NucNews - December 3, 2004 -------- NUCLEAR -------- accidents and safety Bomb-cleanup standards tied to higher cancer risk ASSOCIATED PRESS BY H. JOSEF HEBERT December 3, 2004 http://www.freep.com/news/nw/dirtybomb3e_20041203.htm WASHINGTON -- Standards for cleanup after a "dirty bomb" terrorist attack would permit long-term radiation levels that pose cancer risks many times greater than those allowed at Superfund sites, nuclear waste dumps and commercial reactors, according to a draft of a government proposal. The Homeland Security Department is expected to issue the proposed guidelines, which have been developed over the last two years, within a few weeks. They would become final after a 60-day comment period. The draft acknowledges that the consequences from a dirty bomb, a device that spreads radioactive material using conventional explosives, "may range from a very small, localized area ... to conceivably many square miles." As a result, the interagency task force developing the guidelines decided against issuing specific numerical radiation levels to guide long-term cleanup goals, although a draft written last year contained specific allowable radiation levels proposed by different agencies. The latest version of the draft says cleanup efforts should be guided by radiation benchmarks established by federal agencies and various advisory groups, such as the International Commission on Radiation Protection and the Health Physics Society. The ICRP benchmark would allow long-term radiation levels up to 10,000 millirems over a 30-year period, a level equivalent to as many as 50,000 chest X-rays, said Daniel Hirsch, head of an antinuclear advocacy group, Committee to Bridge the Gap. The benchmark levels from the Health Physics Society would allow an area to continue to emit 100 millirems to 500 millirems per year, the equivalent of as many as 2,500 chest X-rays over 30 years. According to government cancer-risk calculations, exposure to 500 millirems per year is estimated to produce about 1 additional instance of cancer for every 80 people exposed, said Diane D'Arrigo of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, a nuclear industry watchdog group. By comparison, the Environmental Protection Agency requires cleanup standards at Superfund toxic waste to assure an additional cancer risk no greater than 1 in 10,000 people exposed, said D'Arrigo. The draft says the guidelines are "not intended to define 'safe' or 'unsafe' levels of exposure or contamination" but represent "the approximate levels at which the associated protective actions are justified." Copies of the draft, as well as an earlier version dated July 18, 2003, were obtained and provided Thursday by the Nuclear Information and Resource Service. Don Jacks, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said he could not comment on the contents of the draft. ----- U.S. to Issue “Dirty Bomb” Cleanup Guidelines Friday, December 3, 2004 by National Journal Group http://www.nti.org/d_newswire/issues/2004_12_3.html#D25D4281 The U.S. Homeland Security Department is expected before the end of the year to issue draft guidelines for cleaning an area following a “dirty bomb” attack, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 25). The latest draft of the document states that areas might have to be put off-limits permanently and “existing land uses may not be practicable” following the explosion of a radiological device. An earlier draft of the guidelines written last year detailed allowable radiation levels, according to AP, but the latest version says cleanup efforts should be guided by radiation benchmarks established by federal agencies and advisory groups such as the International Commission on Radiation Protection and the Health Physics Society. “They basically punted,” said Daniel Hirsch, head of an anti-nuclear advocacy group, Committee to Bridge the Gap. Those benchmarks allow for radiation levels above what is accepted over long periods at U.S. Superfund and nuclear waste sites and commercial reactors, nuclear watchdog groups said. That could increase the incidence of cancer for those exposed to the radiation, the organizations said. The guidelines are “not intended to define ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ levels of exposure or contamination” but represent “the approximate levels at which the associated protective actions are justified,” according to the most recently obtained draft. Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Don Jacks said he could not comment on the draft, saying the document could still change as it goes through the final approval process. After being issued, the guidelines must undergo a 60-day comment period, AP reported. “Trying to interpret (the guidelines) now is way ahead of the curve,” Jacks said (H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press/Seattle Post Intelligencer, Dec. 2). Meanwhile, Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals Inc. is developing what would be the first approved drug for acute radiation sickness, Reuters reported yesterday. “If a major city were hit with a nuclear device, it has been estimated that close to a million people would be exposed to the radiation,” said Richard Hollis, the company’s chief executive. Neumune, the company’s experimental radiation sickness drug, seems to be effective in healing radiation injury, said Terry Pellmar, scientific director at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. Extremely high radiation levels render it less effective, Reuters reported. Company representatives are scheduled to meet with U.S. regulators this month to discuss details for a final animal study of Neumune, according to Reuters. (Deena Beasley, Reuters, Dec. 2). -------- asia U.S. intent questioned UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL By Jong-Heon Lee December 03, 2004 http://www.washtimes.com/world/20041202-092430-7974r.htm SEOUL — Is the United States planning to use South Korea as a base for potential military intervention in a conflict between China and Taiwan? The question was raised Tuesday by a South Korean lawmaker who cited a classified defense document that a purported U.S. plan to use American troops stationed in South Korea as a "stabilizer" of northeast Asia is designed to intervene militarily in a conflict between China and Taiwan. If true, the plan is sure to provoke an angry response from China and spark concerns that South Korea could be involved in a potential China-Taiwan conflict, which could alter the political landscape in the region. In a press conference at the parliament building in Seoul, Roh Hoe-chan of the opposition Democratic Labor Party revealed the document, drafted by the South Korean Defense Ministry before high-level military talks with Pentagon officials in July 2003 on the future of the military alliance between Washington and Seoul. [In related developments, the United States and South Korea recently agreed to relocate the main U.S. headquarters from Yongsan Military Reservation in Seoul to Camp Humphreys, about 25 miles south of Osan, by 2008. In May, Washington announced plans to shift 3,600 troops from South Korea to Iraq, and the following month, American officials reportedly proposed to their Korean counterparts withdrawing up to a third of the 37,500 U.S. troops in South Korea. [Other changes of the U.S. posture in Korea have been put off until security-policy talks with the South Korean government early next year, when President Bush's second-term Cabinet is in place.] "The U.S. plan to use its troops in South Korea as a regional stabilizer is aimed at militarily intervening in regional disputes," Mr. Roh said. South Korea also has been preparing for Washington's plans to change the role of U.S. Forces Korea, which traditionally has been considered a "fixture" on the Korean Peninsula to deter North Korea and its 1.1 million-strong army. "It is the first time for a document to confirm that U.S. Forces Korea is seeking a new role targeted at China and North Korea," Mr. Roh said. "The United States clarified its intention to intervene militarily in North Korea and China." Until this year, the United States had 37,500 troops stationed in South Korea under a bilateral defense treaty signed after the 1950-1953 Korean War. The number was reduced to 33,900 in the summer, when 3,600 troops deployed near the heavily armed demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas were transferred to Iraq. The United States plans to withdraw about 9,000 more troops from South Korea by 2008, saying the reduction is part of its global defense posture review aimed at transforming the U.S. Army into a more mobile, agile force to better cope with new threats such as terrorism. The troop-reduction plan touched off security concerns because South Korea has relied on U.S. protection for national security for more than a half-century, while focusing its resources on building the economy. Mr. Roh said Washington's plan is designed to play a greater role in regional conflicts. If China were involved in military conflict with Taiwan, or the North Korean regime abruptly collapsed, the document proposed pre-emptive U.S. military intervention, he said. The document outlines three scenarios for how the U.S. forces might react on the basis of the level of regional tension as they expand their security role beyond the Korean Peninsula, Mr. Roh said. "In the midlevel scenario, Washington will intensify its pressure on Pyongyang if it continues trying to develop nuclear weapons. This will eventually irritate Beijing, leading to full-scale conflict between China and the United States," he said. The high-level scenario includes involvement of U.S. Forces Korea in disputes between China and other northeast Asian powers, military intervention in conflicts between China and Taiwan, and use of its armed forces to manage a crisis on or near the Korean Peninsula in case of the sudden collapse of the North Korean regime, the document said. "This document shows the role of U.S. Forces Korea will not be limited to an anti-terrorist war, and proposes its intervention militarily in potential regional hegemonic countries like China as well as in North Korea," Mr. Roh said. U.S. and South Korean officials have denied Mr. Roh's accusations, saying the main role of U.S. Forces Korea will continue to be a deterrent force against North Korea. The South Korean Defense Ministry dismissed Mr. Roh's remarks as "utterly untrue." The ministry document he cited was only a compilation of academic papers and other materials a South Korean official had prepared for potential discussion at the Seoul-Washington defense talks, the ministry said. The presidential National Security Council also denied Mr. Roh's accusations, saying it has never seen the document. But Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said last month that South Korea was not opposed to U.S. forces playing a greater role in northeast Asia unless it meant a weakening of the combined defense posture for ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. "I admit the necessity of what the Americans call strategic flexibility," Mr. Ban told the Korea Times, saying the global security situation had changed in the past 50 years. Another government official raised concerns that Seoul could be involved in a China-Taiwan conflict if U.S. troops stationed in South Korea were mobilized for the regional dispute. In case of a war across the Taiwan Strait involving Taipei's push for independence, the two Koreas are likely to be involved because the South and the North have defense treaties with the United States and China, respectively. Under the bilateral defense treaty, the United States automatically would react to a North Korean invasion and South Korea is required to help the U.S. side in case of conflict. Along this line, South Korea has sent 3,600 troops to join the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. "The two Koreas should move toward further reconciliation and cooperation so that they can remain away from any China-Taiwan military conflict," a government official in Seoul said. "Greater inter-Korean cooperation would help each refuse outside pressure. It is one of few options for South and North Korea to avoid getting involved in the China-Taiwan conflict," he said, adding that this was his personal opinion. -------- china China Launches New Class of Nuclear Sub By JOHN J. LUMPKIN Associated Press Writer Dec 3, 9:41 PM EST http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CHINA_SUBMARINE?