------- china

Taiwan Confirms China Building New Nuclear Submarine

Inside China Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 06:29 am, N.Y. 12:29 am
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=116298

TAIPEI, Dec 7, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) Taiwan confirmed Tuesday that China is building a new type of nuclear submarine that could threaten the United States.

"Judging from its research and development process, the submarine is scheduled to be put into service in the year 2005," Major General Chao Lien-ti told reporters.

The Washington Times reported Monday China is about to construct its first Type 094 missile submarine, capable of carrying a smaller underwater variant of China's new DF-31 international ballistic missile called Julang-2.

The missile would have a range of about 7,400 miles (11,935 kilometres), the paper said.

Taipei has been alarmed by the continued arms buildup by the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

"According to foreign experts' estimates, the military forces of the Chinese communists are expected to rise to the level enabling them to use force against Taiwan from 2005 on," Defense Minister Tang Fei said last month.

He said military expenditure would be raised by 40 billion Taiwan dollars (1.26 billion US) for the next fiscal year to cope with the perceived growing threat from China.

With the increase, the Nationalist island's military outlay would amount to 300 billion Taiwan dollars in 2001.

Taiwan also plans to put a low-altitude anti-missile system into service in 2005. A research team at the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology told reporters last month several breakthroughs had been made in developing an anti-ballistic missile system.

Tang said Chungshan would play a key role in the project although some weapons and equipment would also be imported, adding it could take 10 years and cost Taiwan up to 300 billion Taiwan dollars.

The PLA lobbed ballistic missiles into the shipping lanes off Taiwan in 1996 ahead of the island's first direct presidential elections.

The crisis did not end until Washington sent two battle carrier groups to waters off the island. ((c) 1999 Agence France Presse)

---

China To Test JL-2 Missile Capable Of Hitting London, New York

Inside China Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 06:29 am, N.Y. 12:29 am
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=116300

BEIJING, Dec 7, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) China will imminently test the Julang 2, an intercontinental sea-to-surface ballistic missile with an estimated range at least 9,000 kilometres (5580 miles) that will boost its nuclear deterent capability, foreign military experts in Beijing said Tuesday.

"The test is imminent," said an expert who asked to not be named, but added the missile, capable of hitting any city in the United States and Europe, could be equipped with a small nuclear warhead.

According to Monday's Washington Times newspaper, the transit of Chinese Golf class submarines from southern areas to the north of the country, carried out last month, signals the approach of the JL-2 test.

The newspaper also put the range of the Jl-2 at nearly 12,000 kilometres.

The second generation Julang, which translates as "great wave," is the successor to the Julang-1, which was tested successfully in the 1980s from Golf submarines, which are powered by Soviet-made engines, and from the Xia, believed to be the Chinese navy's only nuclear-powered submarine.

The Xia's first successful missile launch of the JL-1 took place in September 1988, according to defense specialists Jane's Information Group.

"It was generaly held that (a JL-2 launch) would be from the Golf, but it could also be from a submarine platform or an upgrade of the Xia," Robert Karniol, Jane's Asian correspondent based in Bangkok, told AFP.

China hopes to place the JL-2, also known as the CSS-N-4X, aboard a new generation of type 094 nuclear submarines, whose construction will begin during the next few weeks, said the Washington Times, citing American sources.

The newspaper said the submarine would carry a smaller underwater variant of the Julang-2 and could be operational by 2005-2006.

No confirmation of the new submarine could be obtained from foreign military experts in Beijing, though they said China has two nuclear submarine programs, one for attack submarines, the other for missile-launching types.

Some experts believe the JL-2 will be equipped with a 2.5 megaton warhead, however others believe it will be 10 times less powerful.

A megaton is a unit of explosive power equal to a million tonnes of TNT.

According to American experts, the JL-2, like China's intercontinental surface-to-surface Dongfeng-31 (DF-31), tested successfully this summer, is equipped with technology adapted from the Trident D-5.

The Triden D-5 is America's most modern missile and is equipped with W-88 miniature nuclear warheads.

Only China, Russia and the United States stock a full range of nuclear weapons, comprising surface, air and sea missiles.

If the JL-2 test is successful, Karniol said, "China will have made a significant step in the modernization process of its nuclear force, it will give her a second strike capability if a nuclear war starts." ((c) 1999 Agence France Presse)

---

U.S. Says Able To Counter Chinese Nuclear Forces

Inside China Today, Dec 13 at Prague 06:33 am, N.Y. 12:33 am
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=116217

WASHINGTON, Dec 7, 1999 -- (Reuters) The United States said on Monday it was well aware of China's plans to modernize its nuclear forces over the next decade and more than ready to defend the United States against them.

The White House declined specific comment on a Washington Times report that Beijing was beginning work on a new submarine that will be targeted against U.S. nuclear forces and will carry missile warheads built with stolen U.S. nuclear secrets.

White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said that he could not comment on the intelligence reports cited in the article but he insisted U.S. nuclear forces were more than a match for any developed by China.

"We believe that we have a superior - a clearly superior - nuclear force and understand the threat and have the ability and the resources to address it," Lockhart said.

"Broadly speaking we know that China is expected to deploy a more modern nuclear force in the decade ahead and in the same broad context, there is no indication that China is using U.S. technology in its deployed nuclear forces," he added.

The spokesman did not address whether China might use U.S. technology in any future nuclear weapons. Beijing vehemently denies that it stole any U.S. nuclear secrets.

The FBI is investigating whether China may have stolen nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

The Washington Times, citing Pentagon and other U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports, said the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy would start construction in the next several weeks on its first Type 094 missile submarine.

It cited U.S. officials as saying that the JL-2 missile to be deployed on the submarine and the DF-31 intercontinental ballistic missile on which it is said to be based would be the first to contain stolen U.S. warhead and missile secrets.

But the newspaper noted the comments by those officials contradicted the view of other Clinton administration officials who believe there is no evidence so far that Chinese strategic nuclear weapons will be copied from U.S. systems.

The newspaper said that the new submarines were expected to be deployed in 2005 or 2006

---

Facing China Missiles, Taiwan VP Wants Deterrent

Inside China Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 05:29 am, N.Y. 11:29 pm
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=117016

TAIPEI, Dec 9, 1999 -- (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.

"To ensure the Chinese Communists don't dare invade Taiwan, we must establish a credible deterrent military force and bolster our second-strike capability," Lien told a security forum.

"First we must strengthen our naval and air power, and employ highly mobile naval and air power and the latent strike power of long-range surface-to-surface missiles to forge a foundation for a tactical strike force," Lien said.

"TAIWAN NEEDS ITS OWN MISSILE DEFENSES"

Lien, who is running a faltering campaign for a March presidential election, said that while Taiwan hoped to shelter under a proposed U.S.-Japanese "theater missile defense", it saw a need to develop its own antimissile defenses.

The defense ministry quickly issued a statement saying Taiwan had not yet developed such missiles, but this did not mean it could not do so. Analysts say such missiles and nuclear weapons know-how are both within Taiwan's technical reach.

Defense Minister Tang Fei was non-committal, saying Lien's call merited study but anti-proliferation treaties made independent missile development difficult.

A wealthy industrial democracy unrecognised by the world's powers and claimed but not ruled by Beijing, Taiwan has long relied on ambiguous U.S. assurances of military support in the face of mainland Chinese threats.

Warming Sino-U.S. ties have prompted Taipei to harden its political line toward the mainland.

In July, President Lee Teng-hui said talks with Beijing must be held on a basis of political parity between equal states. This enraged Beijing, but also irked Washington, which has urged nuclear power China and well-armed Taiwan to avoid inflammatory statements.

Some Taiwan media said Lien's words were bound to exacerbate Taipei-Beijing frictions.

"DO IT, BUT DON'T SAY IT"

Analysts were surprised by Lien's willingness to go public with Taiwan's strategy for countering China's missile buildup, saying the policy has been to develop weapons quietly to avoid appearing provocative.

"The (defense) ministry policy has been, 'Do it but don't say it'," said Taipei defense analyst Andrew Yang. "This is a response to recent reports about the mainland's arms buildup and clearly will be a factor in the presidential election."

U.S. officials, citing intelligence reports, have confirmed in recent weeks that China was building missile bases along its southeastern coast within striking distance of Taiwan, which lies 100 miles (160 km) offshore.

Beijing's standing threat to take Taiwan by force if it pursues independence from China has become a central issue in the campaign for the March 18 election.

Lien's presidential rivals have won support with calls for warmer ties with Beijing. Lien, who has taken up Lee's more hawkish tone, is a distant third in opinion polls.

Lien's Nationalist Party, facing its worst challenge in decades, has countered with a barrage of warnings about the dangers of trusting Beijing.

The Nationalists ruled all of China between 1911 and 1949, when their Republic of China government was toppled by communist forces and fled into exile on Taiwan.

---

Financing China's Red Army

Washington TimesPublished 12/13/99 By James Hackett
http://web4.washtimes.com/commentary/comment2-19991213.htm

Beijing is using U.S. capital markets to finance its military modernization. Rep. Chris Cox has said Americans who buy Chinese securities without adequate disclosure "are essentially lending money to the communist government of China."

The spotlight on the World Trade Organization and the eagerness of the Beijing government to join it brings to mind another kind of trade with communist China - the sale of stocks and bonds in Chinese government-owned companies for U.S. dollars. Roger Robinson, a member of the National Security Council staff in the Reagan administration who now chairs the William J. Casey Institute of the Center for Security Policy, has warned for years of the need for disclosure in such transactions.

Then the Cox report, issued last May by a committee headed by Rep. Chris Cox, California Republican, on China's military and commercial activities, noted Beijing's use of U.S. capital markets to finance its military modernization. Mr. Cox said Americans who buy Chinese securities without adequate disclosure "are essentially lending money to the communist government of China."

China is creating a modern military machine with the goal of projecting enough force to make Taiwan join the mainland on its terms, and if necessary to invade Taiwan while holding the United States at bay. Beijing is buying modern military equipment from Russia, including SU-27 and SU-30 fighter aircraft, Kilo submarines, air-to-air missiles, and other advanced weaponry. Add the domestic production of new aircraft, naval units, and medium-range ballistic missiles, and Beijing is acquiring weapons needed to attack Taiwan. But China also is producing advanced cruise missiles to threaten the U.S. Pacific Fleet and new intercontinental ballistic missiles that hold American cities at risk. Last year, China raised defense spending 15 percent, the 11th year in a row of double-digit increases.

One source of hard currency for weapons purchases is the sale of stocks and bonds for dollars. John Berlau, writing in Investor's Business Daily on July 27 and Sept. 7, revealed how the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) invested millions in Chinese companies with alleged ties to military or intelligence services. One is China International Trust and Investment Corp. (CITIC), which the Rand Corp. calls "a conduit for military sales and acquisition." Another is Cosco Pacific, one of whose ships was seized by U.S. customs in 1996 for trying to smuggle 2,000 automatic weapons into the port of Oakland.

Other Chinese companies with U.S. dollar investments include China Resources, cited by Sen. Fred Thompson as "an agent of espionage - economic, military, and political - for China." Investor's Business Daily reported that the Texas Teachers Retirement System and the Tennessee state pension fund also hold stock in this alleged front for Chinese military intelligence. Another company, China North Industries Group (NORINCO), reportedly is "a significant part of China's Military apparatus." Poly Technologies, whose chairman also is chairman of CITIC, is said to be owned by the People's Liberation Army and acts as a conduit for Russian arms sales to China.

Three state-owned banks, the Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and China Development Bank, have raised some $3.8 billion in bond offerings in U.S. dollars. It was the Bank of China that allegedly was used to transfer funds to Johnny Chun and Charlie Trie in the 1996 Democratic campaign finance scandal. Overall, Chinese entities have issued more than $14 billion in bonds for U.S. dollars, $800 million by CITIC alone, in most cases without adequate disclosure about the borrowers, their management, or affiliates and subsidiaries - much less their ties to the Chinese leadership.

