***************************************************************** 01/03/07 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 15.002 ***************************************************************** 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] Iran's Pres: Production of Nuclear Fuel in Reach 2 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Resolution 1737 to hurt Int'l trade 3 AFP: Iran to soon launch production of industrial nuclear fuel - 4 AFP: Israeli minister urges UN chief to revoke Iran membership - 5 english.eastday.com: Iran denotes quitting NPT a possible option 6 UPI: Iranian president: U.N. resolution illegal 7 UPI: Iran on brink of nuke fuel cycle 8 The Hankyoreh: North-South relationship must enter a positive cycle 9 Korea Herald: N.K. threat most pressing issue for regional security 10 YONHAP NEWS: FM's death will not effect N. Korea's nuclear diplomacy 11 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Unification head: Prosperous North will bring 12 Korea Times: UN Chief Pledges to Help Solve International Crises 13 AFP: US-North Korea talks on financial sanctions in limbo - 14 UPI: N. Korean Foreign Minister Paek dies 15 UPI: Analysis: Seoul in N.Korea dispute 16 Guardian Unlimited: North Korea's Foreign Minister Dies NUCLEAR REACTORS 17 US: NRC: Sunshine Act Notice 18 US: Charlotte Observer: Nuclear reactor back in action after shutdow 19 RIA Novosti: Russia will help build the world’s first thermonuclea 20 US: NRC: In the Matter of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P. National 21 Prague Daily Monitor: Dukovany nuke supplies to grid record amount o 22 Prague Daily Monitor: Temelin ups power ouput by 10 percent in 2006 23 US: Boston.com: Former Maine Yankee property scouted as site for new 24 The Australian: Physicists' nuclear call fails | | NUCLEAR SECURITY 25 UPI: U.S. boosts Slovakia's nuke security NUCLEAR SAFETY 26 US: [du-list] Disposal of depleted uranium hexafluoride in 27 Guardian Unlimited: Two further polonium-210 cases found 28 US: ScrippsNews: Nuke-plant neighbors get vouchers for radiation dru 29 US: NewStandard: Critics, Officials Tell Tenn. Valley Authority to C 30 US: Star Tribune: Nuke plant neighbors get vouchers for radiation dr 31 US: DailyBulletin.com: Boxer targeting feds' approach to toxin 32 globeandmail.com: CSIS study stresses 'dirty bomb' threat 33 US: Newsday.com: Federal Railroad Administration to look at safety o NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 34 E Magazine: COMMENTARY: Nuclear Waste: A Mountain of Questions 35 US: The Australian: The yellowcake road winds back to Mary K | PEACE US DEPT. OF ENERGY 36 Knox News: DOE to test emergency warning system today 37 Knox News: Study of polluted Y-12 site is expected to reap benefits 38 WATE: Oak Ridge contractor pays price for contaminating local creek 39 Knox News: 10 million pounds of toxic waste to burn 40 KnoxNews: Duratek pays $300K for radioactive release 41 KnoxNews: Rebar problem costs BWXT millions ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 [NYTr] Iran's Pres: Production of Nuclear Fuel in Reach Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2007 22:50:40 -0500 (EST) X-Sender-Host-Name: olm.blythe-systems.com X-DSPAM-Result: mail; result="Innocent"; class="Innocent"; probability=0.0000; confidence=1.00; signature=N/A X-Spam-Class: HAM-VERY Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Prensa Latina, Havana http://www.plenglish.com Iran's President Says Production of Nuclear Fuel in Reach Teheran, Jan 3 (Prensa Latina) Iran will soon have conditions to produce enriched uranium on an industrial scale to fuel its nuclear plants, Iranian President Mahmud Ajmadinejad announced on Wednesday. Iranian official dailies quoted the president during his speech in a meeting during his work visit to Khuzestan province as saying that Iran will "find a key soon" to produce nuclear fuel on a worldwide scale. "Iran has the nuclear fuel cycle and shortly it will find the key to produce nuclear fuel for the industrial sector," said Ajmadinejad. The president added that his country made the decision and it will not give importance to the demands made by western powers, which speak the language of force, and emphasized that Iran will defend to the end its own interests. Last weekend, Ahmadinejad and other Iranian top officials unanimously rejected a UN Security Council resolution imposing trade restrictions on Teheran due to its refusal to abandon the enrichment of uranium. The declaration is a new challenge to that text, which according to Ahmadinejad and his government members lacks validity. ln ajs msl mf PL-13 * ================================================================ .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 IRIB PERSIAN NEWS: Resolution 1737 to hurt Int'l trade 2007/01/03 Head of Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Mines Mohammad Nahavandian said on Wednesday that the anti-Iran resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council would damage international trade. Speaking at a local meeting, the official said the Resolution 1737 not only would not resolve the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear issue but it would damage global economy. The UNSC voted, under America's and Britain's strong pressures, to impose sanctions on IRI in an attempt to deprive the country from its legitimate right of pursuance of peaceful nuclear energy as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Stressing that the sanctions imposed on IRI would only include those goods which are related to nuclear technology, Nahavandian suggested other world countries "to avoid a lose-lose approach at the international scene" and follow Tehran's reasonable stance which is to welcome negotiations to settle the nuclear problem. "Iran has always been opposing any form of taking revenge or carrying out provocative acts," Nahavandian reiterated adding that IRI's economy supports the idea of holding talks in order to reach an agreement. "History has proved that imposing sanction is not a proper way leading certain powers to their goals," he stressed. M/D Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved By Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting News Network Sponsored By IRIB News Computer Center. E-Mail: Info@IRIBNEWS.ir ***************************************************************** 3 AFP: Iran to soon launch production of industrial nuclear fuel - Wed Jan 3, 7:48 AM ET TEHRAN (AFP) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has predicted Iran " /> would soon "push the button" on production of nuclear fuel for industrial uses, a news agency reported. "Iran has the fuel cycle and very soon we will push the button on nuclear fuel production for industrial uses," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the town of Ghotvand in the western Khuzestan province. "The Iranian people have taken their decision and will in no way pay attention to empty cries of the materialists and the bullying of the decadent powers," he was quoted as saying by the IRNA news agency on Wednesday. Iran has already announced it has enriched uranium to levels of around five percent and producing nuclear fuel that could theoretically be used in a power station would be another important step in mastering the nuclear fuel cycle. Ahmadinejad's latest comments come in defiance of a UN Security Council resolution at the end of last year which imposed sanctions against Tehran for its failure to suspend uranium enrichment. Western powers want Iran to suspend enrichment, a process that they fear could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran insists its atomic programme is entirely peaceful and it has every right to the full nuclear fuel cycle. Iranian officials have already predicted Iran would be able to make a major announcement on its nuclear programme during the 28th anniversary celebrations of the Islamic revolution in February. "The Iranian people will not retreat one iota from their rights and the revolutionary celebration will be a celebration that proves Iran's nuclear rights," Ahmadinejad said. "The Iranian people are insisting on their position and want nothing more than their rights. The bullying powers should know that whatever fuss they make they have to surrender to the Iranian people's will." Iran has also said it wants to install 3,000 uranium enriching centrifuges at its enrichment plant in Natanz, central Iran, by March but it is unclear which stage these plans have reached. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 4 AFP: Israeli minister urges UN chief to revoke Iran membership - Wed Jan 3, 8:12 AM ET JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman has called on UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to revoke Iran " /> Iran's membership over its nuclear programme and calls for the Jewish state's destruction. "I call on you to act now, before it is too late. Revoke Iran's membership in the United Nations " /> United Nations," Lieberman said in a letter to the new UN chief obtained by AFP. "Pressure the Security Council to impose the harshest and most extensive set of sanctions the world has ever seen, and halt Iran's progress towards nuclear weapons." Israel " /> Israel, believed to be the sole nuclear power in the Middle East, claims, together with the United States, that Iran's nuclear programme is aimed at obtaining an atomic bomb despite Tehran's denials. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's repeated calls to wipe Israel "off the map" have been a source for deep concern in Israel, which has vowed to do everything in its power to prevent the development of an Iranian nuclear bomb. "The State of Israel can, and will, stand alone against Iran, but we should not be asked to. If (Iran is) allowed to achieve nuclear weapons, the entire free world will pay a heavy price -- Israel will be the first, and will pay the heaviest price," Lieberman wrote. Ban does not have the power to expel a member. That can only be done by the General Assembly, on the recommendation of the Security Council, after what is deemed as persistent violations of the principles of the UN Charter. Separately, a member may be suspended following the same procedure if it is under preventive or enforcement action mandated by the Security Council Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 5 english.eastday.com: Iran denotes quitting NPT a possible option 3/1/2007 10:12 Iranian government said yesterday that quitting the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) cannot be ruled out if the country's legal right are deprived. In a press conference, Iranian government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham told media that Tehran would "use its capability to decide whether to stay within the treaty or to quit it if our rights are deprived or under pressure". "......The parliament's approval (for the bill) does not necessarily mean quitting the NPT... and we want to act within the framework of the treaties that we have accepted in a transparent way but being part of a treaty is a neutral thing based on duties and rights," he added. Referring to the possible revision of Iran's relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Elham said his government would decide it based on the attitude taken by the international