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME WASHINGTON (AP) -- China has launched the first submarine in a new class of nuclear subs designed to fire intercontinental ballistic missiles, U.S. defense officials said Friday. The submarine is, at a minimum, months away from having missiles installed and going on a cruise, one official said, discussing foreign weapons developments only on the condition of anonymity. Still, it is further evidence of China's intentions to expand both its nuclear weapons and submarine forces, officials say. It was widely known that China was building the new class of nuclear-missile submarine, called the "Type 094," but the launch is far ahead of what U.S. intelligence expected, one official said. The launch was first reported in The Washington Times. The newspaper reported that U.S. intelligence spotted the sub at a shipyard 250 miles from Beijing. It would be China's first submarine capable of launching nuclear weapons that could reach the United States from the country's home waters, officials said. The Chinese military has also been developing a new class of submarine-launched ballistic missile, called the JL-2, that is expected to have a range in excess of 4,600 miles. The Type 094 submarine would carry these missiles, but it is not clear whether the missiles are ready for deployment. Previously, China has had only one submarine capable of launching nuclear missiles, called the Type 092, or Xia, class. In 2001, a Pentagon report said the Xia was not operational. Its missiles were of an older class that could fly only 600 miles. Successful cruises by the Type 094 would give China a new strategic deterrent against the United States, no longer limited to land-based ICBMs and weapons carried on aircraft. But U.S. defense officials say China lags behind the United States in its ability to hide submarines from sophisticated sonars and other sensors. China is also modernizing its land-based nuclear missile force, replacing its estimated 20 ICBMs with more modern versions. In a report on China's military issued last May, the Pentagon said China's cache of ICBMs could increase to 30 by next year and 60 by 2010. Although considered unlikely in the near term, the most likely avenue for conflict between the United States and China is over Taiwan, which China regards as a rogue province. Taiwan is seeking high-tech weaponry from the United States, including diesel submarines and anti-submarine aircraft. The United States, France, Russia and the United Kingdom all have submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. On the Net: Defense Department: http://www.dod.gov -------- Beijing warns EU on weapons ban bbc 3 December, 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4065091.stm China has warned the EU that it risks damaging bilateral ties unless it lifts a 15-year embargo on selling arms to Beijing. Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui said the ban, imposed after the 1989 crackdown on protesters in Tiananmen Square, was "outdated". Mr Zhang also denied that lifting it would fuel an arms race with Taiwan. The ban is expected to be discussed at a China-EU summit in the Netherlands on 7-9 December. "If the ban is maintained, bilateral relations will definitely be affected," Mr Zhang told reporters. "We think this is a kind of political discrimination." He denied that lifting the ban would affect relations across the Taiwan strait. China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and regularly threatens to use force against the island if it ever seeks formal independence. Geopolitics Germany and France have called for the arms ban to be lifted, while the US and some EU countries are in favour of it remaining in place. Washington has threatened to stop the transfer of some sensitive military technology to European countries if it were to be abolished. China pressed for the ban to be lifted at an Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in Hanoi in October, but was not successful. It will also be on the agenda of a visit to China by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from Monday. Fifteen years on from Tiananmen Square, when hundreds of unarmed protesters were killed by Chinese troops, there are continuing concerns among the international community about the country's human rights record. But analysts say the row is more about geopolitics and domestic economies than human rights. The US is concerned that arms sold to China by the EU could be used against Taiwan asnd risk sucking the US into a regional conflict. France and Germany, meanwhile, believe China could prove a fertile market for their arms and related industries. ----- China tests ballistic missile submarine THE WASHINGTON TIMES By Bill Gertz December 3, 2004 http://www.washingtontimes.com/functions/print.php?StoryID=20041202-115302-2338r China's military has launched the first of a new class of ballistic missile submarines in what defense officials view as a major step forward in Beijing's strategic weapons program. The new 094-class submarine was launched in late July and when fully operational in the next year or two will be the first submarine to carry the underwater-launched version of China's new DF-31 missile, according to defense officials. "When fully operational, it will represent a more modern, more capable missile platform," said one official familiar with reports of the new submarine. A second intelligence official said building submarines is a top priority of the Chinese, and the Type 094 will be "China's first truly intercontinental strategic nuclear delivery system." The new Type 094 was spotted by U.S. intelligence agencies at the Huludao shipyard, located on the coast of Bohai Bay, some 250 miles northwest of Beijing. The submarine is in the early stages of being outfitted and is not yet equipped with new JL-2 submarine-launched nuclear missiles. The submarine is believed to be based largely on Russian nuclear submarine technology, the officials said. A CIA report made public last week stated that Russia was a major supplier of technology to China's naval nuclear propulsion programs. The launching of the new missile submarine appears ahead of schedule. A Pentagon report on Chinese military power made public in May stated that the new Chinese missile submarine would not be deployed until around 2010. A Defense Intelligence Agency report produced in 1999 and labeled "secret" stated that the new submarine is part of a program by China of "modernizing and expanding its missile force." "Mobile, solid-fuel missiles and a new ballistic missile submarine will improve the force's ability to survive a first strike," the report said, "while more launchers, on-board penetration aids, and possibly multiple warheads will improve its ability to penetrate missile defenses." The DIA report stated that China is expected to field one new ballistic missile submarine by 2020. A Chinese Embassy spokesman had no immediate comment. In a related development, U.S. intelligence officials said the Chinese suffered a setback in their JL-2 missile program when a test flight of the JL-2 missile failed over the summer. The JL-2 missile program was delayed by the test failure but is continuing to be developed, the officials said. China conducted tests of the JL-2 in 2002 and last year. Richard Fisher, vice president of the Washington-based International Assessment and Strategy Center, said the launch of the new missile submarine is "an astounding development." "The 094 has followed 093 development far more rapidly than the assessments in the annual Pentagon reports on the PLA," Mr. Fisher said, referring to the China's People's Liberation Army. China also recently launched a new attack submarine known as the Type 093. Additionally, U.S. intelligence agencies were surprised by China's disclosure in July of a third new type of submarine known as the Yuan-class, a diesel-electric attack submarine. "In the very near future, China will have a secure, second-strike nuclear attack capability that it will use to bolster its nuclear strategy of seeking to deter the United States from aiding Taiwan after a PLA attack," Mr. Fisher said. Mr. Fisher said the JL-2 likely will have multiple warheads. The new submarine will make it more difficult for the U.S. military to take part in a defense of Taiwan because of the threat of nuclear retaliation, he said. The Pentagon has deployed a new missile defense system, but a spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency has said the current interceptor system is designed to stop a long-range North Korean missile, but not an attack from Chinese or Russian missiles. A 1999 report by the House Select Committee on U.S. National Security and Military/Commercial Concerns with the People's Republic of China stated that the new missile submarine will likely benefit from stolen U.S. nuclear warhead designs. The report stated that the JL-2 is expected to have a longer range than the DF-31 and that 16 JL-2s will be deployed on the new submarine. The range of the JL-2 is estimated to be about 7,500 miles, enough "to strike targets throughout the United States," the report said. "Instead of venturing into the open ocean to attack the United States, the Type 094-class submarines could remain near [Chinese] waters, protected by the [People's Liberation Army,] Navy and Air Force," the report said. The new submarine will be a major improvement over China's current ballistic missile submarine known as the Xia, which is equipped with medium-range missiles. The current Xia submarine is considered so noisy to underwater detection gear that its chances of surviving attack submarine strikes in ocean waters are limited. -------- depleted uranium Gulf War Syndrome whistleblower is man on a mission (Agencies) 3 December, 2004 http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=73359 Health News, "I AM just a doctor, a scientist who did not compromise with his dignity, honour and integrity for a few dollars. I cannot be bought and my honour is not for sale." This is how Asaf Durakovic, the whistleblower on Gulf War Syndrome or the effect of depleted uranium on soldiers used in the first Gulf War, describes himself. Frail but firm in his belief, Durakovic, who served as the chief of the medical unit of the US Army during the first Gulf War, withstood pressure from the US, British and Canadian governments to put the lid on the use and effects of the depleted uranium on soldiers and civilians. The Second National Convention for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace, held in Jaipur recently, honoured him with the Nuclear-Free Future Award for bringing to the world's notice the first case of 'radioactive warfare'. Durakovic, who heads the Washington-based Uranium Medical Research Centre, says a recent UK study has found that inhaling depleted uranium dust caused severe illnesses among the soldiers. Durakovic, who is conducting medical research on soldiers who fought in two Gulf wars, says he has found in them a high ratio of depleted uranium that was used in the tank shells for higher penetration power. Another startling disclosure Durakovic made during the Jaipur conference was that his latest studies have found alarmingly high levels of non-depleted uranium among the people living in Afghan cities of Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif. These chemicals were used in bombs that were dropped on Afghan cities in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the US. He said levels hover around 2,500 nanogram per litre of urine sample, whereas the normal level would be around 10. Durakovic says his critics claim that it is natural uranium deposits that got mixed with the dust because of the bombing. Rubbishing such claims, Durakovic says Afghanistan has no such high-level of uranium deposit and the uranium that found in the samples was an isotope that is enriched. It is not natural. Canadian citizen Durakovic says: "We are working on various mathematical models but we are still really very far away". Durakovic says a 'malicious' campaign has been mounted against his work but my mission will go on." ----- 'Uranium' claims man is to sue A man who claims his body was contaminated with depleted uranium when he worked at a Somerset defence company is to take his case to the High Court. bbc.co.uk 3 December, 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/4064361.stm Richard David used to work at Normal Air Garret Ltd - now known as Honeywell - in Yeovil, and says he developed a cough within weeks of starting work. He has now been diagnosed with a terminal lung condition. Honeywell says it has never used depleted uranium either in its products or on-site. Mr David began working at the company in 1985 making aerospace parts, but had to leave because of poor health 10 years later. He is believed to be the first civilian to sue for such damages and the case begins in the High Court on Monday. ----- Ex-Defence Worker to Sue over Uranium Scotsman.com By Sarah Cade, PA 3 Dec 2004 http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3837909 A former British defence worker who claims he was contaminated by depleted uranium at a factory is suing the firm in a High Court battle, he said today. In what is believed to be the first civilian case of its kind, Richard David is claiming damages against Normalair Garrett – now owned by Honeywell Aerospace – which owned the factory in Yeovil, Somerset, where he worked as component fitter between 1985 and 1995. Mr David, also known as Nibby, claims he was affected by depleted uranium (DU). He said he suffers from respiratory problems, kidney defects and finds it painful to move his limbs. The 49-year-old, from Seaton, Devon, said medical tests had revealed mutations to his DNA and damage to his chromosomes. He believes his illness was caused by exposure to the radioactive waste product DU. Mr David fitted components for fighter planes and bombers. He has never served in the armed forces or worked in the Middle East. The case, which is due to start at the High Court in London on Monday, could have far-reaching implications for many Gulf war veterans, aerospace workers and civilians in former war zones. Mr David claims he was forced to give up his job due to ill health in 1995 and believes that his lung condition will shorten his life. He said he “can’t risk” having children because of damage to his DNA. He won legal aid to fight the case but has chosen to represent himself at the hearing, which is due to last 10 days. He said: “I don’t have any legal representation so I am representing myself. It is a real David versus Goliath case. “I am confident I will win. I hope to set a precedent for other cases of people who have suffered from the effects of depleted uranium.” A growing body of scientists now believe that when DU is inhaled as a fine dust, it can cause a range of illnesses including cancer, birth defects and kidney damage. DU is believed to be a possible cause of Gulf war syndrome, which has allegedly left many veterans with health