costs and benefits 
of new advanced spectroscopic portal monitors, which are intended 
to screen all passengers, vehicles and cargo entering the United 
States.                                             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
As a result, the department has purchased new radiation detectors 
that may not be able to consistently tell the difference between 
dangerous material such as highly enriched uranium and material 
that emits harmless radiation, such as ceramic tile or cat 
litter, wrote Gene Aloise, GAO’s natural resources and 
environment director.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Homeland Security announced the five-year contracts with Raytheon 
Co., Thermo Electron Corp. and Canberra Industries Inc. on July 
14. DNDO wants to spend $80 million in fiscal 2007 to install the 
first 104 new monitors.    
                                                                                                                                                        
But in the 2007 Homeland Security spending bill, which President 
Bush signed into law Oct. 4, Congress pledged to hold the money 
until the department proves the monitors will be more effective.                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
GAO’s report could complicate Homeland Security’s efforts to free 
up that money. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff’s 
justification of the radiation monitor program could face more 
scrutiny now that GAO has backed up Congress’ concerns, said 
Margaret Wicker, a spokeswoman for Senate Appropriations 
Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                        
“This puts more pressure on the secretary and the certification 
process,” Wicker said.                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
The current detectors cannot differentiate between dangerous and 
benign radiation, so Customs and Border Protection officers must 
conduct secondary screenings when the monitor alarms go off. 
Those screenings often take 15 minutes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                                                      
Homeland Security wants to keep traffic moving into the United 
States without delay, and the new monitors are intended to cut 
down on the number of secondary screenings by automatically 
showing when radiation is harmless.                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
But tests showed the devices fell far short of that goal. 
Homeland Security wants its devices to find highly enriched 
uranium disguised as a more benign radioactive substance 95 
percent of the time. The devices worked only 17 percent to 53 
percent of the time.                                               
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
Even in the case of bare uranium, the devices worked only 70 
percent to 88 percent of the time, the report said.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                                                        
“This raises concerns,” Aloise wrote. The new monitors “could 
conceivably misidentify HEU [highly enriched uranium] as a benign 
nuclear or radiological material or not detect it at all, 
particularly if the HEU is placed side by side with a 
nonthreatening material such as kitty litter.”                                          
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
But Homeland Security ignored those results when compiling its 
cost-benefit analysis, GAO said, and assumed that the devices 
would improve and eventually reach 95 percent.                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
DNDO also did not test materials other than highly enriched 
uranium, which GAO said hurts its ability to estimate how many 
secondary inspections could be cut down. And the cost-benefit 
analysis inflated the price of the existing monitors when 
comparing how much it will cost to replace existing monitors as 
opposed to buying the latest version, GAO said.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
                                                        
DNDO Director Vayl Oxford on Oct. 11 disputed GAO’s conclusions 
and maintained the program is a sound investment. Oxford 
confirmed the test results in a letter to Aloise, but said they 
were only meant to decide which contractors would build the 
devices and did not reflect everything the systems will 
eventually do.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                        
Oxford also said the tests only used highly enriched uranium 
because that represents the greatest challenge for detection 
devices. E-mail: slosey@federaltimes.com
*****************************************************************
 50 London Times: Local councils are offered millions to bury nuclear waste -
              
October 26, 2006                     

By Philip Webster, Political Editor
 		   		 		
TENDERS are to be invited from town halls to site nuclear waste 
bunkers in their areas in return for multimillion-pound 
investment in local services. 

David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, confirmed yesterday 
the long-expected decision to bury the waste from Britain’s 
ageing civil nuclear power stations up to 1,000 metres (3,280ft) 
from the surface. The plan, which will cost £10 billion over 
several decades, will not involve nuclear waste being imposed on 
any community, Mr Miliband told the Commons. 

Local authorities will be asked to volunteer to have dumps in
their area, and the inducements will be attractive. 

The construction project could take 40 years to complete. It has
not yet been decided whether there will be one bunker or
several. That will be determined by how many councils show an
interest and whether their locations are suitable. 

Mr Miliband said that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,
accountable to independent regulators and the government, would
be responsible for the process. Peter Ainsworth, the Shadow
Environment Secretary. said that there was a potential conflict
of interest in giving responsibility to an authority that owns
nuclear facilities. 

In July the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management
recommended burying radioactive waste deep underground as the
best option. It recognised that public resistance would be an
obstacle — as it had been to proposals for deep disposal in the
1980s, which were abandoned. 

Mr Miliband accepted the recommendation that the waste should be
dealt with through “geological disposal”. The Government would
adopt a “voluntarist and partnership approach” and would not
seek to impose the storage facility on any unwilling community,
he said. Lucrative “community packages” would be available for
local authorities prepared to offer a suitable location. 

If there is one bunker it will have an estimated capacity of
470,000 cubic metres. The site or sites will have to be in an
area where the rock structure provides a barrier against
radioactive leakage. 

Mr Miliband also announced that the Government intends to build
interim storage facilities capable of holding waste for up to
100 years while the bunker is being built. He would be inviting
local authorities around the country to come forward with
possible sites. 

“The circumstances surrounding the long terms disposal of higher
activity radioactive waste are unique,” he told the House. “We
have made it clear that we are not seeking to impose radioactive
waste on any community. In this context, we are strongly
supportive of exploring the concept of voluntarism and
partnership arrangements with local authorities serving
communities who might be affected.” 

Paul Bettison, of the Local Government Association, said that
people would have to be properly consulted about any proposal
affecting their area: “There are only a limited number of
suitable sites and we must ensure that no national body
railroads over the interests of local people.” 

Duncan McLaren, of Friends of the Earth, said: “Dumping nuclear
waste in the ground is no solution to the problem of this
country’s deadly radioactive waste legacy. Solving the problem
should not begin with bribes but with a pledge not to create any
more waste.” Nathan Argent, of Greenpeace, said: “There’s
already enough nuclear waste in this country to fill the Albert
Hall five times over. 

“It could take several generations to find a so-called suitable
disposal site, if indeed at all. Therefore a period of interim
storage will be inevitable, meaning nuclear waste will continue
to be trundled around the country for decades.”   	 		

Copyright 2006                 Times Newspapers Ltd.
*****************************************************************
 51 London Times: Scots' plan for England as radioactive dustbin - 

October 26, 2006                     

By Angus Macleod, Scottish Political Editor
 		   		 		
SCOTLAND’S First Minister has said that one of the benefits of 
remaining part of the UK is that the country can continue to dump 
its nuclear waste in England. 

Jack McConnell was speaking during a question-andanswer session 
in East Lothian on the benefits for Scotland of rejecting 
independence. 

He appeared to pre-empt the politically sensitive process of 
finding a suitable site for Britain’s nuclear waste repository by 
claiming: 

“Nuclear waste is most likely in the UK to be placed in the North 
West of England.” 

Mr McConnell said that as well as financial and other benefits, 
Scotland would profit by having waste from the Torness and 
Hunterston nuclear power stations transported and stored deep 
underground at whichever site was chosen. While there has been 
speculation that Sellafield could eventually be chosen as the 
deep-storage repository, ministers have been at pains to deny 
this. 

Friends of the Earth said that it was disappointing that the 
First Minister appeared to be “jumping the gun”. Alex Johnstone, 
the Scottish Conservatives’ environment spokesman, said: “He is 
either talking rubbish or, worse still, he has let slip something 
which he was not supposed to tell us.” 

By claiming that a resolution was on the way, Mr McConnell will
now face pressure to say whether or not he is backing an
extension of nuclear generation north of the Border.   	 		

Times Newspapers Ltd.
*****************************************************************
 52 Gallup Independent: Waste to be moved through Gallup

October 24, 2006

By Kathy Helms Diné Bureau 

WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation is preparing to give consent to
the U.S. Department of Energy to move trucks of radioactive
waste so "hot" that it has to be handled by machines rather than
humans down Interstate 40 through 10 Navajo chapters. 

In exchange for signing the cooperative agreement with DOE's
Carlsbad Field Office, shipments of remote-handled transuranic
waste would be allowed to pass through the reservation and the
Gallup area on their way to the Waste Isolation Pilot Project in
Carlsbad, N.M. 

The Navajo Nation would receive a financial assistance award of
$50,000, which would go to Navajo Division of Public Safety
Executive Director Samson Cowboy to fund the position of
Emergency Services Liaison under the Department of Emergency
Management. 

Total cost of the project is estimated at $250,000, though there
is no guarantee the Nation would receive that amount, according
to DOE. 

The budget documents contained in the legislation introduced by
Delegate Lorenzo Curley (Houck/Lupton/Nahata dziil) during
Monday's meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee
and approved 8-0, were signed by Cowboy and Johnny Johnson, DEM
program manager. 

Transuranic waste, or TRU, is waste material contaminated with
Uranium-233 and its daughter products, plutonium and other
nuclides. It is produced primarily from reprocessing spent fuel
and from the use of plutonium in the fabrication of nuclear
weapons. 