community over the controversial nuclear program. Iran's parliament last Wednesday passed a bill urging the government to reduce its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA, in a reaction to the UN sanctions imposed on Tehran, the state radio reported. The bill was approved by the powerful Guardian Council immediately and formally became a law, but it will be effective in 15 days after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad affirms it. It's not clear if the Iranian government has changed its stance, because Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi has said that "Iran had no intention to retreat from the NPT" after the UN Security Council decided to impose sanction against Tehran's nuclear program. The UN Security Council Resolution 1737, adopted unanimously on Saturday, demanded that Iran "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and work on all heavy water-related projects." The resolution also called on all states to impose a ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile delivery systems. It demanded that "all states shall freeze the funds, other financial assets and economic resources" owned or controlled by officials and companies in the country's nuclear and missile programs. Shortly after the UN Security Council voted unanimously for the resolution, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement lashing out at the resolution as an "illegal measure." Xinhua ***************************************************************** 6 UPI: Iranian president: U.N. resolution illegal United Press International - NewsTrack - 1/2/2007 11:34:00 PM -0500 AHVAZ, Iran, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday the sanctions resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council violates the U.N. Charter. Ahmadinejad made the accusation during a speech in Ahvaz in Khuzestan province, one of Iran's major oil-producing areas, the Islamic Republic News Agency said. "The Security Council ratified the illegal resolution against the Iranian nation under the U.S. and British pressure," he said. While Ahmadinejad was in Ahvaz, a spokesman, Gholam-Hussein Elham, told reporters in Tehran that 3,000 centrifuges now being installed in the nuclear facility at Natanz will be operational by March. In his speech, the president accused the United States of timing Saddam Hussein's execution to create "discord" in the region. He also said that Western countries lie about Iraq's nuclear program, saying his country only wants energy independence. "All nations including the Iranians have no option but to achieve and use nuclear energy," he said. "We should use nuclear energy not to be dependent on bullying powers in the future." © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 7 UPI: Iran on brink of nuke fuel cycle United Press International - Security &Terrorism - 1/3/2007 1:32:00 PM -0500 TEHRAN, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Iran's firebrand President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday his country was about to launch the industrial production of nuclear fuel. "Ahmadinejad said Iran has mastered a nuclear fuel cycle and will soon launch nuclear fuel production on an industrial scale," the Russian RIA Novosti news agency reported from Tehran. "Iran started up a second experimental chain of 164 centrifuges at its pilot nuclear facility at Natanz in October 2006, and said it will launch a total of 3,000 centrifuges there by next March," RIA Novosti said. Ahmadinejad also hit out at foriegn nations that he said were trying to stop Iran from developing and received the equipment it needed for its program. Ahmadinjead and other Iranian leaders over the past week have repeatedly sent defiant signals following the unanimous adoption of a United Nations Security Council resolution on Dec. 23 that called on all nations to prevent their companies from supplying Iran with the nuclear technology, equipment and substances necessary to further develop its controversial nuclear program. "The resolution stipulates that all countries must stop supplying Iran with nuclear technology and materials that could enable the Islamic Republic to proceed with its suspected atomic weapons program," RIA Novosti said. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 8 The Hankyoreh: North-South relationship must enter a positive cycle Editorial & Opinion The "joint editorial" traditionally published by North Korea¡¯s newspapers on New Year¡¯s Day has talked a lot about the economy in recent years. This year, the specific goals it gives for "constructing an economically strong nation" are making sure the masses get enough to eat; a revolution in the country¡¯s light industries; strengthening North Korea¡¯s performance in the power, coal, metal, and rail transport industries; and expanding the country¡¯s energy development. It shows you exactly what the North¡¯s concerns are about its economy, since this means it is experiencing a shortage of food and needed materials and that its basic industries are weak. The joint editorial said the country needs to "manage its economy based on Korean strength, technology, and resources" in order to construct a "socialist paradise prospering thoroughly on its own strength." It¡¯s the same old party line of "juche," or self-reliance. The best way for North Korea to strengthen its economy would be to build an economic community on the Korean peninsula together with South Korea. The South is capable of giving the North substantive assistance in all areas mentioned in the joint editorial and without much difficulty. The Gaeseong (Kaesong) Industrial Park is a concrete example of the possibilities that exist. In his New Year¡¯s address to his ministry, Unification Minister Lee Jae-jeong said the South has to be ready to "share responsibility for the North¡¯s poverty as a country that exports US$300 billion a year, that ranks among the world¡¯s top ten economies, and as a country composed of the same Korean people." If North Korea wants to be a nation of economic strength, there needs to be a deepening of inter-Korean relations. The biggest obstacle is the nuclear issue. The joint editorial made no mention of the nuclear issue or the six-party talks, and repeated only the same old claim that it has come to possess a nuclear deterrent for defensive purposes. Some observers say the North is probably trying to be prudent in regards to the ongoing talks, or that it is also hinting at its intention to keep its nukes. It should be clear there is not going to be landmark progress in relations between North and South Korea unless there is progress at the six-party talks. Naturally, that also means Pyongyang will have a hard time achieving a breakthrough for its economy. Most Southerners are going to remain unimpressed with the North¡¯s "three principles" of "independence, peace, and Korean unity" or its "among us Koreans" rhetoric unless there is resolution to the nuclear issue. The North is reportedly giving serious consideration to the ideas of the leadership of the United States, as conveyed to Pyongyang¡¯s negotiators at the most recent round of six-party talks. As South Korean foreign minister Song Min-soon said in his New Year's press conference, the North will find it to its advantage to see to it there is as much progress as possible right now. Financial sanctions like the freeze on Banco Delta Asia are going to resolve themselves soon enough once there is some progress on the nuclear issue. The six-party talks and inter-Korean relations need to be put on a positive track so that North and South prosper together; if this is what the North wants, it is going to have to make the right decision. Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr] Modified on : Jan.3,2007 15:38 KST © 2006 The Hankyoreh Media Company. All rights ***************************************************************** 9 Korea Herald: N.K. threat most pressing issue for regional security In the modern world of global interdependence and in this new age of flux and relative uncertainty, states can cooperate to construct networks and bridges between peoples and cultures to ensure a peaceful and prosperous future for their citizens; or refuse, throw up barriers, and eventually stagnate under the weight of complexity, competition, and conflict. Fortunately, in the dynamic region of Northeast Asia, deepening economic ties, growing bilateral trade, and expanding cultural and social exchanges are working to construct networks and erect bridges which will help lead the region's peoples to greater peace and prosperity. However, the primacy of business and the exchanges of civil society, while significant, cannot circumvent the roadblocks in the path of regional progress. Regional frictions/conflicts - both material and ideational - between the actors do leave regional security on less than stable ground. For these business networks and socio-cultural ties to deepen and expand, and for northeast Asia to realize more broadly its potential at a variety of levels, three big challenges in terms of security must be tackled: The North Korean nuclear issue, the smooth and seamless transformation of the ROK-U.S. alliance, and the region's coming to terms with its past. The most pressing issue is the North Korean nuclear issue. Its urgency cannot be emphasized enough, for the longer this threat lingers, the greater the chances misperceptions will lead to an escalation of tensions and irreversibly grave consequences. The second challenge is ensuring a smooth transformation of the much criticized but no less essential ROK-U.S. alliance. Though its rational apparently minimized due to its nature as a security arrangement and lack of a common threat since the end of the Cold War, this arrangement still remains the pillar of the region's security and crucial if this dynamic region is to move forward over the next 50 years. The final challenge is only deceptively less pressing, and actually the most serious - the regional actors' coming to terms with the region's past for the reconciliation of Northeast Asia. This is no trivial political "can" to be kicked down the road, but a very heavy socio-psychological "brick." This troublesome brick, the region's history and the negative images of "the other" that stem from it, must be dealt with. In fact, dealing with the past in a non-confrontational way is an unavoidable prerequisite to building effective multilateral regional institutions that can enhance bilateral ties, address the region's emerging security threats, and ultimately lead Northeast Asia down a constructive path in this new century. The North Korean nuclear test On Feb. 10, 2005, North Korea announced it had obtained a nuclear deterrent, something it claims that it needs for its survival as a nation. On Oct. 3, 2006, North Korea made clear that it would prove that deterrent capability by conducting a nuclear test, and did so less than a week later on Oct. 9. With this test, the security situation in Northeast Asia has taken a serious turn. According to specialists, the test, conducted underground, resulted in a relatively low-yield explosion of 1 kiloton. North Korean officials have stated that the role of their nuclear weapons is to deter the United States and defend the sovereignty of their state, but that the North is still