***************************************************************** 12/22/02 **** RADIATION BULLETIN(RADBULL) **** VOL 10.330 ***************************************************************** 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 Iraq not in breach: Russia 2 N Korea in nuke standoff with UN 3 Japan shaken by nuclear-power scandal 4 KEDO head confident North Korea will bend 5 Pakistani May Have Offered Iraq Nuke Aid 6 Tokyo looks to break ice with North 7 S. Korea Decries North's Nuke Site Move 8 EDITORIAL: Roh faces challenges 9 N Korea nuclear move condemned 10 Nuke status no power status: Pakistanis 11 Russian energy minister arrives in Tehran for nuke energy talks 12 UN Atomic Energy official due here 13 Defiant N.Korea Removes UN Nuclear Monitoring Gear* 14 uk Op: War is the only option 15 Russian energy minister arrives in Tehran for nuke energy talks 16 Silence about Israel’s nuclear weapons 17 US: Three whistleblowers named Time's Persons of the Year 18 NK: Nuclear move condemned 19 Axis of Evil Jammed 20 US: Next base-closure round could be most brutal yet - NUCLEAR REACTORS 21 US: Nuclear Industry Sponsors Reactor Tests 22 Canada: Pickering shows how not to run a complex job 23 US: Critics seize on Indian Point's expired permit 24 US: Edison plans to carry old reactor along beach - 25 US: Nukes' re-licensing at hand 26 US: Browns Ferry work already employing 900* 27 US: Plant to replace reactor cover 28 Sweden clears reactor for controversial fuel 29 Taiwan: New law allows for early shutdown of nuclear reactors NUCLEAR SAFETY 30 US: Terminals install radiation-detection equipment 31 US: *Beryllium victims sick at heart* 32 UK nuclear rescue to repeal poison pill law-sources* NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE 33 Judge gives Energy Department limited water for 34 AU: Tough line on nuclear waste dump - 35 Nevada vows to keep up fight against nuclear dump 36 AU: PM gets tough on nuclear waste - 37 US: Radioactive waste shipments resume 38 US: Shhhh -- Bills Drafted in Secret 39 Germany approves second on-site nuke waste storage* 40 AU: Labor calls for nuclear dump talks NUCLEAR WEAPONS 41 US: A nuclear weapon directed at the earth 42 In the Shadow of the Bomb: Growing Up in the War Machine 43 UNMOVIC/IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq 44 U.N. Inspectors Return to Nuclear Complex 45 Profile: IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei 46 America tore out 8000 pages of Iraq dossier 47 U.S. gives intelligence data on Iraq weapons to U.N.* 48 Iran secretly building nuclear site for past 5 years: Washington 49 UN's Blix asks US to release arms evidence US DEPT. OF ENERGY 50 New State Report Looks at Plutonium in Your Garden 51 Tax on federal contractors could aid budgets, lawyer says 52 DOE gift to city brings heavy price tag 53 Bioterror lab on its way to Livermore 54 Los Alamos National Lab Inquiry Broadens 55 IEER: Report on Third LANL Clean Air Act Audit 56 EPA delays ruling on DOE cleanup dates - 57 Battelle given outstanding rating for running PNNL 58 DOE charges group for data 59 BPA boss expects rate hike* OTHER NUCLEAR 60 Richmond denies research site appeal 61 Japan: New robot to do jobs unsafe for humans 62 U.S. Should Rejoin Revised Fusion Energy Project, Experts Say ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** FULL NEWS STORIES ***************************************************************** ***************************************************************** 1 Las Vegas SUN: Judge gives Energy Department limited water for Yucca Mountain ----------------------------------------------------------------- Las Vegas SUN ----------------------------------------------------------------- December 20, 2002 Judge gives Energy Department limited water for Yucca Mountain ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A federal judge said the federal government can use water for toilets and showers at the Yucca Moun[southnews] Iraq not in breach: Russia Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 11:43:15 -0600 (CST) Iraq not in breach: Russia >From correspondents in Moscow Herald Sun 21dec02 RUSSIA does not consider Iraq's declaration on its weapons program to represent a material breach of UN Security Council resolution 1441, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said today. The comment was Russia's first official reaction to the weapons declaration, handed to the UN on December 7 in line with a Security Council ultimatum and which Washington and London have already criticised. The Iraqi report "is very comprehensive, but it does not contain alarming definitions that could be interpreted as a violation of the UN Security Council resolution by that country," Ivanov told Russian journalists in the US capital where he is taking part in talks by the diplomatic "quartet" on the Middle East. "We cannot say that that Russia is or is not satisfied with the declaration. We have simply taken it into consideration," he was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency. Ivanov noted that international weapons inspectors in Iraq had expressed doubts regarding "that this or that statement in the Iraqi declaration corresponds to reality. But it is for the inspectors to answer these questions". Ivanov was speaking after a meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Interfax said. Powell said yesterday that gaps in Iraq's declaration were "not the result of accidents or editing oversights or technical mistakes, (but) material omissions that, in our view, constitute another material breach". Britain on Wednesday said that omissions in the Iraqi declaration could be considered a "material breach" of UN resolution 1441. Iraq has been ordered to establish to the satisfaction of UN weapons inspectors that it has no weapons of mass destruction or face possible military action. Russia has consistently argued that Washington must wait until a report on the situation in Iraq by the weapons inspectors is presented to the UN Security Council before declaring Baghdad in violation of UN disarmament resolution 1441. On Wednesday a top Russian official said that apparent US moves to declare Iraq in violation of resolution 1441 itself violated the spirit of the resolution and undermined the role of the UN Security Council. Washington has threatened possible unilateral action if it considers Iraq to be in breach of UN resolutions. Ivanov reaffirmed Russia's opposition to US unilateral action, saying that Russia "will not accept anything beyond the framework of the UN Security Council resolution framework". The UN Security Council alone is entitled "to make judgements and authorise the necessary actions," he said. "It will be possible to talk about making decisions regarding Iraq only after the UN Security Council analyses whether the information presented by the international weapons inspectors proves Baghdad's violation of the UN Security Council resolution. "At present, it is too early to talk about such decisions," he said. Russia, along with its permanent Security Council partners China and France, has argued strongly that Baghdad must be given a chance to prove its good faith with regard to disarmament. It said last week that Iraq's timely presentation of its weapons declaration had strengthened the prospects for a political settlement. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: southnews-unsubscribe@egroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ ***************************************************************** 2 N Korea in nuke standoff with UN Herald Sun: [23dec02] NKorea in nuke standoff with UN By Stephen Lunn in Tokyo NORTH Korea has defied the UN by cutting the seals international inspectors had placed on a deactivated nuclear reactor and blocking the plant's monitoring equipment - moves that open the way for the secretive Stalinist state to again produce weapons-grade plutonium. Pyongyang yesterday confirmed it had unilaterally moved to strip the Nyongbyong reactor of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency's monitoring and deactivation equipment over the weekend, saying it was "compelled" to act to generate electricity after the US decision earlier this month to cut off regular donations of fuel oil. "The IAEA has not shown any positive attitude, whiling away time after proposing what it called working negotiations," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said yesterday. The UN instituted the monitoring and decommissioning program at the Nyongbyong plant, which it believed was producing weapons-grade plutonium, under a 1994 agreement between North Korea, the US, South Korea and Japan. North Korea, which recently admitted it had continued a covert nuclear weapons program, justifies the reopening by saying the three allies had breached the deal by cutting off fuel aid and failing to stick to a program to build two alternative "light water" nuclear reactors. The US, which has labelled North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" alongside Iraq and Iran for its alleged program to produce and sell weapons of mass destruction, condemned Pyongyang's move as "fly(ing) in the face of international consensus". So did South Korea, which last week voted for new president Roh Moo-hyun, who campaigned on a platform to continue efforts to reconcile with its communist neighbour to the north. "North Korea's action is extremely regrettable," South Korea's foreign ministry spokesman Shim Yoon-jo said. "North Korea must immediately restore the surveillance equipment. It has been our consistent position that we will not tolerate North Korea's nuclear activities." US State Department spokesman Lou Fintor urged North Korea to reverse its position. "We call on (North Korea) to respond to repeated requests by the IAEA to consult on arrangements for safeguarding the frozen nuclear facilities at Nyongbyong and allow the IAEA to replace or restore the seals and cameras that the North damaged," Mr Fintor said. Generating weapons-grade plutonium would open up a second front for North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang's admission in October concerned a program to enrich uranium. US intelligence organisations warn that North Korea has "at least two" nuclear warheads, although Pyongyang has not admitted making a nuclear bomb. Two weeks ago North Korea, in the midst of a freezing winter and with chronic food and electricity shortages, said it needed to immediately restart its nuclear plants to compensate for the loss of the fuel oil. But it has previously warned it would not "sit idle" while the US posed an "ever growing" nuclear threat. ***************************************************************** 3 Japan shaken by nuclear-power scandal The Plain Dealer 12/22/02 Stephen Koff Plain Dealer Bureau Chief Washington- A scandal so severe that top executives have resigned in shame has plunged Japan's nuclear power industry into crisis, with many power plants shut down and companies having to import fuel for the winter - all because of cover-ups and lies concerning cracks and leaks at the plants. The magnitude of the scandal is declared in an apology issued Dec. 11 by the Tokyo Electric Power Co., or TEPCO: It expressed regret not only to people who live near its nuclear plants but also "to all members of society." The severity of the cracks at the Japanese plants might not be as grave as the large hole in the lid of the reactor vessel at the Davis-Besse reactor, the northern Ohio plant that is causing problems for the American nuclear industry. (In Japan, debate continues about whether the cracks - many of them discovered and repaired without government regulators' knowledge - presented a danger.) But the loss of trust is every bit as worrisome, authorities say. Noriyuki Mita, a top economic official in the Japanese Embassy in Washington, likened it to the Enron and WorldCom scandals here. And the causes of the cracking - stress, aging, constant exposure of metals to radiation - have parallels in the United States. "I think we have the same situation here" as in Japan, said Paul Gunter, director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service's Reactor Watchdog Project. TEPCO, and to a lesser extent several other utilities including Chubu Electric Power and Japan Atomic Power, discovered cracks in components of their plants - particularly shrouds, the stainless steel structures that separate the flow of cooling water inside the reactor. Attributing many of the problems to stress-corrosion cracking, which increasingly is requiring replacement of parts at nuclear plants around the world, TEPCO hid the evidence, keeping its inspection reports from government regulators. In some cases, TEPCO subcontractors that handled inspections maintained their records in English but not in Japanese. TEPCO went to great effort to make sure those English reports were never turned over to Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, according to the company's internal investigation. The most extreme case, however, involved not just concealment of cracking - which the power plants maintain was unrelated to safety - but also the rigging of two consecutive annual tests for leaks at TEPCO's Fukushima Nuclear Power Station. TEPCO employees secretly pumped air into the reactor to minimize the leak rate. Had the government known, it most likely would have shut down the reactor. Most of the fraud occurred in the late 1980s and '90s but came to light only in recent months after leaks to the press about a contractor's employee who blew the whistle in 2000. "It took a little time for the regulator to find the facts - it took about two years," said Mita, speaking on behalf of the Japanese government. "And some people say that is some kind of negligence. Some people say the government wanted to hide the issue. But I don't think so." Aileen Mioko Smith, a Japanese activist and director of the anti-nuclear group Green Action, does. "The government had over all these years, since the start of nuclear power in Japan, maintained that Japan has by far the highest safety standards when it comes to nuclear power and therefore [that] Japanese power plants are the safest in the world," she said. "The government wanted to keep the myth alive," she said, and it "of course was convenient for the utilities as well." The revelations followed an already stormy period for nuclear power in Japan. In 1999, employees at a commercial uranium processing plant in Tokaimura, a village 70 miles northeast of Tokyo, accidentally dumped seven times the safe amount of uranium into a bucket, setting off a nuclear-fission reaction. Two workers were killed, and hundreds of residents were exposed to radiation, in the worst nuclear industry accident in Japan's history. That, combined with the recent news of inspection cover-ups and rigged tests, has created "a general loss of confidence on the part of the Japanese public in the nuclear power industry," said Robert Ebel, director of energy programs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Government officials in the two prefectures, or states, where TEPCO operates are livid, said Mioko Smith, and one governor has asked that all nuclear plants be shut down for inspections. Nine of TEPCO's 17 reactors are now shut down, said company spokeswoman Akiko Tanaka. By spring, all 17 will be closed - most for inspections, but the reactor at Fukushima where the tests were rigged was shuttered for a year as penalty by the government. It is the harshest punishment ever doled out against a Japanese nuclear plant, said Mita, the official at the Japanese embassy. TEPCO's chairman, president, executive vice president and two advisers have resigned and apologized, although several were retained as consultants, and other employees were demoted. Several executives of Hitachi, a subcontractor that conducted some of the tests and helped conceal the results, have taken pay cuts. "I feel that the problems have shaken the industry to its core and are the most serious we have experienced since the industry came into existence," Yohsaku Fuji, new chairman of Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies, said in a statement in October. Fuji, who heads Kansai Electric Power Co., took over the trade group after its previous president, Nobuya Minami - TEPCO's president - stepped down. More than 3,000 people have signed petitions asking that the TEPCO executives be charged with criminal fraud. But Mita maintains that the statute of limitations makes it impossible. "Already the time for criminal prosecution is gone," he said. About one-third of Japan's electricity comes from nuclear power, compared with 20 percent in the United States. TEPCO and other utilities have been forced to rely on imported oil at a time when prices are rising because of uncertainty about war in Iraq and political instability in Venezuela. If winter temperatures are extreme, the public might be asked to turn down thermostats and conserve electricity, TEPCO and government officials say. The economic cost could be high. "Japan, because it is so totally dependent on imported oil to help run its economy, has no choice but to go out and pay whatever it takes in terms of price to acquire the oil. So there you have another financial implication," Ebel said. Nuclear-power watchdogs in the United States see similarities between Japan's crisis and the scandal at Davis-Besse in Ohio. The affected plants in Japan have a different design from Davis-Besse, but the metal components of both designs are subject to similar stresses, wear and aging. And the U.S. government is investigating the possibility of a cover-up at Davis-Besse. "The management culture of production over safety is not unique to Davis-Besse. It's industrywide," said Gunter, the director of the Reactor Watchdog Project. "And while that malpractice may surface in different ways, it jeopardizes safety nonetheless." Davis-Besse and its owner, Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp., for years ignored indications that corrosive boric acid was leaking from nozzles in the reactor's lid. The corrosion ultimately ate an unprecedented hole through more than 6 inches of the reactor's steel cover. Before workers discovered the hole, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was concerned about nozzle cracks and leaks at the Oconee power station in South Carolina and last year asked plants with similar designs, including Davis-Besse, to shut down for inspections. But FirstEnergy resisted and negotiated an extension by telling regulators that it knew of no problems. Yet documents uncovered since then, including a telling photograph showing trails of red rust and boric acid streaming off the lid, reveal there was major evidence of corrosion going back years. The NRC's Office of Investigation is trying to determine whether FirstEnergy deliberately, and criminally, withheld evidence that would have prompted an immediate shutdown order. Nevertheless, nuclear-power advocates say that any similarities between problems in Japan and the United States are circumstantial and insignificant. "I'm fully confident that the systems we have here in the States, that are governed by the NRC's regulation, would identify those kinds of situations that appear to have occurred over in Japan," said Alex Marion, director of engineering for the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry lobbying group. Unlike Japan, he said, the NRC has resident inspectors in every plant. However, an NRC "lessons learned" review of Davis-Besse acknowledged that agency staffing shortages and concerns at other plants had stretched the resident-inspector program thin, another factor in why regulators here never noticed the problems at Davis-Besse. NRC officials will not comment on possible punishment if the Office of Investigation determines that FirstEnergy intentionally misled the agency in the case of Davis-Besse. But they note that Davis-Besse has been closed since February and will not be allowed to restart until it convinces the agency it is fit to operate. For its part, FirstEnergy is not contesting the finding by the NRC that it maintained incomplete and inaccurate records over the years, including those it submitted to the agency when pushing for the lid inspection to be delayed. But "we continue to believe that there was no intentional wrongdoing on the part of our employees," said company spokesman Todd Schneider. "I think that's the major difference" between the events in Ohio and Japan. NRC Commissioner Edward McGaffigan sees another distinction, as does Neil Numark, an energy and environmental consultant whose company has studied the American regulatory system for Japanese clients. Both say the Japanese government's low tolerance for problems - its demand that plants shut down at any sign of trouble, no matter how insignificant - created a "don't ask, don't tell" mindset. Some Japanese regulators did not want to know about every leak and crack, and the utilities were more than happy to accommodate. That may be changing. Japan's legislature this month passed laws to require more accountability for nuclear power plants while giving utilities leeway to keep operating if they discover, and fix, problems that don't compromise safety. "The movement is toward a system that is more like ours - that tolerates relatively trivial imperfections because they are trivial," McGaffigan said. "It tries to work on the imperfections that are significant." FirstEnergy has transferred managers and says that 10 have "left the company" in the wake of the Davis-Besse debacle, though it will not characterize their departures as firings. Still, its actions come nowhere close to TEPCO's apology to all of society, and its highest executives have not resigned. The difference, say authorities, is cultural. "Shame is a powerful element in Japanese society, and this behavior is consistent in Japanese corporate culture," said Dean McFarlin, a management professor at the University of Dayton who specializes in global leadership. "The leader sacrifices himself or herself for the good of the firm, taking full responsibility and the punishment that goes with it for the debacle." FirstEnergy's Schneider, told that his counterparts in Japan had apologized to society, said, "I think that's based on societal differences between this country and our country." But in what might be considered an American version of contrition, he added, "I cannot speak for decisions of previous management, but I can assure you that things changed. And that type of situation won't be repeated ever again." To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: skoff@plaind.com, 216-999-4212 © 2002 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission. ***************************************************************** 4 KEDO head confident North Korea will bend asahi.com : ENGLISH Herald Tribune/Asahi By NOBUYOSHI SAKAJIRI, The Asahi Shimbun NEW YORK-The head of KEDO, the international consortium set up to build two light-water nuclear reactors in North Korea, is confident Pyongyang will eventually abandon its nuclear weapons development program. Charles Kartman, executive director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), expressed his optimism in an interview Wednesday with The Asahi Shimbun saying it was based on recent signals from Pyongyang. ``(North Korea) seems to understand that the Agreed Framework is now in great jeopardy,'' Kartman said. ``They use the phrase, `If the Agreed Framework is to be alive, and the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is to find a fundamental solution ...,' then the United States should do some things. This is their way of saying that the Agreed Framework is not yet dead. It is still alive.'' Under the 1994 Agreed Framework, North Korea agreed to give up its nuclear weapons development program in exchange for assistance from KEDO in building the reactors. Kartman also promised a ``fundamental review'' of the project if Pyongyang insisted on continuing its nuclear development program. On Nov. 14, the KEDO executive board said in a statement that it could review other activities beyond the suspension of heavy fuel oil shipments from December if the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) failed to comply with international requests to abandon its nuclear development program. Japan and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) oppose scrapping the light-water reactor project, but the United States says that option must be included if the North continues to be stubborn. Kartman is known for his expertise in Northeast Asian affairs, having been involved with Korean Peninsula issues since the early 1990s. ``I still consider the Agreed Framework to be of vital importance to ultimately the complete resolution of the crisis that we faced in 1994,'' Kartman said. ``It is the means by which, if both sides implement the agreement, North Korea and the United States can enter into new and different relations with one another. Those improved relations can make a great contribution to the peace and security of the entire region.''