Last July, the Deutch Commission, chaired by President Clinton's former CIA Director John Deutch, reviewed the government's ability to limit the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and expressed concern that "known proliferators may be raising funds in U.S. capital markets." The commission noted that without a national security review of foreign companies that sell stocks and bonds for dollars, U.S. investors do not know how their money is used.

Most Chinese companies sell stock on the Hong Kong market, but at least 27 are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In September, the Dow Jones Report revealed that China National Petroleum, a government-owned enterprise with some $1.4 billion invested in Iraq and more than $1.5 billion in Sudan, a state-sponsor of terrorism, is planning an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange to raise $5 billion to $10 billion.

In an effort to bring these investments under prudent scrutiny, Rep. Spencer Bachus, Alabama Republican, chairman of the monetary policy subcommittee of the House Banking Committee, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Ohio Democrat, proposed The U.S. Market Security Act of 1999. This bill would establish an Office of National Security at the Securities and Exchange Commission to report to Congress the names of foreign government affiliates seeking to enter the U.S. stock and bond markets. The sponsors emphasize they are taking great care not to impede the free flow of capital. Their goal: to improve transparency so Americans will know more about the foreign organizations in which they are investing.

Portfolio managers are investing the pension funds of Americans in companies controlled by the Chinese government and in some cases the Chinese army without sufficient disclosure of their true owners or activities. How much ultimately is going to support China's militarization? No one knows, but greater disclosure is needed. Congress should take up and enact the U.S. Market Security Act early in the next session.

James T. Hackett is a contributing writer to The Washington Times based in San Diego

---

Russia, China Denounce West's Use Of Rights To Interfere

Inside China Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 05:29 am, N.Y. 11:29 pm
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=117395

BEIJING, Dec 10, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) Russia and China ended a strategically-timed summit here Friday by signing a joint communique rejecting the West's use of human rights to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

"Both sides are against the use of placing human rights higher than state sovereignty and using human rights to interfere or to harm an independent country's sovereignty," said the joint communique released to reporters at the Sino-Russian summit in Beijing.

The joint declaration is aimed at countering growing criticism from Western countries against Russia's military offensive in the rebel republic of Chechnya.

US President Bill Clinton has warned Russia it will pay a high price for the way it is waging war in Chechnya, in particular its disregard for civilian lives.

The joint declaration, signed during an informal two-day summit between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, also allies Russia with China on issues concerning Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province that must eventually be reunited with the mainland.

Moscow and Beijing on Friday said they supported the safeguarding of territorial integrity, unification of Taiwan with China and the Russian "efforts" in Chechnya.

The communique said China stresses that the Chechen issue is purely an internal affair of the Russian republic.

"The Chinese side supports the government of the Russian republic's action in fighting terrorism and splittism forces," the communique said.

Both countries called for a multi-polar world and for the United Nations to play a leading role in maintaining world peace.

"Members of the international community must respect sovereignty and non-interference in others internal affairs," they said.

Beijing and Moscow also reiterated in the communique their opposition to Washington's desire for an anti-ballistic missile defense system to protect the United States and a theater missile defense system to protect countries in East Asia.

Taiwan wants to be included in the Asian shield in Asia, which China strongly opposes.

The communique said Russia and China are strongly against US efforts to change the 1972 anti-ballistic missile (AMB) treaty, which curbs the proliferation of missiles and missile defense systems.

"The 1972 ABM treaty must be completely and strictly respected. The Russian side supports the Chinese side in opposing the position of any country under any form of bringing the Chinese province of Taiwan into a (anti-missile defense) plan," the communique said.

It said plans to build a theater missile defense system would threaten peace and stability in the region.

Yeltsin on Thursday gave his strongest reaction so far against US opposition to the Russian offensive in Chechnya.

He warned Clinton his country still had nuclear weapons and would not bow to US pressure over Chechen matters.

"Yesterday, Clinton took the liberty of putting pressure on Russia. It seems he has forgotten for a few seconds, a minute or half a minute what Russia represents, and that Russia has at its disposal a full nuclear arsenal," Yeltsin said after his first meeting with Jiang.

"It's never been the case, and it will never be the case, that he (Clinton) can dictate how the whole world should live, work, and play. No, and once again, no. A multi-polar world, that's the basis of everything.

Clinton played down Yeltsin's remarks and reiterated his stance that displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians will not help Moscow achieve its goal of stopping attacks by Chechen terrorists.

Yeltsin who was due to leave Beijing for Moscow around midday Friday, was recently hospitalized with pneumonia, but insisted on coming to China against the advice of his doctors.

The timing of his visit and the joint communique is significant as Russia is facing growing pressure from the US and Europe against its military onslaught in Chechnya and its planned attack on the Chechen capital Grozny.

China is also alarmed by Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui's efforts this year to assert state-to-state relations between China and Taiwan. ((c) 1999 Agence France Presse)

---

Last-minute campaign waged canal

USA Today 12/13/99- Updated 03:10 PM ET
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washdc/ncsmon04.htm

WASHINGTON - With barely 20 days left in a 20-year countdown to turn over control of the Panama Canal, opponents are undertaking a final effort to protect U.S. interests in the waterway.

They insist it will fall under Chinese rather than Panamanian control.

A federal court suit, a petition by members of Congress and anti-turnover speeches and seminars are questioning transfer of the 85-year-old American-built waterway to Panama, scheduled for noon Dec. 31.

A ceremonial turnover is scheduled Tuesday in Panama City - two weeks early to avoid conflicts with millennium celebrations.

The furor is fueled in part by concern over China and in part by regret among conservatives over loss of the vital link between the Pacific and Atlantic, heavily used by U.S. commercial and military ships.

The Clinton administration says the transfer of the canal to Panama was the right thing to do and is a done deal that has nothing to do with China.

''I feel comfortable that our commercial and security interests can be protected under this arrangement,'' President Clinton said last week. He retracted his own earlier statement that China would be running the canal as erroneous.

The fear of Chinese control is being voiced by several members of Congress and by top former military officers affiliated with the National Security Center, a conservative advocacy group which also opposes U.N. influence over the U.S. military.

It is based largely on the fact that a subsidiary of a Hong Kong-base company, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd., operates port concessions at both ends of the canal. The company denies it is controlled in any way by the Chinese government or military.

''It appears we have given away the farm,'' said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, who raised questions on the canal takeover with Defense Secretary William Cohen last summer.

''U.S. naval ships will be at the mercy of Chinese-controlled pilots and could even be denied passage,'' Lott said in a letter to Cohen.

Hutchison's port facilities, however, compete with a much larger American-owned operation and another operated, ironically, by a Taiwanese company. Unlike the United States, Panama has diplomatic relations with Taipei rather than Beijing.

A top concern among critics is the pullout of all U.S. troops from the Caribbean country at the end of U.S. operation and ownership of the canal.

Retired Adm. Thomas Moorer, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, called the loss and the specter of a Chinese takeover ''the greatest threat that exists worldwide to the United States today.

''Not only are we turning over control of the Canal, but we are providing a launching point for missiles against the United States,'' Moorer said at the second of two days of special congressional hearings last week.

The sparsely attended hearings were called despite the congressional recess by Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., chairman of the House Banking subcommittee on domestic and international monetary policy.

Bachus joined in a petition by two dozen House members urging Clinton to declare that treaties give the United States the right to maintain a presence in the country.

Bachus accused the administration of a ''see-no-evil, hear-no-evil approach'' to the danger of a Chinese takeover. Another concern, he said, is the economic impact of the canal turnover on U.S. interests.

''Control of the canal and our being able to rely on that canal for uninterrupted commerce is absolutely essential to our commercial and financial well being,'' he said.

Other than holding hearings, however, Congress has made no serious move to stop the turnover. A House bill declaring the treaty null and void never got to the floor before members went home for the year-end holidays.

With no chance that Congress will stop the turnover, opponents are pursuing a federal court suit, filed in October with little public fanfare. It questions legality of the turnover and seeks a temporary restraining order to prevent the canal from being transferred.

Revisions of the suit are planned to include more issues and more defendants in a call for a full preliminary injunction to halt the turnover.

''We have many supporters who don't believe the canal should be turned over to Panamanians under these circumstances,'' said Larry Klayman, head of Judicial Watch, a conservative group which has filed numerous suits against the Clinton administration over the years.

Both Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright have backed out of attending Tuesday's symbolic turnover, and no top U.S. officials plan to be in Panama Dec. 31.

Critics say it's because they don't want to be identified with losing the canal, but administration officials deny this and say they are confident its turnover and future operations will go smoothly.

Clinton rejected diplomatic advice in turning down an invitation from Panamanian President Mireya Moscoso and Albright canceled because of Mideast peace talks this week in Washington.

Former President Carter, who signed the turnover agreement in 1978 is set to attend, as are some canal turnover critics.

-------- iraq

UN Council Moving Closer to Vote on Iraqi Draft

Reuters December 13, 1999 Filed at 5:12 p.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-iraq-un.html

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - After a year's stalemate, a divided U.N. Security Council readied a critical resolution on Monday that could return arms inspectors to Iraq and suspend trade sanctions if Baghdad cooperates with them.

The delayed vote is now expected to be held on Tuesday as the United States and Britain attempt to avert a veto from Russia and China that would kill the resolution.

Diplomats said some progress on language they termed as ''creative ambiguity'' had been made late on Monday. But all changes still have to be reviewed by respective governments of the 15-nation council, particularly its veto-bearing permanent members, Russia, the United States, Britain, France and China.

Russia's objections are considered the most serious on a so-called ``trigger'' mechanism about what Iraq has to fulfill in scrapping its weapons of mass destruction for the sanctions to be suspended.

Russia, China and Malaysia are not expected to vote in favor, and at best may abstain. France, which in the past has sided with Russia, is expected to abstain or cast a positive vote.

The U.N. weapons inspectors have not been in Iraq since a year ago this week, when the United States and Britain launched bombing raids against Baghdad for its alleged failure to cooperate with U.N. weapons inspectors.

MAXIMIZE DEGREE OF CONSENSUS

British Ambassador Sir Jeremy Greenstock, this month's council president, said the reason for the delay was ``to maximize the degree of consensus,'' including on ``the trigger for the suspension of sanctions.''

Greenstock said intensive talks continued in capitals of the council's five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.

But he said ``we are determined to bring this whole negotiation to closure within the next 24 hours.'' In Washington State Department spokesman James Foley said: ``What we don't want to do is see this drag out any longer. And therefore we think it's time to vote.''

Chinese envoy Chen Guofang said opposition from Iraq, which has firmly rejected the document, had to be taken into consideration. ``Any effective implementation of a Security Council resolution will have to have the cooperation of the Iraqi government,'' he said.

Russia and China favor the suspension of sanctions soon after Iraq allows the inspectors to return, while the United States and Britain want a longer waiting period and answers to most outstanding questions about Baghdad's weapons programs.

The sanctions were imposed on Iraq after President Saddam Hussein's government invaded Kuwait in August 1990, leading to the 1991 Gulf War. After the war, a lifting of the sanctions was linked to the scrapping of Iraq's weapons of mass

destruction, a procedure that has taken nearly 10 years.

The resolution, if adopted, will start a complicated new process on inspections and humanitarian programs, with each step expected to be the subject of intensive debate.

NEW ARMS AGENCY, UNMOVIC

The resolution would create a new arms agency, called the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, or UNMOVIC, to replace the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM), which had been responsible for the scrapping of Baghdad's biological, chemical and ballistic missiles.

The measure would immediately lift a cap on how much oil Iraq could sell under the ``oil-for-food'' humanitarian program, now at $5.26 billion every six months.

It would also streamline the goods Iraq is allowed to purchase with its oil revenues and allow many of them to be approved without scrutiny by the Council's sanctions' panel.

The resolution, after a study of Iraq's oil fields, would allow Baghdad to purchase spare parts and equipment to upgrade its dilapidated oil industry.

If Iraq complied with arms demands, foreign companies would also be allowed to invest in its oil fields.

Iraq has lobbied vigorously against the resolution and still appears far away from accepting the draft and allowing the inspectors back into the country.