committed to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. According to estimates, North Korea most likely possesses 40 to 50 kilograms of separated plutonium, which is sufficient to make six to eight nuclear weapons, with the potential to generate 6 kilograms worth annually. This could increase tenfold if construction of the 50-megawatt reactor in Yongbyun is resumed after being halted for nearly a decade (a result of the 1994 Geneva Agreed Framework). This decidedly is not in the interest of regional actors, and bodes very badly for the region's security if this increased weapons-grade plutonium production comes to pass. The Korean Peninsula now finds itself with a nuclear weapons capacity on one side of the divided nation, putting the region as a whole in a grave and urgent state of affairs. The worst-case scenario, however, is that, left unresolved, the nuclear issue could incite a regional arms race. It may also undermine the global nuclear non-proliferation regime by encouraging the other states and non-state terrorist groups to intensify their own search for nuclear weapons, and perhaps encourage existing nuclear powers to resume nuclear testing (and possibly the use of newer types of tactical nuclear weapons). The immediacy of this issue cannot be stressed enough. It must be addressed, and done so in a multilateral fashion within the framework of the six-party talks. Coercion through sanctions and pressure to induce policy changes in the North just simply do not work. Diplomacy is the only way to proceed, and this must still be done multilaterally within the framework of northeast Asian cooperation, through the six-party talks. Transformation of the ROK-U.S. alliance The second biggest challenge, as mentioned, is making sure that the transformation of the ROK-U.S. alliance takes place in as smooth and seamless manner as possible. The alliance has been criticized from time to time - and more so within the last five years. Some see the alliance relationship as being deeply troubled. Others see the loss of a "common threat" as a defining blow to this largely security arrangement. These assessments, however, are shortsighted. The Korea-U.S. Mutual Defense Treaty of 1954 has been the cornerstone of an arrangement that transcends security and embraces partnership on a variety of levels. It is an arrangement based on common, democratic values, shared beliefs, and a history of continuous American commitment to the defense and well being of the Korean Peninsula. The alliance serves not only Korea and the United States, but also the peoples of northeast Asia who benefit from the regional stability it affords. Global events over the last two decades, and in particular since 2001, have had a profound influence on America's alliances in Asia. The U.S. military has been reorganizing itself around new priorities constructed out of the new challenges America and its allies will face this century. This is no different for the ROK-U.S. alliance. Today, changes to the strategic environment require that adjustments to the alliance be made. This is inevitable and has occurred throughout the history of the alliance itself. For South Korea, these adjustments have led to greater South Korean participation in its own defense management, and they have also transformed the ROK military into a more legitimate ally in terms of values, institutions, and capabilities, all of which is quite positive. In terms of defense, the current adjustments may allow for the upgrading of South Korea's capabilities for strategic planning, intelligence, and operational skill through ROK reforms - again, another positive, rather than negative, outcome. Reconstituted, the ROK-U.S. alliance should better serve the interests of both parties. It should allow for greater flexibility on both sides and for better policy coordination so that mutual security goals can be met cooperatively, and so that regional stability can be sustained. Moving forward: Dealing with the past The regional order in northeast Asia is likewise undergoing a transformation. Yet in this transformation, while there is a rising understanding among the region's leaders that something must be done to prepare for future regional order, the leaders of Japan, China, South Korea and the United States do not have a shared view of what that new order should look like. This is problematic to say the least. The biggest barrier to adopting a shared vision of the future is the existing and very large gap in Japan's, China's, and Korea's understanding of the past. True enough, trade and economic cooperation among the countries in Northeast Asia is burgeoning. Socio-cultural networks, too, are improving - though not really robust as of late. For the first time in history, China is rising while Japan is reemerging, setting the stage for a rivalry between these two powers. The Sino-Japanese rivalry appears to be heightening as both powers seek a regional leadership role. We can also see regionalist and nationalist forces at odds with each other. While the rise of China has driven these regionalist forces, in particular the business networks and socio-cultural exchanges, a crisis of identity has also risen in China, Korea, and Japan, spawning nationalism in each country, respectively, which has been used to thwart the trends toward regionalism. Reversing this trend will take a certain amount of political capital from each country's leadership, something very much needed since each country's perception of "the other" has fallen to perilously low levels. As existing multilateral regionalist institutions remain feeble and nationalist politics persist, the rivalries and animosities only portend to increase tension in the region and exacerbate material conflicts of interest over such territories as Dokdo, Diaoyu/Senkaku islet, the Kurile Islands, and others. To move forward, regional actors must reconcile with the past. The modern history of northeast Asia is one that many would like to forget but cannot until it is recognized for what it is, and what it is not. Disputes about distortions of history (as told in the textbooks of each country), anger over Japan's honoring of war criminals at the Yasukuni shrine, fears of Japan's remilitarization, and the threats that the rising China pose must be dealt with and not left to exacerbate discord. All of these relate to the region's disputed history. Choosing to deal with the issue of history can no longer be put off. The region's history is part of the complex aggregate that will be macadamized to build the roads that lead to a prosperous, or perilous, future. Frictions must be reduced so that when each piece is pressed, it can lock together with its neighbors, and build a solid foundation on which our nations' futures can travel. To this end, regional actors must sit down and seriously deal with this largely perceptual or ideational obstacle that continues to prevent the region from reaching its fullest potential. Most recently, some positive steps toward this end have been made. By doing so, further work can be made to create the multilateral arrangements that will provide for the region's security. Such multilateralism would compliment the existing bilateral security arrangements in the region, and allow for the region's actors to handle the traditional hard and emerging soft threats to our collective security. It is known that in 2006, President Roh Moo-hyun and President George W. Bush, and later together with Japanese Prime Minister Abe, have had discussions on the future of the regional order in Northeast Asia. Among the leaderships there is a rising understanding that a shared vision of the future of Northeast Asia needs to be adopted so that preparations can be made collectively and cooperatively. The United States itself will also play a key role in this process. The process will no doubt be slow. Fortunately, momentum is slowly gaining for this. But the question of whether we are seizing this opportunity fast enough still remains unanswered. Let's hope we are. This is a reprint from Korea Policy Review, a monthly magazine edited and printed by The Korea Herald. Lee Su-hoon is chairman of the Presidential Committee on Northeast Asian Cooperation Initiative. He also teaches international relations at Kyungnam University. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at leesh@cwd.go.kr - Ed. By Lee Su-hoon 2007.01.04 ***************************************************************** 10 YONHAP NEWS: FM's death will not effect N. Korea's nuclear diplomacy - experts 2007/01/03 19:38 KST SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is not expected to much change its stance in negotiations over its nuclear weapons program despite the death of Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun, a rare supporter of diplomacy over the use of force in the country, North Korea watchers here said Wednesday. "I believe North Korea wanted to pursue some kind of dove-diplomacy following its years of isolation and I think the North believed Paek was the only qualified person who can improve both the country's relations with South Korea and the international community," Huh Moon-young, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute for National Unification, said in a telephone interview. ***************************************************************** 11 INSIDE JoongAng Daily: Unification head: Prosperous North will bring peace January 03, 2007 ¤Ñ Without solving North Korea's problem of poverty, the security of the Korean Peninsula will always be at some risk, Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung said in a New Year policy statement. Sent to ministry employees through e-mail, the minister's missive urged the North to increase its cooperation with the South, asserting that nuclear weapons could not guarantee Pyongyang's security. Only joint inter-Korean efforts to increase the wealth of North Koreans could do that, he said. The minister told reporters at a meeting, "If you look at the background that led the North to conduct a nuclear test, poverty was one of the reasons." Although he wasn't explicit, Mr. Lee's choice of words made it clear that he wanted aid to the North to resume. "We have to examine things that were agreed upon between the South and North and promised," he said. "We have to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue through the six-party talks by deeply analyzing the extreme situation in the North, and support such efforts through inter-Korean dialogue." All rice and fertilizer aid to the North has been stopped since North Korea conducted missile tests in July; Pyongyang's Oct. 9 nuclear test put a halt to thinking about reviving that aid. Another round of the six-party nuclear talks was held in December, but the negotiations were inconclusive, and the nations involved agreed to meet again but set no date. Roh administration officials had hoped that a breakthrough at the nuclear talks would lead to a quick aid resumption; its engagement policy towards the North is a pillar of the administration's policy. North Korea's own New Year's messages, printed in its state-controlled media, stressed the need to revive the economy through North Koreans' own efforts, but also touted the country's national strength as demonstrated in its nuclear test. That suggested to many North Korea watchers