Subject: NucNews 99/12/08 Briefs - China/Taiwan; Russia; Sweden; Date: Thu Reply-To: prop1@prop1.org Sender: owner-nukenet@envirolink.org X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.2.07 -- ListProc(tm) by CREN Please address replies to articles to the original publisher. Please send NucNews copies? Refuting false information appreciated! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- [The full text can be found at http://prop1.org/nucnews/9912nn/991208nn.htm} * Today's Highlight in History * Workers Paying for Uranium Checkups * Text of Clinton news conference: Two-thirds of Russian aid goes to de-nuclearization and safeguarding nuclear materials * Concerns About Panama Canal Turnover * Prueher To Be Sworn In As New US Ambassador To China * China Builds 2nd Missile Base Near Taiwan-Newspaper * China targets Taiwan with 2nd missile base * Facing China Missiles Taiwan VP Wants Deterrent * Taiwan Discusses Missile Development * Dalai Lama Urges China Awareness * Japan To Put Soldiers on Y2K Alert * Japan To Cancel Key Rocket Program * Cold War Deadlock Continues in Korea * Russian Nuke Chief: Ready for Y2K * Russia US Discuss Weapons Control * Russia Belarus Sign Pact * Russia May Vote on Nuclear Pact (next week) * Russians May Discuss Arms Reduction * Swedes Want New Referendum on Nuclear Power * Commercial Reactor To Sell Tritium * Beryllium Workers Get New Standards * Energy Dept. Will Cut Standard for Its Workers' Exposure to a Metal Tied to Lung Disease * Decision Nears on the Fate of Ex-Los Alamos Scientist * Pentagon Studies F-22 Alternatives * McCain Calls for Overhaul of National Security Policy * Defense Speech Remarks of Senator John McCain (text) * McCain Outlines Military Priorities * White House Preparing Gun Lawsuit * Utility Declares Millstone Plant Ready for 2000 * 10 workers injured in accident at Tenn. nuclear weapons plant * Saddam's Weapons Program Questioned * Questions Remain About Iraq Weapons * New Arms Inspection Plan Could End Sanctions Against Iraq --- [Older stories] --- * Top weapons broker defends arms control policy (Bulgaria) * Finland considers new nuclear power plant ------- * Today's Highlight in History: Dec. 8 the 342nd day of 1999. There are 23 days left in the year. Associated Press Tuesday Dec. 7 1999; 7:02 p.m. ESTToday In History http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991207/aponline190235_000.htm In 1987 President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles. * Workers Paying for Uranium Checkups New York Times December 8 1999 Filed at 7:30 a.m. EDT By The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP-Uranium-Workers.html http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=NATIONAL&STORYID=APIS717 4UO80 COLUMBUS Ohio (AP) -- The federal government hasn't kept its promise to pay for expanded health screenings of uranium workers in Ohio Kentucky and Tennessee The Columbus Dispatch reported today. The latest federal budget had included $7 million for the programs but Congress removed the funds. As a result thousands of people exposed to highly radioactive materials aren't getting medical checkups that could save their lives the newspaper reported today. More than 300 current workers at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Piketon are awaiting screening. * Text of Clinton news conference: Two-thirds of Russian aid goes to de-nuclearization and safeguarding nuclear materials Transcribed by the Federal Document Clearing House: 12/08/99- Updated 05:26 PM ET http://www.usatoday.com/news/washdc/ncswed08.htm ... Q: On Chechnya you used sanctions to punish Yugoslavia and Indonesia for repression. Why aren't sanctions being considered against Russia? CLINTON: ... I think it's important to point out to the American people that two-thirds of the aid that we spend in Russia is involved in de-nuclearization and safeguarding nuclear materials. And I think it is plain that we have an interest in continuing that. The other third goes to fund democracy - the things that we Americans believe would lead to better decisions. It goes to an independent media. It goes to student exchanges. It goes to NGOs to helping people set up small businesses. I don't think our interests would be furthered by terminating that.... * Concerns About Panama Canal Turnover By The Associated Press New York Times December 8 1999 Filed at 6:45 p.m. EDT http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-US-Panama.html WASHINGTON (AP) -- With ceremonies symbolically handing over the canal scheduled next week several members of Congress and former military officers tried Wednesday to stir interest in protecting against Chinese control of the waterway -- a threat the Clinton administration says does not exist. * Prueher To Be Sworn In As New US Ambassador To China Inside China Today Wednesday Dec 8 at Prague 08:41 am N.Y. 02:41 am http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=115337 WASHINGTON Dec 3 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) Retired admiral Joseph Prueher was to be sworn in as the new US ambassador to China on Thursday a State Department official said. Prueher former commander of US naval forces in the Pacific enters his post as frayed Sino-US relations enter a new phase boosted by China's landmark trade deal with the United States paving the way for its accession into the World Trade Organization. Prueher 56 has pledged to chart a middle course between engaging China and maintaining an unswerving commitment to human rights and Taiwan's security. * China Builds 2nd Missile Base Near Taiwan-Newspaper By Reuters New York Times December 8 1999 Filed at 5:13 p.