Foreign Correspondence

[thepennyking]

Why would Bush declare martial law?

Certainly the CIA has been very busy lately all over the world.

Italy and Isreal are targets as plain as the nose on Bush's red face.

US warns global nuclear safeguards under threat

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By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 5 2003(Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham on Wednesday called for tighter global nuclear safeguards to prevent countries like North Korea and Iran from using treaties as a cover to build atomic weapons.

Abraham addressed a U.N. General Assembly disarmament committee together with Alexander Rumyantsev, Russia's atomic energy minister, to mark the 50th anniversary of former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower's "atoms for peace" vision.

The American secretary accused North Korea and Iran of using the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, for weapons purposes.

"The nonproliferation regime's weaknesses become woefully apparent when a state joins the NPT, professes peaceful intentions and then abuses the treaty by using it as a cover to build up a nuclear weapons capability, which it then publicly declares through abrogation of, or withdrawal from, the treaty," Abraham said.

Abraham proposed measures similar to ones he announced in September at an IAEA meeting. These include letting the agency implement stronger safeguards, coaxing nations to disclose more information on uranium enrichment, tightening constraints on the acquisition of dangerous materials and doing more to prevent trafficking of nuclear materials.

Russia's Rumyantsev agreed, saying, "The growing terrorist threat obliges us to try to prevent even the smallest amount of radioactive material from falling into the hands of terrorists."

Abraham, however, was noncommittal about more radical proposals from IAEA Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei, although he said they were worth studying.

'OUTSIDE OF THE BOX'

"We would at least commend Mr. ElBaradei for trying to think outside of the box, as they say, and we are also doing that kind of analysis," Abraham told reporters.

ElBaradei on Monday urged the 191-nation General Assembly to consider imposing international controls on the production of nuclear material that could be used in weapons.

Among his proposals was restricting the enrichment of material that could be used in weapons to facilities under international control. He also called for stronger international rules on the disposal of spent fuel and radioactive waste.

Rumyantsev stressed Moscow's concerns about radioactive waste from nuclear reactors. "More than 200,000 tonnes of spent fuel has accumulated, and that amount is growing each year by another 10,000 tonnes," he said.

"The construction of major international centers to deal with spent fuel, equipped with modern technology and protective devices, under IAEA coordination, could ensure we meet our obligation to ensure nuclear safety," Rumyantsev said.

The 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty was intended to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. The five acknowledged nuclear powers -- the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China -- were obligated to move toward disarmament while all other signatories vowed to give up atomic weapons for good in return for help with nuclear energy programs.

ElBaradei intends to report this month on whether Iran is building nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies. Iranian envoys say they plan to give the agency a letter soon accepting tougher, short-notice nuclear inspections.

North Korea pulled out of the treaty and barred IAEA inspections after disclosing a clandestine uranium enrichment program a year ago.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05181311.htm