problems. The radioactive waste product was used in coalition anti-tank weapons in both Gulf wars. A spokeswoman for Honeywell said the company has never used DU in its products or on site. Elma Peters said it was company policy not to comment on legal cases. ----- Depleted uranium in Iraqi cities thedailystar Shahid Khandker December 03, 2004 http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/12/03/d41203110280.htm The weekly Guardian recently published an article stating that British soldiers returning from the Gulf will be offered tests on the levels of depleted uranium in their bodies to check if they are in danger of kidney damage and lung cancer as a result of exposure. The ministry of Defence announced this measure responding to an warning from the Royal Society, Britain's top scientific body, that soldiers and civilians might be exposed to toxic levels. Experts have calculated that between 1,000 and 2,000 tonnes of depleted uranium were used by the coalition in the Iraq war so far -- more than three times the amount used in the first Gulf War and to make matters worse, this time it was primarily spread in Iraq's cities, not on the battlefields. The uranium and its radioactive decay products will remain toxic for over 4 billion years...and will slowly destroy the genetic future of the Iraqi people. But the death and destruction will not be contained within the borders of Iraq! Winds will spread it throughout the Middle East and beyond. The US has carried out its plan now on Afghanistan and Iraq...which country next? Syria, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Kuwait, the Gulf States, and Iran will breathe the invisible war too... and they may share the fate of the Iraqi people, the caretakers of the cradle of civilisation. ---- The Greatest Crime of Historic Time Friday, December 03, 2004 4:12:18 PM by Victor Connor V.Connor@insightbb.com http://www.warfolly.vzz.net/thegreatestcrime.html The greatest crime against humanity in all historic time has now been committed by the United States government. It dwarfs Joseph Stalin's killing of 7,000,000 Ukrainians in the 1930s and Adolph Hitler's killing of 6,000,000 Jewish people in the 1940s. This crime will cause the premature deaths of TENS of MILLIONS of people and will give a horribly debilitating disease to TENS of MILLIONS more. It is indiscriminate mass murder - genocide. My statements may be dramatic, but they are absolutely true. Since October of 2001, the United States military has used approximately 3,000 tons of depleted uranium munitions against people in Afghanistan and Iraq. This will soon cause the serious health problems to include respiratory disease, kidney problems, rashes, birth defects, and the number of cancers of those people to jump to over 500,000 people each year. How do I know this? Because the United States military used 375 tons of depleted uranium munitions against Iraq in 1991 and the cancer rate in children measured in Iraqi hospitals rose from 32,000 per year in 1990 to 130,000 in 1997. According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs official reports, U.S. casualties from Gulf War 1 now exceed 180,000 and already over 30,000 are now disabled from Gulf War 2. We've now used eight times what we did in 1991 and radiation has long been known to cause cancer. This is well known by our federal government. In a document dated October 30, 1943 and declassified June 5, 1974, three major scientists (Drs. James Conant, A. H. Compton, and H. C. Urey) wrote to Brigadier General Leslie R. Groves, who was the head of the atom bomb project, concerning "Radioactive materials as a military weapon." In that document they stated: "As a gas warfare instrument the material would be ground into particles of microscopic size to form dust and smoke and distributed by a ground-fired projectile, land vehicles, or aerial bombs. In this form it would be inhaled by personnel. The amount necessary to cause death to a person inhaling the material is extremely small. It has been estimated that one millionth of a gram accumulating in a person's body would be fatal. There are no known methods of treatment for such a casualty" Proponents of depleted uranium weaponry will state that depleted uranium is only half as radioactive as normal uranium, which is true. This would mean that it would take TWO millionths of a gram accumulating in a person's body to be fatal according to Conant, Compton and Urey. Unfortunately, it isn't known exactly how much uranium ore would be sufficient to cause death over a short period of time, but we do know it caused the cancer deaths of workers during the two years the Manhattan Project existed in making our first three atomic bombs. Since then, scientists have learned a lot more about the debilitating effects to animals exposed to higher than normal radiation levels. In fact, increased cancer rates downwind of American nuclear power plants are well documented, even though not well reported. Nuclear power plants in the United States release small amounts of radioactive gases on a daily or weekly basis. Compared to the depleted uranium usage in Iraq and Afghanistan, these are extremely small amounts, but the communities that live within fifty miles of the normal downwind area from these nuclear power plants have higher rates of cancer. One particularly telling fact is where nuclear reactors have been shut down for a few years and then restarted. The cancer rate among infants and young children who were born after the shutdown quickly fell to national averages, before rising again after the reactors were restarted. It takes about eight tons of regular uranium ore to make one ton of enriched uranium to be used in nuclear power plants. This leaves seven tons of depleted uranium. Depleted uranium is composed primarily of three isotopes of uranium; it is 99.8% of U-238, 0.2% of U-235 and 0.0008% of U-234; collectively one microgram of it will constantly emit about 120 alpha particles every day for millions of years. One alpha particle has enough energy to disrupt the genetic information in the nucleus of a cell, but when this happens hundreds of local cells are affected by the instability of the zapped cell. To get a better understanding how radiation affects a human body, think of it this way. We live in a dynamic universe. We are constantly bombarded with radiation from outer space, even though we are far from the sun and other stars. There are trace amounts of uranium and radon among other naturally decaying elements throughout the surface of the Earth. Collectively, these sources affect all of the cells in our body, but it is a question of the rate of impact on our cells. On average each cell in a body is hit about one to two times a year from a natural source of radiation. Compare that with one millionth of a gram of depleted uranium ingested into a body - this will hit thousands of cells every day. In terms of the rate of increase, this means that many of the cells that are nearby depleted uranium particles are being zapped at a rate that is 100,000 times more than normal. This will either kill the cells or cause massive genetic defects. The mechanism for this crime against humanity is as follows. A depleted uranium projectile smashes into a vehicle or building. For example, each Abrams tank round contains about 10 pounds of solid depleted uranium while each 30 mm round fired by the A10 Warthog has about 3/4 pound of solid depleted uranium. After the collision, about half of the projectile is turned into powder 10 microns (ten one millionths of a meter) or smaller. A human hair is normally between 60 and 100 microns thick and that proverbial millionth of a gram of depleted uranium would fill a cube 37 microns on each side. This dust now blows wherever the wind takes it. We have already found depleted uranium in Iraq twenty five miles from an impact site. This radioactive dust blows in cities, in parks, on crops, in the rivers, and everywhere. They can be breathed in or ingested from food and drink. Particles on the order of 2.5 microns are perfect for implanting themselves in our lungs. A small number of these would be like smoking over ten packs of cigarettes every day forever and children one, two and five years old are getting this into their lungs. If we used 375 tons of depleted uranium in the first Gulf War, think how the people of Iraq and Afghanistan will feel and be affected now that we used 3,000 tons of depleted uranium against them. And its terrible effects will be there forever. Although many Americans believe that we are making life better for Iraqis because we removed a brutal dictator and are giving them democracy, Hussein averaged a few thousand tortures and murders per year (and they were highly directed at his political dissidents), whereas we will soon be causing the deaths and terribly debilitating diseases of hundreds of thousands of people per year and these deaths will include babies and infants (Hussein seldom purposefully ever hurt the very young). What we are doing is indiscriminate genocide of the Muslim people in the Middle East. The wind blows in all directions and Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan, Syria and Turkmenistan are all Muslim countries and are on Iraq's and Afghanistan's borders. Does it make sense to destroy Iraq in order to save it? Is this the will of the compassionate Christian or the politically responsible Republican or Democrat? Is our federal government doing a good thing? Not being a Christian or a Republican or a Democrat, I don't understand it. Even though I'm not a Christian, Muslim or Jew, I still believe that you are good people, but as terribly uninformed as I was a few months ago. You may ask: why are we doing this. The answer seems clear to me. Corporations are the driving force behind our federal government. They have taken control of the executive branch of the federal government which has eclipsed the legislative and judicial branches. The executive branch is no longer responsive or accountable to the will of the people, and is out of control. They are highly affected by corporate lobbyists and take their direction from corporations because money talks. The defense industry lobbyists want the federal government's supply of depleted uranium. Since the nuclear power industry has found no acceptable way to safely dispose of the leftover radioactive materials they produce, there are over 900,000 tons of depleted uranium still lying around waiting to be made into military weapons because it has no other commercial use and it makes big profits for the defense industries in not having to produce it themselves. These big profits can then be used to make large donations to federal politicians who follow corporate directives. It's a vicious and deadly cycle. Now I know many people are caught up in the eternal debate of who's better, Democrat or Republican, when in fact they are just two sides of the same coin. The reality is that both parties are controlled at higher levels and many things that are problems to society are huge money-makers to the above partisan forces. Depleted uranium is one such problem. While many Americans are misdirected, people in the Middle East are dying and will soon start to die unnecessarily by the hundreds of thousands each year and for as long as they live in those regions. And what's even worse is that as long as we keep using depleted uranium weapons, we will be permanently polluting more and more of the Earth. Don't think that this depleted uranium won't affect us here in the United States. 30,000 returning soldiers have depleted uranium in their urine. This means that many of them will have it in their semen and genetic damage and birth defects will start to skyrocket here at home. This is a Pandora's Box that is still open. Do you have the personal integrity and humanity to shut it? It is still not too late. U.S. Army and the Department of Defense have regulations and orders in place that mandate medical care for all DU casualties and require thorough environmental clean up of all DU contamination (http://www.traprockpeace.org/rokke_du_3_ques.html ), but our nation's military leaders and President Bush simply refuse to comply with these legal requirements. This makes sense from a business point of view, because ultimately corporations would lose too many profits. Christians, would Jesus want us to keep polluting the Middle East with deadly radioactive waste? Abraham Lincoln said, "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." In the case of being silent about depleted uranium, we would also be accomplices to murder. Criticism of the government is not incompatible with good citizenship; it is a prerequisite. For some reason, many people believe that criticism of the government is unpatriotic, when in fact it is the most important responsibility of a patriotic citizen and is the very first change that our founding fathers made when amending our Constitution. Note: This article has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Doug Rokke. Doug is the former head of the Pentagon's Depleted Uranium Project, who replied the following: Vic: This is excellent~! I did some minor editing. thank you doug rokke Vic Connor has a B.S. in Physics, M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and was accepted to do doctoral work in three different subjects: physics, computer science and mathematics. Professionally, he worked at the Endicott, NY IBM engineering lab as a design engineer and software programmer and later as a systems engineer at a sales branch. He also worked as an assistant professor of Applied Computer Science at Illinois State University. -------- europe Swiss nuclear reactor to stay online The government has given a power company unlimited authorisation to operate a controversial