(IHT/Asahi: November 29,2002) (11/29) [Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights reserved. No reproduction ***************************************************************** 5 Pakistani May Have Offered Iraq Nuke Aid Las Vegas SUN December 21, 2002 By DAFNA LINZER ASSOCIATED PRESS UNITED NATIONS (AP) - A middleman claiming to represent the father of Pakistan's nuclear program offered Iraq help in building an atomic bomb on the eve of the Gulf War, according to U.N. documents, diplomats and former weapons inspectors. While there was no indication Pakistan's government was involved in the offer, former inspectors who spoke on condition of anonymity said Pakistani officials were uncooperative when the U.N. nuclear agency tried in the mid-1990s to investigate whether the scientist was really behind the proposal. The alleged offer to Iraq, made by an unidentified agent purportedly speaking on behalf of Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, was shown to The Associated Press. The revelation follows news reports this fall that Pakistan had assisted North Korea's nuclear program and comes at a time when U.N. inspectors are poring over Iraq's latest arms declaration, looking for both clues to its weapons programs and any possible omissions in its report. Pakistan denies any link to Pyongyang or Baghdad and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca last week said President Pervez Musharraf has given his assurance that nothing is being given to North Korea. Khan is in Pakistan and now serves as a special adviser to Musharraf. Calls for comment from Khan in Islamabad went unanswered Saturday. Pakistan is one of three Asian nations known to have nuclear arms, along with China and India. Pakistan, now a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism is poised to join the Security Council in January. "This is a blatant lie," said Mansoor Suhail, spokesman for the Pakistani mission to the United Nations. In a statement issued later, Suhail's office said: "Many of the actual truths may never come out," because Iraq's recent nuclear arms declaration to the United Nations has been circulated only to the Security Council's five permanent members: the United States, Russia, France, China and Britain. U.N. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Iraq didn't accept the offer and didn't mention it in its latest arms declaration. It also is not mentioned in a previous declaration which Iraq made in 1996 and which was recently seen by AP. U.N. inspectors discovered the offer in 1995 amid more than 1 million Iraqi intelligence documents they found at an Iraqi storage facility. Among the documents was a letter, dated Oct. 6, 1990 - two months after Iraq had invaded Kuwait - in which Iraq's secret service wrote to Iraq's nuclear weapons department: "We've enclosed for you the following proposal from Pakistani scientist, Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, regarding the possibility of helping Iraq establish a project to enrich uranium and manufacture nuclear weapons." According to the letter, the Iraqis were told by a middleman that Khan was "prepared to give us project designs for nuclear bombs." The middleman would "ensure any requirements of materials from Western European companies, via a company he owns in Dubai," in the United Arab Emirates, it added. According to the letter, the motive was profit for the Pakistani nuclear scientist and the middleman. Such sales and help would have violated U.N. sanctions, imposed after the Iraqi invasion, and international nuclear controls. The U.N. atomic agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says it has never identified the middleman because Iraq would not provide more details on the offer. The IAEA tried to track down Khan and interview him after they discovered the letter. But former inspectors on the team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pakistan repeatedly frustrated those attempts. Instead, Pakistan said it had investigated on its own and determined that the letter was a fraud by an individual with no connection to the government. In a report to the Security Council on Feb. 9, 1999, the IAEA reported Iraq had received an offer "to provide, for financial reward, assistance and information on nuclear weapons design, weapons-usable nuclear material production and the procurement of critical components and materials." The IAEA report went on to say that "after initial protracted reluctance to recall the offer, an Iraqi counterpart provided some additional details" on the middleman. "This additional information was, however, not sufficient for the IAEA to be able to identify and locate the foreign national alleged to have made the offer." The IAEA didn't reveal to the Security Council at the time that the offer was made in Khan's name and didn't include the letter about the offer that the U.N. inspectors had found. Khan was employed, until 1975, at URENCO - a European consortium that worked on uranium enrichment in the Netherlands. Iraq said in its nuclear declaration that German experts had sold it several centrifuge drawings stolen from URENCO. Khan later worked for the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and in 1976 was given control of the uranium enrichment project, reporting directly to the prime minister's office. Under Khan's supervision, Pakistani scientists completed the necessary enrichment work that ultimately led to the successful detonation of Pakistan's first nuclear device in May 1998. Associated Press Writer Kathy Gannon contributed to this report from Islamabad, Pakistan. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 6 Tokyo looks to break ice with North asahi.com : ENGLISH Herald Tribune/Asahi The Asahi Shimbun The Yokotas' hope to visit Pyongyang and the returnees' will to stay offer new cards. The government is hoping apparent changes of heart from the parents of abductee Megumi Yokota and the five returned abductees in Japan will help break the diplomatic impasse with Pyongyang. Shigeru Yokota, 70, the father of Megumi Yokota, announced Thursday that he and his wife want to visit Pyongyang to meet Megumi's daughter, Kim He Gyung. Megumi Yokota was abducted from Niigata at the age of 13, and has been declared dead by North Korea. The government hopes the Yokotas' trip will provide an opportunity to send along senior officials to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) to engineer a breakthrough in stalled negotiations. Until now, Tokyo has urged the North to stick to the pledges it made in the Pyongyang Declaration, signed at the Sept. 17 summit that opened the door to normalization talks. But since talks restarted in late October, scant progress has been made. The latest revelations from the abductee camp may give the government a new angle from which to approach Pyongyang. But senior officials close to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi are skeptical about their ability to draw the reclusive North out of its trenches. A senior North Korean official has said Kim He Gyung's father, reported to be named Kim Chol Jun, will be allowed to meet the Yokotas if they visit. But Tokyo fears Pyongyang may refuse the visit outright by claiming conditions have fundamentally changed since the North's disclosure of a clandestine nuclear arms program. Even if Pyongyang allows the Yokotas' trip, it might try to somehow gain leverage from the visit, said a source close to the prime minister. The other major development on Thursday was the five returnees' symbolic distancing from the North Korean regime. Reunited for the first time since their homecoming on Oct. 15, the five met Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe and other officials in Niigata without donning their formerly ubiquitous pins of late North Korean leader Kim Il Sung. Some Japanese officials have been concerned that removing the symbols of North Korean citizenship would raise Pyongyang's ire. But most officials welcomed the move Thursday, saying it weakens North Korea's claims to ``ownership'' of the abductees, if only symbolically. At the meeting, the five returnees asked Abe to pass a letter to Koizumi expressing their unwavering intention to resettle in Japan with their families now in North Korea, and asking the government to maintain its negotiating stance. In response, Abe assured the five the government will not change its stance before reporting to Koizumi in Tokyo.(IHT/Asahi: December 21,2002) (12/21) [Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights reserved. No reproduction ***************************************************************** 7 S. Korea Decries North's Nuke Site Move Las Vegas SUN Today: December 22, 2002 at 6:20:18 PST By JAE-SUK YOO ASSOCIATED PRESS SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea said Sunday that it began removing U.N. surveillance equipment at its nuclear facilities because the U.N. nuclear watchdog did not respond to its request to remove the devices. Fearing a nuclear crisis, South Korea and Japan called it "extremely regrettable." "This situation compelled the DPRK (North Korea) to immediately start the work of removing the seals and monitoring cameras from the frozen nuclear facilities for their normal operation to produce electricity," said North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. The nuclear facilities, which are capable of yielding weapons-grade plutonium, had been frozen under a 1994 deal with the United States that U.S. officials said averted the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea announced it would reactivate them after Washington and its allies halted oil shipments to pressure the isolated communist nation to give up a separate, recently revealed nuclear program based on uranium enrichment. The United States, which is considering a possible war against Iraq, says it seeks a diplomatic solution to concerns over North Korean nuclear development. The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Saturday that North Korea had cut most of the seals and impeded the functioning of surveillance equipment at its 5-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon, 50 miles north of Pyongyang. North Korea has accused the United States of reneging on the 1994 agreement's promise to supply oil to meet its energy needs. North Korea "twice urged the IAEA to collect the seals and monitoring cameras at an early date as it is an urgent issue," the KCNA report said. The communist country began removing the devices on its own because the IAEA was "whiling away time after proposing what it called working negotiations," the report said. It added, however, that North Korea said "refreezing its nuclear facilities entirely depends on the U.S. side." South Korea demanded on Sunday that North Korea "immediately restore" the equipment. "It has been our consistent position that we will not tolerate North Korea's nuclear activities," said Shim Yoon-jo, director of North American affairs at the Foreign Ministry. South Korea president-elect Roh Moo-hyun's party urged the government to work closely with the United States, China, Russia and the European Union to maintain North Korea's freeze. Roh supports the "sunshine" policy of engaging North Korea of outgoing President Kim Dae-jung. During a telephone conversation Sunday, Secretary of State Colin Powell and South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-hong called for close cooperation with Russia and China in persuading North Korea, Choi's ministry said. "For our country, this is worrisome," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Vienna-based IAEA has been monitoring North Korea's freeze of its plutonium-based facilities since 1994. The U.N. agency said it continues to keep a permanent inspector in North Korea and is monitoring the situation very closely. The 1994 deal requires a U.S.-led international consortium to build to two light-water reactors in North Korea, and the United States to provide 551,000 tons of fuel oil annually until the reactors are built. In return, the North agreed to freeze and eventually dismantle its nuclear facilities. But the United States and its allies cut off oil supplies beginning this month after U.S. officials said in October that the North revealed it had a uranium-enrichment program to make nuclear weapons. Washington has been mustering international pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions. North Korea has called its decision to reactivate the old program "just," but said it would address U.S. concerns in return for a nonaggression pact. Washington has ruled out such talks unless the North abandons its nuclear programs first. IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said he urged North Korea not to take further actions to restart its nuclear program. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 8 EDITORIAL: Roh faces challenges asahi.com : ENGLISH Herald Tribune/Asahi His appeal lies in his unknown political qualities. Some people in the United States are concerned about Roh's policies because he once advocated removal of U.S. troops from South Korea. Voters in the Republic of Korea (South Korea) have elected Roh Moo Hyun, of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party, as their president amid increasing tension in the Korean Peninsula. Roh, 56, is a lawyer-turned-politician and a human rights advocate, but his full potential as a politician has not yet been demonstrated. It is that element of the unknown that gives Roh an appeal not found in his much better-known opponent, Lee Hoi Chang, a conservative former prime minister who demonstrates a sense of stability. This political mystique contributed to Roh's success when his party chose its candidate last spring and was an important factor in his election. During the campaign, Roh attracted many young campaign workers and drew large crowds of young people at rallies around the country. That would have been rare in South Korea's previous presidential elections. Roh withstood the jarring election eve withdrawal of political support from his coalition partner, Chung Mong Joon, the president of the Korea Football Association. Since the election was a close race, Roh's victory without Chung's support is all the more remarkable. As a relative unknown in political terms, however, Roh faces challenges. Serious problems await his attention as president. Among them are the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) nuclear weapons development and missile exports and strained diplomatic relations with the United States over the deaths of two girls crushed beneath a U.S. armored personnel carrier. During the campaign, Roh argued that South Korea should pursue and enhance the sunshine policy President Kim Dae Jung has applied in relations with North Korea. Roh said he would continue economic exchanges with North Korea to keep the channels of communication open while at the same time demanding an end to its nuclear program and missile exports. Roh also said South Korea is overly dependent upon the United States and advocates a ``more equal'' partnership, though he distanced himself from the anti-American protest movement. He also supports revision of the status-of-forces agreement with the United States. Roh, as a South Korean leader, would naturally encourage self-reliance. In his support for revising the status-of-forces treaty, he will have sympathy from Japan, which has similar problems. At the same time, Roh needs to keep in mind the sunshine policy of engagement assumes a strong alliance with the United States to provide military deterrence. Some people in the United States are concerned about Roh's policies because he once advocated removal of U.S. troops from South Korea. Some Korean business executives are also concerned about the future of relations with the United States. Roh is one of the few South Korean politicians who have never been to the United States. If for no other reason than to dispel U.S. concerns about his policies, he should visit the United States even before his February inauguration. Such a trip would enable him to describe his concept of cooperation among South Korea, Japan and the United States on policies that affect North Korea, as he discussed during his campaign. Roh said he would not associate with politicians implicated in corruption during Kim Dae Jung's administration. He also said he would pursue reforms in the presidency that would diminish the ``imperial'' nature of power concentration. Doing that will not be easy, since his party does not have a majority in the national assembly. Still, we see this as a first step toward political reform. Born after World War II, Roh seems to be neither for or against Japan, and does not seem to have any particular connections with Japanese political or business leaders. He is starting with a clean slate. ``The past is important,'' Roh has said. ``But we must look to the future.'' We welcome his approach and hope to see closer relations with his country. --The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 20(IHT/Asahi: December 21,2002) (12/21) [Copyright Asahi Shimbun. All rights reserved. No reproduction ***************************************************************** 9 N Korea nuclear move condemned BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Sunday, 22 December, 2002, [Kumho nuclear installation] North Korea is threatening to wreck a key 1994 nuclear accord South Korea has called on the international community to pressure North Korea to restore United Nations surveillance equipment at its nuclear facilities. It comes after North Korea said it had begun removing seals and cameras installed at five sites, including a plant the UN believes was used to make weapons-grade plutonium. concerned about it Japanese Government "We will apply diplomatic pressure through close co-operation with the United States, Japan, China, Russia and the international community so that North Korea takes measures for restoration," said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Shim Yoon-joe. South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Sung-Hong discussed the crisis in a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Mr Choi's office said. Click here to see a map of key nuclear sites The Japanese Government also voiced its concern, saying North Korea's actions were "regrettable". Heightened tension The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) - the UN's nuclear watchdog - said North Korea had disabled monitoring devices at the Yongbyon research reactor. [An official of the International Atomic Energy Agency holds a surveillance camera] The cameras monitored compliance with the 1994 deal Experts say the five-megawatt reactor was used to make plutonium capable of use in warheads before it was frozen in 1994 as part of an American-led deal to halt North Korea's alleged nuclear programme. Correspondents say this latest admission that North Korea is openly breaking the terms of the 1994 weapons development agreement will further enflame what is an already strained relationship between North Korea and the world's only superpower. In a speech in January, US President George W Bush described North Korea as belonging to an "axis of evil" of countries illegally developing weapons of mass destruction. Nuclear ambition The move by North Korea follows its decision earlier this month to reactivate its facilities. It said it needed to increase its electricity production after the US decided to suspend oil aid to Pyongyang in October, following North Korea's alleged admission that it was actively pursuing a nuclear weapons option. The IAEA voiced deep regret at Pyongyang's decision to reactivate its nuclear programme - which correspondents said effectively marked the end of the so-called "Agreed Framework" of 1994. But Pyongyang blamed the agency for not adhering to its demands to remove the equipment earlier this month. "The IAEA has not shown any positive attitude, whiling away time after proposing what it called working negotiations," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said. Yongbyon: Site includes a 5-MWe experimental nuclear power reactor and a partially completed plutonium extraction facility. The US believes the reactor and extraction plant have been used to produce plutonium - possibly enough for one or two nuclear weapons. Activities at site frozen under 1994 Agreed Framework Taechon: 200-MWe nuclear power reactor - construction halted under Agreed Framework Pyongyang: Laboratory-scale "hot cells" that may have been used to extract small quantities of plutonium Kumho: Site of two 1,000-MWe light water reactors under construction by Kedo © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 10 Nuke status no power status: Pakistanis Sify News *Islamabad, Dec 21* Almost one in three Pakistanis does not believe that possesssion of nuclear wepons has enhanced the standing of their country internationally and a significant proportion do not believe their government's statements on the nuclear issue. Pakistani academician Dr Haider Nizamani, who conducted a survey on this issue in the Punjab and Sind, said the results exposed the myth of national consensus on the issue, reported the /Dawn/. According to the survey, the popular perception that nuclear weapons have enhanced the image of Pakistan internationally was challenged when 31 percent respondents in both the Punjab and Sindh responded negatively. Similarly, to the question as to whether peple believed in what the government said about its nuclear programme, 45 percent in Sindh and 26 percent people in the Punjab said 'No.' However, regarding control of nuclear weapons, a majority favoured the Army but a sizeable number held that politicians and scientists should be the custodian of the nuclear weapons. The survey found that 36 percent people both in Sindh and Punjab disagreed that there was no danger of conventional conflict that could lead to nuclear war. About retaining the nuclear programme at any cost, only 44 percent in Sindh and 49 percent in Punjab responded affirmatively. Participating in a seminar on 'The Sociology of nuclear conflict', organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Dr Nizamani, who had conducted this survey in June 2001, said the responses would have been on the higher side if the survey had been conducted after September 11, 2001. Interestingly, a considerable number of people were in favour of Pakistan signing CTBT. Similarly, a good number of people say Pakistan should resort to nuclear weapons if India attacks Pakistan. / UNI/ / Sun December 22, 2002 08:59 AM ET / By Samuel Len SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea, defying world opinion, said on Sunday it had begun removing U.N. monitoring equipment from a nuclear reactor at the center of the communist state's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. Pyongyang's announcement came after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said North Korea had disabled surveillance devices the agency had placed at the five-megawatt Yongbyon research reactor, which the United Nations believes was used to make plutonium capable of use in warheads. The United States, Japan and South Korea urged North Korea to maintain the freeze on its nuclear facilities. France said it regretted the decision. The U.S. administration has lumped the reclusive communist state as part of an "axis of evil" with Iraq and Iran for developing weapons of mass destruction and backing international terrorism. The Yongbyon plant had been closed under a 1994 agreement with the United States in which North Korea froze its reactors in exchange for shipments of oil and the construction of more proliferation-proof reactors. The North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said it began removing the surveillance devices after the U.N. nuclear watchdog had not acted on Pyongyang's demand early this month to take the equipment away to allow the reactor to restart. "This situation compelled the DPRK (North Korea) to immediately start the work of removing the seals and monitoring cameras from the frozen nuclear facilities for their normal operation to produce electricity," it said. TOUGH STAND North Korea vowed to maintain a hardline stance, accusing the United States and Japan of trying to isolate the communist state. "It is the DPRK's invariable mode to react to the U.S. imperialists' hard-line policy with the toughest stand," the North Korean news agency said. "To take a prudent stand and attitude rather than acting rashly by following the U.S. in the Korean problem is more beneficial to Japan's existence and security." North Korea needed to end the reactor freeze "because the U.S. unilaterally abandoned its commitment to supply heavy oil in compensation for the loss of electricity," the news agency said. The United States, South Korea, Japan and the European Union moved to halt oil supplies in response to U.S. revelations of a North Korean nuclear weapons program using highly enriched uranium. North Korea's move came days after South Koreans elected a new president who campaigned against using pressure and sanctions to press Pyongyang to resolve the nuclear crisis. Ruling party President-elect Roh Moo-hyun vowed to continue outgoing president Kim Dae-jung's "sunshine policy" of aid and dialogue with the North. North Korean state radio said Roh's defeat of a conservative with hawkish policies toward Pyongyang "demonstrates the fact that defeat awaits those who stir up confrontation." BROKEN SEALS, DISABLED CAMERAS The IAEA said North Korea broke most of the seals on Saturday and disabled the permanent surveillance cameras that had been installed at five facilities covered by the 1994 freeze. The IAEA has been carrying out limited monitoring activity in North Korea since the early 1990s, though it has never been allowed to conduct intrusive inspections aimed at fleshing out a secret weapons program. The IAEA has repeatedly called on Pyongyang to stick to the 1994 agreement and said it deplored North Korea's insistence that it has a right to develop nuclear weapons. Before Pyongyang announced it had begun removing the U.N. monitoring equipment, State Department spokesman Lou Fintor said North Korea restarting its frozen nuclear facilities would "fly in the face of international consensus." South Korean officials urged North Korea to restore the monitoring devices. "We will apply diplomatic pressure through close cooperation with the United States, Japan, China, Russia and the international community so that North Korea takes measures for restoration," said foreign ministry official Shim Yoon-joe. "North Korea's conduct was wrong," South Korea's ruling Millennium Democratic Party said in a statement. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi told a news conference the move was "extremely regrettable." "We are very concerned," she said, adding that Japan was likely to convey its thoughts to North Korea through diplomatic channels via Beijing. Japan urged North Korea to maintain a freeze on all its nuclear facilities, Kawaguchi's ministry said. France said it regretted the decision to remove the seals and neutralize the monitoring cameras. Reuters The Company Products & ***************************************************************** 14 uk Op: War is the only option Guardian Unlimited Observer | Special reports | [UP] A former winner of the Nobel peace prize says we must stop Saddam's killing machine Observer special: Iraq Elie Wiesel Sunday December 22, 2002 The Observer Since the unanimous resolution of the UN Security Council, the world has lived in anguish, anticipating an event that would profoundly affect the course of affairs in the Middle East. Will a war on Iraq, which Washington and London have advocated from the beginning, finally take place? And if it does, will it be justified? If UN arms inspectors come home with nothing to report, can we trust that Saddam Hussein has truly granted them the freedom to do their jobs? Or is Saddam a liar, concealing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons capable of devastating entire regions? These are crucial questions, as troubling as they are complex. Impossible to resolve, but also impossible to circumvent. Saddam almost certainly harbours deadly arsenals. Ideally, the international inspectors would uncover and then destroy the weapons that are putting many other countries in danger, not only Israel. But what if Iraqi hiding places turn out to be too deep, too well concealed? The weapons may be buried in hospital basements and cemeteries, and plants may be operating in presidential palaces. Do the inspectors have adequate tools to discover them? Few intelligence specialists doubt that Saddam would be ready to use weapons of mass destruction. His mentality, his temperament and his past are well known: Killing a great number of human beings would not concern him. He proved that at the end of the 1980s, when he ordered the slaughter by gas of thousands of his own citizens. In truth, that was the time for the leaders of civilised nations to raise their voices and condemn Saddam in the name of the world's conscience, plainly and clearly, for crimes against humanity. But for purely political reasons, they did not: At the time, Saddam was the enemy of Iran, which was the enemy of the United States and its allies. So he was handled carefully - while his regime grew ever stronger. Will Saddam hesitate before using the same murderous tactics he has already proved himself capable of? Will he fear international reaction? It is possible. But it is also possible that he will be shrewd enough to exploit the stand-off between the US and the UN. Then time will be on his side. And when all is said and done, he will be the one to decide when, against whom and where to launch his missiles bearing poison and death. This is the worst scenario of all. Because numerous lives are at stake. The lives of Israelis, Americans and, of course, Iraqis. Tens of thousands. Therefore one thing is obvious: we must do everything possible to prevent Saddam from using his weapons. Does this mean war? Not necessarily. Since our intelligence services, which seem to be well informed, know where the plants in question are located (at least, I hope so), I am naïve enough to believe that a kind of James Bond operation would be best. I imagine American, British and Israeli commandos, the best trained in the world, would one night parachute into Iraq. They would destroy all the missile bases and centres for weapons production and set out again at dawn, if possible, without killing a single Iraqi. Am I too romantic? Why wouldn't I be? After all, I am also a novelist. Only I must admit that the military professionals to whom I proposed my plan did not find it very realistic. And the fact that I know nothing about war strategies did not strengthen my position. So where are we going? If all the roads to peaceful resolution are closed and therefore any attempts at negotiation are doomed to failure, and if Saddam sends the inspectors back empty-handed, vanquished and ridiculed, will only war bring the desired solution? I find war repugnant. All wars. I know war's monstrous aspects: blood and corpses everywhere, hungry refugees, devastated cities, orphans in tears and houses in ruins. I find no beauty in it. But it is with a heavy heart I ask this: what is to be done? Do we have the right not to intervene, when we know what passivity and appeasement will make possible? Is President Bush's policy of intervention the best response to an imperative need? Yes, it is said, and I am reluctant to say anything else. Bush's goal is to prevent the deadliest biological or nuclear conflict in modern history. If the US, supported by the UN Security Council, is forced to intervene, it will save victims who are already targeted, already menaced. And it will win. The US owes it to us, and owes it to future generations. As the great French writer André Malraux said, victory belongs to those who make war without loving it. [UP] Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ***************************************************************** 15 Russian energy minister arrives in Tehran for nuke energy talks Tehran, Dec 22, IRNA -- Russian Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev arrived here Sunday for a four-day visit to hold talks with Iranian officials over "speeding up" the completion of Bushehr plant and bilateral cooperation for a peaceful use of nuclear energy. Rumyantsev will meet several Iranian officials, including Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) head, Gholamreza Aqazadeh, Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi and Vice-President Mohammad-Reza Aref, an IAEO official told IRNA here Sunday. The minister will also travel to Bushehr in southern Iran to observer construction work on the plant which the Islamic Republic is building with Russian help. The Russian Itar-Tass news agency said Saturday that Rumyantsev will also discuss the issue of transferring nuclear fuel waste from Iran to Russia. It further cited the minister as reiterating that nuclear cooperation between Tehran and Moscow was 'strictly peaceful' and that it did not violate international conventions on nuclear energy activities. Rumyantsev also repeated Russia's earlier announcement that the country planned to build a new nuclear energy unit in Iran, but the two countries had yet to start negotiations on that, Itar-Tass said. Under the one-billion-dollar deal, Russia had initially undertaken to finish the Bushehr plant in 2005, but the country later announced it could be completed by the end of 2003. Washington has already been claiming that Iran may use Bushehr plant for developing nuclear arms. Both Iran and Russia have rejected these allegations. US officials were also cited recently as alleging that American satellites had spotted two Iranian sites, one in the central city of Arak and the other in Natanz in the central province of Isfahan, which suggested they could be used for making nuclear weapons. Iran strongly rejected the allegations and reiterated that the two plants were intended to generate electricity. "In the next 20 years, Iran has to produce 6,000 megawatts of electricity by nuclear plants and the launch of these two centers are aimed at producing necessary fuel for these plants," Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said that 'such American propaganda against Iran is not new and is intended to divert the world public opinion from the Zionist regime's threats to the region at this sensitive juncture'. "Iran believes it has the right to carry out necessary researches for peaceful use of nuclear energy and no country can deprive it of this natural right," Asefi added. Tehran later invited the International Atomic Energy Agency to travel to Iran to inspect both the facilities, which has been accepted. "We have been in contacts with the IAEA over these two centers and we will officially invite them for inspections since the agency must inspect them and carry out their necessary planning and supervision before the centers are put into operation," Kharrazi added. BH/RR End ©2000 Islamic Republic News Agency ( IRNA). All rights reserved ***************************************************************** 16 Silence about Israel’s nuclear weapons 23 December 2002 / 18 Shawwal 1423 /By Hassan Tahsin/ International politics has a number of contradictions. At present, we see the United States leading the world against Iran, Iraq and North Korea because they allegedly possess weapons of mass destruction. We see the United States at the same time approving the idea of Israel building a new nuclear reactor. The new reactor will chemically process uranium and will obviously increase the size of the Israeli arsenal. The world is in general agreement with the United States about the necessity of eliminating weapons of mass destruction. The existence of these weapons which includes nuclear warhead threatens the entire world. It is not enough to disarm the so-called “axis of evil.” All weapons of mass destruction must be eliminated, including those of the superpower permanent members of the UN Security Council. The idea of disarming is a political and military one developed in the 20th century. Its main goal was to reduce arms, step by step, until they reached a level at which arms were eliminated. This is a good theory but it is far from practical reality. With the establishment of the United Nations after World War II, it was stipulated that the Security Council had the task of preparing plans and programs aimed at regulating armaments and their reduction in accordance with certain steps. If we look at Israel and its weapons of mass destruction, we join many countries and governments which have wondered why Israel is always an exception to rules that are scrupulously applied to other countries. It is certain today that Israel possesses between 100 and 200 nuclear and hydrogen warheads of all sizes. This is confirmed by published American satellite pictures and scientific reports. These same reports also indicate that Israel is about to produce a neutron bomb. Israel also has nuclear bombs which are designed for use from airplanes. They can be used in battle without fears of side effects. Israel also has spy satellites which can identify targets on the ground very easily. In cooperation with the former racist government in South Africa, Israel conducted nuclear tests in 1979 in the South Pacific. Further information about Israeli weapons is not available though it is known that some were used for the attempted assassination in Jordan of Khalid Meshaal, the Hamas member. Closing the world’s eyes to Israel’s nuclear arsenal and weapons of mass destruction can only lead to suspicion and rejection. Since Israel was the first country in the region to possess these weapons, it should be the first to get rid of them. This is especially true in light of the fact that Arab countries have agreed to make the region empty of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear ones. The United States is the present leader and it has embarked on a campaign to eliminate weapons of mass destruction around the world. If this is carried out, then the United States will have done something that will be remembered in history and which will also increase its political importance. In the future, the United States will need no help in collecting an international coalition because the whole world will support its aims. People around the world dream of peace and believe in it, and they believe that they can live in peace together without any war. Unfortunately, this is not consistent with the ambitions of politicians. Arab News /Opinion/ 23 December 2002 ***************************************************************** 17 Three whistleblowers named Time's Persons of the Year Newsday.com - By ERIN McCLAM Associated Press Writer December 22, 2002, 10:18 PM EST NEW YORK -- Three women whistleblowers _ one an FBI agent who wrote a memo blasting intelligence failures and two others who exposed corporate corruption _ have become Time magazine's Persons of the Year for 2002. In its issue reaching newsstands Monday, the weekly magazine said Coleen Rowley, Cynthia Cooper and Sherron Watkins were selected "for believing _ really believing _ that the truth is one thing that must not be moved off the books, and for stepping in to make sure that it wasn't." Rowley, 48, was the FBI agent based in Minneapolis whose scathing memorandum to FBI Director Robert Mueller last May said agency headquarters ignored her pleas in the weeks before the Sept. 11 attack to aggressively investigate Zacarias Moussaoui, now charged as an accomplice. In later Senate testimony, Rowley charged that the FBI was plagued by "careerism" and bureaucracy. She said Sunday that people should be encouraged to report their concerns. "Ordinary people do find themselves in those types of situations, and certainly government employees do," Rowley said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program, where the three winners appeared in a group interview. "And it's going to be beneficial to everyone to bring out the concerns earlier rather than later." Cooper, 38, was an internal auditor at WorldCom who alerted the telecommunications firm's board of directors to $3.8 billion in accounting irregularities. A month later, WorldCom declared the biggest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history. Watkins, 43, was a vice president of Enron, who warned company chairman Kenneth Lay in 2001 that the firm could collapse as a result of extensive false accounting. Enron also filed for bankruptcy. Time's 2002 picks are unusual in that most past winners have been well-known public figures rather than previously obscure private individuals. Last year's winner was New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, for his conduct in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. "They were people who did right just by doing their jobs rightly _ which means ferociously, with eyes open and with the bravery the rest of us always hope we have and may never know if we do," Time said, of its 2002 choice. While the magazine compared the three women to Sept. 11 firefighters as heroes by chance, Rowley said she does not see herself in that light. "To me, someone who jumps into a frozen lake to save someone, or who does run into a burning building that's crumbing, that's a hero," she said during the television interview. Watkins and Cooper acknowledged that a great deal was at stake in making their decisions to speak out on corporate wrongdoing. The exposure of fraud at WorldCom has been "a tragedy ... very difficult at times for many employees," and "many people have lost their entire retirement," Cooper said. However, she said, "I feel very confident that we made the right decision, and there was really only one right path." Watkins said it was now "up to the regulators and the court system to define exactly how this act plays out in corporate America. But I hope we're on the road to more truth-telling for investors," she said. In an earlier interview with Time editors, Rowley, Cooper and Watkins said some colleagues now hate them for exposing the mistakes of their bosses. "There is a price to be paid. There have been times that I could not stop crying," Cooper said. The women symbolized a critical struggle in the country to restore trust in disgraced institutions from business firms to the Catholic Church, Time managing editor Jim Kelly told The Associated Press. Time magazine: http://www.time.com Copyright © 2002, The Associated Press ***************************************************************** 18 NK: Nuclear move condemned Sun Dec 22 2002 North Korea had frozen its plutonium-based facilities under a 1994 deal with the United States Nuclear move condemned 12.02PM GMT, 22 Dec 2002 South Korea has demanded that North Korea "immediately restore" the UN surveillance equipment that the North has disabled at one of its nuclear reactors. Shim Yoon-jo, Director of North American affairs at the South Korean Foreign Ministry, described North Korea's action in removing the surveillance equipment as "extremely regrettable". The International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN's nuclear watchdog, said North Korea has cut most of the seals and impeded the functioning of surveillance equipment at one of its 5-megawatt reactors. North Korea has confirmed that it began unilaterally removing UN surveillance equipment at its nuclear facilities after they did not respond to its request to remove the devices. The North removed the equipment after saying it would reactivate nuclear facilities that yield weapons-grade plutonium, blaming the United States for reneging on a deal to supply oil to produce energy. North Korea had frozen its plutonium-based facilities under a 1994 deal with the United States. The deal requires a US-led international consortium to build two light-water reactors in North Korea, and the United States to provide 500,000 metric tons of fuel oil annually until the reactors are built. In return, the North would have to freeze its nuclear facilities. But the United States and its allies cut off oil supplies at the beginning of this month after US officials said that the North revealed it had a uranium enrichment programme to make nuclear weapons. Content © ITV Network Limited. All Rights Reserved ***************************************************************** 19 Axis of Evil Jammed Pravda.RU Dec, 21 2002 So far, only in Far East The South Korea population has surprised George Bush, by preferring in the presidential election Roh Moo-hyun, the candidate from the ruling Millennium Democratic Party. This is really a surprise, for just two months ago, during the pre-election fight, Roh was only third in the rating, while the obvious favourite was some Lee Hoi-chang from Grand National Party . What is behind all these florid Eastern party titles, one could understand from positions of Roh or Lee on the most important questions for today’s Korea: nuclear programme of North Korea. Roh: “I insist on the US and North Korea immediately recommencing the negotiations and Seoul government making its efforts to persuade both sides to start the dialogue for prevention further growth of tension in Korean Peninsula.” Lee: “North Korea must stop balancing on the verge of war, this could submerge Korean Peninsula in an uncontrolled crisis… Seoul government must immediately revise “solar heat policy” and its obligations as for help to Pyongyang.” It is not difficult to see that the first of these two positions which is the result of the South-Korean President Kim Dae-jung today’s course a priori implies respectful relation to North Korea (for it practically puts it on one level with the US). It is close to the declaration which was recently signed in Beijing by Vladimir Putin and Jiang Ze Min and to Kim Jong-il ideas, whose aim was to reestablish a normal dialogue with the US. While the second position is a blind copying of the Washington rhetoric, whose aim is to force tension towards Pyongyang and support of US dictates in Far East. The Lee Hoi-chung stake on the South population fright of mythic menace of the North missiles probably gave him some initial advance, though later, in the electorate spirits fright of real danger from US military prevailed, which is stationed in South Korea. This is probably why the Financial Times, while commenting on the South-Korean election wrote anti-American spirits had brought Roh to presidential post. The difference between the votes was insignificant: Roh gained 48.9 percent, while Lee – 46.6 percent. As far as the South-Korean constitution does not imply repeated voting, the election fate was decided by the simple arithmetic majority). The 2.3 percent makes about half a million of ballots. I would not risk to make a mistake while assuming these precious additional vote was brought to Roh by Americans in military uniforms, who ran over two South-Korean school girls this summer, and US judges who declared these killers to be innocent this autumn. Apropos, the Financial Times is of view the election results were influenced by mass demonstrations of South-Korean youth protesting against the crime and against the sentence. An important role belongs also to the negative reaction of South-Korean population to the US administration scornful relationship to North Korea. So, Bush who characterized Iraq and North Korea as two ends of Axis of Evil got into a mess: on the Far-East end of the Axis, on one hand he met the North population humility, on the other, he faced his own allies, the South-Koreans, resistance. For, Roh Moo-hyun who should occupy the presidential chair next February intends not only to continue the solar heat policy towards North Korea, started by today’s President Kim De Jung, but he also promises to revise the US military status in South Korea. Andrei Krushinsky PRAVDa.Ru Translated by Vera Solovieva Read the original in Russian: http://world.pravda.ru/world/2002/5/15/42/4649_Korea.html Related links: PRAVDA.Ru Russia - South Korea : cooperation at Copyright ©1999 by "Pravda.RU". When reproducing our materials ***************************************************************** 20 Next base-closure round could be most brutal yet - Local News - GreatFallsTribune.com Saturday, December 21, 2002 By ROBERT BURNS AP Military Writer and KATIE OYAN WASHINGTON -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld wants the next round of military base closures, in 2005, to cut as much surplus as the previous four rounds combined, a senior aide said Friday. Raymond DuBois, the deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, gave no specific figures and stressed that no military bases would be exempted in advance from potential closure. "All installations are on the table," he told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. "All installations are going to be judged equally." Warren Wenz, chairman of the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce Committee of 80, a group that lobbies for Malmstrom Air Force Base, was cautiously optimistic about the news. "We need to see what direction this takes," he said. Other announcements this year -- including a Pentagon review of its nuclear assets -- have reinforced the continued need for Malmstrom's 200 Minuteman III missiles as part of a balanced nuclear triad, Wenz noted. "Our base is relatively secure by reason of the nature of the mission," he said. Its land-based missiles make Malmstrom one of only three bases of its kind in the nation. "The defense studies announced earlier this year indicated they want to retain the ... land-based missiles," Wenz said. "Our base is still included in what's anticipated to be developed. "Having said that, we need to watch what's recommended and be prepared to defend ourselves," he said. In the previous four rounds -- in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 -- the Pentagon picked 97 major domestic bases for closure, 55 major bases for realignment and 235 minor installations either to be closed or realigned. Malmstrom lost its last flying mission, KC-135 refueling jets, and about one sixth of its personnel during the 1995 round. It kept its main missile mission and also made room for additional missiles from Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. DuBois said all senior military and civilian leaders in the Pentagon will have a voice in recommending which bases get closed or realigned. He said this was a cumbersome but necessary approach. "There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen, but I didn't know any other way to do it" to meet Rumsfeld's goal, DuBois said. He described that goal as achieving as much infrastructure reduction in the 2005 decisions as was achieved in all four previous rounds. DuBois said the decisions will be particularly difficult this time because of the intended scale of reductions and in part because the Pentagon also will attempt to consolidate forces from more than one service on the same bases. This cross-service approach, put to limited use in the past, will be pushed harder, he said. DuBois estimated that the 2005 base-closing actions will cost the Pentagon between $10 billion and $20 billion over four to six years. That includes the cost of repairing environmental damage. By 2011, however, the savings should exceed the costs, and for every year beyond 2011 the Pentagon will have a net saving of $6.5 billion, he said. The secretary of defense must submit to a Base Closure and Realignment Commission his list of recommended closings and realignments by May 16, 2005. The commission must submit its decisions to the president by Sept. 8, 2005. If Great Falls is forced to go to bat for Malmstrom, the Committee of 80 will have some help. The city of Great Falls, the Great Falls International Airport and the Great Falls Development Authority are pooling resources to hire a lobbyist to speak up for all city interests, including Malmstrom. "One of the specific things we looked at in making a selection was military background and experience and depth," City Manager John Lawton said. City commissioners will vote on their selection during their Jan. 7 meeting. Copyright © 2002 Great Falls Tribune. All Rights Reserved. ***************************************************************** 21 Nuclear Industry Sponsors Reactor Tests Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Sunday December 22, 2002 10:30 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - Tests using engineering models support the nuclear industry's arguments that a reactor could withstand a direct hit by a jetliner, an industry-sponsored report says. While the tests by engineers independent of the industry provide valuable data, federal regulators briefed on the findings say they are waiting for completion of their own tests before drawing conclusions. The vulnerability of the 4-feet-thick concrete containment domes of reactors to an airborne attack has been of major concern since the Sept. 11 attacks. Reactors are designed to withstand many natural disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes. They never were designed specifically to be protected against a direct hit by a large aircraft such as the planes flown into the Pentagon and World Trade Center. Findings to be released this week conclude that if a Boeing 767-400 jetliner, fully loaded with 28,980 gallons of fuel, were flown directly into the center of a reactor at 350 miles an hour, the plane would not penetrate the structure. ``The analysis indicates that no part of the engine, the fuselage or the wings - nor the jet fuel - entered the containment building,'' says the report prepared by two consulting firms for the Electric Power Research Institute at the request of the nuclear industry. The computer analysis evaluated both a direct impact on the containment structure of one of the plane's engines and ``the global impact'' of the entire aircraft mass on the structure. The analysis concluded that damage would be limited to ``some spalling'' - crushing of material - of the concrete but with minimal penetration. A summary of the report, provided to The Associated Press on Sunday from industry sources, produced no detailed test calculations but said conservative assumptions were used. For example, the computer runs assumed a fuel-loaded aircraft, making a direct hit at the exact center of the containment building where impact forces would be greatest. It assumes use of a Boeing 767-400 because that wide-bodied jet best represents the commercial aircraft fleets, and the report used a speed of 350 mph because that is believed to be the speed at which two jetliners hit their targets on Sept. 11. Higher speeds would make an aircraft too hard to control at low altitude and make a hit on a reactor extremely difficult, especially by an inexperienced pilot, the study said. The tests were conducted by ABS Consulting, which specializes in quantifying losses from natural and manmade hazards including fires, earthquakes and missile impacts; and ANATECH Corp., a San Diego engineering firm that specializes in evaluating structural failures. The sponsoring Electric Power Research Institute, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is a nonprofit energy research consortium of the electric power industry. After the Sept. 11 attacks, the Nuclear Energy Institute asked the consortium to develop the study. Separate tests on reactor vulnerability to an aircraft crash, details of which are classified, are under way at the government's Sandia National Laboratory and elsewhere, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. William Beecher, however, said he could not comment on the industry tests without referring to classified information involving the government tests. The spokesman said commission officials have been briefed on the industry findings. Nuclear industry critics have noted that reactor design and security requirements never have taken into account the possibility of a deliberate strike of a reactor by a hijacked jetliner, and past studies have provided conflicting data. A computer analysis conducted in 1982 by the Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory did not rule out penetration of a reactor containment by an aircraft hit. If penetration occurred, that report said, burning jet fuel ``would lead to a rather violent explosion'' within the dome. Recently, 19 nuclear experts, many of them long associated with the nuclear industry, cited a 1988 test at the Sandia laboratory that they said made clear a containment shield would withstand a jetliner crash. But reliance on the 1988 Sandia test, which involved a much lighter F-4 Phantom fighter, also has been the subject of dispute. Skeptics have noted it was not designed to measure the strength of the structure, which was set up so that it could move upon impact and did move several feet, which reduced the impact force. On the Net: Electric Power Research Institute: http://www.epri.com/ Sandia National Laboratories: http://www.sandia.gov/ Nuclear Regulatory Commission: http://www.nrc.gov/ Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2002 ***************************************************************** 22 Canada: Pickering shows how not to run a complex job TheStar.com - Sat Dec 21, 2002 | Updated at 11:08 AM Internal report says management didn't take responsibility OPG officials didn't learn from previous projects, probe finds SPEARS AND RICHARD BRENNAN STAFF REPORTERS In early 2001, with the Pickering A nuclear project bleeding money and badly behind schedule, a six-member Ontario Power Generation Inc. internal investigative team was formed to report on what had gone wrong. The report submitted in mid-2001 reads like a business school case study on how not to run a complex project. Poor planning; refusal by senior management to take responsibility; a "shoot the messenger" approach to anyone reporting bad news  all were reported in painful detail. OPG managers say the report has prompted action  although the report's authors clearly finished in a state of despair. "The investigation team is concerned virtually all of the major deficiencies identified within this report were clearly identified to senior management in previous audit team presentations and reports. This provides little confidence within the team that effective measures will be taken in this case." Other excerpts from the report: "Neither Ontario Power Generation nor Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. appreciated the rigour required to carry out a major project in the OPG operating environment." "OPG managers did not demonstrate ownership and accountability for project execution." "OPG management did not have the necessary processes in place to effectively monitor progress, and when notified of potential schedule impacts, failed to take prompt corrective action." "Senior OPG management did not hold responsible managers accountable for their respective jurisdictions." "OPG management did not incorporate relevant lessons learned from past projects." "Many interviewees expressed opinions that the initial scope was not well controlled. Scope control was seen by some as a `slash and burn' exercise to reduce estimates to budget numbers without sufficient methodology or analysis of the impact on other areas." "Managers stated that the original project manager did not like to hear `bad news' so free exchange of information did not always occur ... when problems of less than optimal performance occurred." "AECL resources on this project were in excess of 400 people many of whom had no, or limited, current experience in Candu technology." "During our investigation senior managers in OPG, AECL and CANEC (the general contractor) did not accept even partial responsibility for the engineering delays. They co-operated with this investigation ... to the extent that they readily pointed the finger of blame towards the other organizations." "Misleading information was passed to senior levels in the organization resulting in the belief that engineering was not an issue that potentially affected project completion on time." "The lack of a fully developed project execution plan combined with the lack of fully effective managers working co-operatively to successfully complete the project on time has led to over-all project delays." The report gave "less than adequate ratings" to every key component: Initial planning, project controls, project monitoring, project resources, project execution and project leadership. Legal Notice:- Copyright 1996-2002. Toronto Star Newspapers ***************************************************************** 23 Critics seize on Indian Point's expired permit Democrat &Chronicle: By Yancey Roy Albany Bureau (December 22, 2002)  ALBANY  Whether the Indian Point nuclear plants can continue to operate using Hudson River water may not depend on pollution levels, atomic-energy policy or the ecosystem, a court hearing indicated Friday. Instead, it might be resolved around legal technicalities such as this: When is a government hearing not a hearing? At issue is whether state regulators have disregarded their obligation to act on a lapsed permit for Indian Point to use 2.4 billion gallons of Hudson River water a day to cool the power plants in Buchanan, Westchester County. Environmentalists contend that the state is dodging a decision on renewing the permit and that, meanwhile, the large intake and discharge of heated water is killing fish, eggs and other organisms. Any decision could be a no-lose proposition for Indian Point critics -- either the plant gets a new permit with stricter pollution limits or loses its permit and cant operate. That the permit expired in 1992 wasnt in dispute. But opponents went around and around over whether the state Department of Environmental Conservation had to follow a strict timetable and whether ordinary citizens can sue to force a decision. Then there was the dispute over whether DEC ever conducted hearings on the matter. The agency and Entergy Nuclear Northeast, which owns the plants, noted there were two Indian Point hearings in June 2000 well-attended by power-plant officials, legislators, environmental groups and regulators. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Greenburgh, Westchester County, argued those proceedings focused on other issues besides the water-discharge permit and included other plants along the river. That provoked the lone exchange between the judge and lawyers during the 30-minute proceeding. Was there a hearing? Supreme Court Judge Thomas Keegan asked Brodsky. That was a hearing on the environmental impact on the state of four plants across the Hudson, Brodsky replied. It did not include any (water-discharge) permit ... Even if it was a qualifying hearing, which it was not, it was held after the permit expired. Entergy and DEC have asked Keegan to dismiss the lawsuit. A decision could take up to two months, lawyers said. The case would go to trial if Keegan doesnt dismiss it. Brodsky and the environmental groups, which include the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, argue provisions of the permits clash with the federal Clean Water Act, which requires a cooling process that employs best available technology. DEC has said it hasnt determined what technology the plants should use and that best available technology keeps changing. The lawsuit doesnt ask the state to deny Entergy a permit, only to make a decision and hold hearings. State lawyers said only the permit applicant, Entergy, can make such a request. Therefore, they have no legal standing, said Lisa Burianek, who represented the DEC. The bottom line is (opponents) have no legal right to the relief theyre seeking, Burianek told the judge, adding, The claims of excruciating irreparable harm are exaggerated. Burianek acknowledged that regulators have continued to extend Indian Points permit since 1992 rather than issuing -- or denying -- a new one. Afterward, she said thats because it involves extensive issues and that DEC is well within its authority. Anyone off the street might say (the timeframe) doesnt make sense, Burianek said. But we believe DEC is within its scope ... We have to work within the law. Brodsky said DEC and Entergy were hiding behind technicalities. While his opponents confined their remarks to legal procedures, Brodsky asked the judge to look beyond the technicality. DEC has used extensions to avoid its statutory duty to issue a permit decision, Brodsky said. What they are trying to do ... is to insulate themselves from judicial scrutiny and deny the people of the state any remedy. www.DemocratandChronicle.com ***************************************************************** 24 Edison plans to carry old reactor along beach - 12/21/02 - NCTimes.net PHIL DIEHL Staff Writer SAN ONOFRE ---- The largest, most radioactive chunk of the dismantled reactor at San Onofre could be trucked along 8.4 miles of Camp Pendleton beach early next year, a plan that has kicked sand in the faces of environmentalists. That chunk is the 40-foot-tall, steel reactor vessel that held nuclear fuel from 1968 until Southern California Edison retired the Unit 1 reactor in 1992. Edison officials had said in the past, before detailed transportation plans were developed, that the vessel probably would be shipped by rail or down the freeway from San Onofre to the harbor at Oceanside or Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. "I'm very concerned and so are a lot of other environmentalists," Oceanside resident Lawson Chadwick said Friday. Taking the 1,000-ton package down the beach to Camp Pendleton's harbor makes it vulnerable to bad weather, high tides and soft sand, Chadwick said. Anything in its path would be squashed flat, including nesting birds and blooming flowers, he said. Vista resident Patricia Borchmann, a longtime opponent of San Onofre, said the vehicle could sink in unstable sand and become stuck. She said that she also believes security precautions are insufficient, and that the cargo could be vulnerable to terrorists. Edison officials said that taking the cargo down the beach is the safest way to go and would have the fewest effects on the environment. "We've anticipated all those potential hazards," said David Kay, Edison's environmental affairs project manager. "Our strategy is simply to avoid them. We will not move it down the beach until we have a multiday window based on all available prediction tools." The cargo's weight is actually a safety factor, Kay said. It's so big, heavy and solid that it's unusually stable and unlikely to be moved by anything but the tractor that pulls it, he said. The vehicle would be pulled across plastic mats interlocked like a jigsaw puzzle that will distribute its weight and keep it from sinking in the sand, he said. "We'll lay about a mile of mat in front of it, move it down this mile, then pick up the mats behind and place them in front," Kay said. The cargo is well-protected and poses no radiation hazard to the public or the environment, Kay said. But Edison has a limited time to ship it. "We have a very narrow window in order to complete this transportation," Kay said. "We can't go before January or after March because we have to avoid bird nesting season at Camp Pendleton and hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico. If we miss it, we would have to wait until next fall." The retired vessel remains radioactive from the fuel rods it held for decades. Now it contains only cut-up radioactive parts sealed inside with concrete. The entire package is wrapped in a concrete-and-steel overcoat that shields people from its contents. Once the package reaches the harbor, it will be loaded onto a barge and shipped south to the Panama Canal, then up through the Gulf of Mexico to New Orleans. There, the cargo will be loaded onto a train and taken to Barnwell, S.C., for burial. Nearly all the reactor's other radioactive parts have been shipped away to disposal sites by freeway or rail. Two larger reactors that went on-line in the 1980s continue to operate at San Onofre. Both those reactor vessels, while still empty and not radioactive, were brought up the beach from the Oceanside Harbor. This would be the first time Edison has attempted the reverse trip. The retired reactor's trip down the coast would cover 16.4 miles ---- including the 8.4 miles on the sand ---- by the time it reaches the harbor at Camp Pendleton, which shares an entrance with Oceanside's harbor. The Camp Pendleton portion of the trip should take about a week, Edison officials have said. Most of the first half would be on old Highway 101, a road west of Interstate 5 that's now used mostly by cyclists and joggers. At Las Pulgas Road, the reactor would leave the highway and go over a dirt road to an area the Marines call Red Beach, then south on the sand at a top speed of no more than 2 or 3 mph. "They could do it in about four hours by rail," said Chadwick, a retired Santa Fe Railway employee. Edison officials have considered taking the reactor vessel by rail, Kay said. "Subsequent analysis showed that to unload this vessel from its rail car at Camp Pendleton ... we would need a 600-yard rail spur or siding," Kay said. "We would have to build that and remove it. The environmental impact would be tremendous." Environmental concerns are minimal on the beach, he said. The beach is wide and flat, and frequently is traveled by military vehicles ranging from small trucks to Abrams tanks and armored assault vehicles. One of the biggest obstacles may be the Santa Margarita River, which flows into the ocean about a mile north of the harbor. Each summer the water flow dwindles and ocean waves plug the river's mouth with sand. But most winters the rain fills the river again and pushes the mouth open, and in wet years the river becomes a raging torrent. "We have a very strict criteria for crossing the river," Kay said. "The water has to be less than 6 inches deep." Edison has a California Coastal Commission permit to dismantle the reactor but needs an amendment to carry the old reactor parts across the beach, said Alison Detmer, manager of the commission's Energy and Ocean Resources Unit. A public hearing for the requested amendment has been scheduled for February, when the commission meets in San Diego, Detmer said. A report and recommendation by commission staff members should be finished in January, she said. Contact staff writer Phil Diehl at (760) 901-4087 or . 12/21/02 ***************************************************************** 25 Nukes' re-licensing at hand [fredericksburg.com] North Anna, Surry reactors likely to receive new operating licenses, and soon. By RUSTY DENNEN The Free Lance-Star NRC finds no problems at North Anna, Surry plants Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna and Surry nuclear power plants may soon get a new lease on life. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has determined that there are no significant environmental or safety issues that would prevent re-licensing the four reactors. As a result, NRC approval to extend the plants' licenses for another 20 years could come as early as March, agency officials say. "We're getting pretty close to the end of the process here," Andy Kugler, the NRC's environmental project manager, said Friday. In a process that can take up to 30 months, the NRC looks at environmental and safety issues, conducts public hearings and then schedules plant inspections to determine if the equipment is capable of operating safely for another two decades. Those have all been done; a final report now goes to the commission. Dominion, headquartered in Richmond, applied to re-license the reactors in May 2001. The current operating licenses for North Anna Units 1 and 2 will expire in May 2012 and January 2013, respectively. A renewal would allow them to continue to operate until 2032 and 2033. North Anna's reactors came on line in 1979 and 1980. Two public hearings were held in Louisa County earlier this year in which 45 people spoke for and against the license renewal for North Anna. Proponents cited economic benefits to the county and the region and said that the plant has been a good, safe neighbor. Critics raised a host of concerns, ranging from dangers of spent nuclear fuel stored on the site to environmental problems stemming from the plant's operation. The licenses for Surry Units 1 and 2, in Surry County on the James River across from Jamestown, expire in May 2012 and January 2013, respectively. Under NRC regulations, a license extension request can be filed only after a plant has operated for 20 years. The application must be submitted 10 years before the existing license expires. The NRC has renewed a few nuclear plant licenses across the country in the past two years. There are 103 licensed commercial nuclear reactors operating in the United States, providing about 20 percent of the nation's electricity. Date published: Sun, 12/22/2002 TheFreeLanceStar.com WFLS Copyright 2002, The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. of Fredericksburg, Va. 616 Amelia Street, Fredericksburg, VA 22401 Comments? , Phone: 540-374-5000 ***************************************************************** 26 Browns Ferry work already employing 900* By Dennis Sherer Staff Writer * *December 22. 