The liaison is to be hired to educate local community members on
the effects of the transuranic waste materials being transported
through 20 miles of Navajo Nation trust lands along I-40. The
liaison also will develop a hazardous materials emergency
preparedness and response plan in the event of a radioactive
waste spill on I-40. 

Sacrifice zone
 The 10 Navajo chapter communities are located within a
four-mile buffer zone along I-40, running west and east, in
Apache and McKinley counties. A combined population of 10,894
persons would be impacted, according to the Statement of Work. 

This does not include the thousands who potentially could be
impacted in the areas of Gallup and Grants. 

Hiring of the Navajo WIPP liaison is justified by I-40's close
proximity to Navajo families and livestock living within two to
three miles of the interstate, according to the document. 

The radioactive waste would pass through Nahata dziil, where the
Nation plans to develop its first full-scale casino, as well as
the chapters of Houck, Lupton, Manuelito, Tsayatoh, Red Rock,
Church Rock, Iyanbito, Thoreau and Baca. 

Delegate Curley said the affected Navajo communities and
chapters "will benefit from the education grant from the
Department of Energy," which will pay for publishing articles in
tribal newspapers or public information bulletins. 

"The shipments that have been going through historically, you
could walk up to it and be around it without it having any
adverse affect on your health. But it's going to be changed,"
Curley said. 

"The type of waste that's going to come through in trucks along
I-40, you cannot come around that. The type of stuff that we're
talking about here may be dangerous to those people that live
along these communities. 

"We need to move forward, get these monies and train these
people" in how to handle potential radioactive waste spills, he
said. 

In DOE we trust
 According to the Statement of Work, the DOE, and thus Carlsbad
Field Office, as an agent of the federal government, has a trust
responsibility to the Navajo Nation. "This responsibility
includes involving and assisting the Navajos in necessary
preparations for the safe transport of transuranic radioactive
waste from DOE Site to the WIPP." 

Public Law 102-579, the WIPP Land Withdrawal Act, as amended,
states that DOE shall "provide technical assistance and funds
for the purpose of training public safety officials, and other
emergency responders in any state or Indian tribe through whose
jurisdiction DOE plans to transport transuranic waste to or from
the WIPP." 

The cooperative agreement between Navajo and DOE satisfies the
federal trust responsibility and provides funding for support in
accident prevention, emergency preparedness, public information
and participation in large-scale WIPP exercises, the document
states. 

The Carlsbad office will provide the Navajo WIPP Emergency
Services Liaison with advance notification of shipments and the
liaison will inform emergency response personnel. The liaison
also will identify traffic problems on the route used for WIPP
shipments. 

Under the conditions of acceptance of the award, the Department
of Energy assumes no responsibility with respect to any damages
or loss arising out of any activities undertaken with the
financial support of this award. 

DOE reserves the right to cancel any awards made under the
cooperative agreement if the Navajo Nation fails to meet its
obligations.     

Gallup Independent feedback on this website and
the paper in general. 
Send questions or comments to gallpind@cia-g.com  
*****************************************************************
 53 BBC: Radioactive waste 'to be buried'
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
 
[Spent nuclear fuel in a cooling pond at Sellafield, UK (BNFL)]                              

Storage of nuclear waste and spent fuel is a major concern                                                           

Britain is to bury its radioactive waste, Environment Secretary 
David Miliband has told the House of Commons. 

Disposal sites would only be built "in a geologically suitable 
area" and no community would be forced to take one. 

There have been decades of debate on storing waste long term - it 
could take 40 years to build a repository. 

Local councils are to be invited to volunteer to have a nuclear 
dump in their area. Those chosen will benefit from multi-million 
pound investment. 

Mr Miliband said they would work in partnership with local 
authorities which volunteered to house sites - as recommended by 
the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CORWM). 

See how radioactive waste might be buried                                

"We have made it clear that we are not seeking to impose 
radioactive waste on any community," he told MPs. 

He added: "Governments of all parties have struggled to develop a 
long term approach to this issue... I believe my statement today 
combines scientific rigour and clear accountability." 

The process is likely to take a long time - some predict that 
constructing a multi-billion pound repository could take 40 
years. 

Countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the US are 
also adopting "geological disposal" for radioactive waste, he 
said. 

Like it or not, it is there a it has to be dealt with Peter 
Ainsworth Shadow environment secretary    

Mr Miliband said the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, 
accountable to independent regulators, would be responsible for 
the process - not radioactive waste management group Nirex. 

The NDA is responsible for "civil legacy" and "low level" 
radioactive waste and it wants one body to be responsible for 
all, he said. 

Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said there was a 
potential conflict of interest in giving responsibility to an 
authority which owns nuclear facilities. 

But he said he welcomed the fact the government was following 
CORWM's advice as there was an urgent need to find a long-term 
solution to historic nuclear waste. 

"Like it or not, it is there and it has to be dealt with," he 
said. 

But Chris Huhne, for the Lib Dems, said Mr Miliband had "failed 
to give a copper-bottomed guarantee that communities would not 
ultimately have nuclear waste sites imposed on them". 

The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management report, published 
in July, said waste would need to be buried at least 500m 
(1,640ft) below the surface. 

But it recognised that public resistance would be an obstacle - 
as it had in proposals for deep disposal in the 1980s, which were 
abandoned, and urged the government to seek "public willingness". 

[Deep disposal of nuclear waste (BBC)]                                  
			 			 		 		
*****************************************************************
 54 BBC: Row over nuclear waste disposal
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
 
[Dounreay - generic]                            

The SNP claims Scotland could end up with all UK nuclear waste                                                          

A war of words has erupted after Jack McConnell claimed 
Scotland's nuclear waste could be dumped in England as long it 
remains part of the UK. 

The first minister said exporting the radioactive waste to the 
north west of England was the "most likely" outcome of an 
official nuclear waste review. 

The SNP's Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland could end up taking all 
UK waste. 

The remarks came as UK, Scottish and Welsh ministers accepted 
waste burial recommendations. 

Mr McConnell made the comments during a lecture in East Lothian 
on Tuesday evening. 

He said: "Nuclear waste is most likely to be placed in the north 
west of England. 

"That is part of the partnership that we have - that we share 
each other's challenges for the future. 

We are not seeking to impo radioactive waste on any community 
Ross Finnie MSP Environment Minister    

English Labour MPs have described the remarks as "provocative" 
and "unhelpful" to the debate. 

Ms Sturgeon, the SNP's Holyrood group leader, said: "The real 
danger for Scotland, and perhaps what Jack McConnell is trying to 
hide, is not that we can offload our nuclear waste to England, 
but that Scotland will end up having to take all of the UK's 
nuclear waste." 

The comments came as the recommendations of the Committee on 
Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) were accepted by the UK 
Government, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly. 

The committee concluded that Britain should bury its nuclear 
waste at least 500m below the surface. 

However, it said that building a repository could take decades. 

Invited to volunteer 

David Milliband, the UK environment minister, told the House of 
Commons that local authorities would be invited to volunteer to 
have a nuclear dump in their area. 

He said those chosen would benefit from multi-million pound 
investment. 

Scotland's Environment Minister Ross Finnie said: "We have made 
it clear that we are not seeking to impose radioactive waste on 
any community. 

"We are strongly supportive of exploring the concept of 
voluntarism/partnership arrangements with the local authorities 
serving communities who might be affected." 

Solving the problem should n begin with bribes Duncan McLaren 
Friends of the Earth    

He said the "geological disposal" approach will also be adopted 
in countries such as France, Germany, Japan and the US. 

However, the Scottish Greens said ministers should not give the 
impression that the nuclear waste issue was now resolved. 

Chris Ballance, the party's spokesman on nuclear issues, said: 
"The problem is not solved even if we can find a community 
willing to accept a deep hole full of nuclear waste nearby. 

"The science is not there, it has not been done anywhere in the 
world and CoRWM say at the most optimistic it would be 40-100 
years before such a store may even be possible." 

'No solution' 

Similarly, the environmental group Friends of the Earth Scotland 
claimed burying nuclear waste in the ground was "no solution". 

Chief executive Duncan McLaren said: "Even if a community were to 
accept inducements to host a dump, it is vital that each and 
every affected community is properly consulted. 

"After all, an escape of radiation from a transportation accident 
or from a leaking dump site will not respect artificial town or 
county boundaries. 

"Solving the problem should not begin with bribes, but should 
instead start with a pledge not to create any more waste."                      
*****************************************************************
 55 BBC: Sellafield train closes station
 
Last Updated: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
 
[Sunderland train station]                              

The train station has since re-opened to passengers                                                           

Sunderland train station was evacuated after a train carrying two 
nuclear flasks to Sellafield broke down. 

Smoke was seen coming from the train after an axle overheated, 
according to British Transport Police (BTP). 

The station was closed on Wednesday afternoon but has now 
re-opened to passengers, though mainline and Metro services are 
currently not running. 

BTP said the nuclear load did not pose a danger and the station 
was evacuated because of fumes from the axle. 

The train is operated by Direct Rail Services, a freight 
operating company created by British Nuclear Fuels Limited 
(BNFL). 