that Pyongyang would give up its nuclear weapons only at a very steep price, if at all. The policy statement was relatively subdued in its criticism of the United States, but attacked South Korea's Grand National Party, probably because of the strong showings of its potential candidates in this December's South Korean presidential election. by Brian Lee africanu@joongang.co.kr> Copyright by Joins.com, Inc. Terms of Use ***************************************************************** 12 Korea Times: UN Chief Pledges to Help Solve International Crises Hankooki.com > The Korea Times U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reaffirmed his promise on his first working day on Tuesday to give priority to the North Korean nuclear standoff and other crises in the Middle East and Sudan. He told reporters that he has started his duties at a daunting time in international affairs, with challenges in Sudan¡¯s Darfur region, the Middle East, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and North Korea. The 62-year-old career diplomat of South Korea called for a collective response to those challenges, noting that no single country, however powerful, can deal with them. ``Not a single person, including the secretary-general of the United Nations, not a single country, however strong, powerful, resourceful it may be, cannot address this," he said. Touching on North Korea, he recalled his past involvement with Pyongyang¡¯s nuclear issue as South Korea¡¯s foreign minister. "As secretary-general, I will first try to facilitate the smooth progress of the six-party talks," he said, referring to the six-nation denuclearization talks aimed at ending North Korea¡¯s nuclear weapons development program. Ban reaffirmed that he would use his offices to help the six-party talks to move forward. The genocide in Darfur is "very high" on his agenda, said Ban who has a meeting scheduled Wednesday with the U.N. special envoy to Sudan, Jan Eliasson. "I will turn immediately my attention to this issue," he said. He said all states ought to pay due respect to international humanitarian law in the wake of the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein which was made on Dec. 30 on conviction of crimes against humanity. Ban said Saddam's execution was a choice for Iraq to make. "The issue of capital punishment is for each and every member state to decide," he said when asked if the deposed leader should have been executed. ``Saddam Hussein was responsible for committing heinous crimes and unspeakable atrocities against his people, and we should never forget the extent of his crimes," he said. But he added, ``As the secretary-general, at the same time, while I am firmly against impunity, I also hope that members of the international community should pay due respect to all aspects of international humanitarian laws," he said. "During my entire tenure, I will try my best to help member states, the international community, to strengthen the rule of law." Ban was elected the eighth secretary-general of the international body in October and is the first Asian to lead the U.N. in 35 years. The new U.N. chief said he starts his job with much expectation, hope and promise but appealed for strong support as he sets out ``at a daunting time in international affairs.¡¯¡¯ After walking to the U.N. headquarters from his temporary residence, he paid respects at a chapel to pay respect to fallen peacekeepers and met with his undersecretaries. He held a meeting with the U.N. staff and talked with Amb. Vitaly Churkin, the Russian envoy who holds rotating presidency of the Security Council for January. His first overseas travel is expected to be to Ethiopia later this month to attend the African Union summit and also meet the Sudanese president there for consultations. 01-03-2007 14:30 U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon ***************************************************************** 13 AFP: US-North Korea talks on financial sanctions in limbo - by P. Parameswaran Wed Jan 3, 12:58 PM ET WASHINGTON (AFP) - Uncertainty surrounds further talks on US financial sanctions against North Korea " /> North Korea, critical to ending the broader problem of Pyongyang's nuclear weapons drive. Financial experts from the two nations for the first time discussed last month how to resolve the dispute over the sanctions on Macau-based Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which the United States claims serves as base for North Korean counterfeiting and money laundering. Pyongyang has denied the allegations. The two-day meeting between US Treasury and North Korean officials was held on the sidelines of the six-party talks in Beijing aimed at disbanding North Korea's nuclear program, but both the forums ended in deadlock. The officials had planned to have further talks on the financial sanctions in New York on January 22 but US Treasury spokeswoman Molly Millerwise told AFP on Tuesday "there hasn't been a firm date and place nailed down yet." A South Korean newspaper reported a week ago that North Korea had rejected New York as a venue for the second round of talks after accusing US Treasury officials of not being serious. "The US didn't even offer evidence that North Korea committed illegal activities," North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-Gwan was quoted saying. "The sanctions issue should be resolved first," Kim said. The United States blacklisted BDA in September 2005, saying it suspected that 24 million dollars in North Korean accounts was linked to counterfeiting or money-laundering. The accounts have been frozen and other Asian banks have taken similar moves against the bank. To protest the US sanctions, North Korea boycotted the nuclear talks for over a year. After conducting its first nuclear test in October, it agreed to return to the talks nuclear talks among the United States, the two Koreas, China, Japan and Russia on condition the banking issue is "discussed and settled." A working group was set up for the financial officials of the two countries to grapple with the issue alongside the nuclear talks. But both sides have stuck to their guns -- US refusing to lift the sanctions and North Korea reluctant to return to the nuclear table if the sanctions remain in effect. Millerwise gave no indication of any plans to lift the sanctions. The US Treasury delegation met twice with the North Koreans to discuss the financial measures in "courteous and businesslike" talks, she said. She said that any resolution to the issue would entail a lengthy process. "As we said at that time, for this effort to be productive, we believe it will be a long process through which we address our underlying concerns and concerns of the international financial community -- from North Korea's illicit conduct to recognized standards and norms for operating in the international financial system," she explained. The measures against BDA "remain in place and the institution remains designated as a primary money laundering concern," she added. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice " /> Condoleezza Ricewill meet her new South Korean counterpart Song Min-soon on Friday following criticism by South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun " /> Roh Moo-Hyunthat Washington had wrecked hopes of a nuclear deal by imposing the financial sanctions. Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 14 UPI: N. Korean Foreign Minister Paek dies United Press International - NewsTrack - 1/3/2007 7:16:00 AM -0500 PYONGYANG, North Korea, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- North Korean Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun has died at the age of 77 in Pyongyang, the Korean Central News Agency reported. A brief statement Wednesday said North Korean leader Kim Jong Il had sent a wreath and expressed condolences to Paek's family, the Kyodo news agency reported. In Seoul, Ryoo Kihl-jae, a dean at South Korea's Kyungnam University Graduate School of North Korean Studies, told Voice of America that Paek's position was mainly a ceremonial one. Ryoo said it has long been established that North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kang Seok Ju -- a close associate of Kim -- is the architect of Pyongyang's foreign policy, particularly in six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program. However, Paek was the first and only foreign minister to meet with his U.S. counterpart, which was in 2000 when he met with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Pyongyang. Various regional reports said Paek had a history of medical problems, with some claiming it was his liver and others citing kidney problems. © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 15 UPI: Analysis: Seoul in N.Korea dispute United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - 1/3/2007 1:28:00 PM -0500 By LEE JONG-HEON UPI Correspondent SEOUL, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- South Korea is under a policy dispute over how to deal with North Korea following controversial remarks by Seoul's pointman on Pyongyang who hinted at massive economic aid to the communist neighbor despite its nuclear threats. The country's powerful opposition party on Wednesday called for the resignation of Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung and raised suspicions that his push for economic aid to the North was aimed at staging an inter-Korean summit to influence South Korea's presidential election later this year. The Grand National Party also said it would seek to submit a no-confidence motion to unseat Lee, who took office last month as South Korea's top North Korea policymaker. Lee stirred controversy on Tuesday when he affirmed his determination to help alleviate poverty in North Korea, citing poverty as one of main factors behind Pyongyang's pursuit of nuclear weapons. "(South Korea) must accept its responsibility of (helping) North Korea out of poverty because we are the same people, and (the South) is the tenth largest world economy and a $300-billion-exporting nation," Lee said. "Peace will not be ensured on the Korean peninsula unless North Korea finds a fundamental solution to poverty," he said. Lee also added poverty is one of the reasons for North Korea to seek nuclear weapons. North Korea has long suffered from poverty and the trouble has worsened since the mid-1990s when a nationwide flood and an ensuing famine led to the deaths of more than 2 million people. The poverty has forced it to swallow its much-touted pride of "juche" (self-reliance) to appeal for international handouts to feed its 23 million people. Relief agencies warn North Korea could be facing severe food shortages in the coming months due to crop loss in the wake of severe flooding in July 2006 and reduced aid from the international community following its missile and nuclear tests. South Korea has suspended regular aid shipments since July in protest against the North's missile tests that month. In return, the North has halted inter-Korean dialogue. Late last month, Lee said his government was considering resuming aid shipments to the North to revive cross-border talks, stressing inter-Korean dialogue is necessary to resolve the North's nuclear problem. "The government has a principle to resume North-South dialogue at the earliest date possible," he said. The