Baghdad believes the sanctions and the cumbersome procedure in New York to regulate imports and exports have wrecked its economy, educational system and its entire health system.

---

Inspectors Might Return to Iraq

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 12:32 p.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-UN-Iraq.html

UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A vote on a U.N. Security Council resolution to return weapons inspectors to Iraq may be delayed as negotiators try to get Russian support, diplomats said.

After months of negotiations, the council had scheduled a vote for today. But the United States and Britain, which are pushing for the vote, want to make sure that Russia, France and China don't exercise their veto powers -- and Russia's objections are viewed as the most serious.

Ministerial talks among key capitals continued over the weekend on the text of the resolution.

A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Office said today the vote was ``more likely'' to take place Tuesday because talks were still going on, and the various countries needed to get instructions from their capitals.

``We're in an endgame here,'' said Britain's U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, whose country holds the rotating Security Council presidency. ``You would expect a bit of too-ing and fro-ing. So that's what's happening at the moment.''

U.S. deputy ambassador Peter Burleigh, said he expected a vote ``either today or soon.''

Asked whether there were still serious negotiations on the text, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Sergey Lavrov replied: ``Well, there are still problems remaining.''

Iraq rejected the resolution over the weekend as an American attempt to hide its ``evil intentions.''

The comprehensive resolution would return inspectors to Iraq for the first time in a year and offer to suspend sanctions if Iraq cooperates fully and shows progress toward answering their remaining questions about its disarmament.

Russia and China favor the suspension of sanctions soon after Iraq allows inspectors to return, and would not require Baghdad to complete specific disarmament tasks. The United States and Britain want a longer waiting period and Iraqi answers to outstanding questions about its disarmament.

France's U.N. Ambassador Alain Dejammet said his government had proposed changes to the text last Thursday ``which could help the Russians'' and other council members to accept the resolution.

What happens now will depend on the decision by the British and other supporters of the resolution to consider those proposals, and that decision is expected today, he said.

The resolution establishes a new inspection agency called the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. The agency, known as UNMOVIC, would replace the U.N. Special Commission, which since the end of the 1991 Gulf War has overseen the destruction of Iraq's biological and chemical weapons and the missiles to deliver them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency remains in charge of monitoring Iraq's nuclear weapons program.

Inspectors from both agencies left Iraq Dec. 16, 1998, just before the United States and Britain launched airstrikes to punish Baghdad for failing to cooperate with their efforts.

Iraq has said inspectors from the U.N. Special Commission may not return and has demanded sanctions -- imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait -- be lifted. Under previous U.N. resolutions, sanctions can only be lifted when inspectors report Iraq is free of its banned weapons.

-------- israel

Israeli Nuclear Reactor to Shut Down for New Year

Reuters December 13, 1999 Filed at 6:19 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-yk-israel.html

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's top secret Dimona nuclear reactor in the Negev desert is to shut down for two days over the New Year to avoid possible Y2K glitches, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported Monday.

It said the reactor, which Israel has kept off limits to international nuclear inspectors, would shut for two days starting on New Year's Eve.

Israeli officials were unavailable for comment.

The newspaper quoted an official from the country's Atomic Energy Committee as saying: ``The citizens of Israel have nothing to worry about. The reactors in Dimona and Soreq have been made Y2K compliant.''

Mordechai Vanunu, a former technician at Dimona, is currently serving an 18-year sentence for espionage after he told Britain's Sunday Times in 1986 that Israel had built more than 200 atomic bombs at the site.

---

Israel's Reactor To Be Shut Down

Washington Times DECEMBER 13, 12:25 EST
http://wire.ap.org/APnews/main.html?FRONTID=MIDEAST&STORYID=APIS71AIO4G0
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Israel-Nuclear-Reactor.html

JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel nuclear reactor near the Negev Desert town of Dimona will be shut down on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as a precaution against Y2K malfunctions.

Israel says the Dimona facility is used for research, though it is widely believed that Israel stockpiles nuclear weapons there. Based on photographs taken at the site in 1986 by Israel's nuclear whistleblower, Mordechai Vanunu, experts said at the time that Israel had the world's sixth-largest nuclear arsenal.

The prime minister's office said Monday that Israel's nuclear facilities were checked and found to meet the necessary standards to combat the millennium bug, and that safety systems were working. In addition to Dimona, Israel operates a small nuclear research facility at Nahal Soreg in the center of the country.

-------- japan

Japan Boosts Nuke Safety Standards

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 7:09 a.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Japan-Nuclear.html

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's parliament passed two bills today meant to avoid another serious nuclear accident.

One calls for periodic inspection of nuclear-fuel processing facilities, and the other stipulates that the central government is responsible for dealing with nuclear accidents.

It allows the prime minister to declare a state of emergency and call out the self-defense forces.

Japan's worst-ever nuclear accident, on Sept. 30, severely injured three workers at a nuclear-fuel reprocessing plant and exposed at least 66 people to radiation. Thousands of people were forced indoors or evacuated.

An investigation found that workers at the plant, operated by JOC Co. in Tokaimura, 70 miles northeast of Tokyo, routinely violated safety procedures, including mixing uranium in buckets.

The government had not thought that inspection of such plants was necessary, said Juniichi Miyagawa, an official of the Science and Technology agency's nuclear policy section.

But the agency learned from the accident that workers do sometimes violate safety procedures, Miyagawa said.

-------- nato

Military Posture of Europe to Turn More Independent

New York Times December 13, 1999 By CRAIG R. WHITNEY
http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/121399europe-military.html

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http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/121099europe-summit.html

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http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/europe/060499eu-military.html

PARIS -- By deciding to equip itself to send up to 60,000 troops to a crisis zone like Bosnia or Kosovo, the European Union aims to become a strategic player that the United States and other countries will have to reckon with.

French officials, chafing under what some of them call American "hyperpower," have long wanted to make Europe a political and military power as well as an economic colossus.

Now other European leaders have adopted the military goal, agreeing at a meeting on Friday in Helsinki to build the command and planning staffs, intelligence bases, and the decision-making and deployment apparatus needed to realize their new ambition by 2003.

The allies in the 15-member union, including France, pledged that Europe's new military strength would not detract from, but instead would contribute to, the cohesion and effectiveness of the NATO alliance.

"If Europe takes on more responsibility by building up its military strength, that will contribute to the long-term equilibrium of the alliance," said Defense Minister Alain Richard of France in an interview. "Now the European Union is stepping up to its responsibilities and over the next few years will become a genuine actor on the scene, one that didn't exist before."

The allied military structure is led and dominated by the United States. During the recent NATO bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, it became clear that Europe was lagging in the ability to assemble or transport sizable peacekeeping forces quickly, and was in danger of falling far behind advanced American military technology, leading to the push for European improvements.

Germany's chancellor, Gerhard Schröder, recently explained his thinking, saying, "The Europe of the future must be able to defend its interests and values effectively worldwide." As far as Europe's military is concerned, he said, "close and confidential cooperation between the European Union and NATO" is essential. "There must and will be no thought of competition here," he added.

Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, without whose support the plan would never have been conceived, has also made clear that the NATO alliance would remain the bedrock of European security.

For the moment, American military and civilian officials are taking such assurances at face value.

Gen. Wesley K. Clark, the American who is NATO's top military commander, put it this way recently: "I think anything that increases the overall capabilities of the members of NATO in the defense area is commendable and we should be pushing it. We've got to make sure the institutions, as they emerge, and the linkages, as they emerge, in fact do that."

The main American concern, as General Clark put it, is "decoupling or duplication or discrimination against non-European Union, European members of NATO," and here the new European plan has the potential to cause long-term irritation for the United States.

Richard, the French defense minister, concedes the possibility for concern. "What fear of duplication really conceals is worry about the appearance of a new political partner, the European Union," he said. "It's a new situation that's a bit disturbing, that upsets old habits, because at the moment, inside the Atlantic alliance, there are only dispersed European states -- the only common, cohesive element is NATO itself."

He and other French officials said the military staff that the European Union would set up in Brussels would be nowhere near the size of the NATO military staff, down the road at General Clark's headquarters in Mons. A European military secretariat reporting to Javier Solana, former secretary general of the alliance, will decide how many military planners the European Union needs in a new general staff, Richard said.

"I'm persuaded that it should be basically rather modest," he said. Other French officials said a European general staff would probably number no more than a few hundred officers, who would draw heavily on planning done by their counterparts in the member states.

The new European defense structure would also include a military committee of chiefs of national defense staffs to advise the European leaders, who would decide when and where to send forces.

The 60,000 troops earmarked for European use in a crisis would be the same ones NATO could use if it decided to get involved, French officials said.

Richard said the European plan is consistent with the alliance's "defense capabilities initiative," a plan adopted at a NATO summit meeting last April to improve the effectiveness of future multinational military operations like the bombing campaign in Yugoslavia.

"The requirements, the performance levels, the expected specifications are all the same," Richard said, and duplication will be minimal, though American officials are not so sure.

Richard contends that the United States should help contribute to a new strategic balance within the alliance by allowing the American military to buy more arms from European defense industries.

"I have told our American friends several times that in our opinion -- and this isn't just a French view -- even if it's unintended, security regulations and limits on access to the American market are a real impediment to the existence of a trans-Atlantic market," he said. "It's a delicate subject, because it has to do with national security concerns that are legitimate and respectable, and it's not a subject that will be solved with loud public discussions."

American officials in Europe agree and are concerned that resentment at American strategic, technological and economic superiority could bring a resurgence of anti-Americanism.

"Fiery rhetoric and anti-American tirades by some senior leaders in Europe complicate this situation immensely, and are difficult to ignore on our side of the Atlantic," Jacques S. Gansler, a senior Pentagon official, warned a gathering of French defense industrialists in Toulouse last week.

In Washington, France has not been seen as trustworthy in handling American defense secrets as Britain is.

Gansler said in Toulouse that the United States wants more trans-Atlantic defense industry cooperation but insisted that effective safeguards by the allies for the American technology they wanted were "an absolute prerequisite."

Richard said, "I think the United States side needs to think about this to see if they aren't in danger of closing the American market to European producers."

But it was Britain, which long refused to discuss with its European partners any security arrangements outside of NATO, that finally allowed France to achieve its longstanding ambition to lead Europe to a modest autonomous defense capability of its own. Blair agreed on that objective with President Jacques Chirac of France more than a year ago, setting the stage for European leaders to adopt the plan last June in Cologne and to spell it out during the weekend in Helsinki.

At the insistence of Britain and other allies, including Germany and the Netherlands, the leaders agreed that Europe would deploy forces on its own only in situations where the alliance -- meaning, in effect, the United States -- had decided not to get involved.

"That's the condition, that's the agreement," Richard said, adding that he had told Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen in Brussels early this month that France and the United States were pulling on the same string by insisting that some of the allies should increase defense spending, for NATO's sake as well as for Europe's.

"I think it's not realistic for Europeans to say we are spending enough and that all we need to do is create more synergy and achieve more efficient cooperation," Richard said. He said he thought that the commitment made for spending on new equipment was less than what it should be.

According to alliance figures, the United States spends about 3.2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense, down from 6 percent during the cold war, with France and Britain spending 2.8 and 2.6 percent, respectively. But Germany spends only 1.5 percent and Spain 1.4 percent.

France, another French defense official said, will press its European partners to set spending targets for buying the new satellite-based navigation and guidance systems, fighter planes and transport aircraft that will be needed to make a European fighting force ready to be deployed within 60 days, the target set by the Helsinki plan.

"It may be easier, actually, for the Europeans to agree not to fall below these spending targets than it would be for them to agree to them as part of a NATO plan," the French official said. "There they could always fall short and say the United States had pressed them to accept unrealistic goals."

---

Yugoslavia Warns NATO Not to Interfere

WORLD IN BRIEF Washington Post
Compiled from news services Monday, December 13, 1999; Page A20

BELGRADE, Yugoslavia--Prime Minister Momir Bulatovic warned NATO against any attempt to intervene in tensions between Montenegro and Serbia, saying the army would defend the country, a newspaper reported.