'No danger' 

A Direct Rail Services spokesman said that all used nuclear fuel 
was transported in heavily shielded, purpose built flasks. 

Each is constructed from forged steel, more than 30cm thick, and 
typically weighs more than 50 tonnes. 

The spokesman said: "The nuclear industry uses rail as the 
primary mode of transport. 

"The in-built safety systems, that allow the network to operate, 
are ideally suited to the security requirements for moving these 
types of cargoes. 

"The load remained secure and in no danger at any time. 
Operational procedures to safely move the train are now being 
activated." 

Shortly afterwards, British Transport Police confirmed that the 
train left the station after engineers replaced some brakes. 

*****************************************************************
 56 AFP: Britain to offer incentives for town to house nuclear waste dump
     
 Wed Oct 25, 2:47 AM ET 		 	 

LONDON (AFP) - British towns will be invited to step forward and 
volunteer to sit atop an underground nuclear waste disposal 
bunker in return for investment funds, the Financial Times 
reported. 

 Environment Secretary David Miliband will on Wednesday endorse
a plan to store radioactive waste from the country's civil
nuclear plants up to a kilometre (0.62 mile) underground, the
newspapers said without citing its sources. 

Though the newspaper did not specify the amount of investment in
infrastructure and social services on offer, it said that the
cost of building the waste bunker could top 10 billion pounds
(18.7 billion dollars, 14.9 billion euros). 

It would house 470,000 cubic metres of waste, and could be
completed in 40 years, the FT said, citing unnamed senior
insiders. 

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, charged with disposing of
Britain's nuclear waste, will begin what is likely to be a very
contentious public consultation on its plans for storing waste. 

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. The
*****************************************************************
 57 ITN News: Search begins to find nuclear waste site

4.32, Wed Oct 25 2006

The Government has begun the search to find a suitable site on
which to build a deep underground bunker to store nuclear waste. 

Environment Secretary David Miliband said he had accepted the
Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's recommendation that
the waste from Britain's nuclear reactors should be dealt with
through "geological disposal". 

In a Commons statement, he assured MPs that the Government would
adopt a "voluntarist and partnership approach" in looking for a
suitable site. 

He said the Government would not seek to impose the storage
facility on any unwilling community. 

He held out the inducement of lucrative "community packages" for
those councils and local authorities which were prepared to come
forward with the offer of a suitable location. 

While the Local Government Association, representing councils,
warned that there must be proper public consultation,
environmental groups condemned the plan and called on the
Government to abandon its commitment to nuclear power. 

The new bunker, which will take "several decades" to construct,
will be sunk some 200 to 1,000 metres underground and will have
an estimated capacity of 470,000 cubic metres. 

The chosen location will have to be in an area where the rock
structure provides a barrier against radioactive leakage. 

At the same time, Mr Miliband also announced that the Government
intended to build interim storage facilities capable of holding
waste for up to 100 years while the bunker was being built. 

*****************************************************************
 58 Salt Lake Tribune: Goshutes elect new tribal leadership

Patty Henetz

 The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated:10/25/2006 12:23:56 PM MDT Posted: 12:20 PM- 

Leon Bear, the most ardent supporter of a nuclear waste disposal 
site in Skull Valley, has been shut out in the Goshute tribal 
leadership election, but not his family. 

    The U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, which took the unusual
step of supervising the election of the Skull Valley Band of the
Goshutes, released the results today. The newly elected leaders
are Lawrence Bear, chairman; Marlinda Moon, vice-chair; and Lena
Knight, committee secretary. The newly elected officials are all
members of Leon Bear's family. Leon Bear was a candidate for
vice chair. 

    The 124-member tribe has been in turmoil for years under
Leon Bear's chairmanship, largely over how money has been spent
from a lease allowing a nuclear utility consortium to store
deadly spent fuel on the reservation 45 miles southwest of Salt
Lake City. 

    But even tribal critics of the waste site who waited years
for a new election for years disagreed with the mail-in voting
arranged by Chester Mills, superintendent of the Uintah-Ouray
Agency BIA office in Duchesne County. Rex Allen, a onetime
tribal secretary, predicted there will be lawsuits over the
election results. 

    Goshute tribal affairs have been of intense interest to Utah
because of the multi-billion dollar waste facility proposal that 
would have brought 44,000 tons of waste to the reservation. 

    Last month, however, the Interior Department blocked 
transportation of waste to the site and invalidated the 
previously approved lease between the tribe and its 
utility-company partners. 
   
*****************************************************************
 59 GREENPEACE UK Government nuclear waste strategy panned 

A radioactive waste dump in Buryakovka, Russia 		

25-10-2006 		

The government was today accused by Greenpeace of having a
haphazard approach to dealing with nuclear waste. 

The accusation followed a briefing by David Miliband, the
environment secretary, who accepted recommendations by the
Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) that nuclear
waste should be dumped deep underground. 

Nathan Argent, nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace, said: "There's
already enough nuclear waste in this country to fill the Albert
Hall five times over. And CoRWM's report clearly states that
burying nuclear waste in a hole in the ground is not a sure-fire
solution to deal with this enormous problem. 

"Yet, unbelievably, the government was pushing for a series of
new nuclear reactors, which would quadruple the amount of the
most highly radioactive waste, before CoRWM's report was
published. 

"And it could take several generations to find a so-called
suitable disposal site, if indeed at all. Therefore a period of
interim storage will be inevitable, meaning nuclear waste will
continue to be trundled around the country for decades. 

"This is a repeat of the reckless attitude that the industry has
had for the past 50 years which has landed us in the mess we are
in now. Such a haphazard approach to nuclear waste clearly
indicates that this Government has yet to learn that, when in a
hole, you should stop digging." 

There is no disposal site operating anywhere in the world for
high level radioactive waste. 

Greenpeace has recently launched a legal battle against the
government's energy review, which backed a new generation of
nuclear power plants. Earlier this month, Greenpeace lodged
legal papers at the Royal Courts of Justice in London arguing
that the Government did not carry out the full public
consultationï¾´ it had committed itself to before making a
decision to back new nuclear power stations. 

ENDS 

For more information, contact the Greenpeace press office on 020
7865 8255, Nathan Argent on 020 7865 8210 or Jean McSorley 07801
212 959. 		

*****************************************************************
 60 Hemscott: UK govt recommends deep disposal for nuclear waste

LONDON (AFX) - The government has confirmed it favours disposing
nuclear waste in deep underground bunkers.

Environment Secretary David Miliband told parliament he had
accepted the recommendations of the Committee for Radioactive
Waste Management (CORWM) on how to deal with waste from
Britain's ageing fleet of nuclear power stations.

He also said there was a need for secure interim facilities
while a suitable underground site was found.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Agency (NDA) will be placed in
charge of disposal, Miliband said.

This means that control has been taken from Nirex, which --
though an independent PLC -- is owned by two government
departments, DEFRA and the DTI.

Nirex's remit would have to have been expanded to enable it to
handle higher-level waste. afx fp/nes

Copyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved. The
Copyright 2006 Hemscott Group Limited.
*****************************************************************
 61 News & Star: Nuclear waste dump plan for cumbria

Published on 25/10/2006                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                        

WEST Cumbria could become home to an underground nuclear waste 
dump - if it chooses to.
 
The government today accepted recommendations that the long-term 
solution for dealing with the countryâ€™s â€œhigher activityâ€ 
radioactive waste should be burial.
 
As most of the UKâ€™s high-level waste is currently stored at 
Sellafield, west Cumbria is a strong candidate for a waste 
repository.
 
The government has invited local authorities to take part in talk 
about the plans.
 




www.newsandstar.co.uk/digitalcopy                                                                       
*****************************************************************
 62 [NYTr] Drug raid yields classified Los Alamos documents
 
Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 14:58:35 -0500 (CDT)

X-Sender-Host-Name: chumbly.math.missouri.edu
X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Whitelisted"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A
X-Spam-Class: HAM

Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
[Why none of us should feel safer now. Unless it's planes flying into
buildings, the US Government is no more secure than it was on Sept 10, 2001
and whether these documents turn out to be something really hot, or just
another hyped-up scare story like the persecution of Wen Ho Lee, this
incident shows (yet again) what a miserable failure the Dept. of Homeland
Hysteria is. As usual, they've done a bang-up job of harassing activists and
innocent foreigners, creating endless generations of enemies worldwide, but
they are utterly hopeless and helpless in the face of any real threats to
national "security." The Bush regime, from top to bottom, should be indicted
at the very least for giving aid and comfort to the "enemy." Osama must be
rolling on the floor of his cave laughing just about every day. -NYTransfer]

AP via Yahoo - Oct 25, 2006
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061025/ap_on_go_ot/los_alamos_documents

Drug raid yields Los Alamos documents

By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A drug bust at a trailer park in New Mexico turned up what
appeared to be classified documents taken from the Los Alamos nuclear
weapons laboratory, authorities said Tuesday.