GNP accused Lee of being pro-North Korean, saying his remarks on economic aid despite the nuclear crisis were "extremely shocking." "It is absurd to provide economic assistance to North Korea when the problem of nuclear weapons is left as it is," the opposition party said in a statement. It is not the North's poverty but its nuclear drive that threatens peace on the Korean peninsula, the party said, calling for the Seoul government to focus its efforts on resolving the North's nuclear drive. The opposition party also described the government's emphasis on inter-Korean ties as a "political maneuver" aimed at staging inter-Korean summit ahead of the South's presidential election slated for December. "The government and the ruling party should avoid mentioning the possibility of an inter-Korean summit as the nuclear issue is not resolved yet," GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won said. The party expressed concerns that the country's ruling camp is pushing for summit talks with North Korea to influence South Korea's presidential election next year with popularity for the ruling camp remaining at record lows. GNP lawmaker Chung Hyung-keun, a former senior intelligence official, said the two Koreas were in the final stage of discussions to hold an inter-Korean summit in this coming spring. "The former (South Korean) unification minister recently traveled to the North and met its leader Kim Jong Il (to discuss summit talks)," Chung said. "If an inter-Korean summit was held in March or April, it would be a variable strong enough to sway the presidential race," he said. The ruling Uri Party's popularity has plunged to under 10 percent, further widening the gap with the main opposition Grand National Party that garnered 45 percent. Surveys said some 70 percent of South Korean people expect the anti-communist GNP to take power in December's presidential election. Polling agencies say an inter-Korean summit can boost the popularity of the ruling camp which has sought reconciliation with the North. More and more ruling lawmakers and top government officials have recently called for an inter-Korean summit to help ease the North's nuclear crisis. President Roh Moo also has said he was ready to meet the North Korean leader "anytime and anywhere." © Copyright 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 16 Guardian Unlimited: North Korea's Foreign Minister Dies From the Associated Press [UP] Wednesday January 3, 2007 9:16 AM SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Paek Nam Sun, North Korea's foreign minister and the country's top diplomat for nearly 10 years, has died at the age of 78, official media reported Wednesday. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il expressed his condolences, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported. The one-sentence dispatch did not elaborate on when or how Paek died. Paek has been the North's premier diplomat since 1998. News reports have said he was suffering from an unknown illness. It was unclear who would succeed him. His most recent overseas trip was to Malaysia and Singapore in July. Paek's death was not expected to change North Korea's foreign policy because the North's Foreign Ministry usually implements policies that have been crafted by the ruling Korean Workers' Party. Power is heavily concentrated in Kim's hands, and state officers stray from the official line at their peril. His death came as tensions remain high on the Korean peninsula following the North's Oct. 9 nuclear test. North Korea held nuclear negotiations with the United States and other regional powers last month, but no progress was made. Paek graduated from the prestigious Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang, and later took part in Red Cross talks with South Korea in the 1970s. Diplomatic involvement with South Korea, the North's wealthy neighbor and former battlefield foe, has always been a key to career advancement for North Korean officials. Paek was also ambassador to Poland. Paek's career is the story of an elite loyalist who rose steadily through the government layers over the decades. He was born in 1929 in North Hamgyong, a province on the Chinese and Russian borders that is home to a coal mine notorious for forced labor as well as a key missile base. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ***************************************************************** 17 NRC: Sunshine Act Notice FR Doc 06-9965 [Federal Register: January 3, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 1)] [Notices] [Page 146-147] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03ja07-69] Agency Holding the Meetings: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. DATES: Weeks of January 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 2007. Place: Commissioners' Conference Room, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. Status: Public and closed. Matters to be Considered: Week of January 1, 2007 Thursday, January 4, 2007 12:55 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative) a. Final Rule: Secure Transfer of Nuclear Material (RIN 3150-AH90) (Tentative) b. Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station), Intervenor Pilgrim Watch's Appeal of LBP-06-23 (Ruling on Standing and Contentions) (Tentative) Week of January 8, 2007--Tentative Wednesday, January 10, 2007 9:30 a.m. Briefing on Browns Ferry Unit 1 Restart (Public Meeting) (Contact: Catherine Haney, 301 415-1453) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Thursday, January 11, 2007 1:25 p.m. Affirmation Session (Public Meeting) (Tentative) a. Final Rulemaking to Revise 10 CFR 73.1, Design Basis Threat (DBT) Requirements (Tentative) b. Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC, & Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station), LBP-06-20 (9/ 22/06): Entergy Nuclear Generation Company & Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. (Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station), LBP-06-23 (10/16/06) (Tentative) 1:30 p.m. Periodic Briefing on New Reactor Issues (Public Meeting) (Contact: Donna Williams, 301 415-1322) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Week of January 15, 2007--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of January 15, 2007. Week of January 22, 2007--Tentative Tuesday, January 23, 2007 1:30 p.m. Joint Meeting with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Grid Reliability (Public Meeting) (Contact: Mike Mayfield, 301 415- 5621) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Week of January 29, 2007--Tentative Wednesday, January 31, 2007 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Security Issues (Closed--Ex. 1 & 3) To be held at Department of Homeland Security Headquarters, Washington, DC. Thursday, February 1, 2007 9:30 a.m. Discussion of Management Issues (Closed--Ex. 2) 1:30 p.m. Briefing on Strategic Workforce Planning and Human Capital Initiatives (Public Meeting) (Contact: Mary Ellen Beach, 301 415-6803) This meeting will be webcast live at the Web address--http://www.nrc.gov . Week of February 5, 2007--Tentative There are no meetings scheduled for the Week of February 5, 2007. * * * * * *The schedule for Commission meetings is subject to change on short notice. To verify the status of meetings call (recording)--(301) 415- 1292. [[Page 147]] Contact person for more information: Michelle Schroll, (301) 415-1662. * * * * * The NRC Commission Meeting Schedule can be found on the Internet at: http://www.[fxsp0]nrc.gov/what-we-do/policy-making/ schedule.[fxsp0]html. * * * * * The NRC provides reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in these public meetings, or need this meeting notice or the transcript or other information from the public meetings in another format (e.g. braille, large print), please notify the NRC's Disability Program Coordinator, Deborah Chan, at 301-415-7041, TDD: 301-415-2100, or by e-mail at DLC@nrc.gov. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. * * * * * This notice is distributed by mail to several hundred subscribers; if you no longer wish to receive it, or would like to be added to the distribution, please contact the Office of the Secretary, Washington, DC 20555 (301-415-1969). In addition, distribution of this meeting notice over the Internet system is available. If you are interested in receiving this Commission meeting schedule electronically, please send an electronic message to dkw@nrc.gov. Dated: December 26, 2006. R. Michelle Schroll, Office of the Secretary. [FR Doc. 06-9965 Filed 12-28-06; 9:43 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 18 Charlotte Observer: Nuclear reactor back in action after shutdown 01/03/2007 | ENERGY Duke Energy Corp. returned the Catawba 1 nuclear reactor in South Carolina to full power Tuesday after a refueling and maintenance shutdown that lasted 49 days. The unit's return was delayed by a water leak in the reactor coolant system last week, Valerie Patterson, a spokeswoman for Charlotte-based Duke, said in a telephone interview. The reactor reconnected to the grid Dec. 30, she said.Catawba 1 is one of two reactors at the plant, which is about 35 miles southwest of Charlotte. The reactor supplies 1,129 megawatts to the grid, Duke has said. That means it can produce enough power for 903,200 average U.S. homes, based U.S. Energy Department estimates. Duke said Dec. 27 that it agreed to increase its ownership of Catawba 1 to 38 percent from 25 percent, while North Carolina Electric Membership Corp. will boost its stake to 62 percent. That means Saluda River Electric Cooperative Inc. won't have an ownership interest in the unit. Catawba 2, operated by Duke, was listed at full capacity in a report Tuesday from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. -- Bloomberg News ***************************************************************** 19 RIA Novosti: Russia will help build the world’s first thermonuclear reactor Opinion &analysis - 03/ 01/ 2007 MOSCOW. (Yury Zaitsev for RIA Novosti) - On November 21, 2006, Russia, South Korea, China, Japan, India, the European Union and the United States signed an agreement on building the world's first International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). The overall cost of the project is 13 billion Euros. The "small Sun" (as the reactor is referred to) will be sited in Cadarache near Marseilles. Russia will finance part of the project and contribute its technologies and know-how. Unlike conventional nuclear power plant reactors utilizing the nuclear radioactive decay principle, i.e. fission of heavy elements, the ITER unit generates power through thermonuclear fusion, that is, when two light atomic nuclei fuse together to form heavier ones. Scientists want to imitate physical processes inside the Sun and to use them for building commercial power units. Chemically inert helium is created through the fusion of hydrogen isotopes -deuterium and tritium - inside the Sun. This unique process generates hundreds of times more energy than uranium-powered nuclear reactors. The Earth has a virtually unlimited amount of fuel for future thermonuclear reactors. Both deuterium and tritium can be obtained from water; this process is much simpler, safer and cheaper than the conventional nuclear fuel cycle. Moreover, "clean" thermonuclear reactors will not damage the