Bulatovic made the comments Saturday after U.S. Gen. Wesley Clark said NATO was watching "very closely" the situation in Montenegro. The republic, long chafing at Serbia's domination of Yugoslavia, has sought greater autonomy, or even independence.

Fears were raised of a new conflict in the region when the Serb-led federal army engaged in a brief standoff last week with Montenegro's police force over Montenegro's main airport.

"NATO should mind its own business," Bulatovic was quoted as saying. "The army has nothing to do with politics but it has to do with defending the country from any NATO aggression, so we can tell them: Come here if you dare."

"They should know that in Montenegro they would meet armed resistance of the Yugoslav army and of all citizens of Yugoslavia," said Bulatovic, a close ally of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

-------- russia

Russia Deploys Second Batch Of New Nuclear Missiles

Russia Today, Dec 13 at Prague 06:29 am, N.Y. 12:29 am
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=117663

MOSCOW, Dec 10, 1999 -- (Reuters) Russia said on Friday it had deployed a second batch of its advanced Topol-M missiles as part of a scheme to upgrade the cash-starved country's ageing nuclear arsenal with its deterrent of choice for the next century.

A Strategic Rocket Forces spokesman told Reuters the 10 intercontinental ballistic missiles went on to active duty at Tatishchevo in the southern Saratov region on the Volga River. Ten of the missiles were deployed in the same area a year ago.

"Of the five nuclear powers, none of the others will match these weapons in the next few years," Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev, the forces' commander, told Russian news agencies.

Britain, China, France and the United States are the four other declared nuclear powers which, like Russia, have a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

On Thursday during a visit to China, President Boris Yeltsin warned the United States not to put pressure on Russia over its Chechnya military campaign and to remember Moscow had a huge nuclear arsenal. Washington played down the implied threat.

Topol-M, known to NATO as the SS-27, is a three-stage, single warhead missile with a range of 10,000 km (6,200 miles). The 20 missiles deployed so far sit in silos and are meant as a replacement for SS-19 missiles, which date from the 1970s.

The aim is for Topol-M eventually to replace all six land-based missile types in silos and on mobile launchers. Russia also has missiles aboard submarines and aircraft.

CASH SHORT BUT DEPLOYMENT GOING AHEAD

Yakovlev told a news conference earlier this week 72 percent of Russia's arsenal of 2,000 missiles were beyond their original shelf-life. But he said that did not mean they were obsolete.

"The planned pace of re-equipping the Strategic Rocket Forces has been maintained despite the financial difficulties faced by the nuclear forces and the armed forces as a whole," said the latest edition of the weekly newspaper Vek.

With cash short, the aim is to provide a credible nuclear umbrella under which military reform can then proceed.

But the Kremlin has yet to approve a draft military doctrine that places increased emphasis on nuclear deterrence and possible first strikes. The newspaper Izvestia said the draft may be reworked to water down these references.

Yakovlev and other Russian military officials have said Topol-M is designed to carry a single warhead but could easily be adapted to carry multiple warheads as a way to counter the United States if it goes ahead with a national missile defense system that would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile pact.

Even now Topol-M is unbeatable, Yakovlev said on Friday.

"Topol-M is able to breach any anti-missile system that exists in the world and any which will be built in the near future," Interfax news agency quoted the general as saying.

He told Izvestia: "I think the Americans are bluffing when they attach such great significance to anti-missile defense."

Russia has ruled out altering ABM to allow the United States to deploy a missile shield against so-called rogue states.

Yakovlev also appeared to put pressure on the State Duma lower house of parliament to ratify the START-2 arms pact on Monday. He told Izvestia a failure to ratify could restart an arms race and lead to a freeze in weapons inspections.

The United States has ratified START-2, which would cut arsenals to no more than 3,500 warheads each by 2007.

---

Russia again delays START II ratification

USA Today 2/13/99- Updated 02:51 PM ETWorld http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/nw1.htm#croatia

MOSCOW - Russian lawmakers Monday put off voting on the START II nuclear arms treaty, once again dashing prospects that it might be ratified any time soon. Leaders in parliament's lower house, the State Duma, said last week that they planned to debate START II during a special session Monday, which was also expected to include ratification of a union treaty with Belarus. The move raised the possibility that the Communists and their hard-line allies who dominate parliament might drop their resistance to the treaty. Russia and the United States both signed the agreement in 1993, and the U.S. Senate ratified it in 1996. But the Communists hard-liners have prevented a debate and a vote in Russia, saying START II would damage Russia's security.

---

Russia Delays START II Ratification

New York Times December 13, 1999 Filed at 6:48 a.m. EST By The Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Russia-START-II.html
http://www.nando.net/24hour/adn/global/story/0,1970,500141920-500168453-500627441-0,00.html
http://www2.nando.net/noframes/story/0,2107,500141920-500168453-500627441-0,00.html

MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian lawmakers today put off voting on the START II nuclear arms treaty, once again dashing prospects that it might be ratified any time soon.

Leaders in parliament's lower house, the State Duma, said last week that they planned to debate START II during a special session today, which was also expected to include ratification of a union treaty with Belarus.

The move raised the possibility that the Communists and their hard-line allies who dominate parliament might drop their resistance to the treaty. Russia and the United States both signed the agreement in 1993, and the U.S. Senate ratified it in 1996.

But the Communists again moved to prevent a debate and a vote.

``The issue hasn't been prepared yet,'' Communist Party chief Gennady Zyuganov told reporters.

Roman Popkovich, head of the Duma Defense Committee, said the lower house would probably vote on the treaty in the first half of 2000.

Today's parliamentary session was expected to be the last before Duma elections on Sunday.

President Boris Yeltsin's government has long urged the Duma to ratify the treaty, which would halve U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to between 3,000 and 3,500 warheads each. But hard-liners have balked, saying START II would damage Russia's security.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that the government would keep pressuring lawmakers to ratify START II.

The government ``will do all it can to try and resume discussion of this issue,'' Putin said, according to the Interfax news agency.

The Duma appeared to be moving toward ratification last December, but a debate was postponed in response to U.S. and British airstrikes on Iraq. The same thing happened again in March when NATO launched its air war on Yugoslavia.

Despite tense relations with the United States, the Yeltsin administration and military leaders have continued to push for START II's ratification. They say that Russia will have to take aging nuclear weapons out of service regardless of whether the country ratifies the treaty.

Some Russian lawmakers also argue that approving the treaty would boost Russia's position in talks over the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty, which the United States wants to modify in order to build defenses against possible limited missile attacks.

Russia views that as a threat to its security.

---

Russia says Y2K won't trip its missles

CNET December 8, 1999, 9:50 a.m. PT By Reuters
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1009-200-1488270.html?tag=st

MOSCOW--The commander of Russian nuclear forces said today the country's atomic weapons are immune to the Y2K computer problem and he guarantees there will be no accidental millennium missile launches from Russia.

Colonel-General Vladimir Yakovlev told a news conference simulcast on the Internet that the Russian missile command system is impregnable and support systems have been successfully tested for Y2K problems. The bug may affect some computers if they mistake 2000 for 1900.

Asked by an Internet questioner whether Russia and the United States could guarantee there will be no accidental missile launches as Jan.1, 2000, begins, Yakovlev said he could not speak for Washington.

"I can answer that there is such a guarantee from Russia," he said. "Because today the command system which exists for the intercontinental ballistic missiles of the Russian Federation is impossible to copy and impregnable for any kind of intrusion into its algorithm."

He said support systems have been subject to Y2K tests, and added, "This program was finished with autonomous tests and a series of tests on Dec. 1, 1999. Today we have no doubt that the supply systems will carry out their functions as well."

Russian and U.S. experts will sit side-by-side at a base in Colorado over the New Year period to ensure there are no nuclear mishaps. One of the most ingrained public fears around the world is that nuclear weapons could inadvertently be unleashed by computers because of a Y2K glitch.

---

Russian Duma Refuses to Mull START-2 Ratification

Reuters December 13, 1999 Filed at 3:08 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-arms-ru.html

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The managing council of Russia's Comunist-dominated lower house of parliament on Monday rejected a government request to ratify the START-2 nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States.

``There is no such issue on the agenda,'' State Duma first deputy speaker Boris Kuznetsov told reporters after the council met. Russia holds a parliamentary election on Sunday and the new Duma will meet in early January.

---

China And Rusia Jointly Oppose US Missile Defense System

Inside China Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 06:38 am, N.Y. 12:38 am
http://www.insidechina.com/news.php3?id=117407

BEIJING, Dec 10, 1999 -- (Agence France Presse) China and Russia Friday expressed opposition to US attempts to amend the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty as a preliminary step towards development of a proposed US anti-missile defense system.

A Sino-Russian communique said the two countries are strongly against US efforts to change the treaty, which curbs the proliferation of missiles and missile defense systems.

"The 1972 ABM treaty must be completely and strictly respected," the communique said.

"The plans of some countries in the Asian Pacific region to take steps to deploy an anti-missile defense system will destroy peace and stability in the region."

Washington has made efforts to amend language in the treaty which outlaws the development of anti-missile systems.

The communique further said: "The Russian side supports the Chinese side in opposing the position of any country under any form of bringing the Chinese province of Taiwan into a (anti-missile defense) plan."

The maintenance of the present global strategic balance was a crucial part of the strategic partnership between the two countries, it said.

China also expressed its understanding of Russia's position concerning the State Duma's failure to ratify the START 2 treaty with the US, which aims to reduce the nuclear arsenals of both sides.

Beijing and Moscow also expressed "regret at the US refusal to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty." ((c) 1999 Agence France Presse)

---

Russia, China Denounce West's Use Of Human Rights

Russia Today Monday, Dec 13 at Prague 05:29 am, N.Y. 11:29 pm
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=117428

BEIJING, Dec 10, 1999 -- (Reuters) Russia and China ended a strategically-timed summit here Friday by signing a joint communiqué rejecting the West's use of human rights to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.

"Both sides are against the use of placing human rights higher than state sovereignty and using human rights to interfere or to harm an independent country's sovereignty," said the joint communiqué released to reporters at the Sino-Russian summit in Beijing.

The joint declaration is aimed at countering growing criticism from Western countries against Russia's military offensive in the rebel republic of Chechnya.

US President Bill Clinton has warned Russia it will pay a high price for the way it is waging war in Chechnya, in particular its disregard for civilian lives.

The joint declaration, signed during an informal two-day summit between Russian President Boris Yeltsin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, also allies Russia with China on issues concerning Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province that must eventually be reunited with the mainland.

Moscow and Beijing on Friday said they supported the safeguarding of territorial integrity, unification of Taiwan with China and the Russian "efforts" in Chechnya.

The communiqué said China stresses that the Chechen issue is purely an internal affair of the Russian republic.

"The Chinese side supports the government of the Russian republic's action in fighting terrorism and splittism forces," the communiqué said.

Both countries called for a multi-polar world and for the United Nations to play a leading role in maintaining world peace.

"Members of the international community must respect sovereignty and non-interference in others internal affairs," they said.

Beijing and Moscow also reiterated in the communiqué their opposition to Washington's desire for an anti-ballistic missile defense system to protect the United States and a theatre missile defense system to protect countries in East Asia.

Taiwan wants to be included in the Asian shield in Asia, which China strongly opposes.

The communiqué said Russia and China are strongly against US efforts to change the 1972 anti-ballistic missile (AMB) treaty, which curbs the proliferation of missiles and missile defense systems.

"The 1972 ABM treaty must be completely and strictly respected. The Russian side supports the Chinese side in opposing the position of any country under any form of bringing the Chinese province of Taiwan into a (anti-missile defense) plan," the communiqué said.

It said plans to build a theatre missile defense system would threaten peace and stability in the region.

Yeltsin on Thursday gave his strongest reaction so far against US opposition to the Russian offensive in Chechnya.

He warned Clinton his country still had nuclear weapons and would not bow to US pressure over Chechen matters.