2002 12:00AM* Mike Brooks makes change for Bud Lawson at Brooks' Chevron station in Rogersville. Work on restarting Unit 1 at nearby Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has increased the flow of business for Brooks. MATT McKEAN/TimesDaily *FERRY TIME FRAME* Browns Ferry Unit 1 timeline for 2002 * Jan. 23 ? At directors' meeting in Muscle Shoals, TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough Jr. says a decision on the fate of Unit 1 is expected by June. * March 6 ? TVA holds a public hearing at Calhoun Community College in Decatur to garner comments on plans to ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the operating license for the three reactors at Browns Ferry by 20 years. Public support is overwhelming, helping pave the way for TVA directors to approve restarting Unit 1. * March 27 ? At a meeting in Hartsville, Tenn., Jon Rupert, chief nuclear engineer for TVA, tells TVA directors that restarting Unit 1 is a technically viable option. * May 16 ? TVA directors, meeting in Huntsville, approve spending almost $1.8 billion to restart Unit 1. * July 23 ? TVA directors meeting in Mayfield, Ky., award an $820 million contract to Stone and Webster Inc., for maintenance and modifications at TVA nuclear plants, including $450 million for work to restart Unit 1. * Aug. 7 ? TVA officials meet with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Atlanta to discuss plans for restarting Unit 1. Commission officials find no problems with the plan. * Oct. 1 ? TVA directors award a contract To Bechtel Power Corp. a $300 million contract for engineering work on Unit 1. The TimesDaily news staff voted on the Top 10 stories of 2002. This is the first in a 10-day series on the top stories of the year. It begins at No. 10 with the decision by TVA to restart Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant's Unit 1 reactor, which will employ hundreds of people from the Shoals. ROGERSVILLE ? Mike Brooks doesn't have to wait on the Tennessee Valley Authority to issue a news release to know when more employees have been added to the payroll at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. Brooks, owner of Mike's Chevron on U.S. 72, can use sales at the business to gauge the number of people working at the nuclear plant about 10 miles east of town. "I've had an increase in business since they started working on Unit 1," he said. "I hope it continues to grow as they hire more people." TVA directors voted in May to refurbish the reactor unit so it could begin churning out electricity to meet the Valley's ever-growing need for power. To bring the idled reactor out of retirement, TVA estimates it will cost about $1.8 billion, take five years and create up to 2,400 temporary and more than 100 permanent jobs. TVA directors awarded a contract in July to Louisiana-based Stone and Webster Inc. to oversee construction work on the project. In October, Maryland-based Bechtel Power Corp., was tabbed to oversee engineering work on the project. So far, about 900 employees have been hired to work on the restart. Because of the immediate impact of the project on the Shoals' economy and TVA's ability to meet the future power needs of its customers, the Unit 1 restart has been voted by the TimesDaily news staff as one of Top 10 Stories of 2002. Browns Ferry spokesman Craig Beasley said employment will begin to swell after Jan. 1, and 1,600 skilled laborers, 480 engineers and 300 support workers will be working there by late 2003. Many of the workers will come from the Shoals area, said Lance Blackstock, president of the North Alabama Building and Construction Trades Council. "We have about 160 people that have already got jobs there and are going to have a good family Christmas because of it," Blackstock said. "That's the good thing about TVA; they use local people on their projects." About 1,000 area residents are expected to work on the restart. With the only way for Shoals residents to drive to Browns Ferry ? short of driving all the way to Decatur and then back through Athens ? being along U.S. 72 through Rogersville, many businesses in the east Lauderdale County town are hoping to see their sales increase during the restart work. Chris Hastings, owner of Rogersville Exxon, is hopeful many of the Browns Ferry workers will stop at his gas station for a fill up on their way to or from work. "I'm sure it's going to help my business," Hastings said. Boosting business in northwest Alabama ? a region shackled by a slow economy ? is one of the goals local, state and federal leaders had in mind when they began urging TVA directors to restart the Unit 1 reactor at Browns Ferry. Although the project had many supporters, a coalition of environmental groups from the Knoxville, Tenn., area oppose the restart. Stephen Smith, executive director of Knoxville-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, urged TVA directors to leave Unit 1 idle and, instead, promote energy conservation to ensure it can meet the future power needs of the Valley region. Smith is concerned that sitting idle for almost 20 years has allowed components of Unit 1 to deteriorate. The unit has not produced electrical power since being shut down in 1985 because of safetyconcerns. Units 2 and 3 were also shutdown at that time. Unit 2 was returned to service in 1991 after major renovations. Unit 3 returned to production in 1996 also after major renovations. TVA officials contend that everything that needs to be replaced in Unit 1 will be, and the reactor will be safe when it returns to operation. Beasley said workers on the Unit 1 project are now removing piping, valves and wiring from the reactor area. When additional workers arrive in January, they will begin replacing the pipes, valves and wires. The next phase of the work will be in turbine room with the final phase on the power generators. Unit 1 is expected to return to service in August 2007, Beasley said. TVA directors are still searching for investors to help pay for the restart project. Numerous power distributors around the Valley have invested in a fund that will be used to help pay for the Unit 1 restart. At least 40 distributors, including those in Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield and Tuscumbia, have expressed interest in theprogram. In exchange for helping pay for the restart, the distributors will be allowed to purchase electrical power at a discounted rate for 10 to 20 years. Dennis Sherer can be reached at 740-5746 or dennis.sherer@-timesdaily.com. *Looking For A Car? Search ValleyWheels.net!* ***************************************************************** 27 Plant to replace reactor cover [St. Petersburg Times Online: Citrus County news ] The 83-ton lid, due to arrive in September, will shore up the nuclear plant and help avoid a corrosion problem like one at an Ohio plant. By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer © St. Petersburg Times published December 22, 2002 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Every two years, Florida Power shuts down its nuclear reactor for a monthlong refueling process that is as complex as it is expensive. This time, a $5-million, 83-ton hunk of steel is going to make things really tricky. Like other utilities in the wake of a startling and potentially disastrous discovery at an Ohio plant this spring, Florida Power will replace the giant lid of its reactor in October. Work already has begun. A site has been cleared for a building that will house the new lid, scheduled to arrive from France in early September, for final assembly. "It will be like a big workshop," Florida Power spokesman Mac Harris said. A second building, made of concrete, will be constructed in the spring for the old lid, which has been in service since the plant began making electricity in 1977. The discarded head, which has been exposed to significant radiation, will be kept there until the plant is decommissioned. The license expires in 2016, but Florida Power will seek a 20-year extension from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Concern over reactor lids stems in large part from a problem discovered early last spring at the Davis-Besse plant near Toledo. In what has been called the nation's closest brush with a major nuclear accident since Three Mile Island in 1979, corrosive coolant ate a large hole (70 pounds in all) in the Davis-Besse lid. The coolant -- boron mixed with water -- was able to seep through cracked nozzles that penetrate the lid and allow control rods to move up and down and manipulate the nuclear reaction. Had it not been for a thin layer of stainless steel, the corrosive material could have eaten straight through the steel. In that case, thousands of gallons of radioactive water would have spewed into the containment building, raising the risks of the core overheating, a meltdown and release of radiation. Backup systems could be activated to pump more water into the reactor than was being allowed to escape, keeping the nuclear fuel safe until the reactor could be shut down. But some industry watchdogs calling for more attention to the problem, including Union of Concerned Scientists, caution that those emergency systems or other plant equipment could be disrupted or damaged. The discovery of the hole prompted the NRC to order the operators of 68 other pressurized-water reactors to report any signs of corrosion. The NRC was previously aware problems could occur -- there had been less severe problems at plants in South Carolina and Arkansas -- and issued an advisory concerning cracking in August 2001. In October of that year, Florida Power conducted an inspection during a planned maintenance outage. Workers discovered and repaired a circular crack around one of the 69 control rod nozzles, which allowed an unknown amount of coolant to leak from the vessel. Plant officials said they found no other cracking or damage to the head. But in a report to the NRC after the Davis-Besse incident, Florida Power said it planned to replace the reactor lid in October 2003. "The head was on order before Davis-Besse even occurred," Harris said. Economics are driving the decision, officials said. The existing head design is prone to degradation and could cause problems. Also, the type of detailed inspections needed for nozzle cracking are expensive and time consuming. "If you had a tire and you had to patch it and then you had to patch it again, there comes a time when it might be best to get a new tire," Harris said at the time. So far, 25 nuclear plants have decided to replace their lids, according to the Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry lobbying group. "I think you will see over time, more and more utilities doing that, especially those seeking license renewal," said Alex Marion, NEI's director of engineering. He cautioned against drawing a conclusion that these other plants were in as much danger as Davis-Besse, owned by FirstEnergy Corp. "The kind of corrosion that was found at Davis-Besse has not been found at any other plant, and all the plants have looked." Lids cost about $5-million but engineering, shipping and other expenses put the total at roughly $25-million, according to the NEI. Florida Power would not disclose its cost. The raw carbon steel form was forged in Japan and then shipped to a French company, Framatome, where engineers have done more detailed work, such as boring holes the control rods will penetrate and applying stainless steel cladding to the inner surface. Harris said an improved metal alloy is being used in the lid to avoid problems plaguing older designs. It is scheduled to arrive in Crystal River by early September. Then workers will perform final assembly and top the lid with a "service structure" that houses the control rod mechanisms. The service structure is being built in Virginia. When fitted together, the equipment will be 35 feet high, 16 feet wide and weigh 150 tons. Unlike some plants that will have to cut away concrete to install the reactor head, Florida Power's plant has a large enough equipment hatch on the side of the building. The assembly building, which eventually will be torn down, is not vital, as the work could be done in the reactor building, Harris said. But it will allow the work to begin before refueling, avoiding a lengthier shutdown and minimizing workers' exposure to radiation. -- Alex Leary can be reached at 564-3623 or leary@sptimes.com. ; Copyright St. Petersburg Times.All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 28 Sweden clears reactor for controversial fuel Planet Ark : SWEDEN: December 23, 2002 STOCKHOLM - Sweden said last week that an atomic power plant could use a controversial nuclear fuel known as MOX, which critics fear could be used to build weapons. Environmental activists condemned the decision and vowed to protest. "This is truly a shameful decision," Dima Litvinov, head of the anti-nuclear campaign of the environmental group Greenpeace in Sweden, told Reuters. After a four-year political struggle, the Swedish government decided it would give the Oskarshamn nuclear power plant limited permission to use MOX - mixed uranium and plutonium oxide fuel. About 850 kilos (1,870 pounds) of plutonium in the MOX fuel was used by the Oskarshamn plant between 1975 and 1982 and then reprocessed in Britain. The government said by allowing Oskarshamn to import the reprocessed fuel, Sweden was taking responsibility for handling atomic waste that it had generated. But Greenpeace, which with other groups recently hampered shipping of MOX from Japan to England, said it was extremely dangerous to transport the material to Sweden. Some critics fear the potentially weapons-grade MOX could be seized on the high seas by terrorists. "We don't usually reveal details of action, but certainly we will not let this go on," Litvinov said. "I expect strong protests from Greenpeace and also from others." In September, anti-nuclear campaigners including Greenpeace confronted two ships carrying MOX to Sellafield, a nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in England, from Japan. REUTERS ***************************************************************** 29 Taiwan: New law allows for early shutdown of nuclear reactors Taipei Times - archives By Crystal Hsu STAFF REPORTER Saturday, Dec 21, 2002,Page 4 The country's nuclear reactors may stop operating before their life spans expire after the legislature yesterday passed a law that allows authorities to do so legally. The newly adopted nuclear reactor regulations stipulate all nuclear reactors may operate for a maximum of 40 years and may be stopped, upon approval, from generating electricity ahead of their set retirement. Currently, only executive orders are available to deal with nuclear power plants whose existence is divided into three stages -- construction, operation and decommission. Under the new regulations, a nuclear power plant may be put out of service if authorities find it desirable and practical to do so. There are three nuclear power plants in Taiwan with construction of a fourth plant partially completed. The legislation is intended to ensure nuclear power safety. To that end, it says, nuclear reactors should be built in sparsely populated areas, with proper distances from residential areas. Plans to establish schools, factories, hospitals, prisons and nursing institutions in such areas must obtain approval from local governments as well as regulatory agencies. The law also requires that the design, construction and operation of all nuclear reactors to be on a par with terms laid out by authorities. Once put into operation, all nuclear reactors must go through a comprehensive safety examination every 10 years. Violators will be handed stiff penalties, the law says. Those caught in breach of the rules may be fined up to NT$15 million or put in prison for three years. Technicians found neglecting their duties while monitoring nuclear reactors may have their license revoked or suspended for up to 19 months, depending on the severity of the charge. Listed as the fifth item on the legislative agenda, the law passed through the legislature without sparking any disputes. This story has been viewed 126 times. Copyright © 1999-2002 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved. ***************************************************************** 30 Terminals install radiation-detection equipment (Pilot Online/HamptonRoads.com) The Virginian-Pilot © December 21, 2002 ``You get a reading on fertilizer,'' said Officer Mike Reynolds, of the port's police force, as he watched trucks carry cargo containers Friday through the portal system of two tall panels that scan for radiation. ``Ground glass and ceramics, you get a high reading.'' Even a truck driver who has taken a stress test or thyroid medication can trigger the system's alert. But the portal system at Norfolk International Terminals -- up and running for about a month -- is one of the best-working and most-effective systems that the Virginia Port Authority has in place to protect against terrorism, according to the authority's security chief. The system aims to detect a nuclear bomb or ``dirty'' bomb -- radioactive materials packed with explosives -- hidden inside a shipping container. ``This thing is fantastic,'' Robert R. Merhige III, deputy executive director of the Virginia Port Authority and head of its security program, said Friday during a presentation. ... Read more in The Virginian-Pilot or at PilotOnline.com ThinkIn--> NORFOLK -- If an alarm sounds on new radiation detection equipment at the port of Hampton Roads, it's as likely to signal a container full of smoke detectors or porcelain toilets as it is a nuclear or radioactive bomb. ``You get a reading on fertilizer,'' said Officer Mike Reynolds, of the port's police force, as he watched trucks carry cargo containers Friday through the portal system of two tall panels that scan for radiation. ``Ground glass and ceramics, you get a high reading.'' Even a truck driver who has taken a stress test or thyroid medication can trigger the system's alert. But the portal system at Norfolk International Terminals -- up and running for about a month -- is one of the best-working and most-effective systems that the Virginia Port Authority has in place to protect against terrorism, according to the authority's security chief. The system aims to detect a nuclear bomb or ``dirty'' bomb -- radioactive materials packed with explosives -- hidden inside a shipping container. ``This thing is fantastic,'' Robert R. Merhige III, deputy executive director of the Virginia Port Authority and head of its security program, said Friday during a presentation. Merhige said he believes Hampton Roads is the first U.S. port to use a portal system to detect radioactive materials. The U.S. Customs Service plans to put the equipment in other ports and has a portal system in place at a bridge connecting Detroit and Canada, Merhige said. Other ports have inquired about the system, said John Cox, chief executive officer of Exploranium G.S. Ltd., the Ontario, Canada, company that built the system operating at the Norfolk terminal. The U.S. Customs Service has told the company it plans to order the equipment for all U.S. ports when it works out its budget, he said. A Customs spokesman said the agency continues to look at the technology available for port security, but he declined to discuss plans for specific equipment and the locations where it would go. Between 4,000 and 5,000 trucks carry shipping containers out of the Norfolk terminal each week. They drive through two panels flanking the lane that leads through the main gate onto Hampton Boulevard. The panels scan the container, and an alarm sounds when it detects a specific level of radiation. Plenty of cargo emits radiation. The alarm goes off two or three times a week, Merhige said. At that point, the truck driver pulls aside, and a port police officer uses a handheld device to determine the type of radioactive material. Americium-241, used in smoke detectors, shows up sometimes. Potassium-40 naturally occurs in some plants and humans. Cobalt-60 is common in medical treatments such as radiation therapy, said Lawrence Weinstein, an Old Dominion University physics professor, who has discussed the technology with Merhige and came to the terminal Friday to see it work. ``It should do its job,'' Weinstein said of the technology. ``From what I've heard, it should be able to detect anything that's radioactive enough for us to worry about.'' Each portal costs about $125,000, including installation. In about six weeks, the port authority plans to install another system at Newport News Marine Terminal. Merhige said he aims to have three machines at Norfolk International Terminals, two at Portsmouth Marine Terminal and one in Newport News within 90 days. Eventually the authority would like to have radiation detection at all inbound gates as well as outbound. The port authority is paying for the equipment with about $1 million of a $5.3 million grant approved this summer from the U.S. Department of Transportation. That first portion of the funding also covered the initial cost of radiation-detection sensors on the cranes that move containers on and off cargo ships. The crane technology scans containers as soon as they come into the terminal. With the portal system, a container might sit on the terminal yard for several days before it undergoes a bomb check. But the crane sensors continue to undergo extensive testing and evaluation at numerous federal laboratories, Merhige said, and need further fine-tuning to work well. ``That technology, it has not reached where it needs to be yet,'' he said, adding of the portal system, ``This technology is tried and true.'' Exploranium began selling its radiation detection equipment about 20 years ago to steel manufacturers in the United States. Steel plants use it to test for radiation in scrap metal, particularly pieces of former nuclear reactors that had been melted and sold, posing a potential danger to workers. The Virginia Port Authority decided against waiting for the federal government to make decisions about the best security measures and instead moved forward with its own trial of the portal system, Merhige said. The local port will work with Customs and other ports to develop standards for operating the system and responding to a threat. Officer Reynolds doesn't mind dealing with the system's readings of harmless materials. He compared the process of stopping a terrorist's bomb to the lottery. ``If I can get what these guys are trying to send over here, I've hit the mega-millions of law enforcement,'' Reynolds said. ``This isn't something here that's just to make people feel good. This is a tool.'' Reach Carolyn Shapiro at 446-2270 or cashapir@pilotonline.com Copyright 1993-2002, HamptonRoads.com/ PilotOnline.com | ***************************************************************** 31 *Beryllium victims sick at heart* http://www.toledoblade.com published Friday, December 20, 2002 * Courts have sided with Brush Wellman in worker lawsuits* (THE BLADE) Gary Renwand, Sr., left, uses an oxygen tank 24 hours a day because of his long exposure to beryllium dust at Brush Wellman?s Elmore plant. Gary, Jr., also has the disease. By KELLY LECKER BLADE STAFF WRITER ELMORE - Gary Renwand, Jr., watches his father steal breaths from a portable oxygen machine he takes everywhere he goes. He sees him go in and out of the hospital, battling heart and lung problems stemming from a disease he got from 35 years of working around beryllium dust at Brush Wellman?s plant in Elmore. The younger Renwand has beryllium disease, too. He gets