nuclear reactor in northern Switzerland. Swissinfo December 3, 2004 http://www.nzz.ch/2004/12/03/english/page-synd5382296.html Green groups say the authorities have surrendered to the demands of the nuclear lobby, which is pushing for more power plants. The authorities gave the green light to the continued operation of the Beznau II reactor on Friday, despite opposition from the German and Austrian governments as well as environmental organisations such as Greenpeace. The government said it based its decision on advice from its nuclear security division as well as the Federal Committee on Nuclear Security. Greenpeace claims that the reactor, which went online in 1971, is ten times more likely to melt down than another reactor at the Gösgen plan which was built nearly a decade later. Safety issues But the energy ministry said the decision would encourage the operator to invest in upgrading the plant and improving safety at the reactor site. The Swiss Energy Foundation (SEF), which has been lobbying against nuclear power for 30 years, says the authorities have given in to the powerful economic interests of power-plant operators. Green Party parliamentarian and SEF president Geri Müller expressed doubt that any power company granted unlimited authorisation to manage a nuclear reactor would “invest in expensive safety measures”. He also questioned whether a recent move to distribute iodine tablets to households living near the reactor was “enough to ensure people’s safety”. Monitoring The government has made it clear that authorisation to operate the reactor can be withdrawn at any time if it decides that security is insufficient at the site. Greenpeace argues that the criteria that have to be fulfilled to force the closure of a reactor need to be clearly established. The SEF also warns that there are no clearly defined safety levels. Authorisation for Beznau II, along with the Mühleberg reactor near the capital, Bern, has until now only been granted for fixed periods of time. The three other Swiss reactors – Beznau I, Gösgen and Leibstadt – already benefited from unlimited authorisations. Leibstadt was the last Swiss nuclear power plant to open in 1984. Plans to build another reactor in Kaiseraugst, not far from Basel, were abandoned following widespread opposition during the 1980s. Looking ahead The Swiss do not appear ready to abandon nuclear power. Last year voters rejected two initiatives calling for an official end to nuclear power and a moratorium on nuclear-plant construction. Recently, pressure on the government to consider new plants has increased, with power companies warning that current nuclear reactors will have to be decommissioned by 2020. Dori Schaer, who headed a government committee that laid the groundwork for Switzerland’s planned electricity law, says the power companies have a point. “We don’t know how to replace the power supplied by the nuclear reactors when they are finally switched off,” she told swissinfo. “Renewable energy sources have failed to live up to their billing and cost too much. Given that it takes over ten years to authorise and build a new plant, time is of the essence.” swissinfo with agencies ----- UK Wrong To Withhold Nuke Waste Plan - EU Court Adviser REUTERS NEWS SERVICE December 3, 2004 http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28416/story.htm BRUSSELS - Britain was wrong to withhold information from the European Commission about the disposal of radioactive waste from the shut down of a nuclear reactor, a top adviser at the EU's highest court said on Thursday. But Advocate General Leendert Geelhoed of the European Court of Justice said European Union member states should have the right to keep back information if the state considers it crucial to its defence interests. The EU executive brought a case to the European Court of Justice against Britain for failing to provide the Commission with a plan for the disposal of radioactive waste from the decommissioning of a reactor known as "Jason". It is not the only dispute between Britain and the EU executive over nuclear-related issues. Geelhoed's opinion came a day after the Commission launched a probe to check whether Britain's plan for a state-owned nuclear decommissioning body conforms with EU state aid rules. Jason was a low power research and training reactor in the UK Department of Nuclear Science and Technology located at the Roval Naval College in Greenwich, southeast London. It was operated from 1962 to 1996. The United Kingdom argued that the EU rules only applied to waste coming from nuclear plants operating for civil and commercial uses and it was therefore not obliged to provide the data. Geelhoed's opinion concluded Britain had breached its obligations by failing to inform the Commission, but said states should be able to hold back under certain circumstances. "In the case of each plan to dispose of defence-related radioactive waste, member states should be entitled to withhold information from the Commission only if they consider this absolutely necessary for the protection of their essential defence interests," he wrote. Judges at the Luxembourg-based court will now begin deliberating. Decisions usually take three to six months after the opinion is given. In another case, the Commission said in October that Britain faced legal action over its failure to notify Brussels how it disposes of radioactive waste at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, home to its nuclear weapons industry. -------- iran Iran Nuclear Freeze Only Temporary, Cleric says By VOA News 3 December 2004 http://www.voanews.com/english/2004-12-03-voa22.cfm A senior Iranian cleric says Iran's suspension of its nuclear program is temporary. Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told worshippers during prayers Friday, Iran could resume enriching uranium within six months. Mr. Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Council, Iran's final arbiter on legislation, said Iran has the right to enrich uranium at low levels to fuel nuclear power stations. Earlier this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency spared Iran the fate of being referred to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions after Tehran agreed to suspend its nuclear program. The United States has accused Iran of secretly seeking to develop nuclear weapons. ----- Iran's Nuclear Issue TomDispatch.com By Dilip Hiro 03 December 2004 http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/120404I.shtml Imagine a pious Muslim faced with a ban on fabricating a certain kind of weapon. He is committed to obeying unquestioningly the fatwas of his religious leader and yet discovers that producing such a weapon, or threatening to do so, is a strong lever for gaining benefits from a powerful group living in the neighborhood. Replace "a pious Muslim" with "Iran," and "a powerful group" with the 25-member European Union (EU), and the above sentences aptly sum up the current Iranian-EU relationship. Enriched by millions of daily encounters in bazaars, Iranians are adept at bargaining and confident in the knowledge, acquired over centuries, that skillful bargaining and brinkmanship go hand in hand. This is what just happened in Paris between the officials of Iran and the the EU troika - France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The subject was Tehran's nuclear program; the occasion, the run-up to the finalization of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report for its 35-strong board of governors on November 15. The Iranians dragged out the bargaining until the last minute before initialing a deal subject to the approval of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) in Tehran. It was a deal that was meant to prepare the way for further negotiations. Iran has agreed to suspend its uranium enrichment and reprocessing programs until a "grand bargain" is reached in which the EU guarantees nuclear, political, and trade concessions in return for Tehran's indefinite suspension of the same programs. Though negotiated by the troika, the agreement's ownership lies with the European Union as a whole. To the undisguised relish of the Iranians, this deal killed the Bush administration's pet plan to refer the Iranian case to the United Nations Security Council for censure or the possible imposition of sanctions for its alleged breaches of the IAEA nuclear protocol. Both Iran and the EU have a stake in seeing that the next round of negotiations, starting on December 15, succeeds. By clinching a deal with the European Union, the Iranian leadership aims to achieve two strategic objectives: improve Iranian living standards through a Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, and forestall the Bush administration's "hegemonistic designs" by widening of the political gap between the United States and the European Union over Iran. The EU threesome has stayed firmly on the Iranian diplomatic path, despite American pressures, in order to protect the interests of its companies which already have lucrative contracts in Iran's oil and gas industry and are hopeful of securing more in the future. Countering American Hegemony With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Islamic Republic's opposition to the imperial ambitions of the two superpowers narrowed to the winner of the Cold War: Washington. At a joint press conference with visiting Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev in February 2000, for instance, Hassan Rouhani, secretary-general of Iran's SNSC, summarized his country's foreign policy in this way: "Cooperation among Iran, Russia, India and China is very important if one hopes to confront the hegemonic policies of America." That was one year before the arrival of George W. Bush in the White House, his unveiling of a thoroughly unilateralist foreign policy based on "preventive" force, the ominous inclusion of Iran in his "Axis of Evil," and, of course, his illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. That, in turn, led French President Jacques Chirac to articulate a competing vision of a multi-polar world in which the United States, the European Union, China, India, and Russia all would be poles. In this context, it was no accident that Paris was chosen as the venue for the recent Iranian/EU negotiations. In Iran, even diehard conservatives now agree that developing cordial relations with the European Union is an effective and necessary way to curb Washington's designs on their country. They are also realistic enough not to underestimate the power of the Bush administration: It successfully pressured Japan to withhold its signature on a $2 billion deal to develop the enormous Azadegan oilfield in Iran, and the EU to suspend its nine-month-old negotiations with Tehran on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). But then, Iranian conservatives and others are equally aware that, singularly, on the issue of Iran, even Britain has stood apart from the U.S. and with its European partners. As a consequence, the British Foreign Minister Jack Straw - as they are well aware - is derided by the hawks in Washington, the effective makers of Middle East policy, as "Ayatollah Straw." They wish to see this policy gap between Washington and London maintained, if not widened. To Each Its Own Interests At the same time, Iranian leaders want to extract maximum possible benefits for their country in their dealings with the European Union. The most effective way to do this, unsurprisingly, was to acquire as many bargaining chips as possible. And so they resumed the manufacture of centrifuges for enriching uranium in July - but only after the EU troika had reneged on its part of a deal it had signed with Tehran in October 2003. The three European countries delivered neither promised technological and economic benefits to Iran, nor did they address Tehran's security concerns which are closely tied up with the denuclearization of the Middle East (read: Israel and its sizeable nuclear arsenal). They even failed to get the Iran file downgraded at the subsequent IAEA governors' meeting - as stated in the agreement. So on October 31, amid chants of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") and "Death to America," all 247 members present in the Iranian parliament unanimously called on the government to restart the country's uranium enrichment program, using its already manufactured centrifuges, and to exercise its right to complete the nuclear fuel cycle enshrined in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to which Iran is a signatory. A nuclear fuel cycle consists of mining uranium ore (in which only seven out of every 1,000 uranium atoms are the lighter fissile isotopes U235, the rest being the heavier U238), processing it into uranium oxide (yellow cake), transforming it into uranium tetraflouride (UF4) gas, and then uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, followed by enriching UF6 to varying degrees of U235 purity: 3.5-4% pure for use in nuclear power reactors, 10-20% pure for use in research reactors, and 90%-plus pure and so usable in nuclear weapons. In a nuclear power plant, the fuel consists of sealed rods containing hundreds of pellets of 3.5-4% pure uranium. When hit by high energy neutrons, these pellets undergo a controlled chain reaction, emitting intense heat which transforms the surrounding light (ordinary) water into steam. That then runs the plant's electricity generating turbines. Once these fuel rods have yielded their energy, they are called "spent rods." These can be reprocessed with the aim of extracting from them plutonium (Pu239 or Pu241), which could be used as fissile material for nuclear weapons. (Although as yet there are no commercial electric plants using plutonium fuel, Pu239 and Pu241 do contribute towards