Local police found the documents while arresting a man suspected of domestic
violence and dealing methamphetamine from his mobile home, said Sgt. Chuck
Ney of the Los Alamos, N.M., Municipal Police Department. The documents were
discovered during a search of the man's records for evidence of his drug
business, Ney said.

Police alerted the FBI to the secret documents, which agents traced back to
a woman linked to the drug dealer, officials said. The woman is a contract
employee at Los Alamos National Laboratory, according to an FBI official who
spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case.

The official would not describe the documents except to say that they
appeared to contain classified material and were stored on a computer file.

FBI special agent Bill Elwell in Albuquerque, N.M., confirmed that a search
warrant was executed on Friday night, but he refused to discuss details.

"We do have an investigation with regard to the matter, but our standard is
we do not discuss pending investigations," Elwell said.

A spokesman for the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in Los Alamos, N.M.,
declined to comment.

Los Alamos has a history of high-profile security problems in the past
decade, with the most notable the case of nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee.
After years of accusations, Lee pleaded guilty in a plea bargain to one
count of mishandling nuclear secrets at the lab.

In 2004, the lab was essentially shut down after an inventory showed that
two computer disks containing nuclear secrets were missing. A year later the
lab concluded that it was just a mistake and the disks never existed.

But the incident highlighted sloppy inventory control and security failures
at the nuclear weapons lab. And the Energy Department began moving toward a
five-year program to create a so-called diskless environment at Los Alamos
to prevent any classified material being carried outside the lab.

Even though Los Alamos is now under new management, Danielle Brian,
executive director of the watchdog group Project on Government Oversight,
said the lab has not done much to clean up its act.

"Los Alamos has always seemed to be rewarded for its screw-ups," Brian said.
"We're waiting with bated breath to see if anything has changed."

The idea that police found classified documents at a home where a drug sting
was being conducted is disturbing, she said.

"The problem is when you actually have those materials that are supposed to
be protected inside the lab and you find them outside the lab in the hands
of criminals -- that should worry everybody," Brian said.

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Albuquerque were "evaluating the
information obtained as a result of the search warrant," Elwell said.

The federal charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified
material is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of a year in
prison and up to a $100,000 fine.

[Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington and Sue Holmes in
Albuquerque contributed to this report.]

Copyright ) 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
       
                                *
================================================================
.NY Transfer News Collective    *    A Service of Blythe Systems
.          Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us         .
.339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012     http://www.blythe.org
.List Archives:   https://olm.blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/
.Subscribe: https://olm.blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr
================================================================
*****************************************************************
 63 London Times: Los Alamos secrets are found in drug factory - 

October 26, 2006                     

From Catherine Philp in Los Angeles
 		   		 		
A DRUGS BUST at a trailer park in New Mexico has turned up what 
appear to be classified documents from the Los Alamos nuclear 
weapons laboratory, the latest in a series of embarrassing 
security leaks from the home of the atom bomb. 

Los Alamos police arrived at the trailer park after receiving a 
domestic violence call and discovered drug paraphernalia that 
suggested the home was being used as a factory for the production 
of methamphetamine, or crystal meth. 

While searching the records of the occupant for evidence of a
drug-dealing business, officers stumbled across the documents
stored on a computer file. When the FBI was alerted, they traced
the contents back to a woman working as a maintenance
subcontractor at the top-secret laboratory who was linked to the
drug suspect. 

Los Alamos National Laboratory continued to develop America’s
nuclear arsenal during the Cold War, after being secretly
founded during the Second World War to house the Manhattan
Project, the drive to develop the world’s first atomic bomb. It
remains an important player in nuclear and other scientific
research, and is one of only two laboratories in the country
where classified work towards the design of nuclear weapons
takes place. 

But the New Mexico lab has also had a recent history of
high-profile security breaches, the most infamous being that of
Wen Ho Lee, the Taiwanese-American scientist accused of stealing
American nuclear secrets for China. 

Investigators dropped the original accusations but Lee finally
pleaded guilty to improper handling of classified data as part
of a plea bargain. He was found to have illegally copied
national secrets but stopped short of selling on the black
market. 

In 2004 the lab had to shut when an inventory indicated that two
computer disks containing nuclear secrets had gone missing.
After a year of frenzied investigation, the lab concluded that
their absence was just a mistake and that the disks had never
existed. But the incident exposed the sloppy inventory control
and security lapses at Los Alamos, and a programme was begun to
create a “diskless” environment to prevent classified materials
being carried off base. 

Now that programme, too, appears to have failed. Authorities at
the lab and federal officials have refused to comment on the
latest disclosure. Critics say that despite new management at
the lab, not enough has been done to plug its leaks. 

“Los Alamos has always seemed to be rewarded for its screw-ups,”
Danielle Brian, the executive director of Project on Government
Oversight, said. “We’re waiting with bated breath to see if
anything has changed.”   	 		

Times Newspapers Ltd.
*****************************************************************
 64 reviewjournal.com: Navy rear admiral to manage test site
 
Oct. 25, 2006

Talbot will succeed Carlson in January   

By KEITH ROGERS <br/>REVIEW-JOURNAL

Navy Rear Adm. Gerald L. Talbot will take the reins at the Nevada 
Test Site next year, succeeding Kathy A. Carlson, who retired as 
its manager in May after 30 years of federal service, National 
Nuclear Security Administration officials said Tuesday. 

Talbot is currently director of the Navy's Military Personnel 
Plans and Policy Division, where he spearheads career management 
for 360,000 officers and enlisted personnel and commands a $25 
billion budget. 

He will begin his new job in January at the helm of the Nevada
Site Office of the NNSA, a branch of the Department of Energy.
He will retire from his military career after 35 years in the
Navy, according to an NNSA statement announcing his new post. 

His assignments included a year in nuclear training and sea duty
aboard the USS Silversides and a stint at the National War
College, where he studied national security strategy. 

Talbot once directed the Navy's Submarine/Nuclear Power
Distribution Division and served as nuclear propulsion program
manager. He was also a special assistant to the director of the
Department of Energy's Naval Reactors Program. 

He commanded Submarine Group 10 in June 2001. His duties
included operational and administrative control of the Trident
ballistic missile submarines, according to a description of the
Group 10 commander posted under "Weapons of Mass Destruction,"
by globalsecurity.org, a defense and intelligence policy
organization based near Washington, D.C. 

The test site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas, has been the
nation's continental nuclear weapons proving ground since 1951.
Its operations shifted from full-scale nuclear testing to
science-based stockpile stewardship experiments for checking the
safety and reliability of U.S. nuclear warheads after full-scale
tests were put on hold indefinitely in 1992. 

Carlson had been the test site's manager from 1999 until she
retired on May 3 at age 55. During her era, she guided the test
site through evolving nuclear missions and increased
environmental cleanup activities and waste-disposal efforts. She
was the test site's leader during the formation of the NNSA
within the Department of Energy. 

From the time it opened until 1962, the test site was managed by
government offices in Albuquerque, N.M. Since 1962, there have
been eight managers and an acting manager who served at least
one year: James Reeves, 1962-68; Robert E. Miller, 1969-72;
Mahlon Gates, 1972-83; Thomas Clark, 1983-87; Nick Aquilina,
1987-94; Robert M. Nelson 1994-95; Terry Vaeth, 1995-96
(acting); Gerry Johnson, 1997-99; and Carlson, 1999-2006. 	   

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2006
 Stephens Media GroupPrivacy Statement
*****************************************************************
 65 reviewjournal.com: Groups pressure DOE
 
Oct. 25, 2006

Activists say changes for waste site rushed      

WASHINGTON -- Environmental groups and citizen activists Tuesday 
added to calls for the Department of Energy to broaden chances 
for the public to comment on potential changes to the Yucca 
Mountain program. 

The groups urged the department to set aside a 90-day period for 
the public to weigh in on plans for a new railroad corridor to 
the nuclear waste site and for a redesign of waste-handling areas 
to accommodate multiple-use shipping and disposal containers. 

"They are talking about a massive overhaul to the program, and
this is completely under the radar of the public," said Michele
Boyd, legislative director of Public Citizen. 

The department in a Federal Register notice set aside a 45-day
comment period on the two plans that expires Nov. 27. 

Meetings in which the public could examine maps and register
comments were scheduled over the first two weeks of November in
Amargosa Valley, Las Vegas, Caliente, Goldfield, Hawthorne and
Fallon. 

Representatives of 17 groups signed a letter to Ward Sproat,
director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management,
that urged the Energy Department to make more information
available. 

The signers included leaders of two Nevada groups, Citizen Alert
and the Nevada Conservation League. 

"The descriptions of the proposed actions in the Federal
Register lack sufficient detail to enable the public to
adequately assess and provide scoping comments," they said. 

A third group, the Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force, also has
requested more time. 

Also, the state government has urged the department to add
public meetings in Reno, Elko, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca,
Lovelock and Yerington, and in Sacramento, Calif., and Salt Lake
City. 

The Energy Department is "seriously considering" the request and
is preparing to respond within 48 hours, spokesman Allen Benson
said. 	   