environment even in case of major accidents and can therefore be built in densely populated areas. The principles of thermonuclear fusion were formulated over 50 years ago. However, scientists faced enormous problems as they tried to ignite and control thermonuclear plasma. Lev Artsimovich, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said thermonuclear fusion had become the most formidable science and engineering challenge of the 20th century. But at that time scientists failed to build a thermonuclear reactor, and interest in this problem gradually began to wane after a period of unsuccessful attempts. In the last decades works on this problem have resumed all over the world and international cooperation in this sphere has grown stronger because it is very important to harness controlled thermonuclear fusion. Work on the first experimental TOKAMAK (Toroidal Chamber in Magnetic Coils) reactor began in 1988 on the Soviet Union's initiative. The reactor's basic principle of operation is as follows. A powerful electric current flows through toroidal-chamber plasma, and its magnetic field merges with that of the toroidal solenoid to create the required magnetic field needed to maintain a well-balanced and insulated plasma configuration. The Soviet Union and later Russia, the United States, the EU and Japan established an agency that promptly designed the TOKAMAK reactor. This project largely owed its success to Russian research involving pre-nuclear TOKAMAK reactors, which studied related problems and were used to test different engineering solutions, namely, large-scale superconducting magnetic systems and powerful high-frequency units for creating and maintaining stable reactor plasma. Russia's Federal Nuclear Power Agency (Rosatom) is proud to say that Russian scientists were the first to develop TOKAMAK systems for the ITER project. The Cadarache reactor is expected to prove that thermonuclear power plants are feasible. If successful, it will serve as a basis for more powerful and advanced units for completely solving mankind's energy problems. However, this goal cannot be achieved overnight. Vladimir Fortov, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said thermonuclear power will be harnessed completely only by 2040. Yevgeny Velikhov, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and President of the Kurchatov Institute Russian Research Center, said Japan, which faces huge energy shortages and which has no hydrocarbon deposits, would build the first commercial thermonuclear power plant in 2030. "We hope that thermonuclear fusion will account for a considerable share of global energy output by the middle of the 21st century," Velikhov said. Russia's involvement in the ITER project is the only chance to preserve its potential in the most advanced science-and-engineering spheres. Moscow has completely fulfilled its R&D commitments. Although the project's technical aspects have been implemented, scientists will continue to study the physics of thermonuclear plasma for a long time to come. An ad hoc commission comprising EU government advisers and many authoritative international experts said the controlled thermonuclear fusion project is proceeding too slowly against the backdrop of major energy shortages facing humankind, and all the countries involved must step up joint efforts in this sphere. Yury Zaitsev is an expert at the Russian Academy of Engineering Sciences. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and may not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board. © 2005 RIA Novosti ***************************************************************** 20 NRC: In the Matter of Louisiana Energy Services, L.P. National FR Doc E6-22453 [Federal Register: January 3, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 1)] [Notices] [Page 159-162] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr03ja07-71] Enrichment Facility and All Other persons Who Seek or Obtain Access to Safeguards Information Described Herein; Order Imposing Fingerprinting and Criminal History Check Requirements for Access to Safeguards Information (Effective Immediately) I Louisiana Energy Services, L.P. (LES) holds a license, issued in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) of 1954, by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), authorizing it to construct and operate a uranium enrichment facility in Lea County, New Mexico. On August 8, 2005, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) was enacted. Section 652 of the EPAct amended Section 149 of the AEA to require fingerprinting and a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) identification and criminal history records check of any person who is to be permitted to have access to Safeguards Information (SGI).\1\ The NRC's implementation of this requirement cannot await the completion of the SGI rulemaking, which is underway, because the EPAct fingerprinting and criminal history check requirements for access to SGI were immediately effective on enactment of the EPAct. The EPAct permits the Commission, by rule, to except certain categories of individuals from the fingerprinting requirement, which the Commission has done [see 10 CFR 73.59, 71 Federal Register 33989 (June 13, 2006)]. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \1\ Safeguards Information is a form of sensitive, unclassified, security-related information that the Commission has the authority to designate and protect under Section 147 of the AEA. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Individuals relieved from fingerprinting and criminal history checks under the relief rule include: Federal, State, and local officials and law enforcement personnel; Agreement State Inspectors who conduct security inspections on behalf of the NRC; members of Congress and certain employees of members of Congress or Congressional Committees; and representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency or certain foreign government organizations. In addition, individuals who have a favorably-decided U.S. Government criminal history check within the last five (5) years, and individuals who have active federal security clearances (provided in either case that they make available the appropriate documentation), have satisfied the EPAct fingerprinting requirement and need not be fingerprinted again. Therefore, in accordance with Section 149 of the AEA, as amended by the EPAct, the Commission is imposing additional requirements for access to SGI, as set forth by this Order, so that affected licensees can obtain and grant access to SGI. This Order also imposes requirements for access to SGI by any person,\2\ from any person, whether or not they are a licensee, applicant, or certificate holder of the Commission or an Agreement States. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \2\ Person means (1) any individual, corporation, partnership, firm, association, trust, estate, public or private institution, group, government agency other than the Commission or the Department of Energy, except that the Department of Energy shall be considered a person with respect to those facilities of the Department of Energy specified in Section 202 of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (88 Stat. 1244), any State or any political subdivision of, or any political entity within a State, any foreign government or nation or any political subdivision of any such government or nation, or other entity; and (2) any legal successor, representative, agent, or agency of the foregoing. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Subsequent to the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, the NRC issued Orders requiring certain entities to implement Additional Security Measures (ASMs) or Interim Compensatory Measures (ICMs) for certain radioactive materials. The requirements imposed by these Orders, and certain measures that licensees have developed to comply with the Orders, were designated by the NRC as SGI. For some materials licensees, the storage and handling requirements for the SGI have been modified from the existing 10 CFR Part 73 SGI requirements for reactors and fuel cycle facilities that require a higher level of protection; such SGI is designated as Safeguards Information-Modified Handling (SGI-M). However, the information subject to the SGI-M handling and protection requirements is SGI, and licensees and other persons who seek or obtain access to such SGI are subject to this Order. II The Commission has broad statutory authority to protect and prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of SGI. Section 147 of the AEA grants the Commission explicit authority to issue such Orders, as necessary, to prohibit the unauthorized disclosure of SGI. Furthermore, Section 652 of the EPAct amended Section 149 of the AEA to require fingerprinting and an FBI identification and a criminal history records check of each individual who seeks access to SGI. In addition, as required by existing Orders, which [[Page 160]] remain in effect, no person may have access to SGI unless the person has an established need-to-know, and satisfies the trustworthiness and reliability requirements of those Orders. In order to provide assurance that LES is implementing appropriate measures to comply with the fingerprinting and criminal history check requirements for access to SGI, LES shall implement the requirements of this Order. In addition, pursuant to 10 CFR 2.202, I find that in light of the common defense and security matters identified above, which warrant the issuance of this Order, the public health, safety and interest require that this Order be effective immediately. III Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 53, 62, 63, 81, 147, 149, 161b, 161i, 161o, 182 and 186 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, and the Commission's regulations in 10 CFR 2.202, 10 CFR Part 30, 10 CFR Part 40, 10 CFR Part 70, and 10 CFR Part 73, it is hereby ordered, effective immediately, that LES and all other persons who seek or obtain access to safeguards information described herein shall comply with the requirements set forth in this order. A. 1. No person may have access to SGI unless that person has a need-to-know the SGI, has been fingerprinted or has a favorably-decided FBI identification and criminal history records check, and satisfies all other applicable requirements for access to SGI. Fingerprinting and the FBI identification and criminal history records check are not required, however, for any person who is relieved from that requirement by 10 CFR 73.59 [71 Federal Register 33989 (June 13, 2006)], or who has a favorably-decided U.S. Government criminal history check within the last five (5) years, or who has an active federal security clearance, provided in each case that the appropriate documentation is made available to LES's NRC-approved reviewing official. 2. No person may have access to any SGI if the NRC, when making an SGI access determination for a nominated reviewing official, has determined, based on fingerprinting and an FBI identification and criminal history records check, that the person may not have access to SGI. B. No person may provide SGI to any other person except in accordance with Condition III.A. above. Prior to providing SGI to any person, a copy of this Order shall be provided to that person. C. LES shall comply with the following requirements: 1. LES shall, within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order, establish and maintain a fingerprinting program that meets the requirements of the Attachment to this Order. 