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-china-m.html WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report said China is building a second short-range missile base near Taiwan that would allow it to target the island's main military bases the Washington Times reported on Wednesday. * China targets Taiwan with 2nd missile base Washington Times 12/8/99 By Bill Gertz http://208.246.212.80/world/news1-19991208.htm Write Author: http://208.246.212.80/images/writeauthor.gif Can now hit all military posts on the island Pentagon says The Defense Intelligence Agency has discovered a second Chinese short-range missile base under construction near Taiwan that will significantly increase the threat against the island... Disclosure of the first missile base by The Times on Nov. 23 prompted an angry exchange between Taiwan and China... In a report last month to Pentagon officials the DIA said the two missile bases are being readied for deployment of hundreds of advanced Chinese missiles known as the CSS-7 Mod 2. U.S. intelligence officials clarified the location of the first missile base as Yongan not Yangang as initially reported by The Times.The Pentagon estimates each missile base will have a brigade of 16 truck launchers and 97 CSS-7 mobile missiles with a range of 300 miles. The intelligence report said the Chinese are building tunnels to store the missiles.... * Facing China Missiles Taiwan VP Wants Deterrent New York Times December 8 1999 Filed at 8:22 a.m. ET By Reuters http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-taiwan-.html TAIPEI (Reuters) - Amid reports that China is massing missiles just across the Taiwan strait Taiwan's vice president -- and presidential hopeful -- urged the military on Wednesday to bolster its deterrent and second-strike missile forces. In a statement sure to anger bitter rival Beijing and possibly Washington as well Vice President Lien Chan said the anti-communist island must develop long-range surface-to-surface missiles capable of surviving a mainland attack. * Taiwan Discusses Missile Development By The Associated Press New York Times December 8 1999 By Christopher Bodeen http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Taiwan-Defense.html http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=ASIA&STORYID=APIS717A23O0 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991208/aponline131850_000.htm TAIPEI Taiwan -- Taiwan needs long-range missiles that can discourage an attack on the island the vice president said Wednesday in a rare call for a weapon capable of hitting China. Taiwan has said the weapons it buys from the United States and other nations would be used to protect the island not to strike the Chinese mainland. But Vice President Lien Chan's endorsement of a long-range missile was one of the most high-profile calls yet for a missile that could reach China. "To make a foe afraid to attack Taiwan we definitely must develop a reliable deterrent force and strengthen our second strike capability Lien said in a speech to a conference on defense. That includes developing the potential force of a long-range surface-to-surface missile said Lien, the ruling Nationalist Party's candidate to succeed President Lee Teng-hui in March elections. * Dalai Lama Urges China Awareness By SHAUN BENTON Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08, 18:07 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=AFRICA&STORYID=APIS717E95G0 CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama, predicted the end of totalitarian rule in China, and said Wednesday he could accept countries trading with China as long as they continued to raise human rights issues. Speaking in an interview with The Associated Press, the Dalai Lama was responding to the U.S. proposal for China to enter into the World Trade Organization. * Japan To Put Soldiers on Y2K Alert By YURI KAGEYAMA Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08, 22:02 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=ASIA&STORYID=APIS717HNEG0 TOKYO (AP) - Japan will ready 96,000 soldiers and beef up police patrols on New Year's Eve in case disaster hits with possible millennium-related computer failures, the Defense Agency said Wednesday. In addition to placing the soldiers on alert, the government required the top 160 military officers be on duty, reserved about 130 military aircraft, and put its chemical warfare unit on standby, a defense agency official said on condition of anonymity. * Japan To Cancel Key Rocket Program DECEMBER 08, 23:31 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=ASIA&STORYID=APIS717J10G0 TOKYO (AP) - Japan announced Thursday that it will halt development of the troubled H-2 rocket - considered the key to Japan's space program - after two failed launches this year. Japanese media prominently reported the decision of the Science and Technology Agency, with the nationally circulated Sankei newspaper calling it a huge setback to Japan's space program, which is competing with Europe and the United States for a share of the commercial satellite-launching market. Japan is aiming to become a world leader in aerospace technology, but has been plagued over the past few years by bureaucratic wrangling, cost