generating heat for uranium-fuelled plants.) Nuclear fuel thus produces both electric power and more nuclear fuel, and is therefore, in principle, a renewable source of energy. Therein is the rejoinder to those in the United States who argue that, given Iran's enormous oil and gas resources, its government does not need nuclear power plants. Oil and natural gas deposits, being finite, will not last forever whereas a nuclear fuel cycle can be self-perpetuating. These critics ignore the fact that, despite its vast oil deposits and the largest gas reserves in the world, Russia has a thriving nuclear power industry at home. Furthermore, it exports its technology. Having already built the Iranian nuclear power station near Bushehr, it remains the favorite contractor for the eight more such plants that Iran plans to build in the near future. Meanwhile, it is Iran's hydrocarbon resources - an estimated nearly 10% of global petroleum reserves and the second largest gas deposits in the world - that are at the root of the pressures that British and French oil companies are exerting (discreetly) on their respective governments to cut a diplomatic deal with Tehran on the nuclear issue, and thus torpedo the American plan to take the issue to the UN Security Council with the possibility of economic sanctions or, in the future, worse. The list of the European oil companies with ongoing oil contracts with Iran - Royal Dutch-Shell, Elf, Total SA, Agip of Italy, as well as BG (British Gas), Enterprise, Lasmo, Monuument, and so on - is so extensive that no major European Union member can afford to ignore such interests. The Europeans are not the only ones. Last month the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Li Xhaoxing signed an oil-and-gas deal with Iran, and Chinese officials assured Hussein Mousavian, deputy to Rouhani,, in Beijing that China would block any move at the IAEA to refer the Tehran nuclear dispute to the UN Security Council. Bargaining over the Shape of the World Whatever agreement emerges out of the "grand bargain" between Iran and the European Union, its nuclear component will be verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency. In his annual report to the UN General Assembly on November 1, IAEA director-general Muhammad El Baradei said that Iran needed to restore the international community's confidence by suspending enrichment after previously providing the IAEA "information that was at times changing, contradictory and slow in coming." A fortnight later, what the EU troika actually got from Iran was an agreement "to cease to develop or operate facilities to produce fissile material, including any enrichment or reprocessing capability." "Reprocessing," a term that applies to the spent fuel rods, had not been demanded by the IAEA. The Iran-EU deal came on the heels of a direct intervention by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei. In his Friday prayer sermon on November 5, he declared that "developing, producing or stockpiling nuclear weapons" is forbidden under Islam and "our believing nation," and added: "They accuse us of pursuing nuclear weapons program. I am telling them as I have said before that we are not even thinking about nuclear weapons." What apparently drove Khamanei to this public statement was his determination to frustrate the Bush administration's plan to isolate Iran. He had used a similar argument when, in October 2003, protests arose at home over Iran's agreement to sign an additional protocol allowing IAEA inspectors access to any sites they wished to visit. He insisted then that the decision to cooperate with the IAEA was taken "widely and carefully" in the interests of the Islamic Republic to "foil an American-Zionist maneuver" to isolate Iran. Since that moment both Iran and the EU threesome have raised their horizons. Besides adding in the reprocessing of the spent nuclear fuel rods from civilian projects, the Europeans plan to introduce the issues of human rights and political reform into their upcoming negotiations with Iran for the "grand agreement." Tehran's wish list includes the reaffirmation of its right to a nuclear energy program for peaceful purposes; access to imported nuclear fuel at market prices for its reactors; support for Iran's acquisition of a light water research reactor; help with regional security concerns, including combating drug trafficking; the resumption of talks on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; support for Iran's application for World Trade Organization membership; and the keeping of the Iraq-based Mujahedin Khalq Organization on the EU's list of terrorist organizations. Much tough talking lies ahead between the EU and the Middle East's most strategic nation. All the more so when, as 34 IAEA governors welcomed Iran's decision on the suspension of all enrichment and reprocessing activities, Jackie Sanders, the Bush administration's representative, promptly followed up her very reluctant yes-vote with a nine-page statement asserting repeatedly that Iran has a clandestine nuclear weapons program without offering any back-up evidence. Dilip Hiro is the author of "Secrets and Lies: Operation "Iraqi Freedom" and After" as well as "The Essential Middle East: A Comprehensive Guide." His forthcoming book is "The Iranian Labyrinth: Journeys Through Theocratic Iran and Its Furies" (Nation Books). He is based in London, writes regularly for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Observer, the Guardian, and the Nation magazine, and is a frequent commentator on NBC, CNN, BBC, and Sky TV. A version of this piece will appear in print in issue #740 of Middle East International. ----- Powell Says U.S. Can't Hunt Iran Nukes in Caves By REUTERS Published: December 3, 2004 Filed at 5:29 p.m. ET http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/international/international-nuclear-iran-powell.html?oref=login WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Friday that Washington had no way to force Iran to allow U.N. inspectors unrestricted access to suspected nuclear sites despite U.S. doubts Tehran would come clean on its own. ``I can't make sure it is going to happen,'' he told Reuters in an interview as he prepares to leave office. ``You can't look in every cave that might be in Iran.'' Powell also said Iran's agreement with European nations last month to suspend some suspicious nuclear activities was inadequate, but the international community must still press Iran to reveal the full extent of its program. The Bush administration fears the Islamic republic may be developing a nuclear weapon at secret sites, where it may continue to work, while it has agreed to open other facilities to inspectors. Powell ackties. It noted the freeze was voluntary and non-binding. The United States' false warnings about Iraq's nuclear capabilities have undermined similar U.S. claims about the dangers of Iran's programs. Diplomats and arms experts neau in Vienna) -------- japan Supreme Court to hear Monju appeal Government sees glimmer of hope in battle to save fast-breeder reactor The Japan Times Dec. 3, 2004 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20041203a2.htm The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear the government's appeal of a Nagoya High Court ruling that nullified the 1983 approval of the troubled Monju experimental fast-breeder nuclear reactor project in Fukui Prefecture. The decision by the court's First Petty Bench suggests the top court is considering reversing or changing the lower court ruling. When the Supreme Court decides to hold a hearing, it often alters or overturns a lower ruling. The Monju case will be heard March 17. In January 2003, the Nagoya High Court nullified government approval 20 years ago of the experimental reactor project in Tsuruga. The ruling overturned a Fukui District Court ruling in 2000 that dismissed a lawsuit filed by residents, most of whom were living near the reactor. The Nagoya High Court's Kanazawa branch supported a claim by 32 plaintiffs that the massive sodium coolant leak at Monju in 1995 was a result of flawed safety assessments that were carried out on the prototype reactor prior to construction. "Flaws exist in the safety assessment (procedures) needed to prevent an accident, such as the leakage of radioactive material inside a reactor into the neighboring environment," the high court said. It also ruled that the safety assessments had to be completely redone. The landmark decision -- the first in the nation to let plaintiffs nullify a nuclear reactor and halt its construction or operations -- dealt a severe blow to the government's nuclear energy program, especially its goal of recycling spent nuclear fuel and using extracted plutonium at fast-breeder reactors. The Fukui District Court rejected the plaintiffs' demands to have the government's original approval of Monju invalidated, and ruled that the reactor's basic design was not the cause of the sodium coolant leak. According to the high court, Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp., known then as Donen, applied for permission to build the plant in 1980. The government gave its approval in May 1983. Donen is the predecessor of the state-run Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute. The residents filed their suit in 1985, and the initial judicial debate revolved around their eligibility as plaintiffs. In 1992, the Supreme Court recognized the eligibility of all the plaintiffs and sent the case back to the Fukui District Court for trial proceedings. The reactor was operating at 40 percent capacity when the sodium coolant leaked in December 1995, sparking a fire. Its operator tried to cover up the accident and submitted a false report. The Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute is hoping to restart Monju, which has been shut down since the accident, and has obtained approval to renovate it, but local residents have not given the green light for renovation work to begin. Monju is a government-designed prototype for future reactors envisioned to play a key part in Japan's nuclear fuel recycling plans, in which plutonium is created by reprocessing spent nuclear fuel. By using plutonium-uranium mixed-oxide fuel, fast-breeder reactors like Monju are supposed to be able to produce more plutonium than they consume. ----- Pacifist Japan to study developing first long-range missile: report TOKYO (AFP) Dec 03, 2004 http://www.spacewar.com/2004/041203044413.ug67vniz.html Pacifist Japan will study developing a long-range surface-to-surface missile amid growing concern about North Korean and Chinese vessels in surrounding waters, a report said Friday. The potential new missiles could effectively end Japan's self-imposed ban on offensive weapons, two months after an expert panel recommended the country acquire the ability to attack foreign bases. Japan has a pacifist constitution. The Yomiuri Shimbun, which quoted anonymous defense officials in its report, said Japan's concern was North Korean spy and Chinese naval vessels which have been moving more frequently in seas near Japan. The newspaper said the Defense Agency plans to study the new missile "as a measure to counter a possible invasion on a remote island several hundred kilometers (miles) away from mainland Japan." China last month expressed regret after one of its nuclear submarines entered Japanese waters for two hours near disputed islands, triggering a two-day chase on the high seas between the Asian powers. Japan's current ground-based missiles are only capable of hitting air or seaborne targets as opposed to targets in other countries. Under the 1947 constitution, Japan can use the weapons only if the country comes under direct attack. A Defense Agency spokeswoman declined to comment on the report. In October, an advisory panel to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called for Japan to change its long-standing position against the use of force and develop the ability to launch pre-emptive strikes on foreign missile vessels. The Yomiuri said the plan to build the long-range ground-to-ground missiles will be included in a defense plan, set to be approved by the cabinet in mid-December, which will set priorities for the five years from April 2005. The plan comes at the same time that Japan updates its defense policy guidelines for the first time since 1995. Ruling coalition officials say the new outline will for the first time refer to China as a threat. Japan has been reducing its aid to China as its neighbor's economy grows, amid widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in China linked to Japan's bloody wartime occupation. -------- u.s. nuc facilities -------- colorado Flats refuge proposal jells 16 miles of trails included in the final conservation concept Denver Post By Kim McGuire December 03, 2004 http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2573302,00.html The public will be able to hike, cycle and ride horses on about 16 miles of existing trails through the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons complex after it becomes a wildlife refuge in 2007, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials said Thursday. Addressing the Rocky Flats Citizens Advisory Board, refuge managers gave a sneak peek inside the final conservation plan being proposed for the 6,240-acre site. The plan is awaiting final approval from the Interior Department, which could issue a decision within two weeks. "At this point, we don't expect any changes to the document, but just realize there is a slight chance that an 11th-hour decision could change this," said Laurie Shannon, planner for the refuge. The plan was developed after an extensive public comment period, which culminated with a series of meetings in the spring in Westminster, Boulder, Arvada