"Yesterday, Clinton took the liberty of putting pressure on Russia. It seems he has forgotten for a few seconds, a minute or half a minute what Russia represents, and that Russia has at its disposal a full nuclear arsenal," Yeltsin said after his first meeting with Jiang.

"It's never been the case, and it will never be the case, that he (Clinton) can dictate how the whole world should live, work, and play. No, and once again, no. A multi-polar world, that's the basis of everything.

Clinton played down Yeltsin's remarks and reiterated his stance that displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians will not help Moscow achieve its goal of stopping attacks by Chechen terrorists.

Yeltsin who was due to leave Beijing for Moscow around midday Friday, was recently hospitalized with pneumonia, but insisted on coming to China against the advice of his doctors.

The timing of his visit and the joint communiqué is significant as Russia is facing growing pressure from the US and Europe against its military onslaught in Chechnya and its planned attack on the Chechen capital Grozny.

China is also alarmed by Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui's efforts this year to assert state-to-state relations between China and Taiwan.

---

No New Cold War Appears Imminent

New York Times December 13, 1999 Filed at 2:26 p.m. EST By The Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Russia-Tepid-War.html

MOSCOW (AP) -- The rhetoric out of the Kremlin these days is often frigid, with Moscow flexing its nuclear muscles and dropping Cold War-style threats.

But for all its nuclear rhetoric, Russia does not want a new Cold War and is too weak even if it did, analysts say. Despite regular disagreements, U.S. and Russian officials want to maintain their stable, if sometimes acrimonious relations.

``A new Cold War would be too strong a term for the current chill in relations. There is a strong interest on both sides to prevent relations from worsening further,'' said Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent military analyst.

U.S.-Russians relations are likely to go on being bumpy. The post-Cold War honeymoon that followed the demise of the Soviet Union had to end and discord was inevitable because of conflicting ideas and interests, analysts say.

Ties have hit new lows in recent months because of U.S. criticism of Russia's military campaign against separatist rebels in Chechnya and spying claims by both sides.

At the heart of the dispute are Russian fears that the United States is dominating global affairs at a time when Moscow can no longer play the role of superpower because of the drastic decline of its military and economy.

Several times in recent months, President Boris Yeltsin and other Russian leaders have warned about the dangers of a world war or reminded Washington that Moscow still has a huge nuclear arsenal. The warnings have accompanied recent disputes over Chechnya, Kosovo and Iraq.

``It seems Mr. Clinton has forgotten Russia is a great power that possesses a nuclear arsenal,'' Yeltsin grumbled last week in Beijing.

But the fact that Moscow feels it has to remind the West of its nuclear might really shows how weak Russia has become since the Soviet collapse, analysts say. Moscow could not use nuclear weapons without facing total destruction and the enfeebled Russian military, lacking modern weapons and adequate supplies, does not pose a serious threat, they say.

``Russia is a far cry from the Soviet Union. It's much weaker militarily and economically and doesn't have funds to finance an anti-Western alliance like the Soviets,'' said Yevgeny Volk, head of the Moscow office of the Heritage Foundation.

Tensions between Washington and Moscow bear no comparison to the Cold War, when the two sides were locked in a dangerous global confrontation and their allies fought proxy wars for decades.

``The Cold War was fed by ideological confrontation, but there isn't any now,'' Felgenhauer said.

And for all its rhetoric, Moscow has to accept Western views because it needs help to keep its economy going. The Russian military backed off plans to unleash a massive assault on Chechnya's capital, Grozny, after Western protests.

``They have a goal. They want to make sure that Chechnya does not keep causing them problems,'' U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Sunday on CBS's Face the Nation. ``On the other hand, I think that they have understood the international pressure to some extent and there is a sense that Russia is becoming isolated.''

Russia inherited many of the Soviet Union's foreign policies and allies, which led to disagreements with the United States. But czarist Russia also had a long history of disputes with the West over foreign policy and human rights long before the rise of the Soviet Union.

Anti-Western stances also tend to play well with many Russians, who are strongly nationalist. With so many seemingly incurable political and economic problems, sounding off at Washington is a useful and effective theme for Russian politicians.

At the same time, the West wants to avoid a major confrontation with Moscow. While it has little enthusiasm for Yeltsin's corruption-dogged administration, the West doesn't want to do anything to risk Russia's transition to democracy and a market economy.

-------- ukraine

Ukraine Nuclear Plant Malfunctions

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 8:59 a.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-Ukraine-Nuclear.html

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- A reactor at Ukraine's Zaporizhia nuclear power plant malfunctioned and was shut down for repairs, officials said Monday.

The problem occurred Sunday in equipment that maintains equal pressure in the No. 1 reactor's cooling system, said the state nuclear energy company Energoatom. Operators shut down the reactor immediately after detecting the problem.

No radiation leaks were reported and the reactor was expected to restart by Wednesday, Energoatom said.

The malfunction came a day after the reactor had passed a safety test.

Nine out of 14 reactors at Ukraine's five nuclear power plants are currently operational. Overall, about 40 percent of the country's electricity comes from its nuclear power plants.

---

Soviet-Era Reactors Gear Up for Y2K Test

Reuters December 13, 1999 Filed at 2:03 a.m. ET
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/technology/tech-yk-reactors.html

CHERNOBYL, Ukraine (Reuters) - The gray hulk of the tomb encasing the radioactive rubble of the world's worst civil nuclear disaster looms over a bleak, snowy wasteland as a grim reminder of what can happen when atomic energy goes wrong.

Beyond the wall blocking off the stricken No. 4 reactor of Ukraine's infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant, white-suited technicians bustle through metal-lined halls of Reactor 3 amid the hum of throbbing turbines. No. 3, Chernobyl's last remaining reactor, was being brought on stream for what could be its last few months of service before closure sometime next year at the behest of the international community.

So the reactor, closure of which has been delayed from this year as previously planned, will be just in time to catch any ''millennium bug'' that might be waiting to strike computer systems around the globe at midnight on Dec. 31, 1999.

But officials vow there will be no second Chernobyl. While those manning the wall-length panels of flashing dials and switches in the reactor's sci-fi-style control room have a healthy awareness of the potential danger of their work, they are puzzled and exasperated at the stir around their plant.

``What do you mean, 'Aren't we afraid?' Everyone at the station is afraid of accidents but there won't be one,'' shift supervisor Viktor Kuchinsky told Reuters, breaking off to consult with his team as he kept an eye on the control panels.

``I'm more afraid of a car accident.''

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WARY OF SOVIET-ERA PLANTS

The Chernobyl blast, which killed 31 people outright and sent a radioactive cloud drifting over Europe to affect the health of thousands more, has fed concern about the safety of the 57 Soviet-era nuclear plants in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Armenia, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia all have Soviet reactors. Russia has nine nuclear plants, with Chernobyl-type RBMK reactors at three, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Lithuania's Ignalina plant also has two RBMK reactors. An IAEA spokesman said their emergency safety devices were less reliable than those used at Western-style pressurized water plants and lacking in multiple backup safety systems.

The Group of Seven leading industrial nations four years ago struck a deal with Ukraine to have Chernobyl closed by 2000 in return for funding the decommissioning and completion of a replacement. but delays in funding have held up closure.

The European Union has used the desire of Bulgaria, Lithuania and Slovakia to join the EU as a lever to require them to commit to closing their oldest stations. But officials at most of the Eastern-bloc stations say they have run extensive tests, dismiss the risk from possible Y2K bugs and declare themselves well prepared for any surprises.

``When these plants were designed the Soviet technology was not that advanced to build computerized plants,'' Sandor Nagy, the head of Hungary's Paks plant, told Reuters, saying his four VVER pressurized water reactors were all fully Y2K compliant.

``We only have one computer system that controls safety in one reactor and that was installed this year by Siemens.''

PLANTS BASICALLY Y2K-PROOF, CONCERNS REMAIN

The IAEA believes most stations are prepared for the millennium, but spokesman David Kyd said the change of date posed challenges for all that Ukraine and Armenia, in particular, were struggling to meet. ``The overall situation is not too worrisome regarding the plants themselves,'' he said, adding that Russian-designed plants were less reliant on computers than high-tech Western ones.

``It's true that the Russians build them cheap, cheerful and rugged, and they are very forgiving beasts. A minor computer glitch will not have an effect on the way the plant runs,'' he said. But ``embedded'' safety-related computer systems were potentially susceptible to the Y2K bug and, while most Soviet-era plants reported successful checks on such systems, IAEA experts feared Chernobyl had not paid enough attention.

The agency was also concerned about the possibility of instability or even blackouts on electricity grids throughout the region, which experts say could force reactor operators to cut capacity or even switch the reactor off.

``That is that fear of the experts ... that they would have to take precautionary measures at the nuclear plants so that there's no abnormality in operation,'' Kyd said. ``To run a power plant at an abnormal level of activity is unusual for the operating staff ... and you've got to tune it a little more finely if you want to take it down to half power.''

Kyd said IAEA experts had visited Lithuania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia and Slovenia but had made most of their Y2K-related visits in Eastern Europe to Ukraine, which relies on five nuclear plants for almost half its power needs. He said Ukraine and Armenia both lacked funds to upgrade radiation monitoring systems for emergencies.

SOVIET-DESIGNED PLANTS SAY THEY PREPARED

Armenian nuclear officials say the country's Medzamor plant is preparing for Y2K and they do not expect any problems.

``The present condition of the nuclear plant does not cause any anxiety,'' Medzamor official Slavik Danielyan told Reuters. ''All computers which have not been tested are now being changed,'' said another official, Slavik Pogosyan.

In the Czech Republic, CEZ a.s., owner of the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant, said it had conducted extensive tests and Y2K preparation and all critical systems were fully ready.

Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant, which has six VVER water pressurized reactors, also said it was not in danger. Experts said most of the plant's computer systems were developed after 1994 and thus were millennium compliant.

In Chernobyl, specialists say their computers are of mainly auxiliary importance and mostly not date-sensitive. Kuchinsky pulled out a battered ring-binder with a copy of the plant's contingency plans for all imaginable disasters, including if the country's entire power grid failed.

``I wouldn't like to say categorically that nothing will happen, but we are prepared for practically any situation,'' he said.

Chernobyl director Vitaly Tovstonohov told Reuters extra staff would be on duty on New Year's Eve, with the computer team standing by in case of emergency. ``I haven't quite decided yet what I will be doing,'' he said, ``but most probably I will be somewhere here, too.''

-------- us - nuc reactors

New Hampshire

USA Today Monday, December 13
http://www.usatoday.com/news/states/all50.htm

Seabrook - Residents of 22 New Hampshire communities are being told how they can buy a controversial "anti-nuke" pill by telephone or over the Internet. State Office of Emergency Management officials say the non-prescription potassium iodide pill offers protection from thyroid cancer if a radiological emergency takes place at a nuclear power plant like the one in Seabrook .

--------us - nuc weapons

Inside Politics

Washington Times Published 12/13/99Greg Pierce
http://www.washtimes.com/national/inpol19991213.htm

McCain's 'hair-trigger'

Utah Sen. Robert F. Bennett reports he has heard fellow Republican senators say they would not want to have Sen. John McCain's finger on the nuclear trigger. But Mr. Bennett denied that such remarks were part of a "whispering campaign" that Mr. McCain is mentally unstable.

"I'm not sure I would want Al Gore's finger on the nuclear trigger. . . . I would prefer George W. Bush's," Mr. Bennett said over the weekend on CNN's "Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields."

Mr. Bennett added: "I think the most important attribute any president has to have is good instincts, much more than intellect. Now, you list the smartest presidents of my lifetime, and the list is going to include Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. You list the presidents with the best instincts, and you're going to have Ronald Reagan, Harry Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.

"And I think John McCain's instincts are more hair-trigger than I would like. That doesn't mean that I think he's unstable or that I think he'd be a dangerous president. It just means that I would prefer somebody else."

A unique maneuver

Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who is running for president, was asked yesterday about Vice President Al Gore's claim that he is the only candidate who supported campaign-finance reform before he ran for president.