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal, 1997 - 2006
*****************************************************************
 66 DOE: U.S. Department of Energy Awards $100 Million in Fuel Cell R&D
 
  October 24, 2006
 
CHICAGO, IL U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W.
Bodman today announced $100 million to fund 25 hydrogen research
and development projects that can help change the way we power
our nation.  These projects support President Bushs Advanced
Energy Initiative, which seeks to reduce our dependence on
foreign sources of energy through the research, development and
deployment of transformational new clean energy technologies. 
Secretary Bodman made todays announcement while speaking to the
Council on Competitiveness and the Chicagoland Chamber of
Commerce Foundation. 

The Department of Energy is committed to breaking our addiction
to oil by creating a diverse portfolio of clean, affordable and
domestically produced energy choices, Secretary Bodman said. 
We expect hydrogen to play an integral role in our energy
portfolio and we are eager to see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on
the road in the near future. 

DOE will negotiate these 25 cost-shared projects for an
approximate total of $127 million ($100 million DOE cost; $27
million applicant cost) over four years (Fiscal Years 2007 
2010).  These projects seek to overcome cost and durability
barriers associated with hydrogen fuel cell research; and will
specifically focus on fuel cell membranes, water transport
within the stack, advanced cathode catalysts and supports, cell
hardware, innovative fuel cell concepts, and effects of
impurities on fuel cell performance and durability.  Awards also
include stationary fuel cell demonstration projects to help
foster international and intergovernmental partnerships. 

Advanced research associated with these awards directly furthers
the goals of the Presidents Hydrogen Fuel Initiative (HFI), an
integral part of the Presidents Advanced Energy Initiative. 
The HFI seeks to make it practical and cost-effective for large
numbers of Americans to choose to purchase fuel cell vehicles by
2020.  It primarily involves increasing research and development
of hydrogen technologies including hydrogen production from
diverse domestic sources; hydrogen storage and; polymer
electrolyte membrane fuel cells.  The Presidents 2007 budget
requests $289 million for the HFI, an increase of $53 million
over FY 2006, to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel
cells and affordable hydrogen-powered cars.  As a result the
Presidents investment in this initiative, the cost of a
hydrogen fuel cell has been cut by more than 50 percent in just
four years. 

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, with
only water and heat as byproducts. They can power small portable
devices and provide heat and electricity to buildings, and they
can be used to power vehicles, with two to three times the
efficiency of traditional internal combustion technologies. 
Fuel cells are currently more expensive than internal combustion
engines, however, and have difficulty maintaining performance
over the full useful life of the system. 

Selected organizations are as follows: 



  SELECTED ORGANIZATIONS     LOCATION     TOPIC     DOE FUNDING 
 
  Arkema     King of Prussia, PA     membranes     $6.3M   
  3M     St. Paul, MN     membranes     $8.9M   
  Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory     Berkeley, CA    
membranes     $6.0M   
  Rochester Institute of Technology     Rochester, NY     water
transport     $2.7M   
  Los Alamos National Laboratory     Los Alamos, NM     water
transport     $5.5M   
  Nuvera Fuel Cells     Cambridge, MA     water transport    
$5.0M   
  CFD Research Corporation     Huntsville, AL     water
transport     $4.7M   
  3M     St. Paul, MN     catalysts     $8.4M   
  UTC Power     South Windsor, CT     catalysts     $6.4M   
  Los Alamos National Laboratory     Los Alamos, NM    
catalysts     $6.8M   
  Argonne National Laboratory     Argonne, IL     catalysts    
$5.4M   
  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory     Richland, WA    
catalysts     $4.6M   
  GrafTech International Ltd.     Parma, OH     bipolar plates  
  $2.3M   
  UTC Power     South Windsor, CT     seals     $2.0M   
  Oak Ridge National Laboratory     Oak Ridge, TN     bipolar
plates     $4.5M   
  Plug Power     Latham, NY     innovative stack design    
$1.0M   
  Case Western Reserve University     Cleveland, OH    
innovative stack design     $0.8M   
  Argonne National Laboratory     Argonne, IL     innovative
stack design     $1.0M   
  Pacific Northwest National Laboratory     Richland, WA    
innovative balance of plant     $1.0M   
  University of Connecticut - Connecticut Global Fuel Cell
Center     Storrs, CT     impurities     $1.9M   
  Clemson University     Clemson, SC     impurities     $2.0M   
  Los Alamos National Laboratory     Los Alamos, NM    
impurities     $3.6M   
  Plug Power     Latham, NY     demonstration     $3.6M   
  Plug Power     Latham, NY     demonstration     $4.0M   
  Intelligent Energy Inc.     Long Beach, CA     demonstration  
  $2.2M  

For more information about the Presidents Advanced Energy 
Initiative, visit: 
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060131-6.html. 

Media contact(s): Craig Stevens, (202) 586-4940     [ ]   

  U.S. Department of Energy | 1000 Independence Ave., SW | 
Washington, DC 20585 1-800-dial-DOE | f/202-586-4403
*****************************************************************
 67 Guardian Unlimited: Drug Raid Yields Los Alamos Documents 

From the Associated Press        

[UP] 

Wednesday October 25, 2006 7:01 PM

By LARA JAKES JORDAN 

Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Authorities in northern New Mexico have
stumbled onto what appears to be classified information from Los
Alamos National Laboratory while arresting a man suspected of
domestic violence and dealing methamphetamine from his mobile
home. 

Sgt. Chuck Ney of the Los Alamos Police Department said the
information was discovered during a search last Friday of the
man's records for evidence of his drug business. 

Police alerted the FBI to the secret documents, which agents
traced back to a woman linked to the drug dealer, officials
said. The woman is a contract employee at Los Alamos National
Laboratory, according to an FBI official who spoke on condition
of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the case. 

The official would not describe the documents except to say that
they appeared to contain classified material and were stored on
a computer file. 

FBI special agent Bill Elwell in Albuquerque confirmed that a
search warrant was executed on Friday night, but he refused to
discuss details. 

``We do have an investigation with regard to the matter, but our
standard is we do not discuss pending investigations,'' Elwell
said. 

Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Michael Anastasio said
Wednesday he could not discuss the situation but that the lab
was cooperating with the FBI. He said lab officials called the
FBI when told about the ``suspicious activity'' by local police
on Oct. 19. 

``We intend to do everything possible to guard against any
criminal activity, particularly where a breach of security may
be involved,'' Anastasio said in a statement released by the
lab. 

``We have already taken a number of steps to address potential
security risks,'' he said, but gave no details. 

Los Alamos has a history of high-profile security problems in
the past decade, with the most notable the case of nuclear
scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was charged with 59 counts of
mishandling sensitive information. After he pleaded guilty in
2000 to mishandling computer files, the other charges were
dismissed, he was freed after nine months in solitary
confinement, and a federal judge apologized for the government's
treatment of him. 

In 2004, the lab was essentially shut down after an inventory
showed that two computer disks containing nuclear secrets were
missing. A year later the lab concluded that it was just a
mistake and the disks never existed. 

But the incident highlighted sloppy inventory control and
security failures at the nuclear weapons lab. And the Energy
Department began moving toward a five-year program to create a
so-called diskless environment at Los Alamos to prevent any
classified material being carried outside the lab. 

Even though Los Alamos is now under new management, Danielle
Brian, executive director of the watchdog group Project on
Government Oversight said the lab has not done much to clean up
its act. 

``Los Alamos has always seemed to be rewarded for its
screw-ups,'' Brian said. ``We're waiting with baited breath to
see if anything has changed.'' 

The idea that police found classified documents at a home where
a drug sting was being conducted is disturbing, she said. 

``The problem is when you actually have those materials that are
supposed to be protected inside the lab and you find them
outside the lab in the hands of criminals - that should worry
everybody,'' Brian said. 

The FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Albuquerque were
``evaluating the information obtained as a result of the search
warrant,'' Elwell said. 

The federal charge of unauthorized removal and retention of
classified material is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum
sentence of a year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine. 

--- 

Associated Press writers Seth Borenstein in Washington and Sue
Major Holmes in Albuquerque contributed to this report. 
		 	 	   
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2006
*****************************************************************
 68 SPI: Hanford workers finish sludge cleanup of basin near Columbia
 	 	 	 	 	 
Seattle Post-Intelligencer] [seattlepi.com]     

Wednesday, October 25, 2006 · Last updated 1:15 p.m. PT 

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS                    

RICHLAND, Wash. -- Workers at south-central Washington's Hanford
nuclear reservation have finished vacuuming radioactive sludge
from one of two basins near the Columbia River. 		

The K East and K West basins were built in the 1950s to store
spent nuclear fuel. Workers completed the removal of 2,300 tons
of spent nuclear fuel from both basins in 2004, but found
removal of radioactive sludge that was left on the basin floors
more difficult. 		

The pools have been prone to leaks, making cleanup a priority. 		

"It's been a lot tougher going than anyone expected," said
Colleen French, spokeswoman for the Energy Department. "So
reaching this point is a major, major accomplishment." 		

The work completed by Fluor Hanford meets an Oct. 31 commitment
to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, but that
followed a string of missed deadlines. 		