and Broomfield. At that time, residents urged refuge managers to do everything from building a gigantic fence around the site to allowing unrestricted access. Now, after sorting through about 5,000 comments, the agency has made some "minor tweaks" to its recommended alternative spelled out in an earlier draft document, Shannon said. The final plan calls for: Limited hunting that is restricted to the disabled and youths, likely on weekends. Muzzle-loading guns are prohibited, but shotguns and bow and arrows can be used. Improving habitat at the site for the Preble's meadow jumping mouse and other native species. The agency will also consider reintroducing the sharp-tailed grouse. Offering limited environmental-education classes for high school and college students at the site. Allowing limited public access to 16 miles of existing trails. Of those, most will be multi-use. For the first five years, however, refuge managers will only allow short hikes on the site's northern portion. While the plan calls for limited public use, refuge visitors won't have access to about 1,200 polluted acres within the industrial core of the former weapons complex. That property will continue to be maintained by the Energy Department. Over four decades starting in 1952 until an FBI raid shut it down in 1989, Rocky Flats produced plutonium triggers for more than 70,000 nuclear warheads. Consequently, the site was polluted by radioactive materials used in the production of those weapons. The $7.2 billion cleanup is expected to be finished in 2006. Dean Rundle, the Rocky Flats Refuge manager, said the site's pollution is more clearly addressed in the final plan. "We heard very clearly from a significant number of people that they did not buy the fact that just because we were not cleanup decisionmakers we shouldn't address some of the residual contamination," Rundle said. "So we decided to provide more information that relates to health and safety." -------- new jersey Oyster Creek defenders face foes at hearing Asbury Park Press By NICHOLAS CLUNN 12/03/04 http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,1131564,00.html About 300 people listen as state lawmakers conduct a hearing into safety precautions at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant. BRICK -- An Assembly member from Bergen County last night criticized Oyster Creek nuclear power plant officials for relying on sirens to alert the public in the event of an emergency at the Lacey reactor. The remarks by Assemblyman Robert M. Gordon, D-Bergen, about the way authorities would signal people to turn to emergency broadcasts was a concern that hasn't been talked about much during previous debates surrounding the future of the country's oldest commercial reactor. He asked officials from plant owner AmerGen about the sirens' effectiveness during a special public hearing held to discuss whether Oyster Creek should operate for another 20 years after its initial license expires in 2009. Gordon said the sirens are less effective than newer, higher-tech methods and cited as an example high-speed telephone dialing with recorded messages. Bud Swenson, Oyster Creek vice president, said that he would look into Gordon's concerns. About 300 people, including members of about 15 advocacy groups on both sides of the issue, attended the public hearing called by the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee to better understand the merits and drawbacks of renewing the reactor's operating license. ADVERTISEMENT Committee members will consider the input given when drafting a resolution that would establish the state's official position on Oyster Creek's plan to seek a license renewal from the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Several union leaders attended the meeting to support Oyster Creek and its workers. Calling criticisms of license renewal "politically and environmentally shortsighted," Wyatt Earp, president of the Monmouth-Ocean AFL-CIO, announced last night that the 70,000-member labor union he leads would lend its support to plant owner AmerGen. Citing confidence in the NRC to ensure Oyster Creek's future safety, a union leader with the 35,000-member New Jersey International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said the group will announce its support for license renewal at a news conference today. Located off an undeveloped stretch of Route 9, the plant employs 450 workers and last year pumped $52 million into Ocean County's economy, according to plant figures. Oyster Creek's 650-megawatt reactor produces 9 percent of New Jersey's electricity, enough to power 600,000 homes. According to the electrical workers' union, 20 percent of electricity delivered by Jersey Central Power & Light Co. is generated at the plant. Before the meeting, U.S. Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J., said in a written statement that "a science-based report that looks into the health and reliability questions that have been raised by both sides should be conducted." It was not clear whether Lautenberg would be satisfied with the review procedures already in place. Sitting on the dais last night were the five Democratic members of the seven-person committee. Assemblymen John Rooney, R-Bergen, and Larry Chatzidakis, R-Burlington, had prior engagements. Sirens tested annually During an annual test in June, emergency management officials sounded 42 sirens across central Ocean County to test a system that would alert people about an emergency at the plant. People within a 10-mile radius of the plant can hear the sirens, meant to signal people to tune in to a radio or television station that carries emergency instructions in the event of a radioactive release from the 650-megawatt reactor. Lacey resident Dave Most, a 46-year-old instrument technician at the plant, was among 20 or so plant workers who attended the meeting. Most said he came out to defend fellow workers. "We have boilermakers. We have electricians," explained Most. "It's their livelihood." The hearing outside Trenton was a rarity for the Assembly committee. Public hearings on legislation to protect 400,000 North Jersey acres from development were the only times this year it met outside the capital. Committee Chairman John F. McKeon, D-Essex, has said the committee may hold additional hearings regarding Oyster Creek. Nicholas Clunn: (609) 978-4597 or nclunn@app.com -------- Progress slow at N.J. nuke plants PSEG Nuclear chief meets with federal regulators By MELISSA TYRRELL / The News Journal 12/03/2004 http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/local/2004/12/03progressslowatn.html PSEG Nuclear officials characterized their work to improve safety conditions at the Salem and Hope Creek reactors on Artificial Island in New Jersey as "fragile progress" at a meeting Thursday in New Castle with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. PSEG has been under heightened oversight by the commission for the past year as it seeks to improve conditions and operations at the three-reactor complex across the Delaware River from Augustine Beach. President and Chief Nuclear Officer Chris Bakken also said the two Salem units would be offline temporarily so that oil spilled from the Athos I tanker last week doesn't get into the plant's water intake valves. "We're trying to demonstrate to the public as well as our employees that we're placing safety over production," Bakken said. Last year the commission launched a review of the complex based on employees' complaints. In January, the commission sent a letter to PSEG questioning the station's "work environment, particularly the handling of equipment and operational decision making." In a self-assessment released in March, PSEG Nuclear officials gave its complex poor marks in encouraging employees to raise safety and equipment concerns. Along the way, PSEG named a new chief nuclear officer for the plant to make major fixes that the company said will take several years. It also invested $800 million to upgrade the "material condition" of the Hope Creek and twin Salem reactors over the next five years. The Hope Creek and Salem I and Salem II reactors employ 1,800 people. It is the nation's second-largest nuclear complex and generates more than half the electricity PSEG produces. One problem cited by the commission was a backlog of maintenance problems. Michael Brothers, PSEG vice president of site operations, said the company has worked hard to improve the quality of corrective actions, but now it needs to work on how quickly it can make those fixes. He cited this as progress, noting that a year before the company focused on timeliness instead of quality, which led to recurring problems. Officials also noted more training for quality-assessment workers and those who handle employee complaints. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials encouraged the company to increase education on how to file a complaint or report a problem - especially for employees who want to remain anonymous. During a public comment session, PSEG whistle-blower Nancy Kymn Harvin told the audience and commission officials that she was skeptical of the work being done. She said she still hears about employees who were transferred from their departments for noting problems and executives who have lied to the NRC about progress. She urged Bakken to remove a controversial 20-foot-high pump inside Hope Creek that is known to vibrate and roar, alarming workers. Bakken has delayed a $7 million overhaul until after preparing to do other work on the highly radioactive unit. He said the work could be done all at once so crews would not be exposed to radiation twice. "They don't want to worry about catastrophic failure," Harvin said of employees who want the pump removed, adding her former co-workers "deserve a safe and great place to work." Earning the trust of employees and the public will take "quarters and years, not months," Bakken said. "I think we're not far off on that assessment," NRC Reactor Projects Director Randolph Blough said of Bakken's view that his company is making tenuous gains. "We see that fragility as well." This article contains information from the Associated Press. Contact Melissa Tyrrell at 838-3189 or mtyrrell@delawareonline.com. ------- PSEG on safety: 'Fragile progress' Friday, December 03, 2004 By BILL GALLO JR. Staff Writer NEW CASTLE, Del. -- A PSEG Nuclear official Thursday night told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that the utility is making "fragile progress" in its long-term plan to improve the work environment at its nuclear generating complex on Artificial Island in Lower Alloways Creek Township. "We certainly are not here to tell you everything is fixed," said Chris Bakken, president of PSEG Nuclear and its chief nuclear officer. Thursday's meeting was prompted by concerns by the NRC, the federal agency which regulates the nation's 100-plus nuclear power plants, that serious problems existed at the Island, specifically, in its problem identification and resolution process and what it deemed was not a safety conscious work environment. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission earlier this year told PSEG Nuclear to take action to prevent a "chilled" work environment at its three plants -- Salem 1, Salem 2 and Hope Creek. The NRC was acting on claims that workers had been reluctant to raise what they deemed were safety issues for fear of retaliation from management. Also, some workers said they had simply given up offering their ideas for solutions to problems because they believed management wasn't listening. At earlier meetings with the NRC this year, PSEG Nuclear officials outlined their plant to resolve the problems. Thursday's meeting was in a way, an offering of a report card of sorts to the federal regulators on the progress the utility believes it is making. Top officials from the utility presented a power point presentation featuring a large group of graphs and charts they said show both progress and areas where the authority needs to improve. Bakken said he believes it will take 18 to 24 months "to show progress I would view as sustained." At earlier meetings NRC officials had emphasized that any "quick fix" would be looked upon with suspicion by the agency. Bakken, who took charge at the Island this spring, has pledged to be more open with both employees and the public on how he is implementing changes. One of the large concerns among workers had been the backlog of needed repairs which the utility said has decreased. But other equipment problems relating to the operation of the plants remain a concern. Bakken said one of the major changes has been his order to produce quality work without the regard to time. "A year ago we were so focused on a timeline that quality suffered," he said. Employee surveys taken by an outside firm will be done again in 2005, officials said to gauge progress. The utility also has established boards to deal with employee complaints about work issues. John Carlin, PSEG Vice President-Nuclear Assessment, said his team has become much more aggressive on quality issues at the plant. He said officials had put "more teeth" in quality assessment and have not been afraid to issue stop-work orders if they deemed a job was not being handled properly. The meeting between the NRC and PSEG Nuclear was held in a New Castle motel function room. About 100 people filled the room -- mostly staffers from either the utility or NRC, Island workers and anti-nuclear activists. Another appraisal of PSEG's progress is expected to be presented to the NRC in the early spring. Meanwhile, the agency and the utility are expected to meet later this month to discuss preliminary findings from a special inspection the NRC conducted after problems at Hope Creek forced its shutdown