"I just think that . . . while he was inventing the Internet, I was inventing television," Mr. McCain replied on "Fox News Sunday."

"I mean, he also said that he co-sponsored McCain-Feingold three years after he left the Senate. That's a unique parliamentary maneuver."

Mr. McCain added: "Look, I welcome the vice president's involvement in this issue. But the real scandal in Washington was not Monica Lewinsky. It was the debasement of the institutions of government by the Clinton-Gore campaign - renting the Lincoln bedroom, selling seats on official trade missions - and, frankly, that will be a stain on American history."

Greg Pierce can be reached at 202/636-3285 or by e-mail (Pierce@twtmail.com).

--------

Hanford worker has beryllium disease
Chronic disease agitated by exotic metal, scars victim's lungs

Spokesman Review December 13, 1999 Associated Press
http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=121399&ID=s718844&cat=

A second Hanford worker has been diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, and some people are worried the disease may be more prevalent among the nuclear reservation's employees than had been believed.

Eight other workers have shown a sensitivity to beryllium, said electrician Craig E. Hall, the first Hanford worker known to be diagnosed with the condition. He's a member of the Beryllium Awareness Group, which is working to inform Hanford workers of the hazards of beryllium.

"I'd like to see anyone of any exposure tested," Hall said.

Awareness group members fear there are more undiagnosed cases of chronic beryllium disease or beryllium sensitivity among Hanford workers. Recent studies have shown even slight exposures to the exotic metal may cause the illness in sensitive people.

Tests on 700 former Hanford workers who volunteered for testing have shown at least 5 percent have been exposed to beryllium. Normally, the odds are 1 in 100 that someone working in beryllium-laden areas will show signs of the disease or sensitivity.

Beryllium was used at Hanford from 1952 to 1987, most often in a material developed to close the ends of uranium fuel rods. Workers could have been exposed in as many as 43 of the hundreds of buildings at the site.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons. Its current mission if focused on cleanup: the 560-acre reservation is the nation's most tainted nuclear site.

Breathing beryllium dust or particles can cause a worker's immune system to become sensitive -- allergic, in a sense -- to the beryllium inadvertently ingested. In such cases, chronic beryllium disease might develop as soon as a month or as much as 15 years later.

The disease is marked by scarring of the lungs. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing, tiredness, weight loss and excessive phlegm.

The illness can be fatal if not treated. But steroids and other therapies can be used to improve breathing and slow its progression.

The Hanford employee group has asked that a new, simpler questionnaire be developed to detect beryllium problems.

---


Second Hanford worker diagnosed with chronic disease
There's worry that more employees at the nuclear plant may get beryllosis, which is usually fatal

The Oregonian Monday, December 13, 1999
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/99/12/st121312.html

RICHLAND, Wash. -- A second Hanford worker has been diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, and some people worry that the usually fatal ailment may threaten more of the nuclear reservation's employees than anyone previously thought.

Eight other workers have shown a sensitivity to beryllium, signaling their probable exposure to dust from the exotic lightweight metal, said electrician Craig E. Hall, the first Hanford worker known to be diagnosed with beryllosis.

Hall is a member of the Beryllium Awareness Group, which is working to inform present and former Hanford workers of the hazards of beryllium, a non-radioactive material with many high-tech industrial uses.

About one-third as heavy as aluminum, beryllium is used in everything from golf clubs to dental bridges and the space shuttle. Because of its unusual physical properties, it also was used as a neutron reflector in nuclear weapons and in the fabrication of nuclear fuel.

"I'd like to see anyone of any exposure tested," Hall said. The chief recognized danger of beryllium is the inhalation of dust during industrial processes. Beryllium particles set off an immune reaction that results in progressive scarring of the lungs and, eventually, death.

Awareness group members fear there are more undiagnosed cases of chronic beryllium disease or beryllium sensitivity among Hanford workers.

Recent studies have shown even slight exposures to the metal may cause the illness in people sensitive to it.

Tests on 700 former Hanford workers who volunteered for testing have shown at least 5 percent have been exposed to beryllium. Normally, the odds are 1 in 100 that someone working in beryllium-laden areas will show signs of the disease or sensitivity.

Beryllium was used at Hanford from 1952 to 1987, most often in a material developed to close the ends of uranium fuel rods. Workers could have been exposed in as many as 43 of the hundreds of buildings at the site. The potential presence of beryllium dust has complicated Hanford's cleanup plans.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons. It is the nation's most contaminated defense site, and its current mission is removing or stabilizing thousands of tons of contamination including beryllium.

Although Hanford has enormous capabilities for tracking radioactivity, stable but dangerous materials such as beryllium pose huge problems. Chronic beryllium disease can take 30 years to develop. The disease is marked by shortness of breath, coughing, tiredness and weight loss.

Although incurable, beryllosis can be slowed down with steroids and other therapies.

The Hanford employee group wants the government to step up its effort to identify workers who may have been exposed and to guarantee that those who ask for testing don't face repercussions. Keith Klein, the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site manager, responded that "each employee has the right to raise concerns about work-related safety issues, including concerns related to his or her health, without fear of retaliation or reprisal."

Jim Long of The Oregonian staff contributed to this report.

---

Beryllium disease concern at Hanford

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Monday, December 13, 1999 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
http://www.seattlep-i.com/local/hanf131.shtml

RICHLAND -- A second Hanford worker has been diagnosed with chronic beryllium disease, and some people are worried the disease may be more prevalent among the nuclear reservation's employees than had been believed.

Eight other workers have shown a sensitivity to beryllium, said electrician Craig Hall, the first Hanford worker known to be diagnosed with the condition. He's a member of the Beryllium Awareness Group, which is working to inform Hanford workers of the hazards of beryllium.

"I'd like to see anyone of any exposure tested," Hall said.

Awareness group members fear there are more undiagnosed cases of chronic beryllium disease or beryllium sensitivity among Hanford workers. Recent studies have shown even slight exposures to the exotic metal may cause the illness in sensitive people.

Breathing beryllium dust or particles can cause a worker's immune system to become sensitive -- allergic, in a sense -- to the beryllium inadvertently ingested. In such cases, chronic beryllium disease might develop as soon as a month or as long as 15 years after exposure.

The disease is marked by scarring of the lungs. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, coughing, tiredness, weight loss and excessive phlegm.

The illness can be fatal if not treated. But steroids and other therapies can be used to improve breathing and slow its progression.

Beryllium was used at Hanford from 1952 to 1987, most often in a material developed to close the ends of uranium fuel rods. Workers could have been exposed in as many as 43 of the hundreds of buildings at the site.

Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons. The 560-acre reservation is the nation's most tainted nuclear site.

The Hanford employee group has asked that a new, simpler questionnaire be developed to detect beryllium problems. The current form asks many open-ended questions, and the group would prefer a more straightforward collection of data -- allowing workers to just check off locations where they worked, for example.

The group also wants to make sure workers don't fear repercussions if they ask for testing.

Accordingly, Keith Klein, manager for the Department of Energy, and Dick French, manager of the DOE Office of River Protection, issued this statement:

"Each employee has the right to raise concerns about work-related safety issues, including concerns related to his or her health, without fear of retaliation or reprisal."

---

Energy Scales Back Polygraph Plans

Associated Press 07:36 PM ET 12/13/99 By H. JOSEF HEBERT
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2562600161-26f

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Faced with an uproar by scientists, the Energy Department scaled back its polygraph plans and said Monday only about 800 scientists with access to nuclear weapons secrets will undergo the lie detector exams.

The department had indicated earlier this year it might test as many as 10,000 people as part of a broad revamping of security at nuclear weapons laboratories in response to the outcry over alleged Chinese espionage.

Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said Monday the tests will be narrowly targeted and cover those individuals with access to some of the country's most highly classified nuclear secrets.

Most of the 800 scientists work at three weapons labs _ Sandia and Los Alamos in New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore in California.

The exams will be taken by both Energy Department and contractor employees at the labs as well as a small number of officials at DOE headquarters and other facilities. The final rule also covers political appointees, a group initially exempt, if they have access to top-secret nuclear weapons information.

``This is a narrowly targeted implementation plan,'' said Richardson. ``We need to focus security efforts on protecting information that needs protection without impeding scientific research in the process.''

The department issued a final polygraph regulation on the tests Monday, clearing the way for the exams to begin immediately. Some individuals, including Richardson, already have undergone the exams on a voluntary basis.

The polygraph issue has been the most controversial and emotional of any of the new security and counterintelligence initiatives ordered by Richardson since an uproar began in Congress last spring over alleged theft of nuclear secrets at weapons labs.

Many scientists at the labs have argued that the tests are not reliable and could destroy careers because of a false or unclear reading of a response. Others have said the polygraph was an affront to years of loyal service by weapons scientists.

In response, department officials said they've crafted the tests in such a way that they focus narrowly on security areas and will not delve into people's private lives.

Also, said Brooke Anderson, a DOE spokeswoman, the polygraph results cannot be used as the sole reason for denying or revoking a scientist's access to nuclear secrets. She said it will be part of a broader security review that would include background checks, financial disclosures and reports on foreign travel.

Richardson said the decision to narrow the number of individuals subject to the polygraph tests was the result of concerns raised by scientists at the labs, who thought the initial sweep was far too broad.

The polygraph examiners will ask four specific questions, including whether the individual had illegal or unauthorized contact with foreigners; has passed classified information to a foreign agent; has been involved or associated with terrorists; or has been involved in sabotage.

In a related action, Richardson issued a directive Monday reiterating the department's policy against racial profiling in any security or counterespionage evaluations, or other activities.

The polygraph regulation and the Richardson's directive came as Taiwan-born Wen Ho Lee pleaded innocent Monday to charges of security violations and mishandling of nuclear secrets while a weapons scientist at Los Alamos. Lee was charged in a 59-count indictment and arrested Friday.

Lee has maintained he was singled out because he is Asian-American, a charge strongly denied by Richardson.

While not mentioning Lee by name, Richardson said ``at this juncture it is appropriate that I reiterate emphatically my policy of zero tolerance of any form of racial profiling within the DOE workplace.''

---

Alleged Chinese Theft Re-Evaluated

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 1:53 a.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/w/AP-China-Espionage.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19991213/pl/china_espionage_1.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- As the investigation into alleged Chinese espionage enters its fourth year, U.S. officials are narrowing the list of nuclear secrets that Beijing most likely stole while expanding the pool of suspects.

Shifting their near-singular focus on the Los Alamos nuclear weapons lab in New Mexico and one of its scientist, Wen Ho Lee, officials now acknowledge that the classified information China most likely stole was accessible to hundreds of people at several federal facilities.

The FBI recently refocused its investigation on other facilities outside Los Alamos, in part based on classified information from one of Lee's supervisors at the lab. That supervisor disclosed that as many as 250 workers a year had access to the information China is suspected of stealing.

``The focus of this new initiative is to determine the full universe of both compromised restricted nuclear weapons information and who had access to that information,'' FBI Assistant Director Neil J. Gallagher wrote in a letter to Congress last month.

A primary piece of evidence continues to be a 1988-dated Chinese document that suggests China stole valuable information about nearly every major weapon in the current U.S. nuclear arsenal, including the W-88 miniaturized submarine warhead that is one of America's most sophisticated, officials said.

When a congressional committee chaired by Rep. Christopher Cox, R-Calif., issued a report on China espionage earlier this year, it pointed to that document as evidence of the extent of China's spying at U.S. nuclear labs.

But a more recent assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies has concluded a large portion of the information in that document most likely came from publicly available documents, some of which contained misinformation about American weapons, officials told The Associated Press.

In the case of the W-88, intelligence officials now believe the 1988-dated Chinese document, which U.S. officials obtained in 1995, contains only a couple of pieces of classified information that could only have been stolen from secure facilities.

One administration official, speaking only on condition of anonymity, said the two secrets involved the particular radius measurement of a key component in the W-88 warhead and the overall shape and configuration of the weapon.

``Neither of these restricted pieces of information can be located in any public documents,'' the official said. ``It is our assessment that China could only have obtained these through spying.''