Hanford cleanup is governed under the legally binding Tri-Party
Agreement, which was signed by the state Department of Ecology,
U.S. Energy Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Until it was revised, the agreement had required the basin
sludge work to be completed by March 1, 2005. 		

 [advertising] Workers spent years preparing to remove the spent
nuclear fuel, but not enough time was devoted to planning for
sludge removal, according to a 2005 audit by the DOE Office of
Inspector General critical of management of the project. 		

Two changes turned the project around, said Chris Lucas,
director of K East Closure for contractor Fluor Hanford. 		

At workers' urging, vacuuming the sludge was halted for about
four months to remove fuel racks. Workers also helped to invent,
design, build and test devices needed to retrieve the sludge,
Lucas said. 		

Getting the leak-prone K Basins cleaned up has been a long
journey, but getting the bulk sludge out of K East is a big step
toward risk reduction, said Larry Gadbois, environmental
scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency. 		

K East is the more contaminated of the two basins, which are
about 400 yards from the Columbia River. 		

"We appreciate the effort of the workers who have achieved this
goal," he said. 		

One final vacuuming of the K East basin still must be done to
collect residual sludge, which will remain underwater to shield
workers from radioactivity. 		

Removing the sludge clears the way for removing contamination
from the concrete walls and floors of the pool. Plans then call
for draining the basin, tearing out the concrete and removing
soil contaminated by leaks. 		

The federal government created Hanford in the 1940s as part of
the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb.
Cleanup costs are expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion.
		
Information from: Tri-City Herald,

http://www.tri-cityherald.com    
      
[Seattle Post-Intelligencer] 101 Elliott Ave. W. Seattle, WA 
98119 (206) 448-8000
 
©1996-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer
*****************************************************************
 69 Hanford News: Audit: Cleanup cost may double
 
This story was published Tuesday, October 24th, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

The estimated cost of dealing with waste in two infamous burial
grounds at the Hanford nuclear reservation could more than
double to $324 million, according to an audit by the Department
of Energy Office of Inspector General. 

During the 1950s and 1960s, some waste generated from research
just north of Richland in the 300 Area was so radioactive that
trucking it to central Hanford for disposal posed a risk for
drivers. Instead, it was buried closer to the 300 Area in the
618-10 and 618-11 burial grounds. 

The audit found that DOE's preliminary plans to clean up those
burial grounds did not address issues that could add to the
cleanup's cost. 

The $1.9 billion contract awarded to Washington Closure Hanford
in 2005 to clean up Hanford along the Columbia River corridor
included $136 million for work on the 618-10 and 618-11 burial
grounds. It's expected to be the most difficult technical
challenge in the contract. 

The burial grounds include a mix of debris from testing nuclear
processes before they were used to produce plutonium for the
nation's nuclear weapons program. Irradiated fuel, hazardous
chemicals and waste contaminated with plutonium that's too hot
for workers to be near are believed to be in the burial grounds. 

The burial grounds include trenches, vertical pipes made from
welding 55 gallon drums end-to-end and underground steel
chambers connected to the ground with crooked and slanted pipes.
Much of the waste was dropped into the burial grounds in
containers ranging from the size of a juice can to a five-gallon
bucket. 

The audit questioned whether preliminary plans for the waste
would retrieve and package it in ways that would allow it to be
stored at Hanford under current regulations or would allow it to
be shipped to national radioactive waste repositories in New
Mexico or Nevada. 

"From the big picture perspective, it's really hard to say how
it will be handled," said Colleen French, spokeswoman for DOE at
Hanford. 

Washington Closure could propose removing the waste in one of
two ways that DOE earlier awarded research grants to test.
Neither research project covered whether the treated waste would
meet regulations for disposal. 

North Wind tested driving a casing into the ground around the
vertical pipes of waste, capping the bottom and top, then
lifting the casing out with the waste encapsulated in grout
inside. 

But the audit said that would produce a package 27 feet long to
be shipped to Hanford's Central Waste Complex for storage. Under
current regulations, waste containers up to 11 feet long are
accepted there. 

The complex also lacks the radioactive shielding to accept the
waste that's radioactively hot enough to be considered "remote
handled" rather than "contact handled." 

AMEC tested a process to insert electrodes into the soil around
the vertical pipes and melt them into a glassy, solid mass. AMEC
believes the glass with all the waste mixed together could be
considered low-level radioactive waste that could be disposed of
at Hanford. 

But the Office of the Inspector General questioned that. It said
the waste stream would include transuranic waste - typically
waste contaminated with plutonium - that would need to be sent
to a national repository for transuranic waste in New Mexico. 

However, the New Mexico repository would not accept waste that
also included pieces of irradiated fuel. That would have to be
sent to the Yucca Mountain, Nev., repository. 

There are treatment alternatives, such as taking the waste to T
Plant, which eventually is expected to be equipped for
remote-handled waste. 

But DOE's estimated cost of $136 million does not include the
cost for treating, repackaging and certifying the waste for
shipment to New Mexico or Nevada repositories, the audit said.
That estimate covered only storage at the Central Waste Complex
and burial of low-level waste at Hanford's Environmental
Restoration Disposal Facility. 

DOE and Washington Closure disagree on how much work was covered
under Washington Closure's contract proposal. Washington Closure
says it planned only to retrieve the waste and take it to the
Central Waste Complex. DOE believes the $136 million contract
amount covers additional work to package, ship, treat and store
or dispose of the waste. 

Treating, repackaging and certifying the waste so it can be
shipped off site could cost up to $188 million, the audit said. 

It's recommending that DOE take a "cradle-to-grave" look at how
to deal with the waste, starting with learning more about what's
in the waste sites. 

That work already is under way, according to DOE. 

Washington Closure has located 3,000 radiation survey records.
However, they provide information on radiation dose levels, but
not information on what was disposed of at the burial grounds. 

Washington Closure has until January to submit its plan to DOE
on how it proposes to deal with the 618-10 and 618-11 burial
grounds. DOE then is scheduled to take 90 days to study the plan.

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 70 Tri-City Herald: Richland school named after town condemned for Hanford 

Published Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 

By Sara Schilling, Herald staff writer 

Richland's new elementary school will be named after the
historic townsite condemned to make way for the Hanford nuclear
reservation. 

White Bluffs Elementary was the unanimous pick of the Richland
School Board on Tuesday night. Members chose it from a list of
five assembled by a committee of parents, teachers, counselors,
administrators and other school workers. 

Quail Run, Mountain View, Columbia View and Discovery -- in
honor of explorers Lewis and Clark -- also were in the running. 

"This is a big night," said Superintendent Richard Semler. "A
lot of folks have been working very hard on the new school." 

Construction already is under way, and White Bluffs Elementary
in southwest Richland is expected to open to students next year. 

It's being paid for with money from a nearly $80 million bond
that voters approved in 2003 to renovate and build several
schools in the district. 

The board first took a look at the top five names -- narrowed
down from a pool of more than 100 nominations submitted by the
community -- at a meeting earlier this month. 

White Bluffs won out for its uniqueness and historic
significance after a brief discussion by the board and a few
citizens. "(White Bluffs) is just terribly important to people
in the community," said board member Mary Guay. 

Also Tuesday: 

-- The board continued to discuss forming a community committee
to explore ways to recognize former school workers who've made
significant contributions to the district. 

The issue was brought up several months ago by people wanting to
rename gyms at Hanford High School and Carmichael Middle School
after Fred Strankman and Howard Chitty, longtime educators who
died last year. 

But board members in September said other names also have been
pitched, and choosing one over another could hurt surviving
family members. They wanted to look for a more inclusive way to
honor people like Strankman and Chitty. 

The community committee could talk about issues like how to
recognize the staffers, who would be eligible and how to pay for
honoring them. 

-- The board also approved the first reading of a policy for
naming new district facilities. 

Under the policy, new facilities can be named after people
who've achieved local or national stature for contributions in
areas like education and statesmanship, and for geographic or
other characteristics of the area. It has to come before the
board again before it's final. 

© 2006 Tri-City Herald, Associated Press &Other Wire Services

*****************************************************************
 71 Hanford News: K East Basin cleanup complete
 
This story was published Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

Work has been completed on one of Hanford's most vexing cleanup
projects in recent years. 

Workers have finished vacuuming the bulk of the radioactive
sludge in the K East Basin into underwater containers after two
years of work. 

"It's been a lot tougher going than anyone expected," said
Colleen French, DOE Hanford spokeswoman. "So reaching this point
is a major, major accomplishment." 

The work was completed by Fluor Hanford in time to meet an Oct.
31 commitment to the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,
but that followed a string of missed deadlines. Until milestones
were revised, DOE had a deadline under the legally binding
Tri-Party Agreement to get the bulk of sludge in the K East
Basin into containers by March 1, 2005. 

When work to start vacuuming the sludge began Oct. 31, 2004, the
basin's floor was covered with racks that once held fuel
irradiated in Hanford reactors to produce plutonium for the
nation's nuclear weapons program. The fuel racks were covered
with what worker called "spaghetti stacks" of tangled hoses,
wire and debris that had been pushed aside to retrieve the fuel. 