short of breath when it?s humid, but so far he?s feeling OK. He worked for Brush Wellman more than 20 years. "I see my father and what he?s going through every day. Is that going to be me someday?" he asked. Mr. Renwand wants Brush Wellman to pay for putting him and others at risk for developing a potentially deadly disease, and for the fear he faces now. He maintained that the company not only knew about the risks, but ignored them while putting production ahead of safety. The courts haven?t seen it that way. The 8th District Court of Appeals in Cleveland recently agreed with Cuyahoga Common Pleas Judge Harry Hanna that Brush should not be made to pay for Mr. Renwand?s illness. The panel ruled that Brush told workers about beryllium disease, tried to protect them, and kept them informed about the disease and how many people had it. The ruling was a big blow to this defendant, but it could also have major consequences for other Ohio victims who sued Brush Wellman. Louise Roselle, a Cincinnati attorney who represents Mr. Renwand and about 20 other beryllium victims, said the ruling will apply to many of the other cases. Some other victims said they worried about the effect the ruling would have on their cases, and one said he got a letter from his attorney, who also sounded discouraged. Mr. Renwand was devastated. "Whether I won a million dollars or 10 dollars, I just wanted the truth to come out," he said. "I just hope somebody else takes up the fight. I carried it as far as I could carry it, fought as much as I could. But they have me over a barrel now." Mr. Renwand said he plans to appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court. He stayed on with Brush after he was diagnosed and was working outside the plant in a program for beryllium victims. The company ordered those people back to the plant, citing financial reasons. Mr. Renwand decided this week to take a one-year buyout instead. He also faces another major decision: If the case is not dismissed by the end of next year, Mr. Renwand will lose any chance at $150,000 plus medical expenses that the federal government is offering to workers who got beryllium disease. If he dismisses the case now, he might still be eligible, according to the director of the Department of Labor program. "That?s probably what I?m going to come down to taking," Mr. Renwand said. Brush Wellman has 41 pending cases involving beryllium health and safety, compared to 76 at the end of last year. Only one new case was filed this year. The company said it hopes to work toward resolving the caseload. "We believe the precedent has been set to allow us to put the cases behind us," Brush spokesman Patrick Carpenter said. "Brush did not do the things that were alleged by the plaintiffs." Mr. Renwand filed suit against Brush Nov. 24, 1999, just over a month after he was diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease. His father was diagnosed in 1993. Beryllium disease is an incurable, sometimes fatal lung illness that can result from inhaling beryllium dust. Beryllium is a lightweight metal that is used in the automotive, electronics, and defense industries. In 1999, The Blade published a six-part series documenting a 50-year pattern of misconduct by the federal government and the beryllium industry, including Brush-Wellman - wrongdoing that caused injuries and deaths of dozens of workers. Among the findings: Government and industry officials knowingly allowed workers to be exposed to unsafe levels of beryllium dust. The younger Renwand argued that the company intentionally exposed him to harmful working conditions, knowing he would get beryllium disease. The appeals court said it was "undisputed" that Brush Wellman did not consistently keep beryllium dust under the level recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Still, the judges said Brush gave employees information about chronic beryllium disease. The ruling also stated that Brush tested the air, shared the results with employees, and kept workers updated on how many workers had the disease. The ruling repeatedly stated that Brush took reasonable measures to protect employees from the illness, so the judges could not say the company intentionally harmed Mr. Renwand. The court called the disease "a fact of life of industrial employment and a known risk which later blossomed into reality." Mr. Renwand said the lawsuit should have gone to a jury. Brush was granted summary judgment, meaning the case was decided by a Common Pleas judge. "I don?t think one person or even a three-judge panel should decide the fate of all these people," he said. "They didn?t hear everything. They just hear from Brush Wellman attorneys what Brush Wellman told them: That everything?s OK out there." Mr. Carpenter of Brush said he couldn?t comment on a specific case, but did say "judges and juries in several different states have consistently ruled for Brush Wellman." Mr. Renwand and other workers have contended that Brush misled workers about the disease. Company records showed that the elder Mr. Renwand was repeatedly exposed to levels of beryllium five times the federal limit. A settlement conference is scheduled for today between Brush and some of the people who sued the company. Some of the plaintiffs said they still planned to go on with their cases. "I?m not going to drop my case. I?m not going to drop it at all," said Dave Norgard of Manitou Beach, Mich., who sued Brush after he developed beryllium disease. "I think that the ruling is going to hurt me. There was a time when it would surprise me, but not anymore." That?s because Brush Wellman has consistently had rulings in its favor in cases where workers or contractors have gotten beryllium disease and sued, arguing that the company was responsible. The most recent case was in November, when a California jury ruled for the company and said that Brush did not disregard the safety of its employees. Other rulings in Colorado and Arizona have been in Brush?s favor too. In a statement released this week, John J. Pallam, vice president, general counsel, said, "It?s very gratifying to have the courts recognize the work we?ve done in vigorously trying to protect our employees and the workers of our customers - everything from the advisories we distribute, to the product warning labels, to the independent research we fund." Peter Turcic, director of the program for the U.S. Department of Labor, said victims whose cases are pending could still be eligible for the money if they dismiss their cases by dates outlined in the program. If they pursue their cases, the aid will be lost. The rules are complicated, but if a victim loses a case, then dismisses it by the set date, he might still be eligible. Mr. Turcic urged beryllium victims to consult their attorney to find out for sure. So far, there have been 333 claims for aid involving 292 workers from four Brush Wellman plants. The program gives money to sick workers or their survivors. Of the cases that have been finalized, 14 of 200 were denied. Nearly $20 million was paid out. In Ohio, nearly $59 million has been paid in 503 cases. More than 2,300 have applied for the aid, which is meant for Cold War-era nuclear workers who were exposed to radiation, silica, or beryllium. Nationwide, the program has had 37,000 applicants. ©2002 The Blade. Privacy Statement . By using this service, The Toledo Blade Company, 541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660, (419) 724-6000 ***************************************************************** 32 UK nuclear rescue to repeal poison pill law-sources* Subscribe to daily environment news UK: December 23, 2002 *LONDON - Rescue legislation for nuclear power firm British Energy will repeal part of a 1989 privatisation law that was designed to block renationalisation by future governments, political sources said.* The moves shows the British government takes seriously the possibility that the stricken privatised power producer's creditors may reject the refinancing package it has put together. Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has already said the state would have to take back under its full control the producer of a fifth of the UK's electricity if bondholders, bank lenders and business creditors reject the plan. British Energy appealed to the government for help in September after power prices fell below its cost of production in the newly deregulated UK power market. It won a 650-million-pound ($1.04 billion) emergency loan, which under EU rules must be replaced by a permanent restructuring by March 9 next year. Creditors have yet to agree the revamp proposed by the state. THATCHER "POISON PILL" Britain's Electricity Act of 1989 was put together by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government in the heyday of state sell-offs. Section 74 of the act, written more than six years before British Energy was privatised and seven years before the current left-of-centre Labour government took power, says any new state investment target set by the government "must be lower than the one it replaces". The company is at present fully investor-owned, except for a government golden share that can be used to block takeovers. Political sources say the clause was designed as a "poison pill" against future governments that might try to renationalise the industry. A spokeswoman for the Department of Trade and Industry confirmed that the draft law to rescue the company was ready for approval by senior ministers, but would not comment on its contents. The restructuring plan hammered out by the government and the firm requires bondholders to accept about 30 pence in the pound of their original investment, in exchange for a majority stake in the company. It leaves other creditors similarly out of pocket, and existing shareholders sitting on near worthless stock and unlikely to see a dividend for years to come. For its part, the government has taken on nuclear plant decommissioning liabilities and forced the state-run nuclear fuel firm BNFL to accept a lower priced reprocessing contract from British Energy, at a cost to the taxpayer of 150-200 million pounds a year. The fiasco has fuelled controversy over the viability of the nuclear industry and added a new name to the list of UK post-privatisation controversies. A row over high executive pay at privatised British Gas in the mid-1990s and the collapse of Britain's privatised rail network operator Railtrack into administration last year have kept the issue of private sector involvement in public utilities in the headlines. Story by Andrew Callus REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 33 Las Vegas SUN: Judge gives Energy Department limited water for Yucca Mountain ----------------------------------------------------------------- Las Vegas SUN ----------------------------------------------------------------- December 20, 2002 Judge gives Energy Department limited water for Yucca Mountain ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A federal judge said the federal government can use water for toilets and showers at the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump site, but can't have enough to begin building the repository. U.S. District Judge Roger Hunt signed an order Thursday letting the Energy Department refill four storage tanks holding 290,000 gallons of drinking water at the site, said Allen Benson, Office of Repository Development spokesman in Las Vegas. A hearing that had been set for Monday on the issue was canceled. Hunt had been set to hear the federal government's effort to force Nevada to let it draw water from wells in Nye County near Yucca Mountain. Justice Department attorneys had claimed the site's drinking water supply was running low. Marta Adams, senior deputy Nevada attorney general, said she has asked Hunt to delay making a permanent decision on Yucca Mountain water until the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decides several lawsuits the state has filed against the project itself. Congress in July approved burying 77,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel beneath the Yucca Mountain. In 2000, the state engineer denied the Energy Department's request for permanent water rights, saying it was not in the state's interest to let the government entomb the nation's radioactive waste in the Nevada desert. This year, state Engineer Hugh Ricci denied the Energy Department's request to pump 140 million gallons of water. However, the DOE was able to begin drawing on more than 1 million gallons of nonpotable water it had stored in tanks at the site. Benson said the Energy Department has about 750,000 gallons of nonpotable water left at the site. Information from: Las Vegas Review-Journal -- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Las Vegas SUN main page ----------------------------------------------------------------- Questions or problems? Click here. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 34 AU: Tough line on nuclear waste dump - smh.com.au By Aban Contractor December 23 2002 The Federal Government will use its constitutional powers to override the objections of state governments to the transport and storage of hazardous radioactive nuclear waste, including trucks travelling through Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Senior government officials have told a Senate hearing that a new national storage site for highly radioactive nuclear waste would need to be near a population centre big enough to supply services and guards. The officials, from the Federal Department of Education, Science and Training, said there would be no consultation with the states until after shortlisted sites were announced in 2003. No state or territory has been ruled out as the site for the planned swimming pool-sized concrete bunker, which would contain more than 550 cubic metres of nuclear waste. Private contractors would be licensed to transport the waste, a process which the department said was done routinely every day and had an excellent safety record. At the same time, the Government is spending $300,000 to try to persuade South Australians to accept a separate, low-level, radioactive waste deposit near Woomera. If it is successful, about 170 truckloads of waste - 130 of them from Lucas Heights - would be taken by road to South Australia from southern Sydney - travelling through Katoomba, Bathurst, Orange, Dubbo, Cobar, Wilcannia and Broken Hill. But the proposed dump for higher level waste - tagged "intermediate waste" by the Government - would need to be closer to a community with a "reasonable population", the Senate was told. In answer to a question by Labor's science and research spokesman, Kim Carr, in the Senate's Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Committee last week, departmental officials said the Government was assessing all Commonwealth land holdings. "Section 109 of the Constitution provides that, if a valid Commonwealth law is inconsistent with a law of a state parliament, the Commonwealth law operates and the state law is invalid to the extent of the inconsistency," the Senate committee was told. "With respect to the management of radioactive waste, the Commonwealth would rely on the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 which provides for the establishment and regulation of Commonwealth radioactive waste management facilities." Steve Irwin, the department's branch manager, science and technology, said the planned storage building, "akin to a concrete bunker", would be built on a Commonwealth-owned site of a couple of hectares. "The need for appropriate security arrangements - guarding, etcetera - may dictate that it be reasonably close to some centre that the facility can be serviced from," he said. "We would not anticipate having it in a city, but you would need to have it close to some centre if there is the necessity of employment of people to guard the facility. "There would need to be consideration given to the transport arrangements ... at this stage, I am assuming we would not have a requirement for a secure route where public access was barred." The total waste is now 550 cubic metres and is increasing at about 20 cubic metres a year. The bunker was expected to be operational within two years. Yesterday, a spokeswoman for the Science Minister, Peter McGauran, said all states and territories were being considered as potential sites and a decision would be made "some time in 2003". Copyright © 2002. The Sydney Morning Herald. ***************************************************************** 35 Nevada vows to keep up fight against nuclear dump Las Vegas SUN: December 20, 2002 By KEN RITTER ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS (AP) - A new report by Nevada's Nuclear Projects Commission concludes that no amount of federal compensation could resolve safety concerns at the planned Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, and urges officials to keep fighting on behalf of the cash-strapped state. "State leaders should not even consider throwing in the towel," Brian McKay, commission chairman, said in a report submitted to Gov. Kenny Guinn and the state Legislature. McKay dismisses calls for the state to end its fight and begin bargaining for federal perks, saying, "the only acceptable and responsible course of action is to stay the course and avoid even the appearance of receptivity to any negotiations with regard to Yucca Mountain." An Energy Department official in Las Vegas insisted Friday that the site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas is being designed to safely contain the nation's most radioactive material for centuries to come. "Safety is our primary concern, and we will comply with all procedures and standards established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency," said Allen Benson, spokesman for the Office of Repository Development. Guinn was wrestling this week with a plan to raise business and other taxes to close a growing two-year budget deficit he projects at $370 million. Nevada's current general fund budget is $1.8 billion. Yet aides said the Republican governor is committed to funding the continuing legal fight against the nuclear dump that he vetoed and state lawmakers oppose. "People in Nevada are overwhelmingly against this project and believe that Nevada should continue the fight," Guinn spokesman Greg Bortolin said. "The playing field is level now that we are in court. We feel that we have more than a fighting chance." Congress approved the site in July after it was recommended by President Bush and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. The state has five cases pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia against the Energy Department's site selection criteria, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing regulations and Environmental Protection Agency safety standards. Oral arguments on the cases are scheduled for September 2003. The state also is fighting in federal court in Las Vegas against a federal effort to force it to provide water for the project. The cases are being handled by the state attorney general's office and a lawyer who specializes in nuclear issues, Joe Egan, of McLean, Va. Bob Loux, state Nuclear Projects director, said his office ended the current year with $3 million to spend and would seek $3 million to $5 million more next year - mostly for the legal fight. In 2002, the state Legislature allocated $7 million to fight Yucca Mountain, and a call from the governor for donations raised $1.9 million more. The commission's 39-page report casts the state as the victim of a stacked deck in a 20-year campaign by well-funded nuclear power advocates, special interests and the federal government to select the only site the Energy Department was considering. It argues that the Energy Department failed to address the dangers of transporting nuclear waste across the nation, did not consider alternates such as storing spent fuel at nuclear plants and ignored data about earthquakes, water seepage and waste canister corrosion. The Energy Department plans to apply in 2004 for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, and hopes to begin in 2010 to entomb 77,000 tons of commercial, industrial and military waste. The site is expected to remain radioactive for tens of thousands of years. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 36 AU: PM gets tough on nuclear waste - theage.com.au Monday 23 December 2002, 06:05AM The federal government will reportedly use constitutional powers to override any state government objections to the transportation and storage of radioactive nuclear waste. Reports in The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald said senior officials from the federal Department of Education, Science and Training had told a Senate hearing that states would not be consulted until short-listed dump sites were announced next year. Officials from the department's science group said the government was assessing all Commonwealth land holdings for a likely site. Section 109 of the constitution provides that if a valid Commonwealth law is inconsistent with a law of a state parliament, the Commonwealth law operates and the state law is invalid to the extent of the inconsistency, according to the department. "With respect to the management of radioactive waste, the Commonwealth would rely on the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act, 1998, which provides for the establishment and regulation of Commonwealth radioactive waste management facilities," the department reportedly said. The Senate hearing was also told the national storage site for highly radioactive nuclear waste would need to be near a population centre because of the staff needed to guard it. The department's branch manager for science and technology, Steve Irwin, reportedly said a storage building "akin to a concrete bunker" would be built on a Commonwealth-owned site. "We would not anticipate having it in a city, but you would need to have it close to some centre if there is the necessity of employment of people to guard the facility," he said told the Sydney Morning Herald. ©2002 AAP Copyright © 2002 The Age Company Ltd ***************************************************************** 37 Radioactive waste shipments resume The Paducah Sun Paducah, Kentucky Saturday, December 21, 2002 Shipments had been halted over concerns that soil sent to the site could have been classified as hazardous waste. DOE test results showed it was not. By Joe Walker jwalker@paducahsun.com--270.575.8650 Bechtel Jacobs photo Ready to go: Bechtel Jacobs’ Sam Leone verifies documentation on drums before they are sent from the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant to the Nevada Test Site. The drums hold smaller containers, resembling milk cans, that have traces of ash residue from furnace work decades ago in making uranium hexafluoride. After a five-month regulatory snag, the Department of Energy has resumed shipping tons of low-level radioactive waste from the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant for disposal in the desert Southwest. The Nevada Test Site received about 107 tons of contaminated aluminum ingots from the plant Thursday. About 28 more tons of empty contaminated ash containers were due after leaving the plant Monday by tractor-trailer. The containers, resembling milk cans, are stored in larger protective drums. Stored for decades inside the 750-acre fenced area of the plant, the materials were discarded from the Cold War era. The ingots, or blocks, were left over from smelting to recycle metal. The milk can-like drums have residue from furnace work in an area called the feed plant. There men combined uranium tetrafluoride, or green salt, with fluorine to create uranium hexafluoride. That product then was fed through the piping system during the enrichment process. The feed plant is identified in DOE reports as perhaps the plant's most dangerous work area, because some of the uranium was recycled from nuclear reactors and contained traces of highly radioactive plutonium and neptunium. "The important thing about this is, we're resuming shipping and particularly to the Nevada Test Site," said Don Seaborg, Paducah DOE site manager. "It allows us to ship low-level radioactive waste. We didn't have a disposal path for it except for the test site." DOE had not shipped anything to Nevada since July, when a review of past plant uses of the now-banned