2. LES shall, within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order, submit the fingerprints of one (1) individual who currently has access to SGI in accordance with the previously-issued NRC Orders, who continues to need access to SGI, and who LES nominates as the ``reviewing official'' for determining access to SGI by other individuals. The NRC will determine whether this individual (or any subsequent reviewing official) may have access to SGI and, therefore, will be permitted to serve as LES's reviewing official.\3\ LES may, at the same time or later, submit the fingerprints of other individuals to whom LES seeks to grant access to SGI. Fingerprints shall be submitted and reviewed in accordance with the procedures described in the Attachment to this Order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- \3\ The NRC's determination of this individual's access to SGI in accordance with the process described in Enclosure 3 to the transmittal letter of this Order is an administrative determination that is outside the scope of this Order. ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- 3. LES may allow any individual who currently has access to SGI in accordance with the previously-issued NRC Orders to continue to have access to previously-designated SGI without being fingerprinted, pending a decision by the NRC-approved reviewing official (based on fingerprinting, an FBI criminal history records check and a trustworthiness and reliability determination) that the individual may continue to have access to SGI. LES shall make determinations on continued access to SGI within ninety (90) days of the date of this Order, in part on the results of the fingerprinting and criminal history check, for those individuals who were previously granted access to SGI before the issuance of this Order. 4. LES shall, in writing, within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order, notify the Commission: (1) If it is unable to comply with any of the requirements described in the Order, including the Attachment, or (2) if compliance with any of the requirements is unnecessary in its specific circumstances. The notification shall provide LES's justification for seeking relief from or variation of any specific requirement. Licensee responses to C.1., C.2., C.3., and C.4. above shall be submitted to the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555. In addition, licensee responses shall be marked as ``Security-Related Information--Withhold Under 10 CFR. 2.390.'' The Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, may, in writing, relax or rescind any of the above conditions on demonstration of good cause by LES. IV In accordance with 10 CFR 2.202, LES must, and any other person adversely affected by this Order may, submit an answer to this Order, and may request a hearing regarding this Order, within twenty (20) days of the date of this Order. Where good cause is shown, consideration will be given to extending the time to request a hearing. A request for an extension of time in which to submit an answer or request a hearing must be made in writing to the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, and include a statement of good cause for the extension. The answer may consent to this Order. Unless the answer consents to this Order, the answer shall, in writing and under oath or affirmation, specifically set forth the matters of fact and law by which LES or other entities adversely affected rely, and the reasons as to why the Order should not have been issued. Any answer or request for a hearing shall be submitted to the Secretary, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications Staff, Washington, DC 20555. Copies shall also be sent to the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555, to the Assistant General Counsel for Materials Litigation and Enforcement at the same address, and to LES if the answer or hearing request is by a person other than LES. Because of possible delays in delivery of mail to United States Government offices, it is requested that answers and requests for hearing be transmitted to the Secretary of the Commission either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-1101, or via e-mail to , and also to the Office of the General Counsel either by means of facsimile transmission to 301-415-3725, or via e- mail to . If an entity other than LES requests a hearing, that entity shall set forth, with particularity, the manner in which their interest is adversely affected by this Order, and shall address the criteria set forth in 10 CFR 2.309. If a hearing is requested by LES or a person whose interest is adversely affected, the Commission will issue an [[Page 161]] Order designating the time and place of any hearing. If a hearing is held, the issue to be considered at a such hearing shall be whether this Order should be sustained. Pursuant to 10 CFR 2.202(c)(2)(i), LES may, in addition to demanding a hearing, at the time the answer is filed, or sooner, move that the presiding officer set aside the immediate effectiveness of the Order on the grounds that the Order, including the need for immediate effectiveness, is not based on adequate evidence but on mere suspicion, unfounded allegations, or error. In the absence of any request for hearing, or written approval of an extension of time in which to request a hearing, the provisions as specified above in Section III, shall be final twenty (20) days from the date of this Order without further order or proceedings. If an extension of time for requesting a hearing has been approved, the provisions as specified above in Section III shall be final when the extension expires if a hearing request has not been received. An answer or a request for hearing shall not stay the immediate effectiveness of this order. Dated this 20th day of December 2006. For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Jack R. Strosnider, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards. Attachment: Requirements for Fingerprinting and Criminal History Checks of Individuals When Licensee's Reviewing Official Is Determining Access to Safeguards Information General Requirements Licensees shall comply with the requirements of this attachment. A. 1. Each licensee subject to the provisions of this attachment shall fingerprint each individual who is seeking or permitted access to Safeguards Information (SGI). The licensee shall review and use the information received from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and ensure that the provisions contained in the subject Order and this attachment are satisfied. 2. The licensee shall notify each affected individual that the fingerprints will be used to secure a review of his/her criminal history record and inform the individual of the procedures for revising the record or including an explanation in the record, as specified in the ``Right to Correct and Complete Information'' section of this attachment. 3. Fingerprints need not be taken if an employed individual (e.g., a licensee employee, contractor, manufacturer, or supplier) is relieved from the fingerprinting requirement by 10 CFR 73.59, has had a favorably-decided U.S. Government criminal history records check within the last five (5) years, or has an active federal security clearance. Written confirmation from the Agency/employer which granted the federal security clearance or reviewed the criminal history records check must be provided. The licensee must retain this documentation for a period of three (3) years from the date the individual no longer requires access to SGI associated with the licensee's activities. 4. All fingerprints obtained by the licensee pursuant to this Order must be submitted to the Commission for transmission to the FBI. 5. The licensee shall review the information received from the FBI and consider it, in conjunction with the trustworthy and reliability requirements included in Attachment 3 to this Order, in making a determination whether to grant access to SGI to individuals who have a need-to-know the SGI. 6. The licensee shall use any information obtained as part of a criminal history records check solely for the purpose of determining an individual's suitability for access to SGI. 7. The licensee shall document the basis for its determination whether to grant access to SGI. B. The licensee shall notify the NRC of any desired change in reviewing officials. The NRC will determine whether the individual nominated as the new reviewing official may have access to SGI based on a previously-obtained or new criminal history check and, therefore, will be permitted to serve as the licensee's reviewing official. Prohibitions A licensee shall not base a final determination to deny an individual access to SGI solely on the basis of information received from the FBI involving: an arrest more than one (1) year old for which there is no information of the disposition of the case, or an arrest that resulted in dismissal of the charge or an acquittal. A licensee shall not use information received from a criminal history check obtained pursuant to this Order in a manner that would infringe upon the rights of any individual under the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, nor shall the licensee use the information in any way which would discriminate among individuals on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, or age. Procedures for Processing Fingerprint Checks For the purpose of complying with this Order, licensees shall, using an appropriate method listed in 10 CFR 73.4, submit to the NRC's Division of Facilities and Security, Mail Stop T-6E46, one completed, legible standard fingerprint card (Form FD-258, ORIMDNRCOOOZ) or, where practicable, other fingerprint records for each individual seeking access to SGI, to the Director of the Division of Facilities and Security, marked for the attention of the Division's Criminal History Check Section. Copies of these forms may be obtained by writing the Office of Information Services, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by calling (301) 415-5877, or by e-mail to . Practicable alternative formats are set forth in 10 CFR 73.4. The licensee shall establish procedures to ensure that the quality of the fingerprints taken results in minimizing the rejection rate of fingerprint cards due to illegible or incomplete cards. The NRC will review submitted fingerprint cards for completeness. Any Form FD-258 fingerprint record containing omissions or evident errors will be returned to the licensee for corrections. The fee for processing fingerprint checks includes one re-submission if the initial submission is returned by the FBI because the fingerprint impressions cannot be classified. The one free re-submission must have the FBI Transaction Control Number reflected on the re-submission. If additional submissions are necessary, they will be treated as initial submittals and will require a second payment of the processing fee. Fees for processing fingerprint checks are due upon application. Licensees shall submit payment with the application for processing