Up to 2 feet of sludge covered parts of the 125-by-67-foot pool,
and in the deeper pits along its sides, the sludge was 6 feet
deep. 

The K East and K West basins were built in the 1950s to serve as
temporary storage for irradiated fuel. But when the last Hanford
processing plant shut down, fuel was left stranded in the basins
for more than a decade. It corroded and particles mixed with
dirt and concrete that sloughed off the sides of the basins to
form the radioactive sludge. 

In 2004, workers completed removing 2,300 tons of spent nuclear
fuel from both basins. But when they tried to vacuum up the
sludge, they ran into problems. 

They used long-handled tools to reach to the bottom of the
20-foot pool and underwater cameras to guide their work. 

When the suction head of the vacuum would hit debris, it would
send a mushroom cloud of fine sludge billowing through the water
making the water too cloudy to see through. Other sludge was
hard packed on the bottom of the pool and had to be broken up.
Sludge and small pieces of debris would clog the strainer on the
vacuum. 

Years had been spent preparing to remove the spent fuel. But not
enough time was spent on planning for sludge removal, according
to a 2005 audit by the DOE Office of Inspector General critical
of management of the project. 

Two changes turned the project around, said Chris Lucas,
director of K East Closure for Fluor Hanford. 

At workers' urging, vacuuming was stopped for about four months
to remove fuel racks that laid end to end would have been four
times as long as the Seattle Space Needle is tall. 

The second breakthrough was having workers not only invent the
devices needed to retrieve the sludge, but also involving them
in the design, fabrication and testing of the devices, Lucas
said. New or revised tools were needed as each new problem with
the sludge occurred. 

Tuesday, Pete Knollmeyer, vice president of the K Basins Closure
Project for Fluor Hanford, met with workers. 

"I told them 'Congratulations for a long hard battle and a job
well done,' " he said. 

Getting the leak-prone K Basins cleaned up has been a long
journey, but getting the bulk sludge out of K East is a big step
toward risk reduction, said Larry Gadbois, environmental
scientist for the Environmental Protection Agency. K East is the
more contaminated of the two basins, which are about 400 yards
from the Columbia River. 

"We appreciate the effort of the workers who have achieved this
goal," he said. 

A final vacuuming of K East Basin still must be done to collect
residual sludge once all the sludge now in containers is pumped
from K East to K West to await shipment. The sludge will remain
underwater to shield workers from radioactivity. 

Transfer of the K East sludge already has begun, and much of the
K West sludge has been vacuumed into one of the basin's pits. 

Removing the sludge from the K East Basin clears the way for
removing contamination from the concrete walls and floors of the
pool. Plans then call for draining the basin, tearing out the
concrete and removing the soil underneath contaminated by leaks. 

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 72 Hanford News: DOE awards $5.6 million grant to PNNL
 
This story was published Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 

By the Herald staff 

The Department of Energy awarded $5.6 million to Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory in Richland for fuel cell research
and development, DOE announced Tuesday. 

The grants were part of $100 million awarded nationwide. 

"We expect hydrogen to play an integral role in our energy
portfolio and we are eager to see hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on
the road in the near future," said Energy Sec. Samuel Bodman in
a statement. 

PNNL will do research on polymer electrolyte membrane, or PEM,
fuel cells to reduce their cost and improve their reliability.
PEM fuel cells create electricity by using an electrochemical
process on hydrogen fuel. The only emission from the process is
water. 

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 73 Knox News: ORNL gets $4.5M for hydrogen work

By News Sentinel staff 

October 25, 2006

OAK RIDGE — Oak Ridge National Laboratory is among the 
institutions sharing $100 million in funds for research related 
to hydrogen fuel cells. 

ORNL is expected to receive $4.5 million from the four-year 
funding pool announced by the U.S. Department of Energy. 

In prepared statements, U.S. Sens. Bill Frist and Lamar 
Alexander, R-Tenn., praised the federal initiative. 

"I'm proud that ORNL continues to be at the forefront of 
groundbreaking research into alternative energy resources," Frist 
said. "Clean and efficient hydrogen fuel cells hold the promise 
of helping move America toward energy independence." 

Alexander said the announcement "highlights the important work 
that is taking place at ORNL to meet our nation's energy needs in 
a responsible and forward-thinking manner."

© 2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
 74 Hanford News: Waste treatment firm may be sold; Nuvotec, responsible for some
Hanford waste cleanup work, to be bought by Perma-Fix
 
This story was published Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 

By Annette Cary, Herald staff writer 

Nuvotec and Pacific EcoSolutions of Richland may be bought by
Perma-Fix Environmental Services, a publicly traded firm that
has done some Hanford cleanup work. 

On Tuesday, Perma-Fix announced it had signed a letter of intent
to buy privately owned Nuvotec and Pacific EcoSolutions, or
PEcoS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Nuvotec. 

Proposed terms of the sale include $7 million in shares of
Perma-Fix common stock, assuming some debt and an undetermined
cash payment, based on the amount of debt. 

Perma-Fix is interested in PEcoS' existing contracts to treat
waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation and its hazardous waste
permits and licenses, Louis Centofanti, Perma-Fix chief
executive, said in a statement. 

"Moreover, the PEcoS facility expands our West Coast presence,
increases our treatment capacity and is located adjacent to the
Hanford site," he said. "By nearly all estimates, the Hanford
site will be one of the most expensive of all the DOE's nuclear
weapons facilities to remediate." 

PEcoS accounts for about 70 percent of Nuvotec's business, which
also includes some engineering consulting, including computer
modeling and laboratory information management systems. 

Vivid Learning Systems, a majority-owned subsidiary, is not
included in the possible sale. 

PEcoS, which Nuvotec acquired from bankrupt Allied Technology
Group in 2003, uses a thermal system to treat low-level
radioactive waste and similar waste mixed with hazardous
chemicals. 

The low-level radioactive waste facility covers about 13 acres
and can treat more than 8 million pounds of solid, liquid and
wet waste annually. The mixed radioactive and hazardous chemical
waste treatment facility occupies 5 acres and has a permit for
the treatment of the highly regulated wastes at a capacity of
about 21 million pounds of waste annually. 

Nuvotec formed in 1995 as a seven-person technical services and
consulting company. It now employs about 175 people, including
Vivid Learning employees, and has annual revenues approaching
$20 million, according to its Web site. It's owned by more than
300 shareholders. 

The technology available for waste treatment would substantially
increase under Perma-Fix, said Bob Ferguson, president of
Nuvotec and PEcoS. Centofanti has been a pioneer in the
development of treatment technology for hazardous and
radioactive waste, Ferguson said. 

Perma-Fix Environmental Services of Atlanta, provides
industrial, engineering and nuclear services. The major focus of
its nuclear services is treatment of mixed radioactive and
hazardous chemical waste. 

Perma-Fix has done some Hanford work, but has a larger presence
at DOE's nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. 

Among the company's Hanford projects has been treating drums of
uranium shavings packed in oil that were discovered buried near
the Columbia River in 1998. It also was awarded a $23 million
Fluor Hanford subcontract two years ago to treat low-level
radioactive waste mixed with organic solvents. Much of the waste
is equipment and protective clothing contaminated by work with
Hanford's 177 underground tanks of radioactive waste. 

"We believe that Perma-Fix's mixed waste treatment capabilities
are unparalleled in the industry," Ferguson said in a statement.
"We look forward to combining our existing facilities, licenses
and contracts at Hanford, with Perma-Fix's state of the art
technologies." 

If the sale goes through, Ferguson would serve on the Perma-Fix
board.

© 2006 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved.
*****************************************************************
 75 Knox News: OR guards union OKs labor agreement extension

By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com 

October 25, 2006

OAK RIDGE - An Oak Ridge guards union has OK'd a nine-month 
extension of the existing labor agreement to lend stability while 
the government mulls its choice for a new security contractor. 

The pact between the International Guards Union of America and 
Wackenhut, the contractor currently providing security at three 
federal facilities, was to expire Nov. 15. The IGUA ratified an 
extension of the collective bargaining agreement through Aug. 17, 
2007. 

The extension keeps benefits the same and gives
hundreds of union members a bonus, which amounts to about a 5
percent pay increase, said Randy Lawson, president of IGUA Local
No. 3. 

"The union felt this was in our best interest due to the fact
DOE has not announced who the new contractor will be for the
security forces at the Oak Ridge sites," Lawson said in a
statement. If a company other than Wackenhut were selected for
the Oak Ridge security role, the new contractor would have had
less than 30 days to negotiate a full contract with the union,
he said. 

The Department of Energy has delayed the contract announcement
for months while evaluating proposals from companies interested
in providing security services at the Y-12 nuclear weapons
plant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Oak Ridge Federal
Building. 

The award was originally set for February of this year but has
been postponed several times. 