cleaning solvent trichlorethylene determined that soil already shipped to the site should have been classified as hazardous waste. Although the test site disposes of low-level radioactive waste, it does not accept waste that is hazardous by regulatory definition. The problem stemmed from 114 boxes of repackaged soil shipped to Nevada in the fall of 2001 after having been dug up at the plant and stored in containers since 1991. Although there was no evidence the soil contained TCE, it came under greater scrutiny because of the plant's history of using TCE, a major groundwater contaminant, and the criteria used to determine if plant waste is hazardous. "We determined we may have had TCE in more places than we realized, meaning that soil already disposed of in Nevada should have been considered (hazardous) waste," said Greg Cook, spokesman for Bechtel Jacobs, DOE's lead environmental contractor. Shipments have resumed after a determination came from the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet, based on a review of DOE test results, that the soil was not hazardous, he said. Since Oct. 1, the plant has shipped nearly 300 tons of waste, most from past practices and the rest generated from cleanup work, such as digging contaminated soil from a cleaning building where TCE was extensively used. Seaborg said the shipments "are a small part" of the vast amount of waste still there, including about 54,000 tons of scrap metal. The scrap, particularly nickel, has been targeted by the Paducah Area Community Reuse Organization for a job-creating recycling plant if DOE lifts a ban on recycling contaminated metal for commercial use. The aluminum ingots are not allowed to be recycled because they have contents classified from work during the Cold War, Cook said. ***************************************************************** 38 Shhhh -- Bills Drafted in Secret The Salt Lake Tribune -- December 22, 2002 BY REBECCA WALSH THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Last fall, many state lawmakers lined up righteously indignant behind opponents of Initiative 1. They complained the language of the proposal -- which would have outlawed dumping some kinds of nuclear waste in Utah and raised taxes on others -- was too wordy and confusing. Worse, it was written in secret. Now, just two months later, some of the same legislators are having state attorneys draft proposed legislation in private. But there is no way to tell how many of the initiative opponents on Capitol Hill are doing it. The attorneys can't identify the sponsors, divulge a title or even hint at the subject of the bill. They say to do so would violate state law. Until all bills are numbered -- the deadline is Jan. 30 -- at least 288 draft bills will remain a mystery. That is nearly half of the 693 proposals being drafted for the 2003 General Session. Last year, 326 of 929 bills were drafted in secret. Lawmakers insist they need the option of confidentiality. Filing "protected" bills allows staffers to research prickly topics so legislators can decide if they want to pursue a proposal without being deluged by phone calls from angry constituents and lobbyists. "Oftentimes, I'm exploring the options of the bill," says Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem, who has filed eight protected bills and six open files for the 2003 session. "The only way I can get the research done is to open a bill file. But some of those bill files have the tendency, just by their title, to be controversial. You don't want to start the controversy if you aren't going to sponsor the bill." "Protected status" usually is reserved for touchy subjects, such as abortion, taxes and school vouchers. Some lawmakers file secret bill requests routinely -- former Rep. Mont Evans, now Riverton mayor, was known for filing all his bill requests in secret. The attorney who drafted Initiative 1 is particularly irritated by what she considers lawmakers' hypocrisy. Before leaving state government, Lisa Watts Baskin was one of the legislative attorneys writing legislation in secret. "It sort of turns a representative government on its head," she says. "I always found it really weird. I was doing work for someone who had been elected in a public election and I was drafting legislation in secret. I thought it was very wrong and still do. If you don't have the guts to say, 'I'm drafting this bill,' then why are you elected?" Other government watchdogs are worried about the practice. "We'd always like to have everything out in the open," says Claire Geddes, director of Utah Legislative Watch. "It's much easier for the public to be involved. There have been times when the public has tried to get more information, but the process has been used to keep something from the public. That's totally inappropriate." She points to Kamas GOP Rep. David Ure's so-called "Questar Bill," which emerged during the last two weeks of the 2000 session and eliminated the Utah Committee of Consumer Services. Public outcry forced lawmakers to repeal the measure the next year. Four years ago, Rep. Michael Styler, R-Delta, sponsored a proposed constitutional amendment, initially drafted in secret, that required a super-majority of voters to approve any changes to wildlife hunting policies. Utah voters eventually signed off on the measure. And in 1995, then-Senate President Lane Beattie, a Republican from Bountiful, kept under wraps until the final hectic hours of the session a bill that repealed minimum-mandatory sentences for child molesters. Lawmakers eventually worked out a compromise version of the change after a full year of public hearings. "Once they've decided they're going to go forward with a bill, it should go out to the public," says Cassie Dippo, state issues coordinator for Utah Common Cause. "It doesn't make for a good political process when there isn't a lot of thought from the legislator or the people. If a legislator has a draft they know they're going to go with, there's no point in keeping it secret." Some rules about secret legislation were changed in response to Beattie's bill. Bills become public once they are numbered and must go through a committee hearing in which public comment is invited. But there are ways around those rules. Some lawmakers are allowed to open essentially empty bills, so-called "boxcars," assign numbers and titles to them and then fill the bill with legislation in the waning hours of a session. Despite that problematic history, current and former lawmakers still defend the practice. Former Provo GOP Rep. Byron Harward, an 11-year veteran of Utah's Legislature, says secret bill files are not like City Council executive sessions or even closed-door party caucuses, where the public can be kept in the dark indefinitely. Eventually, secret bills see the light. Harward's one secret bill dealt with lawsuits against tobacco companies. "The instant that sort of thing goes public, you can't believe the calls you get. You can't even think about the process because of the fear people have. They blow up," he says. "You never get a rational discussion. "I don't think every rumination by a legislator ought to immediately engender the assumption that you are doing something. But as soon as you ask for research on a topic, all of the sudden, it's a proposal. If you're not going to propose it, why get people upset to begin with?" Even proponents of open government say filing protected bills sometimes is necessary. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep things in secret. It's always better to get the most public input possible," says Patrice Arent, a member of House leadership and a Democrat from Cottonwood Heights. "But there are times when bill titles mislead people. And sometimes you find out every state in the nation did it a different way, and the way you proposed it made absolutely no sense. You want to know that before you sponsor a bill." Copyright 2002, The Salt Lake Tribune. ***************************************************************** 39 Germany approves second on-site nuke waste storage* GERMANY: December 23, 2002 *FRANKFURT - Germany's authority for protection from radiation (BfS) has permitted operators of the Grohnde nuclear plant to build an on-site interim storage for nuclear waste, the environment ministry said.* The approval is the second for one of 12 such sites which will hold German nuclear waste for up to 40 years prior to it going into a final repository. Under a nuclear consensus deal between the government and power industry signed in 2000, utilities aim to build the sites to avoid the unpopular transport of atomic waste. "BfS today gave operators (utility E.ON (EONG.DE) and GKW) of the (northern German 1,430 megawatt) Grohnde nuclear plant the go-ahead for an interim waste site," the Berlin ministry said in a press release. "Decentralised sites will drastically reduce the number to waste transports and make intra-German transports entirely unnecessary in the foreseeable future," it said. BfS said its officials had taken latest safety considerations after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S. into account before approving the site's construction. A permanent storage for German nuclear waste has yet to be chosen for use after the country shuts all its nuclear plants by the early 2020s. While central storage sites at Gorleben and Ahaus could hold all of the nuclear waste until final decommissioning of the total 19 plants, on-site storage avoids rising costs to guard transports against anti-nuclear demonstrators. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ***************************************************************** 40 AU: Labor calls for nuclear dump talks 16:12 AEST Mon 23 Dec 2002 The federal government should consult the states about the site for a new nuclear waste dump, Labor said. Opposition science spokesman Kim Carr said the selection process for the new storage facility site for intermediate level radioactive nuclear waste should be open and transparent. Officials told a Senate committee hearing last week the government hoped to have a short list of sites drawn up by March next year, with the dump to be up and running within two years. The dump would be built on Commonwealth land, with the Commonwealth able to override any state bids to block the facility by using the constitutional power giving federal law precedence over state laws, the committee heard. Senator Carr said the states would not even be consulted before the government announced its preferred sites for the plant, which will hold about 550 cubic metres of nuclear waste. -->He said it was a concern the government would consider using its constitutional powers to override the states when better consultation would make it unnecessary. "We are calling on the government to make it an open process, and announce the preferred sites as soon as possible," Senator Carr said. "The announcement has already been delayed from 2002 to 2003 ... it is going to take longer to choose the site than it is to build it." The new dump, which is in addition to another low level plant planned for South Australia, will be used to hold some waste from the new Lucas Heights nuclear reactor in Sydney. Senator Carr said plans for the dump were critical to the government obtaining a licence to operate Lucas Heights, which was supposed to start operations in 2005. ©AAP 2002 1997-2002 ninemsn Pty Ltd - All rights reserved Terms of use - ***************************************************************** 41 A nuclear weapon directed at the earth Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 16:57:29 -0600 (CST) "A nuclear weapon directed at the earth" ---------------------------------------- Two options for the new atomic arsenal are under consideration. Both are based on the idea that a nuclear weapon directed at the earth would unleash powerful shock waves that, like an earthquake, would rip apart even solid rock, shredding their way toward the most deeply shielded enemy. [IMAGE]One choice is to upgrade an existing atomic bomb, such as the B61-11, the Pentagon's sole nuclear bunker buster. Developed quietly in the mid-1990s, the B61-11 was never viewed as a viable weapon because it performed poorly during earth- penetration trials. The Clinton Administration showed little interest in it and instead expressed support for international agreements that outlawed further development, testing, and deployment of nuclear arms. But the Bush White House has taken virtually the opposite stance: Its 2003 budget requested $45 million for a three-year feasibility study to explore the technical challenges of modifying a nuclear weapon into a useable bunker buster. At the time of this writing, the House had approved the funding, but the Senate rejected it. The matter will be hashed out in conference. A bomb of 5 kilotons or less that can be driven like a spear into the ground The other possible approach is more radical: to design an entirely new weapon called a mini-nuke, a bomb of 5 kilotons or less that can be driven like a spear into the ground. In some respects the mini-nuke is more desirable than a retrofitted larger weapon, proponents say, because they believe its low yield would release only a minuscule amount of radioactivity aboveground. While the idea has been around for several decades, the mini-nuke got a boost in the recently completed Nuclear Posture Review, the first Defense Department analysis of U.S. nuclear capabilities in 10 years. In it, the Pentagon said: "With a more effective earth penetrator, many buried targets could be attacked using a weapon with a much lower yield." The NPR's endorsement could be an important step toward convincing Congress to fund the design and development of the mini-nuke." The Bunker Nightmare Goes Nuclear at PopSci http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,351094-2,00.html http://206.14.217.126/cgi-bin/w3t/showthreaded.pl?Cat=1&Board=earth&Number=3809&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 3 months FREE*. ***************************************************************** 42 In the Shadow of the Bomb: Growing Up in the War Machine Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 12:19:01 -0600 (CST) In the Shadow of the Bomb: Growing Up in the War Machine You raised that same hand Which made the genocide. Are you blind to the blood Of the holocaust That circulates through your hand! Yoko Hamada Outcry from the Inferno Having been born in a military hospital in the United States, my childhood is one of intimate relationship with the weaponry of war. My earliest memories are filled with large ships, submarines, jets and missiles. My identity is integrally tied to tools of annihilation, and my destiny is inseparable from their use. The men who launch the bombs, who order the killing, who design the destruction, are not twisted demons, but friendly family. Those who feel the wrath of the military cannot see the intimate affection and concern that causes their murder. This is the enduring irony of warfare: for an empire to maintain its security, others must suffer and die. For all of the goodness and lofty ideals an empire professes, those beyond its borders must endure the opposite end of the sword. Throughout my life I have awestruck and horrified at the unspeakable immensity of the U.S. military machine. As a small boy, of course every machine seems immense and powerful, but how many Americans have walked around an aircraft carrier, lined with jet fighters? Stood next to a Trident submarine, filled with the most deadly weapons ever devised? How many of people who vote for, and pay for these weapons systems know the overwhelming and colossal forces they are unleashing on the world? Sadly, I must report, very few. As a child, I moved around the "Pacific Theater of Operations," from military base to military base, and everywhere I went I explored the nooks and crannies behind the machinery. These bases, and the weapons they harbor, are in constant flux, a never-ending deployment of policing and preparation. People have been given impressive titles and badges, and intimidating uniforms, and they have no choice but to keep busy arming themselves against an enemy. Think about it for a minute: every hour of every day, at thousands of bases across the globe, in tens of thousands of aircraft, ships and submarines, a civilization ofwarfare is moving, burning fuel, drinking coffee, polishing weapons, aiming themselves toward domination. It literally boggles the mind to calculate the amount of human resources that are being expended on this Orwellian enterprise, and the environmental and social consequences are beyond calculation. While attending grade-school in Japan, at the height of the Vietnam War, I was confronted with the ghosts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This nefarious event haunts the American culture, as surely as slavery and the JFK assassination. As a child, I could see the wickedness of empire and its effects on the psychology of a nation, both the perpetrator and abused. The deep trauma due to lack of admission and apology is like a cancer eating at the heart of our culture. A useful tool for those who find themselves so intimately involved with the machinery of war is to step back in history. Leap back a century or a millennium, and then analyze the activity around you. What would the Greek philosophers have to say, or the "Founding Fathers" of the United States? This is also a very effective tool for generating meaningful dialogue, and editorials such as this one. In the eyes of humankind, what constitutes a "Crime Against Humanity?" It is obvious that every military empire, from the Romans to the Nazis, did not believe their actions to be criminal, but deeply patriotic. They justified the slaughter and repression of their chosen "enemies" with their own cultural biases, and often ideals of beauty and truth. Is America any different? Where is our "liberty and justice for all," in the poverty-stricken outlands, the bomb-riddled landscapes, the victims of land-mines, the mourning villages? It is time to put the proper labels on U.S. military activity, in the grand perspective of history. Hiroshima was a holocaust. The deployment of weapons of annihilation is genocide. There is nothing noble about incinerating people wholesale, and history will judge us just as harshly as we do the Nazis. We are evolving as a society toward telling the truth, no matter how brutally difficult it may be. Privilege can only insulate us from consequences for a limited time, and this is the lesson history provides. My mind was deeply troubled as a child, trying to resolve such moral issues with what I witnessed around me. As the night exploded with warplanes taking off to deliver bombs to the jungles of Vietnam, I lay awake wondering how sane people could justify such slaughter, when it was obvious even to a child's mind that it was the rich and powerful imposing their will upon the underdeveloped and vulnerable. As an American, I had the advantage of seeing the shadows of the "National Security" state in my travels to Thailand and the Philippines, where curfews were imposed under strict military regimes and the people kept under control for the benefit of industrial expansion and American hegemony. Even at that early age I could see that this police state culture would eventually have to be imposed on the United States, regardless of our privilege and luxury. Needless to say, I had a very cynical worldview as a child, and I believe this attitude has slowly spread across the American landscape, with the growing influence of the military establishment and its demands on the lives of ordinary Americans. It is becoming obvious to the millions that this scheme of arming the world with intensely lethal weaponry is a scandal for which there is no precedent, and it is endangering all of us. America has moved from an idealistic, colonial movement to an oppressive empire of corporations, sweeping up the rest of the world in our smoggy wake. There is no corner of the globe is untouched by the industrial "growth" economy of the United States and the corporations which operate from our land. Increasingly, America has become the safe harbor for elitist organizations, organized criminals, and global monopolists. Our influence would leave the Roman emperors awestruck and envious. Yet while we allow these elitist groups to dominate and use our government and economy as a sword and shield, we maintain an illusion that we are acting for the benefit of all humanity, defending freedom and democracy, and generally are wonderful. This illusion is in the process of being shattered, but at great cost. Our sanity, our children's safety, and the world's health are now threatened by the denial of the consequences of our privilege, and the military force it requires. "We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace,more about killing than we know about living." -- General Omar Bradley At the fall of Saigon, and the evacuation of American forces from Vietnam, I was living on a Navy base in Guam, directly across the street from what became the largest "quarantine camp" America has ever built, a euphemism for concentration camp. At its height of operation, it held over 100,000 Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Laotian refugees. Because my father was a friend of the base commander, and I was a 1st Class Boy Scout, I was allowed the privilege of working as a relief worker inside the camp, the only American child given that clearance. I saw the direct consequences of a corrupted foreign policy on the lives of many thousands, faces pressed against the barbed wire, possessions and country lost, crowded into sweltering tents, at the mercy of the American military. How manycountless millions have endured a similar fate since then, from Guatemala to Angola, from Afghanistan to Indonesia? Are Americans aware that this is the cost of their having so much wealth and excess? That a few strategists with a global agenda have charged them for the cost of brutalizing entire cultures? Like the genocide of the Native Americans and Native Hawaiians, the effects of the American war machine are an unspoken, "necessary evil" which the average American refuses to discuss. Sadly, most are oblivious to the fundamental issues of empire and its consequences, and rely entirely on the mass media for their information. A recent survey by the National Geographic channel showed that a majority of Americans have no idea where America fits in the world, how many of us there are, who our "enemies" are. We are slouching toward oblivion with the barest clue that we have unleashed doom upon the rest of the world. It is time to expand the definitions, to tell the truth, to expose the symptoms, to call annihilation murder, nuclear weapons holocaust. What our country is doing in Afghanistan and Iraq is nothing short of extermination. It is no longer a mechanism of "warfare" that America is deploying, but calculated and precise extermination. Our media have been bought by the same monopolists and corporations who make the weapons, and so we are conditioned toward the glory of what our military is doing. Yet we are insulated from the details, the human effects. We do not see the burned bodies, the shattered landscape, the pits filled with victims. We have no list of names of those our weapons have killed this week, which would quickly grow into the thousands. One technology that puts U.S. policy and the state of humanity into a historical perspective from which we MUST take action is atomic weaponry. From the unleashing of horror at Hiroshima to our current stockpile, the very concept of using radiation weapons is cause for questioning sanity. All rational and educated humans who have addressed this unthinkable danger have concluded that it is an evil idea, with no possibly positive outcome. It is the ultimate terrorism, if we are to truly address a threat of "terror," as our politicians are trumpeting. How can Americans justify the use of nuclear weapons in the face of overwhelming global disgust? How can we arm Israel with bombs and then allow our leaders to stir up strife all around them? Will we be able to pull back from the brink of nuclear holocaust before the entire surface of our planet is adversely, and irrevocably, impacted? After all, when we address the threat of nuclear weapons, we are no longer simply speaking from one culture or one nation, we are speaking for all of humankind, and the rest of the species on Earth as well. The challenge of global warfare, in other words, has now transcended all precedents, all boundaries previously held by humans as self-evident. We Americans are forcing the world into a toxic and terrorized corner, so why do we act surprised when some groups begin to fight back? It has been obvious for a generation that the repercussions of CIA covert operations were turning back against our country. Yet, instead of addressing this danger and correcting it, we have allowed our government to be even further dominated by these secretive and elitist warmongers, with the son of Bush, CIA headquarters bearing his name, occupying the White House. Rather than pulling back from the brink of nuclear war, we are allowing a small and extremist group of people, for the benefit of a very few and very wealthy, to drive us further toward the likelihood of the use of nuclear weapons. In fact, the current U.S. administration has talked openly about pre-emptive first-strike use of weapons of mass destruction, all the while decrying the dangers of their use by developing nations. Are these politicians now elevated to the status of gods, where they can decide the correct application of mass murder? This is the horrifying reality every thoughtful person must confront when addressing the American war machine, that our culture has endowed itself with such importance as to be equal to God. Our government, "one nation under God," claims the right to decide the fate of all the rest of the nations and cultures of the world. Our economy demands the sacrifice of the environment, the resources, and the well being of all of the creatures of the world. Our culture is based on the exploitation and stereotyping of the entire world, for our entertainment. We have become an empire of excess and ignorance, obsessed with dieting while expending our credit to the limit. As H.G. Wells said a century ago, "Human civilization becomes increasingly a race between education and catastrophe." We must expose the U.S. military machine to the world, and be honest in its portrayal. And this exposure begins with self-disclosure. Since the American identity is so intimately woven with militarism, it is imperative that disarmament must begin within our self. Each of us can find the way that these weapons have lodged themselves into our minds, our values, and our projections. By exposing our own prejudices and privileges to the world, we begin a process of cultural healing, and trust which can transcend borders and battle lines. This also presents a challenge to the elite agenda, since any American exposing the corruption of our system is another hole in the "Emperor's clothes." When confronted with the issue of patriotism, we can reference the ideals of the original founders of our country, who would be horrified by the current thrust toward fascism in America. What is true patriotism, we can ask, if one is willing to give in to brutal dictatorship and criminal schemes for global domination? Is that what America was founded upon? Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, justice, these are the values of the true patriot. Most veterans can attest that the American war machine has very little to do with these human values. Disarming the world necessarily must begin with the United States, since our country currently spends more on weapons than all the other nations of the world combined. We are the threat that most of the rest of the world must address as their greatest challenge, in weaponry, in resources, and in culture. We export so much violent influence we can no longer keep track of where it begins or ends. From video games to weaponry our culture exploits and corrupts nearly every other culture in the world today. "You are mortal men. You are capable of error. You have no right to hold in your hands,there is no one wise enough and strong enough to hold in his hands,destructive powers sufficient to put an end to civilized life on a great portion of our planet. No one should wish to hold such powers. Thrust them from you. The risks you might thereby assume are not greater,could not be greater,than those you are incurring for us all." -- George F. Kennan With a new perspective of hope and health, we can find the inspiration to speak out and confront the corrupting influences within our own culture, and demand that our politicians do the same. We can create dialogues and challenge our neighbors to reconsider their values, and write editorials to call for a greater vision of our future. We will be able to talk honestly with our children, and offer diplomacy to the damaged. All of these actions begin with honesty, and authenticity. To cure a cancerous tumor, you can try drenching it with poison, which will surely destroy much of the healthy tissue as well. To recover your immune system in the process, however, you must get at the root cause of the cancer. By changing the fundamentals of behavior and nourishment, attitude and values, the entire person can be transformed, and the immunity strengthened. Healing medicine can be found to restore the person to balance. So too we can address militarism in America and our world by finding the root causes, and changing the society. We have allowed a few rogue groups of people to steer our entire world toward a terrible fate from which we may not recover, for no rational reason other than their rapid rise to power. Like cancer, we can boost the immunity of our culture with the truth, and education. We can find the healing balm of dialogue and diplomacy, trust and dignity, to cure the illness. By addressing militarism as a disease, a realistic diagnosis can be made. This is the approach toward many maladies in our society, which had previously been thought incurable, like alcoholism, domestic abuse, and drug addiction. One can argue that militarism is both a form of domestic abuse and an addiction. In the case of America, it is also the most profitable scandal in the history of empire. Arming the world for fast profit is leading to the breakdown of the social fabric. The human family is suffering from this disease, which is malignant and contagious. As the child grows out of obsessions with power and control, he adopts coping strategies, or solutions. My coping mechanism has been sarcasm and humor, and my greatest challenge is the deep cynicism, which seems to overshadow our entire culture. If not addressed, this cynicism can lead rapidly toward self-destructive ideas and behaviors. Open a window of adventure on the world, and the child will follow. I look at the challenge of our corrupted and brutalized world as the greatest adventure ever offered to humankind. We live in a time of heroes, a future which is calling for the best in us to rise, a world of revelation such as the human species has yet to imagine. "War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace." -- Thomas Mann Bryan Craeg Evans Planetary Rescue Corps http://metamagic.org/worldnews (808) 969-3765 Big Island "A heretic is a man who sees with his own eyes." -- Gotthold Ephraim Lessing "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." -- Abraham Lincoln "As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air -- however slight -- lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness. -- William O. Douglas, 1939 - 1975 US Supreme Court Justice "When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS." -- Mohandas Gandhi Hidden Elitist Conspiracies? BeamShip MUTANEX http://mutanex.com MetaMagic MediaMinistry Salavation thru Mutation! http://metamagic.org ***************************************************************** 43 UNMOVIC/IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq Media Advisory 2002/62 - [www.iaea.org] 20 December 2002 -- An UNMOVIC chemical team inspected the Tuwaitha Industrial Chemical Research Centre. Even though it was a Muslim day of rest and there was only a guard at the Centre, the site was made available to full inspection. All managers of the departments of the Centre, who arrived shortly after the inspection began, briefed the UNMOVIC team about the current activities of their departments. Two IAEA teams requested access to a facility during non-standard hours at the former Tuwaitha nuclear complex. The complex now conducts civilian research in the non-nuclear field. They observed work-shift levels during this non-work day period. They also inspected the Shakyli stores during a non-work day. Shakyli is a store for dual-use equipment from the past Iraqi nuclear programme. They also carried out environmental gamma radiation surveys in the area. Two UNMOVIC inspectors arrived in Baghdad yesterday, bringing the total number of inspectors to 115. The breakdown of inspectors is 96 from UNMOVIC and 19 from the IAEA. Hiro Ueki Spokesman for UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad. ***************************************************************** 44 U.N. Inspectors Return to Nuclear Complex Las Vegas SUN Today: December 21, 2002 at 4:20:25 PST By NADIA ABOU EL-MAGD ASSOCIATED PRESS BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi newspapers issued stinging criticism of President Bush on Saturday, when U.N. weapons inspectors made their fourth known visit to a large plant where Iraqi scientists once worked on a nuclear bomb. The daily Al-Iraq said "the forces of evil and aggression, led by the great Satan - the United States - and its arrogant idiot President Bush" were doomed to fail in what the newspaper said were plans to attack Baghdad under "false pretexts." Also Saturday, Babil, the newspaper owned by Saddam's eldest son Odai, was printed for the first time since it was banned for a month without explanation. It accused the Bush administration of "bloodthirstiness" and beating the "drums of war." The huge al-Qa'qaa complex was visited by inspectors for three consecutive days beginning a week ago and had been under U.N. scrutiny in the 1990s. It was involved in the final design of a nuclear bomb before U.N. teams destroyed Iraq's nuclear program after the 1991 Gulf War. The site, about 15 miles southeast of Baghdad, contains a sulfuric acid plant, an explosives production facility and storage areas. Inspectors resumed work in Iraq last month after a four-year absence. The U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission under chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix is searching for evidence of chemical or biological weapons and the means to deliver them. Mohamed ElBaradei's International Atomic Energy Agency teams area searching for banned nuclear weapons. Also Saturday, the U.N. teams visited the Samara Pharmaceutical Factory, 80 miles north of Baghdad for the first time since returning to the country; the Al Samood missile factory, about 25 miles west of Baghdad; the Al Furat State Chemical Industry Company in Baghdad; and four other sites. Driven by pressure from Washington, the U.N. Security Council adopted a new resolution on Iraq's disarmament last month. That declaration returned the inspectors for the first time since they left ahead of U.S. and British airstrikes in 1998. The inspections are being conducted in conjunction with economic sanctions imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait in 1990, triggering the Persian Gulf War. The Iraqis have said they hope arms inspections could be finished and sanctions lifted within eight months. Under U.N. resolutions, the sanctions will only be removed after inspectors attest Iraq is in compliance. Bush already has declared Iraq in "material breach" of the resolution but has decided to hold off any military response for at least a month as the Americans seek to build U.N. support for attacking Saddam. Both Blix and ElBaradei have indicated the voluminous Iraqi weapons declaration, required by the latest U.N. resolution, does not fully outline the country's weapons programs. All contents copyright 2002 Las Vegas SUN, Inc. ***************************************************************** 45 Profile: IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei BBC NEWS | Monitoring | Media reports | Saturday, 21 December, 2002, 09:45 GMT [Mohamed ElBaradei] Dr ElBaradei is used to dealing with the media As peaceful efforts to disarm Iraq have gathered pace, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has joined chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix in the media spotlight. Dr ElBaradei is a former Egyptian diplomat who has headed the International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors nuclear programmes, since December 1997. He joined the organisation in 1984, holding a series of high-level policy positions, including that of the agency's legal adviser and assistant director general for external relations. 'Civil servant' [ src=] Dr ElBaradei has the knowledge, experience and expertise to effectively lead the IAEA inspection teams US broadcast to the Iraqi people The IAEA's web site outlines Dr ElBaradei 's career as "diplomat, international civil servant and scholar". Born in Egypt in 1942, he studied law at the University of Cairo. He began his career in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1964, and worked in Egypt's permanent mission to the UN both in New York and in Geneva. Dr ElBaradei holds a doctorate in international law from New York University's law school. In 1980 he became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Programme at the UN's Institute for Training and Research. Appointed director general of the IAEA in December 1997, he was reappointed to a second term in September 2001. Higher profile According to an IAEA spokesman, Dr ElBaradei and Hans Blix have known each other and worked together for a long time. The IAEA chief's diplomatic training is clear in the relaxed but careful way he talks to journalists. His profile has increased steadily since the 11 September attacks and Washington's declared 'War on Terror'. It is unlikely to diminish soon, given the importance of the organisation he heads in monitoring the nuclear capacity of states such as Iraq and North Korea. Arab credentials Dr ElBaradei's arab credentials and experience are undoubtedly lending additional weight to his role in current events. These credentials are being brought into play in a perhaps unexpected way in the current showdown between Iraq and the United States. Specially equipped US military planes have been overflying Iraq and broadcasting anti-Saddam messages to the Iraqi people and military officials. One of the broadcasts, monitored by the BBC, puts the IAEA chief centre stage, treating listeners to a detailed biography and highlighting his suitability to lead the inspection teams. "Dr ElBaradei has the knowledge, experience and expertise to effectively lead the IAEA inspection teams. Any interference with [his] duties or the inspection teams will only delay a solution to end this crisis," the broadcast warns. © MMII | News Sources | Privacy ***************************************************************** 46 America tore out 8000 pages of Iraq dossier Sunday Herald By James Cusick and Felicity Arbuthnot THE United States edited out more than 8000 crucial pages of Iraq's 11,800-page dossier on weapons, before passing on a sanitised version to the 10 non-permanent members of the United Nations security council. The full extent of Washington's complete control over who sees what in the crucial Iraqi dossier calls into question the allegations made by US Secretary of State Colin Powell that 'omissions' in the document constituted a 'material breach' of the latest UN resolution on Iraq. Last week, Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan accepted that it was 'unfortunate' that his organisation had allowed the US to take the only complete dossier and edit it. He admitted 'the approach and style were wrong' and Norway, a member of the security council, says it is being treated like a 'second-class country'. Although Powell called the Iraqi dossier a 'catalogue of recycled information and flagrant omissions', the non-permanent members of the security council will have no way of testing the US claims for themselves. This will be crucial if the US and the UK go back to the security council seeking explicit authorisation for war on Iraq if breaches of resolution 1441 are confirmed when the weapons inspectors -- this weekend investigating 10 sites in Iraq, including an oil refinery south of Baghdad -- deliver their report to the UN next month. A UN source in New York said: 'The questions being asked are valid. What did the US take out? And if weapons inspectors are supposed to be checking against the dossier's content, how can any future claim be verified. In effect the US is saying trust us, and there are many who just will not.' Current and former UN diplomats are said to be livid at what some have called the 'theft' of the Iraqi document by the US. Hans von Sponeck, the former assistant general secretary of the UN and the UN's humanitarian co- ordinator in Iraq until 2000, said: 'This is an outrageous attempt by the US to mislead.' Although the five permanent members of the security council -- the US, the UK, France, China and Russia -- have had access to the complete version, there was agreement that the US be allowed to edit the dossier on the ground that its contents were 'risky' in terms of security on weapons proliferation. Yesterday, US President George W Bush announced that a planned trip to several African countries, scheduled for January, had been cancelled. As he gave the go-ahead to double the current 50,000 US troops deployed in the Gulf by early January, he used his weekly radio address to say that 'the men and women in the [US] military, many of whom will spend Christmas at posts and bases far from home' were the only thing that stood between 'Americans and grave danger'. An equally pessimistic view of the immediate future came from the Vatican. Pope John Paul II promised the Catholic church would not cease to have its voice heard and would offer prayers 'in the face of this horizon bathed in blood'. Despite the prayers, the US military isn't expecting peace. Yesterday, General Richard Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, was asked if US forces were ready if called upon immediately. General Myers simply said: 'You bet.' The language coming from Baghdad was equally gung ho. The Iraqi newspaper Babel, owned by Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday, likened US and UK political leaders to ruthless Mongol conquerors of the past. ©2002 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088. all rights ***************************************************************** 47 U.S. gives intelligence data on Iraq weapons to U.N.* The Seattle Times Company Nation & World: Saturday, December 21, 2002 *By Robin Wright and Greg Miller* /Los Angeles Times/ WASHINGTON ? On the same day chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix complained his teams weren't getting "all we need," the United States yesterday began sharing highly sensitive intelligence about Iraq's weapons programs with the United Nations. The U.S. intelligence shared with U.N. weapons inspectors involved a few sites ? less than half a dozen ? that are suspected of being connected to chemical-weapons production, U.S. officials said. The hand-over of data is meant to test what happens to information provided by the United States ? and to see if it falls into Iraqi hands before U.N. weapons inspectors can check out the facilities, a common problem in the past. Beyond those concerns, officials say some Pentagon officers don't want to give away possible Iraqi missile or weapons-of-mass-destruction sites because they would be among the first targets for U.S. bombs and missiles if war were to begin six to eight weeks from now. "We're starting out cautiously," said a senior U.S. official who requested anonymity. Also yesterday, the White House agreed to nearly double, to 100,000, the number of U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region next month, U.S. officials said. And President Bush declared that the prospect of persuading Iraq to disarm was "not encouraging," denouncing Baghdad's weapons declaration as a disappointment "for those who long for peace." Blix told the BBC that he had received periodic briefings from U.S. officials about Iraq but so far they have been of limited use. "The most important thing governments like the U.K. or the U.S. could give us would be to tell us sites where they are convinced (the Iraqis) keep some weapons of mass destruction ? this is what we want," Blix said, adding that he had received some cooperation from the two governments, but "We don't get all we need." The U.S. and British "have all their methods to look, listen to telephone conversations, they have spies," Blix said. "They have the satellites, etc., so they have a lot of sources which we do not have." The new intelligence cooperation began as U.S. officials expressed growing concern about the fate of leading Iraqi scientists. "We believe Iraq is taking steps to make people unavailable or less available," a senior administration official said. Some scientists and engineers involved in the production of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons or ballistic missiles may already have been imprisoned or put under a form of house arrest or protective custody, to cut them off from U.N. inspectors and from defecting, the sources said. Iraq's top scientists are the centerpiece in the next phase of inspections, because the United States and the United Nations believe the arms experts can uncover what the United States insists are Iraq's hidden weapons programs. U.S. officials yesterday refused to discuss unconfirmed reports from U.N. diplomats and Iraqi dissidents that almost three dozen key Iraqi arms experts are unaccounted for. At least one report claims that Iraq has issued false death certificates for scientists spirited out of sight. U.S. officials would only confirm their tentative conclusion that some of the Iraqis they want the U.N. teams to interview are likely to be beyond the reach of inspectors. "We have reports that scientists may have been hidden away, and we believe this is probably true," said a well-placed official. U.N. sources also said they have heard reports of scientists being spirited out of the country, being murdered or going missing but hadn't yet tested the Iraqis' ability to produce specific experts. "Sometimes those who are in jail are the easiest to produce," said Ewen Buchanan of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. Iraqi Gen. Amar Saadi said Thursday that Iraq will meet the deadline for providing a full list of all personnel connected with its arms industry by the end of the month. Bush said Iraq's weapons declaration, which was revealed in some detail Thursday, was not encouraging because it's "a long way" from meeting President Saddam Hussein's obligation. "We expected him to show that he would disarm. Yesterday was a disappointing day for those who have longed for peace," Bush said. In a signal of the intensifying focus on Iraq, the White House also announced that the president will postpone his long-scheduled trip to Africa Jan. 10-17. A White House official also conceded that security in Africa, especially Kenya, was a concern. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is expected to sign the order deploying 50,000 more U.S. troops, Pentagon officials said. It is aimed at placing enough equipment and manpower in the region to shorten the lead time for any invasion to a matter of weeks. "If (the president) decides to do something Feb. 1, you can't wait till Jan. 15" to assemble the pieces, one Pentagon official said. "You need forces in place." Separately, about 30,000 National Guard and military reserve members have been alerted that they could soon be called to active duty, officials said. Prime Minister Tony Blair, meanwhile, told British troops he was making "all the preparations necessary" for war. /Information from The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and The Associated Press is included in this report. / Copyright © 2002 The Seattle Times Company ***************************************************************** 48 Iran secretly building nuclear site for past 5 years: Washington Saturday, December 21, 2002 Glenn Kessler *****************************************************************