overruns and technical difficulties - including with the H-2. * Cold War Deadlock Continues in Korea By The Associated Press New York Times December 8, 1999 Filed at 8:45 a.m. EDT http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Koreas-Diplomacy-Bloom.html http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=ASIA&STORYID=APIS71761V80 PANMUNJOM, Korea (AP) -- On the border between the rival Koreas, a U.S. soldier intoned with nonchalance, rather than bravado: ``We stand face to face with our enemy at all times.'' Pvt. Leonard Taylor of Oakland, Calif., had played the role of tour guide for months, and a recent audience of tourists, among busloads who visit the demilitarized zone daily, loved the show: North Korean guards peering at them through binoculars, South Korean military police glaring back through sunglasses. The participants in a Cold War deadlock that blossomed when Harry Truman was in the White House seem frozen in place. The two Koreas have yet to sign a permanent peace treaty. But behind the lines on the Korean peninsula, diplomacy and goodwill gestures are flourishing.... * Russian Nuke Chief: Ready for Y2K DECEMBER 08, 12:31 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=EUROPE&STORYID=APIS7179BQO0 Anchorage Daily News December 8, 1999 12:30 p.m. EST Associated Press http://www.nando.net/24hour/adn/technology/story/0,1976,500139944-500164987- 500597405-0,00.html http://www2.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,500139944-500164988-500597405-0, 00.html MOSCOW (AP) - The Russian military reiterated Wednesday that the nation's nuclear forces are ready for the year 2000 and immune to any computer glitches. Strategic Missile Forces chief Col. Gen. Vladimir Yakovlev said Wednesday that the Y2K bug has been solved and ruled out any emergencies like unsanctioned launches. He didn't elaborate, and a duty officer at the forces' headquarters refused to give further details. Russia has been slower to address the Y2K bug than many other countries because of the government's money crunch. The problem could arise if computers misread the year 2000 as 1900, causing them to shut down or produce erroneous information. * Russia, US Discuss Weapons Control DECEMBER 08, 08:03 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=EUROPE&STORYID=APIS7175DV00 MOSCOW (AP) - Russia is doing all it can to prevent the proliferation of weapons and wants more constructive cooperation from Washington on the issue, Russia's security chief told his U.S. counterpart, a news report said Wednesday. ``There can be no doubt that Russia is exerting maximum effort in observing its commitments in this sphere,'' Security Council Secretary Sergei Ivanov told U.S. National Security Adviser Sandy Berger in a Tuesday phone call, according to the Interfax news agency. The United States has accused Russia of not doing enough to prevent weapons technology from leaking to countries such as Iran and Syria. It has also urged Russia's parliament to ratify the START II nuclear arms reduction treaty, which was signed by both countries in 1993, and ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1996. Ivanov said criticism from the United States isn't helping ties, already chilled by Russia's military campaign in breakaway Chechnya, NATO's air campaign in Kosovo earlier this year and U.S. desires to modify a missile defense treaty. ``Our dialogue would be more beneficial if used to promptly identify and punish those who breach export control rules, instead of escalating tension in overall bilateral relations,'' Ivanov told Berger, according to Interfax. * Russia, Belarus Sign Pact By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08, 08:38 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=EUROPE&STORYID=APIS7175UOO0 MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko signed a mostly symbolic union agreement today that draws the former Soviet republics closer together but stops short of creating a single state. The authoritarian Belarusian president has strongly pushed for a full merger, but today's agreement merely establishes a council of officials from both nations to coordinate policy. A weaker body of officials already exists under a different name. * Russia May Vote on Nuclear Pact Associated Press Wednesday, Dec. 8, 1999; 9:20 a.m. EST By Vladimir Isachenkovv http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/aponline/19991208/aponline092036_000.htm MOSCOW -- After balking for years at ratifying the START II nuclear arms reduction agreement with the United States, Russian lawmakers said today they may consider it next week. Leaders in the lower house, the State Duma, discussed today whether to vote on START II before Dec. 19 parliamentary elections. They put off their decision until Monday, when the house is scheduled to hold a special session to ratify a union treaty with Belarus. * Russians May Discuss Arms Reduction New York Times December 8, 1999 Filed at 4:29 p.m. EDT By The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Russia-US-START-II.html MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian lawmakers may consider ratifying the long-delayed START II nuclear arms reduction agreement next week, members of parliament said Wednesday. Hard-line lawmakers have long balked at discussing the U.S.