on Oct. 10. Among those in the audience Thursday night questioning the utility and the NRC was Dr. Kymn Harvin, a former organizational development manager at the plant, who has filed a lawsuit claiming she was fired for raising safety concerns. "You can make numbers say anything you want," she said referring the to utility's presentation. Harvin urged the utility to replace a vibrating recirculation pump at the Hope Creek plant which remains off line. "The problems can't be blamed on past management. They are yours," she said. Harvin said utility officials "had an opportunity to take a giant step in restoring trust (by replacing the pump) and you blew it." The utility said the pump will be replaced during the next refueling outage at the plant. The hearing came on the same day that PSEG Nuclear announced that it would shut down its two operating reactors, Salem 1 and Salem 2, because of concerns that a massive oil spill upstream could foul the water intakes for its cooling system. Copyright 2004 NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. -------- Nuclear plants to shut down as oil spill spreads By ERIC TUCKER Staff Writer, (856) 794-5114 Press of Atantic City, December 3, 2004 http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com PHILADELPHIA - The Delaware River oil spill has so far touched 70 miles of shoreline across three states and is likely to continue spreading, officials said Thursday. Two nuclear reactors in southern New Jersey will shut down today because of fears that the water-intake valves which provide coolant for their reactors could be clogged by oil from the spill, their operator said. Protective booms were put in place around the water intakes at the Salem I and Salem II plants, but their operator, Public Service Enterprise Group, said the barriers might not block heavier globs of crude oil floating beneath the river's surface. Workers participating in the massive cleanup effort had recovered 7,140 gallons of the oil-tainted water as of Thursday afternoon, while nearly 4,000 additional gallons have evaporated since the Friday night accident, said Coast Guard Lt. Buddy Dye. "There is still mobile oil out there. It is still available to spread," said Edwin Levine, scientific support coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Officials offered no new information about the cause of the oil spill, saying they had yet to determine the object that punctured two holes in the hull of the Athos I as the Greek tanker maneuvered into a port near Paulsboro, Gloucester County, N.J. Investigators have said they are looking into whether the tanker struck a propeller or some other object on the river's floor. Even with the cause undetermined, the company that owns the vessel, Tsakos Shipping and Trading SA, is prepared to take responsibility for the accident, a spokesman said. "Our owners today accept the responsibility. They spilled the oil," said the spokesman, Michael Hanson. Officials also declined to provide an updated projection of the amount of oil spilled from the tanker. Coast Guard officials said earlier this week that 473,500 gallons of the Venezuelan crude could have leaked from the vessel in what they called a "worst-case scenario." Dye said that figure, far above the 30,000 gallons initially reported as lost, would continue to be used as the Coast Guard collects data from sonar ships. Investigators have found no contamination of drinking water supplies, but they did discover an area south of Little Tinicum Island where oil had reached the bottom of the river. The nuclear reactors, in Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, were expected to be shut down for several days, PSEG said. A third reactor had been shut down before the spill. A spokesman for the company said consumers would not be affected. "We feel this is the prudent thing to do, and we're going to analyze the situation and determine if the oil could affect operations," said A. Christoher Bakken, chief nuclear officer of PSEG. Federal and state agencies have advised hunters and boaters to stay off tributaries and not hunt waterfowl until further notice. Nearly a week after the spill, the Coast Guard is continuing to step up its cleanup and investigation operations. Fifteen state and federal agencies and five companies have responded, and roughly 1,000 people - including contractors and Coast Guard reservists and auxiliary members - were to be involved on Thursday. The Coast Guard has set up its command center at a Holiday Inn in Philadelphia, where dozens of officers, civilians and others collected data in a first-floor room cluttered with color-coded maps, laptops, fax machines and cell phones. A team at one table was responsible for making sure that crews cleaning the spill had the equipment they needed; another team was coordinating the removal of waste and debris; a third group marked the impact of the spill on maps. "Every micromanaged deal of the operation, it's handled here," said Petty Officer Kimberly Smith, a Coast Guard spokeswoman. The oil spans a 55-mile stretch of the Delaware River from the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, appearing in heavy concentrations in some areas and as a light sheen in others. The 70 miles of affected coastline includes tributaries of the river and other noncontiguous areas of water. The Associated Press, Jerome Montes and Daniel Walsh contributed to this report. To e-mail Eric Tucker at The Press: ETucker@pressofac.com ----- Salem 1, Salem 2 shut down Friday, December 03, 2004 By BILL GALLO JR. Staff Writer http://www.nj.com/news/sunbeam/index.ssf?/base/news-2/110206561029600.xml LOWER ALLOWAYS CREEK TWP. -- The two operating nuclear reactors at the Artificial Island generating complex will be taken off line today as a precaution because of the possible effects of a massive oil spill upstream in the Delaware River, utility officials said late Thursday.@@PSEG Nuclear operators will begin reducing power at the Salem 1 and Salem 2 reactors today en route to completely shutting both reactors down. The third nuclear reactor on the Island, Hope Creek, is currently off line for refueling.@@Utility officials are concerned that oil from the spill which is making its way downriver, may reach the water intake structures for the nuclear plants.@@Utility officials estimate the shutdown of Salem 1 and Salem 2 units will cost them between $1.5 and $2 million a day depending on prices and the electric market.@@The Salem 1 and 2 units, which are operating at full power, draws and then discharges two million gallons of water a minute from the Delaware River to cool the two reactors. Hope Creek, when in operation, draws considerably less because of its use of a cooling tower in its cooling system.@@If the oil did reach the intake structures it could be drawn in and circulated through the plants' cooling systems.@@"Our first ground rule is to be safe and this is the right thing to do to ensure the safety of the stations," said Chris Bakken, president of PSEG Nuclear and its chief nuclear officer, in a statement released by the utility.@@"It's their decision. It's a conservative one," said NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci. "We encourage them to be conservative."@@As of Thursday, the sheen from the crude oil spill which took place Friday in the river near a Paulsboro refinery stretched as far south as the Island. The oil had made its way as far north in the river as the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge.@@Officials had originally said 30,000 gallons of crude oil had spilled from the Athos I, but this week the U.S. Coast Guard, which monitors the river, said that it couldn't account for 473,500 gallons from the ship's tanks. Officials said much of that oil might still be in the ship, and called the prospect of a 473,500 gallon leak a "worst-case scenario."@@If every drop of that oil did leak from the ship, it would rank as the worst spill in the river's history, topping the 435,000 gallons that gushed from the tanker Grand Eagle in 1985.@@On Thursday, PSEG Nuclear began placing booms around the water intake structures at both the Salem and Hope Creek plants. The boom is a barrier placed in the water approximately 18 inches deep. It is relatively effective in controlling the spread of oil that is lying on top of the water or floating close to the surface. However, since the oil spilled in the Delaware was crude oil, it is expected that heavier globs of oil might be suspended in the river at varying depths, rendering the booms less effective, company officials said.@@PSEG Nuclear officials said they will continually monitor river conditions and its plans for the reactors could change.@@How much of the oil reaches the nuclear plants depends on river currents and the weather.@@This is not the first time Mother Nature has played a role in whether the plants can operate.@@In the spring, river grasses, ripped from their roots by the incoming and outgoing tides and ice have caused operators to reduce power -- and water intake -- at the facilities.@@Ice in the river must also be monitored.@@The last time all three reactors were shut down at the Island was in September 2003 after the remnants of Hurricane Isabel raked the area.@@High winds from the storm whipped up a salty spray off the river and bay.@@The salt coated equipment in the Island's switchyards causing equipment failure and arcing. Because of this, all three reactors were shut down.@@The Island began producing and sending out electricity again after the switchyard equipment was powerwashed to remove the salt residue.@@PSEG Nuclear said it is tracking costs the company may incur associated with the oil spill "with full expectation of recovery of those costs from responsible parties." -------- vermont Residents Near Vermont Yankee Need Better Alert System VERNON, Vermont, December 3, 2004 (ENS) http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/dec2004/2004-12-03-09.asp#anchor5 On October 12, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) completed an inspection of the emergency preparedness program at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in preparation for an NRC decision on whether to allow the Vermont Yankee to generate 20 percent more electricity. The inspectors concluded that the operator, Entergy, was not making a "best effort" attempt of distributing and maintaining tone alert radios in areas of the emergency planning zone that are outside of siren coverage. Tone alert radios are integral to the Alert Notification System in case of an emergency at the plant. They complement the pole-mounted siren system in areas where there is inadequate "sound" siren coverage such as in a mountainous terrain, the NRC said. In its efforts to advertise the availability of the tone alert radios, Entergy ultimately placed the onus on these individuals who needed or had them and not on Entergy. This is contrary to the NRC’s view of a "best effort" as denoted in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) design guidance and for what was accepted by FEMA and the NRC. Contributing to this finding was the fact that an accurate listing or registry of those residents who had or needed tone alert radios was not current; thus, because of the lack of an updated registry, it could not be determined to what extent tone alert radios are needed in the emergency planning zone and, therefore, uncertainty results on how the system was to be maintained. This finding was classed as one "with some increased importance to safety, which may require additional NRC inspection." "A majority of the population remained protected by the sirens and a large percentage of tone alert radios remained functional throughout the emergency planning zone," the agency said. Entergy has put in route alerting when sirens are actuated for areas covered by tone alert radios, and so the finding does not present a safety concern. Entergy is continuing with longer-term corrective measures including making the offers of radios to local citizens and re-establishing a current registry by the end of the year. A second report contains the results of a special inspection to look into two spent fuel segments that were reported missing at the facility. The team concluded the pieces found in July 2004 are the pieces misplaced in January 1980. One apparent violation was also identified: Entergy did not adequately account for the two fuel rod pieces from 1980 through 2004. Both final inspection reports and the earlier preliminary findings are posted on the NRC website at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/plant-specific-items/vermont-yankee-issues.html. The findings of both inspections will be discussed publicly at a meeting of the Vermont State Nuclear Advisory Panel (V-SNAP) on December 16 at Brattleboro Union High School, beginning at 6 pm. This meeting replaces NRC meetings that had been scheduled for November 9, but were postponed because of concerns that the expected high attendance would exceed the capacity of the facilities. “We appreciate V-SNAP’s agreement to moderate a meeting on a topic of great interest to many citizens in Vermont. We believe they will provide structure to the meeting process and help us hold a constructive meeting,” said Wayne Lanning, NRC Region I Director of Reactor Safety. -------- us nuc waste Judge blocks Hanford waste initiative The Associated Press 12/3/2004 http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-12-03-hanford-waste_x.htm YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A judge Thursday temporarily blocked a voter-approved initiative that bars out-of-state shipments of radioactive waste to the most contaminated nuclear site in the nation. Washington voters last month overwhelmingly approved Initiative 297, which forbids the