fingerprints by corporate check, certified check, cashier's check, money order, or electronic payment, made payable to ``U.S. NRC.'' [For guidance on making electronic payments, contact the Facilities Security Branch, Division of Facilities and Security, at (301) 415-7404]. Combined payment for multiple applications is acceptable. The application fee (currently $27) is the sum of the user fee charged by the FBI for each fingerprint card or other fingerprint record submitted by the NRC on behalf of a licensee, and an NRC processing fee, which covers administrative costs associated with NRC handling of licensee fingerprint submissions. The Commission will [[Page 162]] directly notify licensees who are subject to this regulation of any fee changes. The Commission will forward to the submitting licensee all data received from the FBI as a result of the licensee's application(s) for criminal history records checks, including the FBI fingerprint record. Right to Correct and Complete Information Prior to any final adverse determination, the licensee shall make available to the individual the contents of any criminal records obtained from the FBI for the purpose of assuring correct and complete information. Written confirmation by the individual of receipt of this notification must be maintained by the licensee for a period of one (1) year from the date of the notification. If, after reviewing the record, an individual believes that it is incorrect or incomplete in any respect and wishes to change, correct, or update the alleged deficiency, or to explain any matter in the record, the individual may initiate challenge procedures. These procedures include either direct application by the individual challenging the record to the agency (i.e., law enforcement agency) that contributed the questioned information, or direct challenge as to the accuracy or completeness of any entry on the criminal history record to the Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division, Washington, DC 20537-9700 (as set forth in 28 CFR 16.30 through 16.34). In the latter case, the FBI forwards the challenge to the agency that submitted the data and requests that agency to verify or correct the challenged entry. Upon receipt of an official communication directly from the agency that contributed the original information, the FBI Identification Division makes any changes necessary in accordance with the information supplied by that agency. The licensee must provide at least ten (10) days for an individual to initiate an action challenging the results of an FBI criminal history records check after the record is made available for his/her review. The licensee may make a final SGI access determination based upon the criminal history record only upon receipt of the FBI's ultimate confirmation or correction of the record. Upon a final adverse determination on access to SGI, the licensee shall provide the individual its documented basis for denial. Access to SGI shall not be granted to an individual during the review process. Protection of Information 1. Each licensee who obtains a criminal history record on an individual pursuant to this Order shall establish and maintain a system of files and procedures for protecting the record and the personal information from unauthorized disclosure. 2. The licensee may not disclose the record or personal information collected and maintained to persons other than the subject individual, his/her representative, or to those who have a need to access the information in performing assigned duties in the process of determining access to Safeguards Information. No individual authorized to have access to the information may re-disseminate the information to any other individual who does not have a need-to-know. 3. The personal information obtained on an individual from a criminal history record check may be transferred to another licensee if the licensee holding the criminal history record check receives the individual's written request to re-disseminate the information contained in his/her file, and the current licensee verifies information such as the individual's name, date of birth, social security number, sex, and other applicable physical characteristics for identification purposes. 4. The licensee shall make criminal history records, obtained under this section, available for examination by an authorized representative of the NRC to determine compliance with the regulations and laws. 5. The licensee shall retain all fingerprint and criminal history records received from the FBI, or a copy if the individual's file has been transferred, for three (3) years after termination of employment or determination of access to SGI (whether access was approved or denied). After the required three (3) year period, these documents shall be destroyed by a method that will prevent reconstruction of the information in whole or in part. [FR Doc. E6-22453 Filed 12-29-06; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7590-01-P ***************************************************************** 21 Prague Daily Monitor: Dukovany nuke supplies to grid record amount of power in 2006 - http://www.praguemonitor.com Dukovany, Jan 2 (CTK) - Nuclear power plant of Dukovany in South Moravia supplied record amount of electricity to the grid in its 21-year history in 2006, the power plant´s spokesman Petr Spilka has told CTK. On the last day of December at 06:00, its output for the first time topped the 14 billion kilowatt-hour (kWh) level, he said. The previous record from 2003 stood at 13.755 billion kWh. This record was exceeded by nearly 2 percent last year. The power plant´s output for last year corresponds to annual electricity consumption of all households in the country, Spilka added. The power plant is raising output thanks to the upgrade of its equipment. Gradually, the output of all its four units will be raised. Therefore, new records in output can be expected in the future, Spilka noted. CEZ spends around CZK 1.5 billion annually on Dukovany's modernisation. In 2005, it supplied 13.744 billion kWh to the grid. It was short of just six hours of operation to reach the record level of 2003. Dukovany will keep the number one position in electricity production in the Czech Republic also for last year. The younger nuclear plant of Temelin, South Bohemia, does have a higher installed output but its operation is still affected by many technical problems and shutdowns. Temelin´s output topped 11 billion kWh last year. It total, both power plants generate some 31 percent of all electricity in the Czech Republic. The Dukovany plant has raised power production six times during its existence. When it launched fission reaction in the first reactor 21 years ago, it produced 2.4 billion kWh of electricity. Against 1988, when all four production units were operating, last year´s amount is nearly a fifth higher. fs/er This story copyright 2006 CTK Czech News Agency. ***************************************************************** 22 Prague Daily Monitor: Temelin ups power ouput by 10 percent in 2006 - www.praguemonitor.com Ceske Budejovice, Jan 2 (CTK) - The Temelin nuclear power station in southern Bohemia produced 12.021 billion kilowatt-hours of power in 2006, supplying almost 10 percent more power to the grid against 2005, spokesman Milan Nebesar told CTK today. "Last year's output could cover power consumption in the Jihocesky region for 5.5 years," said Nebesar, adding Prague would spend two years consuming the amount. Temelin produced a record-high 12.629 billion kWh of power in 2004. Last year's output was the third highest in memory. Production grew year-on-year despite a host of technological problems the power station had to cope with in 2006. This year, Temelin's two units should be out of operation for about 180 days because of problems with nuclear fuel, a month longer than in 2006. Both reactors will also replace highure turbine rotors in a bid to raise output. Czech state-run power producer CEZ, running the power station, will have to spend hundreds of millions of crowns to upgrade Temelin. Temelin has supplied 54.5 billion kWh of power to the grid since 2000, when it launched production. The power station makes up 15 percent of the annual Czech power output. frj/er This story copyright 2006 CTK Czech News Agency. ***************************************************************** 23 Boston.com: Former Maine Yankee property scouted as site for new plant - Associated Press A Wiscasset property that was home to the former Maine Yankee nuclear plant is being scouted as a possible site for a new power plant that would burn gas extracted from coal. January 3, 2007 PORTLAND, Maine --A Wiscasset property that was home to the former Maine Yankee nuclear plant is being scouted as a possible site for a new power plant that would burn gas extracted from coal. Three separate investment groups are looking at the parcel, but no group has submitted a plan, the Portland Press Herald reported Wednesday. The 430-acre site in question does not include the section that housed Maine Yankee's nuclear reactor dome, which shut down in 1997 after 25 years of operation. One group, which met with state and local officials when visiting the site in September, is made up of people with ties to the coal industry, said Mark Bigge, a Bath entrepreneur who recruited the investors. He said the group plans to return this winter. The other two groups invest in energy projects globally, said Poe Cilley, marketing director for Point East, which owns the parcel. She said all three groups have contacted the company in recent months. "It would be a great thing for Wiscasset if we can get it," Cilley said. Investors are looking for sites in the Northeast to build coal gasification plants, said Richard Silkman of Competitive Energy Services, an energy broker and consultant. The region is dependent on natural gas, which is an expensive fuel, he said. Coal, however, is cheap and plentiful. "Anything you can do that is cheaper than natural gas looks attractive to some degree or another as a source of electric power," Silkman said Rather than burn coal directly, coal gasification plants convert carbon into synthetic gas, which burns cleaner and more efficiently than coal. The technology is being touted by the Bush administration as a cleaner alternative to coal-fired power plants. The Wiscasset site is attractive because a plant could make use of the electrical transmission infrastructure that connected Maine Yankee to New England's power grid, Bigge said. The site is served by rail and has access to deep water, meaning coal could be shipped to the site by train or barge. But Steve Hinchman, a staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, said it's unlikely that a gasification plant would ever win approval in New England because of the region's strong political interest in reducing greenhouse emissions. "A new coal plant -- even if it's clean coal -- in Wiscasset is neither a good environmental or economic decision," he said. Former Town Manager Andrew Gilmore, who met with some investors in September, said the response from Wiscasset residents would be mixed. But if the technology is as clean as its promoters say it is, residents might support the plant once they learned more about it, he said. ------ Information from: Portland Press Herald, http://