"We're still waiting to hear from (DOE) headquarters on the
decision," Steven Wyatt, a federal spokesman at Y-12, said
Tuesday. "As soon as we have an official word and plan an
announcement, we'll go from there. We're anxious to move forward
with this, as you might expect." 

The government plans to award two contracts - valued at about
$500 million - to the winner. One will be for protective
services at Y-12, which houses the nation's supply of bomb-grade
uranium. The other contract will be for security at ORNL and the
Federal Building. 

Senior writer Frank Munger may be reached at 865-342-6329.

© 2006 - Knoxville News Sentinel
*****************************************************************
 76 Albuquerque Tribune: Nevada firm seeks to drill in N.M. 

Felicia Fonseca/Associated Press

Wednesday, October 25, 2006                             
		 		 
A Nevada company is looking to drill in a uranium-rich area west
of Albuquerque in hopes of reviving the industry there. 

Urex Energy Corp. of Reno plans to drill 21 exploratory holes on
2,700 acres of La Jara Mesa at the base of Mount Taylor. 

Urex is one of seven companies that have mining claims in the
Mount Taylor area near Grants. Laramide Ltd., a Canadian
company, already has approval for exploratory drilling on the
mesa, and Cibola National Forest officials expect more companies
will apply for permits on forest land by the spring. 

"There's a lot of interest, so there are new companies, for the
most part, (that) went and bought old existing claims," said Rod
Byers, minerals project manager for the Cibola forest. 

"They already know from the previous stuff that there is uranium
out there," Byers said. "They just need to confirm it." 

In 1978, New Mexico had 55 bustling uranium mines - the most in
the nation. But low prices forced the companies out of business.

The state's last major operation, Chevron Resources Co.'s Mount
Taylor Mine, closed in 1990. 

Since then, prices have risen from below $10 a pound to more
than $55 a pound. 

Urex president Richard Bachman said the company believes uranium
lies beneath the surface of its land. The stake is adjacent to a
Laramide claim, where previous drilling showed 8 million pounds
of uranium oxide, he said. 

"The whole district potentially could produce again," Bachman
said. 

Bachman expects to begin drilling on La Jara Mesa in
mid-November and possibly start mining in three years. The
company would need a ground water discharge permit from the
state Environment Department and approval from the state's
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. 

Should the permits be approved, it's unlikely the area would see
a boom like that from the 1950s to the early Ã•80s, said Bill
Brancard, director of the state Mining and Minerals Division. 

"While there are significant uranium deposits in the Grants
uranium belt, new uranium mining faces a number of challenges
that didn't exist back then," Brancard said. 

He pointed to increased regulation, concerns of neighboring
communities about exposure to radiation, mine safety, worldwide
competition and environmental impacts. 

Companies like Urex also could face opposition from American
Indian tribes that consider Mount Taylor sacred. 

Area tribes, including the Navajo Nation, use the mountain in
healings and blessings and believe drilling would amount to
desecration, said David Begay, a Navajo medicine man. 

Mount Taylor, one of the Navajos' four sacred mountains, is at
the southern boundary of what the tribe considers its ancestral
land. 

"The relationship with Mount Taylor is very significant, very
personal," Begay said. "Not a day goes by without reference to
Mount Taylor in most of the traditional prayers." 

The mountain and La Jara Mesa are part of the forest's Mount
Taylor Ranger District. 

But Byers said the companies could argue that the mesa isn't
part of Mount Taylor. 

Bachman contends the two are separate and that "the footprint of
our exploration is very minimal." 

Past mine operators made similar claims of minimal impact. But
Chris Shuey of the Southwest Research and Information Center, an
environmental group that tracks claims, said that has not proven
true. 

"There's still a tremendous backlog of unfilled reclamation,
restoration, surface impacts, ground water impacts from the
previous boom area of mining," he said. "And there's not a lot
to show for it." 

The U.S. Forest Service is accepting written comments on the
Urex proposal until Nov. 6, after which a permit would be
issued. 

While some groups are fighting uranium mining, the Cibola County
Commission has passed a resolution in favor of exploration. The
resolution says the county "is blessed with natural resources
such as uranium and coal" and that the development of mining
would "provide a significant tax base and additional jobs for
Cibola County." 		 		 		 			 			 		 			 				Comments 				


*****************************************************************
 77 Knox News: Munger: Weinberg was Baker's 'guiding light' on science

By FRANK MUNGER, munger@knews.com 

October 25, 2006                                                                

 Howard Baker said he first met Alvin Weinberg, oddly enough, in 
Gatlinburg. 

It was early in Baker's first term as U.S. senator and late in 
Weinberg's lengthy tenure as director of Oak Ridge National 
Laboratory. 

"There was some sort of conference on nuclear power, and I was 
there out of curiosity," Baker recalled earlier this week in a 
brief telephone interview. "He sort of took me under his wing. He 
said, 'You're a young senator, and you need to know these 
things.' He proceeded to sort of educate me." 

Their relationship was formidable and long-lasting and certainly
beneficial to both. There were lots of phone calls, meetings in
Oak Ridge and Washington, and a few competitive moments on the
tennis court. 

Baker said he casually invited Weinberg to come up to Huntsville
and play some tennis. 

Before the first encounter, a doubles match, Weinberg's
secretary called ahead to try to get a scouting report on his
tennis game, the former Senate majority leader said. 

"How good are you? How's your backhand? Do you play much at the
net?" he remembered her asking. "She was scoping me out. I sort
of danced around all of those." 

Baker must have sandbagged his answers. "I do remember we won,"
he said. 

The senator said Weinberg always provided him with sound advice
and introduced him to a number of top scientists. 

"He was a guiding light in my career as far as science - not
just nuclear matters, but science matters in general," Baker
said. "I admired him and respected his views." 

The Republican senator said he tried in 1969 to convince
President Nixon to appoint Weinberg as national science adviser.
"That was never acted on," he said. "In the meantime, Weinberg
told me he didn't want to do that." 

Baker said he valued his friendship with the nuclear pioneer. 

"He was an important figure in my life He was one of the most
brilliant people I ever met." 

A memorial service for Weinberg will be held at 4 p.m. Nov. 18
at Pollard Auditorium in Oak Ridge. 

The Y-12 nuclear weapons plant has been a punching bag for
critics in recent weeks, especially regarding the plant's
attention to safety and security. 

No doubt the secrecy that surrounds the Y-12 mission ratchets up
the concern level that there's a problem at the Oak Ridge
complex. 

Last week, I asked the National Nuclear Security Administration
about a report that about 20 workers were exposed to some
"stuff" in an Oct. 13 incident. 

Several days passed before Bill Wilburn, a spokesman for BWXT
Y-12, the plant's managing contractor, confirmed the incident. 

He said workers were opening the "outer seal of an over-pack
container." 

The Y-12 spokesman said he could not specify where the incident
occurred or even say whether it occurred inside a building. Nor
could be say what material was inside the container, except to
note that it was a nonradioactive chemical compound. 

"I can't expound on that," Wilburn said. "I can't associate this
material with any building." 

The workers reported an acrid smell coming from the container
and stopped work immediately, he said. 

"The inner container seal was left intact, and they evacuated
the area," Wilburn said. "As a precaution, they were instructed
to report to Y-12 Medical." 

Some workers complained of headaches, but they later were
allowed to return to their workstations, he said. The workers
were informed what chemical compound was involved in the
incident, he said. 

A recent press release from NNSA made a reference to a 
nonproliferation program that would eliminate enough plutonium 
for 16,000 nuclear weapons. The amount of plutonium was 
identified as 68 metric tons or about 150,000 pounds. 

This struck me as odd. While there are plenty of estimates
available on how much fissile material it takes to make a bomb,
the U.S. government has typically shied away from using such
math. 

I asked a federal spokesman at Y-12 if they used a similar
formula for the amount of highly enriched uranium needed for a
nuke bomb. 

Here's the response: 

"As a point of reference, we commonly for internal purposes use
the amount of 25 kilograms U-235 to define the amount of fissile
material necessary for a nuclear explosive device. This is not
specific to any particular weapon and thus is not considered
sensitive, but is used, for example, as a general means of
conveying the threat of proliferation in our disposition
programs." 

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
*****************************************************************
 78 UPI: U.S. nuclear documents seized at N.M. home
     
 United Press International - NewsTrack - 

10/25/2006 6:57:00 AM -0400

LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The FBI is investigating how
classified documents from the Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory in
New Mexico turned up in the home of a subcontractor. 

The find was made last week when the Los Alamos police responded
to a domestic violence call, KRQE-TV, Albuquerque, reported
Wednesday. 

Once in the house, police said they found drug paraphernalia,
along with documents that appeared to have been stolen from the
nuclear lab, the report said. 

Police told the television station the owner of the house is a
subcontractor doing maintenance at the top-secret lab. 

The U.S. Attorney's office in Albuquerque is reviewing the case
as the FBI investigates but neither agency would comment as the
warrant is sealed, the report said.

© Copyright 2006 United Press International, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
    
*****************************************************************

NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 this 
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who 
have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for 
non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more 
information go to: 
<http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml> 
    
*****************************************************************