China has steadfastly denied such espionage.

The new intelligence assessments have helped the FBI refocus an investigation that began in 1996 and for three years tried unsuccessfully to prove Lee had spied for China.

Lee was charged Friday with 59 counts alleging he removed a wide array of national secrets from secured computers at Los Alamos in the early 1990s. But the indictment failed to prove that Lee gave any secrets to foreign countries, such as China or Taiwan.

The AP reported Saturday that the FBI began to have doubts more than a year ago that Lee had leaked the W-88 information, but only recently refocused its investigation to other suspects and locations after suspecting that the original evidence again the Los Alamos scientist was flawed.

FBI officials say their refocused investigation is trying to determine exactly who had access to the W-88 secrets that could only have been stolen. Lee remains a possible suspect, but agents have expanded the list, officials said.

But investigators say they are no longer wedded to the theory that information must have been passed to China during the 1980s just because the key document is dated 1988.

---

Nuke Scientist Lee Pleads Innocent

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 2:32 p.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/a/AP-China-Spying.html
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/late/13nuke.html

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) --Jailed scientist Wen Ho Lee pleaded innocent today at a detention hearing crowded with friends and supporters, while prosecutors urged Lee's continued detention, describing him as a danger to the community.

Lee, accused of improperly handling national nuclear weapons secrets, ``poses a substantial risk of flight,'' assistant U.S. attorney Robert Gorence told Magistrate Don Svet.

Svet was expected to rule later today whether Lee, a former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, would be detained or released on bond.

Dr. Stephen Younger, director of nuclear weapons program at Los Alamos, testified that Lee had downloaded key files from a secure computer to portable tapes that represent a complete nuclear weapons design.

The files were crucial to nuclear weapons design and ``represent centuries of work,'' Younger said. ``They represent the complete nuclear weapons designs capabilities of Los Alamos at the time.''

Lee's friends and family were rallying to his side.

Don and Jean Marshall, former co-workers who live next door to Lee and have been outspoken in his defense. They planned to contact a list of the fired scientist's supporters, encouraging them to attend the hearing.

``We are not going there to rock the boat or cause trouble, and we realize we probably will not be given a chance to speak, but we want Wen Ho and his family to see us there,'' said Jean Marshall. It was not immediately known if the Marshalls were in attendance.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported today that more than a dozen Asian-American organizations -- including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Manufacturers Association -- are discussing strategies on behalf of Lee, fearing he may be the victim of bias.

The government alleges Lee mishandled critical nuclear-weapon secrets, downloading them from top-secret computers to an unclassified network and even onto portable data tapes that could be removed from Los Alamos.

The indictment alleges Lee did it ``with the intent to secure an advantage to a foreign nation.''

The Taiwan-born Lee could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted, prosecutors say. On Friday, Lee's lawyer called the charges baseless.

Prosecutors called the security breaches threats to national security, and investigators said much of the information Lee took was still missing.

Many Asian-Americans said they were concerned that Lee was charged with transferring highly sensitive nuclear-weapons information -- not espionage. Some likened his case to racial profiling.

``If you look at the indictment, this looks like 59 counts of downloading,'' Henry Tang, chairman of the Committee of 100, an organization of prominent Chinese-Americans, told the Times. ``He looks like a scapegoat.''

---

Lee Pleads Not Guilty to Los Alamos Nuclear Charges

Reuters Monday December 13 3:45 PM ET By Zelie Pollon
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991213/ts/china_spying_14.html

ALBUQUERQUE (Reuters) - Wen Ho Lee, the former U.S. government physicist at the center of a China spying scandal, pleaded not guilty on Monday to 59 criminal charges of mishandling top secret nuclear weapons data.

Lee, 59, appeared relaxed in a gray suit in a courtroom packed with family and supporters, many of whom said outside the court they believed he was a victim of racial bias because of his Asian heritage.

``I plead not guilty,'' Lee told the judge.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Don J. Svet was due to decide at the hearing whether Lee, jailed since he was indicted on Friday, can be released on bond or whether he should be kept in jail as prosecutors are demanding.

Lee, who was fired from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico in March, could face life in prison if convicted as charged of taking top secret nuclear weapons data off Los Alamos computers.

Lee was not charged with spying despite the fact that his name was publicly linked in March to allegations that China stole U.S. nuclear secrets.

U.S. officials have since then said they lacked evidence he handed classified information to China. Beijing has steadfastly denied stealing secrets.

Prosecutors summoned witnesses to bolster their argument that Lee posed a risk to U.S. security and could flee the country if released.

Stephen Younger, director of nuclear weapons program at Los Alamos, told the court that computer codes allegedly downloaded by Lee contained information on the entire design of U.S. nuclear weapons.

``These codes in the wrong hands could change the global strategic balance,'' Younger said.

Lee's lawyer, Mark Holsher, was expected to argue the scientist was not a flight risk and should be released on bail.

``Dr. Lee voluntarily relinquished his passport prior to this time and voluntarily notified the government on every occasion on which he has traveled outside the Los Alamos area for the past nine months,'' Holsher said in an earlier statement.

About 50 of Lee's friends, colleagues and family members found seats in court and more were unable to fit inside.

``If this isn't a case of racial profiling, I don't know what is,'' Cecilia Chang, a member of a committee that has set up the Dr. Wen Ho Lee Defense Fund, said outside the courtroom.

Lee has said he was unfairly singled out in an FBI probe of Los Alamos because he was a Taiwan-born U.S. citizen, a charge taken up by other Chinese-Americans.

Lee's adult daughter Alberta Lee was also there alongside her mother.

``I have one statement, my father is innocent. My family and I will love him, support him and stand by him,'' the daughter said.

The indictment included 29 counts charging unlawful tampering, altering, concealing or removing of restricted data, 10 counts of unlawful receipt or acquisition of restricted data, 10 counts of unlawful gathering of national defense information, and 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.

Earlier Stories

U.S. Physicist Lee Charged With 59 Counts (December 11)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991211/ts/china_spying_13.html

U.S. Releases Indictment of Nuclear Physicist Lee (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_9.html

U.S. Physicist Lee Indicted on 59 Counts (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_8.html

US Physicist Lee Arrested in Nuclear Secrets Case (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_7.html

FBI Agents Arrest Physicist Lee (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_6.html

U.S. Considering Charges Against Physicist Lee (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_4.html

---

Lee ordered held on Los Alamos charges

CNN December 13, 1999 Web posted at: 9:18 p.m. EST (0218 GMT)
http://www.cnn.com/1999/US/12/13/lee.indictment.03/index.html

In this story:

Scientist could face life in prison if convicted
http://www.cnn.com/1999/US/12/13/lee.indictment.03/index.html#1

Family, friends turn out in support of Lee
http://www.cnn.com/1999/US/12/13/lee.indictment.03/index.html#2

Indictment covers wide range of allegations
http://www.cnn.com/1999/US/12/13/lee.indictment.03/index.html#3

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (CNN) -- Wen Ho Lee told a judge he is not guilty of charges he mishandled nuclear weapons secrets at his arraignment on Monday. A federal magistrate ordered him to remain in custody until his trial.

Lee's freedom would be a "clear and present danger to the United States," U.S. Magistrate Don Svet said. "The weight of the evidence indicates to me that I'm required to order his detention, which I'm going to do."

The order comes after witnesses from the FBI and Los Alamos Nuclear Laboratory, where Lee worked, testified that he had downloaded several classified codes.

At a detention hearing after the arraignment, Stephen Younger, associate director of Los Alamos, the said the data Lee is accused of downloading "could, in the wrong hands, change the global strategic balance if they had the tapes and knew how to use them."

Lee is charged with 59 counts of violating the Atomic Energy Act and provisions of the Espionage Act.

Scientist could face life in prison if convicted

The Taiwan-born U.S. citizen, who was fired from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in March, could spend the rest of his life in prison if he is convicted, according to prosecutors.

Lee was not charged with spying despite the fact that his name was publicly linked to allegations that China stole U.S. nuclear secrets.

U.S. officials have since then said they lacked evidence he handed classified information to China. Beijing has steadfastly denied stealing secrets.

Family, friends turn out in support of Lee

About 50 of Lee's friends, colleagues and family members found seats in court, with other supporters unable to fit inside.

"If this isn't a case of racial profiling, I don't know what is," Cecilia Chang, a member of a committee that has set up the Dr. Wen Ho Lee Defense Fund, said outside the courtroom.

Lee has said he was unfairly singled out in an FBI probe of Los Alamos because of his Asian heritage, a charge taken up by other Chinese-Americans.

Lee's adult daughter, Alberta Lee, stood alongside her mother, Sylvia.

"I have one statement -- my father is innocent. My family and I will love him, support him and stand by him," his daughter said.

The New York Times reported Monday that more than a dozen Asian-American organizations, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Manufacturers Association, are discussing strategies on behalf of Lee, fearing he may be the victim of bias.

Indictment covers wide range of allegations

The indictment against Lee includes:

29 counts charging unlawful tampering, altering, concealing or removing of restricted data. 10 counts of unlawful receipt or acquisition of restricted data. 10 counts of unlawful gathering of national defense information. 10 counts of unlawful retention of national defense information.

Correspondent Aram Roston, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

RELATED STORIES:

Wen Ho Lee indicted, arrested in Los Alamos case December 10, 1999
http://www.cnn.com/1999/US/12/10/lee.indictment.02/

CIA measures damage following leaked nuclear secrets March 9, 1999
http://cnn.com/US/9903/09/china.spy.02/

China denies spy link to fired U.S. scientist March 9, 1999
http://cnn.com/US/9903/09/china.spy/

China spy suspect fired by Energy Department March 8, 1999
http://cnn.com/US/9903/08/us.china.spying/

U.S. beefs up security, studies report of China nuclear spy March 6, 1999
http://cnn.com/US/9903/06/us.china/index.html

Clinton orders damage assessment of alleged Chinese espionage February 2, 1999
http://cnn.com/US/9902/02/china.espionage/index.html

RELATED SITES:

Los Alamos National Laboratory
http://www.lanl.gov/external/

U.S. Department of Energy Home Page
http://www.doe.gov/

Scientific Freedom and National Security
http://www.aaas.org/spp/scifree/

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

---

Lee to Remain in Jail in Los Alamos Nuclear Case

Reuters Monday December 13 8:29 PM ET By Zelie Pollon
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991213/ts/china_spying_16.html

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday ordered fired government scientist Wen Ho Lee, charged with illegally taking U.S. nuclear weapons secrets, to be kept in jail without bond as ``a clear and present danger'' to U.S. security.

Lee, fired from Los Alamos National Laboratory in March under suspicion of spying for China, has been in jail since he was indicted on Friday on charges of illegally acquiring nuclear secrets. He has not been charged with espionage.

``The weight of the evidence indicates to me that I'm required to order his (Lee's) detention. The missing tapes and source codes present a clear and present danger to the United States,'' U.S. Magistrate Don Svet told the court after a day-long hearing.

Svet was referring to nine computer tapes which the indictment alleges are missing and Lee has said were destroyed. The indictment alleges seven of the tapes contain top secret design information on U.S. nuclear weapons.

Lee pleaded not guilty at the start of the hearing. He could face life in prison if convicted on 59 charges of illegally taking top secret nuclear weapons data from secure computers at the government lab.

A Taiwan-born U.S. citizen, Lee was publicly linked in March to allegations that China stole U.S. nuclear secrets, which he has denied from the start.

U.S. officials have since then said they lacked evidence he handed classified information to China. Beijing has steadfastly denied stealing secrets.

Lee's attorney pledged to appeal the judge's order that the physicist be detained pending his trial sometime next year.

Federal prosecutors argued in the hearing that there was no evidence to back up Lee's claim the missing computer tapes were destroyed and that he could get his hands on them if released.

``From my perspective, Dr Lee's unfettered access to these seven tapes represents a clear danger to our national security,'' said FBI agent Robert Messemer, a counter- intelligence and espionage investigator, in testimony for the prosecution.