-Russian treaty. But leaders in the lower house, the State Duma, talked Wednesday about whether to vote on START II before Dec. 19 parliamentary elections. They put off their decision until Monday, when the house is scheduled to hold a special session to ratify a union treaty with Belarus.... Yeltsin's envoy to the lower house, Alexander Kotenkov, said the treaty would be put to vote only if the Kremlin is sure of ratification. ``We can't allow the rejection of START II,'' he said. * Swedes Want New Referendum on Nuclear Power New York Times December 8, 1999 Filed at 4:30 a.m. ET By Reuters http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-sweden-.html STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - A majority of Swedes want a new referendum on nuclear power, according to an opinion poll on Wednesday taken after the first of Sweden's 12 nuclear reactors was closed. The poll by Demoskop, published in daily business newspaper FinansTidningen, found 52 percent of Swedes wanted a new vote on whether Sweden should have nuclear power. The last referendum was held in 1980. * Commercial Reactor To Sell Tritium New York Times December 8, 1999 Filed at 6:27 p.m. EDT By The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP-TVA-Nuclear-Weapons.html http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=NATIONAL&STORYID=APIS717 8GSG0 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Valley Authority approved a plan Wednesday to produce nuclear weapons material in a commercial reactor for the first time in U.S. history, breaching a longstanding wall between civilian and military nuclear power. * Beryllium Workers Get New Standards New York Times December 8, 1999 Filed at 4:27 p.m. EDT By The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-Nuclear-Exposure.html WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Energy Department on Wednesday revised a half-century-old standard for nuclear workers' exposure to beryllium - which can cause chronic lung disease - and directed its contractors to screen for early detection of the illness. The government estimates 1,634 workers at 14 facilities in the nuclear weapons complex may be exposed to beryllium, a chemical element used as a strengthening alloy in atomic weapons -- 616 of them at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and 300 at the Pantex plant in Amarillo, Texas. Other top sites for potential worker exposure, according to DOE estimates: Rocky Flats in Colorado, with 228; Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, 200; and the Mound plant in Ohio, 69. A medical screening now underway of current and former nuclear workers has turned up 146 cases of chronic beryllium disease, said Rick Jones, director of DOE's Office of Worker Protection Programs and Hazards Management. * Energy Dept. Will Cut Standard for Its Workers' Exposure to a Metal Tied to Lung Disease New York Times December 8, 1999 By MATTHEW L. WALD http://www.nytimes.com/99/12/08/news/national/science/hth-lung-disease.html WASHINGTON -- The standard set by government nuclear bomb makers 50 years ago for exposure to beryllium, a metal once used almost exclusively in nuclear weapons but now common in golf clubs and cars, has made scores of workers sick with a chronic lung disease, and the Energy Department will announce a rule on Wednesday sharply cutting the exposure for workers in its plants. Because the new standard will apply only to government plants, workers in civilian factories will still fall under the old, higher level. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration alerted workers in September that its current standard, borrowed from the nuclear weapons industry in 1971, now appears to be too high to prevent chronic beryllium disease an auto-immune disorder resulting from inhaling particles of the metal. But the agency has not changed its standard. The action by the Energy Department puts it in the unusual role of being stricter than its civilian counterparts in health and safety regulations. * Decision Nears on the Fate of Ex-Los Alamos Scientist New York Times December 8, 1999 By JAMES RISEN and DAVID JOHNSTON http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/120899los-alamos.html WASHINGTON -- The Federal authorities have intensified their deliberations about whether to prosecute a nuclear weapons scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory on charges of mishandling highly classified atomic data, government officials said on Tuesday. A decision on whether to charge the scientist, Wen Ho Lee, is expected within days, the officials said, after a crucial meeting held on Saturday at the White House and attended by the administration's top security, law enforcement and energy officials. The participants concluded after a lengthy intelligence review that should Attorney General Janet Reno decide to prosecute, the secrets that would probably be divulged at a criminal trial would not irreparably damage national security. Among those present in addition to Ms. Reno were Samuel L. Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser; Energy Secretary Bill Richardson; Louis J. Freeh, the director of the F.B.I.; George J. Tenet, the director of central intelligence, and John Kelly, the top federal prosecutor in Albuquerque, who has jurisdiction in the case. * Pentagon Studies F-22 Alternatives By DAVID PACE Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08, 02:19 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=NATIONAL&STORYID=APIS717 0CP80 WASHINGTON (AP) - With Congress having delayed production and cut funding for the F-22, the Pentagon now is studying alternatives to the Air Force's prized $62 billion stealth fighter program. George Schneiter, director of Strategic and Tactical Systems for the Defense Department, told a House panel Tuesday that the study was triggered by last summer's surprise House Appropriations Committee vote to cut all $1.8 billion in production funds the Air Force wanted to build the first six planes. ``It was asked for as part of a `What if?' drill, which we do quite often in the department,'' he said. ``We have great hope the F-22 program will be carried out within the cost estimates. But one has to look at eventualities if that should not come about.'' A House-Senate conference committee eventually restored all but $500 million of the money cut by the House. But Congress banned production until certain performance tests are met and set aside $300 million in ``termination liability'' for Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor, should the program be canceled. Schneiter said top acquisition officials for both the Defense Department and the Air Force will review the study of F-22 alternatives next week. He said preliminary results suggest that the F-22's revolutionary capabilities will be lost if the program is canceled. [Huh?] * McCain Calls for Overhaul of National Security Policy New York Times December 8, 1999 By ALISON MITCHELL http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/120899wh-gop-mccain.html Senator John McCain called Tuesday for the United States to adjust its national security policy to the post-cold-war era by rebuilding its military to meet the new threats posed by rogue states, terrorists and ethnic conflicts. In a speech setting out his military policy, McCain, the Arizona senator who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, outlined steps that he said were necessary to meet the security challenges of the new millennium. His proposals included a pay increase for the military, deployment of a national missile defense system and elimination of outmoded weapons systems. Today my friends we must face a harsh and compelling reality McCain said last night after receiving an annual freedom award at the U.S.S. Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in Manhattan. In strategy personnel and procurement -- the total package that defines America's ability to defend itself -- the United States does not have the modern force and defense posture we must have to meet the threats to America's interests and values in the 21st century." As a young naval aviator McCain served on the Intrepid. * Defense Speech Remarks of Senator John McCain New York Times December 8 1999 http://www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/120899wh-gop-mccain-text.html Thank you for that kind introduction. I am honored to accept the Intrepid Freedom Award... The attendance here tonight of the Joint Chiefs is perhaps the most eloquent tribute to Zack... I would also like to welcome my good friend Mayor Giuliani and all of the distinguished guests gathered here today. Thank you for your devotion to our armed forces. ... I have opposed Cold War weapons systems that have no necessary use. And I will oppose a Cold War arms control treaty that constrains a necessary defense against today's clear and present danger. It's time we tell our friends and adversaries alike that ballistic missile defense is now a national priority not just another Pentagon program... * McCain Outlines Military Priorities New York Post December 8 1999 Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/p/AP-McCain.html CONCORD N.H. (AP) -- A military veteran on a mission of reform Republican presidential contender John McCain says at least $20 billion in the Pentagon budget should be redirected away from ``political priorities ... to vital defense needs.'' In campaign speeches Tuesday designed to flesh out a national security policy McCain listed cancellation of the B2 bomber and other defense systems; a new round of base closings; elimination of certain ``Buy America'' restrictions; and a greater role for private industry as ways to achieve savings. The money -- and perhaps more -- would be spent on deployment of a missile defense system to protect against attacks; better pay for the troops and other changes McCain said are needed to make sure that American remains ``the greatest force for good on earth.'' McCain has risen sharply in the polls in New Hampshire where the first primary of 2000 will be held on Feb. 1 and aides said the speech would be followed in the next few weeks by addresses on Medicare Social Security and the environment as the nominating season heats up. * White House Preparing Gun Lawsuit By ANNE GEARAN Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08 11:16 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=NATIONAL&STORYID=APIS717 88JG0 WASHINGTON (AP) - The Clinton administration hopes the threat of a new national lawsuit will persuade gun makers to negotiate with cities that accuse them of negligently allowing guns to fall into the hands of criminals. The White House is helping prepare a class-action suit against gun makers alleging that guns and how they are marketed have contributed to violence in public housing projects administration officials said Tuesday. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said today that the lawsuit is not imminent. But the hope is the suit will heighten pressure on gun manufacturers to respond in a meaningful way to 28 states and cities that are seeking to recover the cost of gun violence. ``It is our hope that the negotiations going on now reach fruition. We don't need protracted litigation '' Lockhart said. ``That's part of what the discussions going on now are looking at to try to catalyze some fundamental reform in the way gun makers do business as far as production and marketing.'' * Utility Declares Millstone Plant Ready for 2000 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS New York Times December 8 1999 http://www.nytimes.com/99/12/08/news/national/regional/ct-plant-y2k.html WATERFORD Conn. -- Northeast Utilities officials have told Senator Christopher J. Dodd that the Millstone nuclear power complex is ready and will have no safety problems related to Year 2000 computer concerns. * 10 workers injured in accident at Tenn. nuclear weapons plant Nando TimesnDecember 8 1999 7:57 p.m. EST http://www2.nando.net/noframes/story/0 2107 500139929-500164969-500599739-1 00.html OAK RIDGE Tenn. (December 8 1999 7:57 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - Ten workers were injured Wednesday in a chemical explosion at a nuclear weapons plant while cleaning an area that has been shuttered since 1993. Three workers were hospitalized for burns or smoke inhalation from the explosion at the Y-12 plant. The others were treated and released. * Saddam's Weapons Program Questioned By TOM RAUM Associated Press Writer DECEMBER 08 01:34 EST http://wire.ap.org/APnews/center_story.html?FRONTID=MIDEAST&STORYID=APIS716V NS80 WASHINGTON (AP) - Almost a year has passed since Operation Desert Fox and more than a year since U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq. As the United Nations struggles to frame a new policy toward Baghdad many in the West fear Saddam Hussein has used the pause to rebuild his weapons program. * Questions Remain About Iraq Weapons December 8 1999 Filed at 2:27 p.m. EDT New York Times By The Associated Press http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Confronting-Saddam.html WASHINGTON (AP) -- More than a year after U.N. arms inspectors left Iraq the issue of whether Saddam Hussein has used the time to rebuild his weapons program is vexing U.S. policy makers and stirring debate on the campaign trail. ``Until you have inspectors on the ground to certify that they have not tried to reconstitute it no one can tell you one way or the other '' said Defense Secretary William Cohen among those sounding the alarm as the U.N. Security Council struggles with framing a new policy for Iraq. Meanwhile members of Congress want the administration to do more to support opposition groups contending it has spent only a fraction of the $97 million Congress set aside a year ago to fund the Iraq Liberation Act -- and most of that has gone for office equipment and classes on democracy. * New Arms Inspection Plan Could End Sanctions Against Iraq By BARBARA CROSSETTE New York Times December 8 1999 UNITED NATIONS -- A new arms inspection plan that could lead to the suspension of nine years of sanctions against Iraq sometime next year may go to the Security Council for debate on Wednesday Western diplomats said Tuesday. British and American envoys augmented by State Department officials spent Tuesday trying to build a consensus that would avoid a Russian veto. --- [Older stories] --- * Top weapons broker defends arms control policy (Bulgaria) March 26 1999 Washington Times International Advertising Department (202) 636-3035 (202) 635-0103 fax e-mail: natlad@wt.infi.net http://www.washtimes.com/internatlads/finland/17.html As usual the plush offices of Delta-G are buzzing. But today is a special day for the company and while the business is in full gear the spirit of celebration is palpable. The company Bulgaria's only government-licensed broker for both conventional arms and nuclear metals has had both licenses renewed by the Bulgarian government a testament to its diligent adherence to Bulgaria's strict weapons export control laws. * Finland considers new nuclear power plant The Washington Times April 23 1999 International Advertising Department at (202) 636-3035 (202) 635-0103 fax e-mail: natlad@wt.infi.net http://www.washtimes.com/internatlads/finland/17.html Finland needs its electricity. A cold harsh climate long distances and industrial production concentrated in energy-intensive industries like forestry heavy metal and chemical processing have translated into one of Europe's highest electricity demands despite high efficiency and conservation measures. Without any domestic oil or gas resources its hydro potential largely protected on environmental grounds imported energy accounts for about two thirds of national consumption. Meanwhile its four nuclear plants satisfy a quarter of the country's electricity needs. ___________________________________________________ Today's Newspapers: http://prop1.org/nucnews/links.htm NucNews Archives: http://prop1.org/nucnews/briefslv.htm Subscribe NucNews: mailto:prop1@prop1.org (NucNews-Subscribe) Submit URL/Article: mailto:prop1@prop1.org (NucNews-Editor) About NucNews: http://prop1.org/nucnews/nucnews.htm Distributed without payment for research and educational purposes only in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107. [You have our permission to download copy and forward any and all of NucNews. Help keep the information flowing!]