Lee's attorneys offered to post $100,000 bond and put their client on electronic surveillance to make sure he did not leave his Los Alamos home.

``If Dr Lee was going to flee, he would have done it in March 1999 when the allegations were made. Instead, he tendered his passport and voluntarily told the government each time he traveled outside the district,'' an attorney said.

The courtroom was packed with about 50 members of Lee's family, colleagues and supporters, many of whom said outside the court they believed he was a victim of racial bias because of his Asian heritage.

``If this isn't a case of racial profiling, I don't know what is,'' Cecilia Chang, a member of a committee that has set up the Dr. Wen Ho Lee Defense Fund, said outside the courtroom.

Earlier Stories

Judge Orders Lee Kept in Jail in Los Alamos Case (December 13)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991213/ts/china_spying_15.html

Lee Pleads Not Guilty to Los Alamos Nuclear Charges (December 13)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991213/ts/china_spying_14.html

U.S. Physicist Lee Charged With 59 Counts (December 11)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991211/ts/china_spying_13.html

U.S. Releases Indictment of Nuclear Physicist Lee (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_9.html

U.S. Physicist Lee Indicted on 59 Counts(December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991210/ts/china_spying_8.html

US Physicist Lee Arrested in Nuclear Secrets Case (December 10)
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991213/ts/china_spying_16.html

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Nuke Scientist Lee Denied Bond

Associated Press 09:42 PM ET 12/13/99 By RICHARD http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2562601791-56b

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) _ Fired Los Alamos scientist Wen Ho Lee was ordered held without bond Monday after pleading innocent to charges that he improperly handled national nuclear weapons secrets.

Lee's freedom would be a ``clear and present danger to the United States,'' U.S. Magistrate Don Svet said. ``The weight of the evidence indicates to me that I'm required to order his detention, which I'm going to do.''

The Tawain-born scientist showed no reaction as Svet announced that he must remain in custody until trial. His lawyer said he would appeal the denial of bond.

The order came after witnesses from the FBI and Los Alamos lab testified that Lee had downloaded classified codes that contained nearly everything Los Alamos knew about nuclear weapons.

Prosecutors accuse Lee of downloading key nuclear weapons files from a secure computer to 10 portable tapes and say seven of the tapes are missing.

``From my perspective ... I can tell you that Dr. Lee's unfettered access to the seven missing tapes represents a clear threat to the national security of the United States,'' FBI agent Robert Messemer testified.

Defense lawyers said the seven tapes were destroyed, but they did not elaborate.

``There's no evidence he has the tapes, disclosed the tapes, attempted to disclose the tapes. Is there any evidence in this huge investigation (of attempted disclosure)? The answer is no,'' John Cline said.

Lee, 59, was indicted Friday on charges that he illegally copied nuclear secrets from classified laboratory computers. Lee allegedly intended ``to secure an advantage to a foreign nation,'' but he has not been charged with passing on the secrets.

Lee could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

During the hearing, Messemer also testified that when Lee came under investigation, he deleted hundreds of computer files. Initially, he said, 360 files were deleted, then there was a second wave of what he termed ``massive deletions of files.''

Messemer suggested the deletions might have been motivated by a fear of discovery, but the defense lawyers said Lee, having lost his security clearance, deleted the files because he no longer was entitled to them.

Lee raised suspicion among agents, who found he downloaded files while he was alone, in evenings and on weekends. ``From a counterintelligence perspective, Dr. Lee's actions appear to be secretive and clandestine,'' Messemer said.

Dr. Stephen Younger, director of nuclear weapons program at Los Alamos, testified that Lee had downloaded key files that represent a complete nuclear weapons design. The government has said that the downloads occurred in 1993, 1994 and 1997.

These files ``represent centuries of work,'' Younger said.

The downloaded codes could be used for purposes other than weapons design, but it would be ``like using a Ferrari to haul cement,'' Younger said.

Lee's wife, Sylvia, and daughter, Alberta Lee, attended the hearing. Alberta Lee said her father was innocent. ``My family and I love my father and will continue to support him and stand by him,'' she said.

Many Asian-Americans have said they were concerned that Lee was charged with transferring highly sensitive information _ not espionage. Some likened his case to racial profiling.

Lee's family and other supporters have created a legal defense fund for him, and several Asian-American organizations _ including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Manufacturers Association _ were discussing strategies on behalf of Lee, fearing he may be the victim of bias.

``We're furious _ it's grossly unfair,'' said Cecilia Chang, speaking for the Wen Ho Lee Defense Fund.

The defense fund has raised slightly more than $11,000 so far. Ms. Chang said Lee's defense has already cost more than $500,000.

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Friends of Wen Ho Lee Plan Rally

Associated Press December 13, 1999 Filed at 6:21 a.m. EST
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/i/AP-China-Spying.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19991213/wl/china_spying_1.html

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- Friends and supporters of Wen Ho Lee, the man accused of improperly handling national nuclear weapons secrets, say they plan to rally behind the jailed scientist.

Lee, a former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, was being held at the Santa Fe County jail, U.S. Marshals Service supervisory deputy Rick Ploof said Sunday.

Lee was charged Friday with illegally copying nuclear-weapon secrets from classified laboratory computers. Ploof said Lee would be transported to Albuquerque today for a bond hearing.

Don and Jean Marshall, former co-workers who live next door to Lee and have been outspoken in his defense, are contacting a list of the fired scientist's supporters and encouraging them to attend the hearing.

``We are not going there to rock the boat or cause trouble, and we realize we probably will not be given a chance to speak, but we want Wen Ho and his family to see us there,'' said Jean Marshall.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported today that more than a dozen Asian-American organizations -- including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and the Asian American Manufacturers Association -- are discussing strategies on behalf of Lee, fearing he may be the victim of bias.

The government alleges Lee mishandled critical nuclear-weapon secrets, downloading them from top-secret computers to an unclassified network and even onto portable data tapes that could be removed from Los Alamos.

The indictment alleges Lee did it ``with the intent to secure an advantage to a foreign nation.''

The Taiwan-born Lee could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted, prosecutors say. On Friday, Lee's lawyer called the charges baseless.

Prosecutors called the security breaches threats to national security, and investigators said much of the information Lee took was still missing.

Many Asian-Americans said they were concerned that Lee was charged with transferring highly sensitive nuclear-weapons information -- not espionage. Some likened his case to racial profiling.

``If you look at the indictment, this looks like 59 counts of downloading,'' Henry Tang, chairman of the Committee of 100, an organization of prominent Chinese-Americans, told the Times. ``He looks like a scapegoat.''

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Coalition Worries About Bias Against Asians in Scientist's Arrest

New York Times December 13, 1999 By JAMES STERNGOLD
http://www.nytimes.com/99/12/13/news/national/asian-american-spying.html

LOS ANGELES -- More than a dozen Asian-American organizations are forming an ad hoc coalition to speak out on behalf of the scientist indicted on charges of mishandling nuclear weapons secrets, fearing he has been unfairly singled out because of his Chinese descent.

Various Asian-American groups, including the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Chinese Physics Association and the Asian American Manufacturers Association, continued discussions today after holding a three-hour telephone conference following the arrest of the scientist, Wen Ho Lee.

Many Asian-Americans said a growing sense of outrage over the way Dr. Lee had been arrested had served as a catalyst for several of the groups, many that have shunned political involvement in the past.

Dr. Lee, who is being held without bail in New Mexico pending a court hearing on Monday, was indicted on Friday on charges that he had improperly removed American nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

"We're going to support him morally and monetarily," said Bill Chang, president of the Chinese-American Engineers and Scientists Association of Southern California, which has a thousand members.

"I'm not saying he's not a criminal, but that this has to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt and the process has to be fair," Chang said. "From what I've seen so far, this looks like prejudice and overkill."

"We've never done anything like this before, but I've been getting a lot of calls from our members," Chang said. "They're very scared and angry. They're really upset about what this means for them."

Henry Tang, the chairman of the Committee of 100, an organization of prominent Chinese-Americans and a leader of the nascent coalition, also said the issue was not innocence or guilt, but racism.

"Remember, this man is a nuclear scientist," Tang said. "He was being given worse, shabbier treatment than a drug dealer."

Tang said the coalition's plans were not certain yet, but for now it would be analyzing the legal case and raising money for Dr. Lee's defense, and expected to speak out against any instances in which there appeared to be unfair treatment.

On Friday, Dr. Lee's lawyer called the charges "groundless," but prosecutors called the security breaches significant threats to American security. The charges could bring a sentence of life in prison.

Investigators said much of the information Dr. Lee removed was still missing, since he copied the data onto portable computer tapes.

Members of the Asian-American groups say they are concerned that in spite of a long investigation Dr. Lee was charged with transferring highly sensitive nuclear weapons data from secure computers but was not charged with espionage. Dr. Lee has previously denied that he was a spy.

"If you look at the indictment, this looks like 59 counts of downloading," Tang said. "He looks like a scapegoat. This has brought a lot of different forces together, people who have not spoken much before. Catalyst is the right word."

Several people wondered why, if such security violations were common, as Dr. Lee has maintained, he was singled out for prosecution.

"I'm deeply suspicious of the way they went about this," said Tina Hsu, a lawyer in Washington who is Chinese-American. "He's not even charged with spying. He's been charged with mishandling information. He seems like a sacrificial lamb."

"I would not have a problem if they came up with hard facts of espionage. That's wrong and I wouldn't defend him just because he's Asian-American," Ms Hsu said. "But I'm suspicious that after all these investigations all they could prove was mishandling the information."

Victor Hwang, a lawyer here who previously worked at the Democratic National Committee, said, "I liken this to racial profiling. It's the same thing. If people think this has upset just the political activists and not the mainstream of Asian-Americans, they're wrong."

When Dr. Lee was dismissed from his job at Los Alamos in March, and was cited in news reports as a suspected spy for China many Asian-Americans said they became worried that he had fallen under suspicion because of his race and not because of substantial evidence. As a native of Taiwan, Dr. Lee would be expected to oppose the communist regime in Beijing, members of the coalition said.

Anger in the United States toward China and its repressive government, members of the coalition said, has fueled unwarranted suspicions of Asian-Americans.

Dr. Lee's arrest on Friday, which meant that he had to spend the weekend in jail awaiting a bail hearing, and the fact that the 59-count indictment included no charges of espionage, has only heightened those fears.

Several said Asian-American scientists and academics had been expressing worries that their career prospects had been damaged by the case because of unwarranted questions about their loyalty.

"I've spoken with three or four people personally who feel their career chances have been damaged, and I've heard of a number of other such reports," said Stewart Kwoh, the executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California. "We're worried this might be a case of selective prosecution. Our question is if other people committed the same kind of violations."

He added, "People are tired of the sense that they are looked at as permanent foreigners."

Some of the responses to Dr. Lee's arrest were strikingly emotional.

Cecilia Chang, a friend of Dr. Lee and his family, cried as she asked how a country that stood for freedom and fairness could prosecute a man who, she said, was a simple family man devoted to his adopted country. Ms. Chang has helped put together a legal defense fund and, she said, it has raised $11,000 in the last several months

Several Asian-Americans said the event merely brought to a head four years of growing anger at the way they were being treated and portrayed in the media.

The concern began in the last presidential campaign, when several fund-raisers of Asian descent pleaded guilty to charges that they had arranged or made illegal contributions to President Clinton's campaign.

Once those instances surfaced, the Democratic Party as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation began to question many Asian-Americans about their contributions, stirring anger that they had fallen under suspicion merely because of their last names.

"As far as catalysts go, I think we're up to our neck in catalysts," Hwang said. "People are angry. There's a big push going on for more political involvement, and I think it's working."

That is why several people said the discussions about forming a coalition among the Asian-American groups this weekend were so important.

"It was not just Wen Ho Lee on the agenda," Tang said. "It was the overall impact this is having on the Asian-American community."

While Dr. Lee's arrest was the culmination of an F.B.I. investigation into his computer activities that began in March, the espionage inquiry that first brought Dr. Lee to the government's attention is continuing at a much slower pace.
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