Department of Energy from sending more radioactive waste to the Hanford nuclear site until all existing waste there is cleaned up. The initiative was to have taken effect Thursday. But the federal government went to court in hopes of blocking the law, calling it a "draconian" measure that also violates federal laws governing interstate commerce and nuclear waste. Hanford, a federal site, is immune from state regulation, the government argued. The government also warned that some cleanup would stop and workers would be idled if the initiative were to take effect. Lawyers for the state, however, had given assurances that officials were still reviewing the initiative and would not begin to implement it in the next 60 days. Judge Alan McDonald sided with the federal government Thursday in granting a temporary restraining order, citing the importance of continuing clean-up activities at Hanford. A hearing on a preliminary injunction was set for Dec. 13. Sheryl Hutchison, spokeswoman for the state Ecology Department, said the ruling was not unexpected. "We're satisfied that shipments will not be coming in, and over the next 10 days we will prepare a vigorous defense," she said. More than 10,000 people work at the 586-square-mile reservation, which was created in World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb. It remains the most contaminated site in the nation, with cleanup costs expected to total $50 billion to $60 billion. -------- MILITARY -------- asia Thai military drops "peace bombs" (Reuters) By Ed Cropley Dec 3, 2004 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=857&ncid=757&e=10&u=/nm/20041203/od_uk_nm/oukoe_thailand_birds BANGKOK - Hundreds of Thai school children and air force recruits have loaded an estimated 100 million origami birds onto military transport planes in preparation for a "peace bombing" of the violent Muslim south of the country. The little pieces of folded paper, to be dropped from the air on Sunday to mark the birthday of Thailand's revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, are meant to sow peace, harmony and goodwill in the three southernmost provinces, where an 11-month insurgency has claimed nearly 500 lives. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose government has struggled to get to the root of the violence, has defended his paper-bird scheme against opponents who say the government is just dumping 48 plane-loads of rubbish. "Don't criticise against the wishes of the majority of Thais," Thaksin told Reuters on Friday at a sending off ceremony for the paper birds at Bangkok's military airport. The birds, folded out of everything from bank notes to plastic sheets, covered the floor of an aircraft hangar to a depth of more than two metres (7 feet). Ceremony organiser Group Captain Chakrapong Homkrailas put the number of birds at 100 million. "I think this is some sort of world record," Chakrapong said, as ant-like columns of recruits and children carried thousands of plastic sacks across the airport tarmac and into the bellies of five Hercules C-130 military transport planes. Some people in the mainly Muslim deep south, which has a century-long history of ethnic and religious hostility towards the largely Buddhist administration in Bangkok, question the symbolism behind the gesture. In 1948, the Thai air force was called in to bomb parts of the south along the border with Malaysia to quell a rumbling Muslim separatist insurgency. "The paper birds are not a traditional symbol for us," said leader of Abdullaham Abdulsamad of the Narathiwat Islamic Council. "It's a different culture. Our people do not understand what the birds stand for. Thaksin's initial intention was to drop 62 million paper cranes, one for every person in the country. A media blitz, which included a cabinet meeting to teach ministers how to fold the birds, sparked origami fever the length and breadth of the land. The birds will be flown to the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani in Thailand's south, where they will be loaded onto 48 smaller planes for dispersal. Whatever the differences between Thai Buddhists and southern Thai Muslims, who are ethnic Malay and speak a Malay dialect, someone will have to clean up tonnes of paper afterwards. -------- business Spy plane crashes into school The Australian December 03, 2004 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,11575012%255E1702,00.html AN unmanned spy plane believed to be operated by a US security firm crashed into a school in the Afghan capital Kabul without causing any casualties, an eyewitness and sources told AFP today. The unmanned 1.5m-long drone smashed into a window at the French-funded Istiqlal high school close to President Hamid Karzai's palace, according to a senior official at the school. DynCorp, a private US security company that guards the president, uses drones to survey the grounds around the palace, a source close to Karzai told AFP. "It crashed shortly after 1pm (7.30pm AEDT yesterday) on a window of the centre which was broken and nobody was injured," said the director of the school's cultural centre Daniel Massat-Bourrat. Two heavily-armed Americans in plain clothes jumped the wall of the palace into the school grounds and removed the wreckage, offering to pay for repairs, Mr Massat-Bourrat said. "They presented themselves with a code name: planet," Mr Massat-Bourrat said. The drone did not belong to the US military, spokesman Major Mark McCann said. Three US military unmanned craft have crashed in Afghanistan this year, with the last coming down on November 24. DynCorp maintains a heavy presence in Kabul and trains Afghanistan's fledgling police force. In August, a bomb outside the company's office in the capital killed nine people including four of its employees. The Istiqlal school, which has 5600 pupils, is jointly financed by the Afghan ministry of education and France. Its alumni include Ahmad Shah Masood, the resistance hero killed by suspected Taliban in September 2001. -------- chemical weapons EPA to Allow Pesticide Testing on Humans Canada Free Press by Steven Milloy, www.junkscience.com December 3, 2004 http://www.torontofreepress.com/2004/milloy120304.htm The Environmental Protection Agency is drafting a policy to once again allow the consideration of experimental tests on humans in the setting of chemical exposure limits. It’s the right thing to do — as long as the Bush administration is prepared to defend the policy from the savage attacks that should be expected from environmental activists. Adblock Under the new policy being developed, manufacturers that want to test pesticides and other chemical products on human volunteers would submit proposals to the EPA for review. The agency would approve studies unless they are deemed unethical or significantly deficient in design. The data could then be considered by the agency in the setting of permissible levels of exposure to chemicals. The Clinton administration placed a moratorium on such voluntary human testing in 1998. Environmental activists and other Bush administration-haters will no doubt try to liken the return of voluntary human testing to past instances of criminal human experimentation — such as Nazi concentration camp experiments, the Tuskegee syphilis study (in which the U.S. Public Health Service purposefully left African-American men with untreated syphilis) and the U.S. government’s secret human radiation experiments (in which people were unknowingly injected with plutonium). I can even envision a twist to the 2001 television commercial produced by the Democratic National Committee in response to the Bush administration’s decision to review the Clinton administration’s eleventh hour rule concerning arsenic in drinking water. Instead of the little girl in the TV ad asking, “May I please have some more arsenic in my water, Mommy?” she might in 2005 ask, “Mommy, is it time for my pesticide pill?” Don’t fall for this nonsense. The testing of chemicals on human volunteers isn’t new, has rigorous safety standards, and helps establish more evidenced-based chemical exposure limits. What’s more, opposition to voluntary human testing (aside from the Bush-bashing aspect) is really just about restricting pesticide use — it’s got nothing to do with ethical concerns. Until the Clinton administration moratorium on voluntary human testing, pesticide manufacturers could conduct experimental safety tests either on human volunteers or laboratory animals. Manufacturers often prefer testing on human volunteers because such tests produce results that are easier to convert into real-world permitted exposure levels. In a typical experiment involving humans, volunteers are exposed to very low levels of a chemical, perhaps up to the point when the very first biochemical changes in the blood, or the very earliest clinical signs of the chemical (such as slight dizziness) are observed. The highest exposure level where either no significant biochemical or clinical changes are observed is then divided by 10 (an arbitrary factor used to provide a margin of safety for potentially more sensitive people in the population) to arrive at the permitted exposure level. The procedure for setting a permitted exposure level based on laboratory animals is similar, except that the arbitrary factor used ranges from 100 to 1,000 or more, supposedly representing the increased uncertainty in extrapolating safety levels from lab animals to humans. But testing of laboratory animals can get pretty weird. Years ago, researchers for a pesticide manufacturer debated with EPA staff about the level at which the insecticide aldicarb caused the first significant clinical effects to be observed in laboratory dogs — the controversy centered around how soft was “too soft” for dog stool. Human testing, in contrast, is much more straightforward — the effects observed during the experiment are those that the permitted exposure levels are designed to avoid. Laboratory animal testing typically results in much more stringent safety levels that make pesticide use more costly and difficult. Safety levels determined by laboratory animal testing may be set so low as to render a pesticide’s use impractical, causing a manufacturer simply to withdraw it from the market. This was precisely the goal of the environmental extremists who pressured the Clinton administration to adopt its moratorium on human testing — a policy that forced in 2000 the withdrawal from the consumer market of the widely used insecticide Dursban. In February, the National Academy of Sciences endorsed voluntary human testing so long as the EPA ensured that such testing was necessary, scientifically valid, provided real benefits and was conducted according to ethical standards and procedures. That sounds like a reasonable plan that will ensure that pesticides — which provide incalculable agricultural and public health benefits — can be evaluated on the basis of scientific data relevant to humans, rather than the divination of safety levels based on the texture of doggie-doo. Steven J. Milloy is the publisher of JunkScience.com, an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a columnist for FoxNews.com. -------- china Chinese sub Inside the Ring December 03, 2004 By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough THE WASHINGTON TIMES http://www.washtimes.com/national/inring.htm China's navy recently deployed an attack submarine in what defense officials say was a rare demonstration of out-of-area underwater operations. U.S. intelligence agencies recently published a classified map of the submarine's movements throughout the western Pacific. The submarine was detected throughout its voyage beginning in late October through mid-November from its home port of Ningpo south past Taiwan to Guam — where the U.S. Navy has three attack submarines and plans to deploy up to seven more. The submarine then sailed near Okinawa, where it was detected by Japan's navy. The discovery prompted Japan to demand an explanation from Beijing, which promptly issued an apology and explained that the submarine was in Japanese waters as the result of a technical error. -------- iraq Fallujah refugees in desperate need of aid: UN Reuters December 3, 2004 http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1256867.htm More than 200,000 people who fled Fallujah ahead of the US offensive have yet to return and many are in desperate need of aid, with temperatures in Iraq heading towards freezing, a new UN emergency report says. Figures compiled by the International Organisation for Migration show that 210,600 people, or more than 35,000 families, have taken refuge in towns and villages around Fallujah. Nearly all those people remain outside the city, where the population was estimated at 250,000-300,000 before the attack. US forces are maintaining a cordon around Fallujah as sporadic fighting continues. Troops are preventing refugees from returning, saying they want to stagger the return so that basic facilities can be restored before people go home. Most areas of the city remain without power, water, sewage and other basic services. It is expected to take much longer than previously thought to start reconstruction as hundreds of buildings are completely destroyed. "The return to Fallujah may take a matter of months rather than days, as was previously suggested by multi-national forces," the document said. The report, entitled Emergency Working Group - Fallujah Crisis, has been compiled by various aid agencies. It says access to the camps for internally-displaced people is sporadic due to insecurity and military operations. "Some sites have received assistance, whereas others... are reportedly difficult to access even by the Iraqi Health Ministry," it said. It describes shortages of fresh food and cooking oil, and says there is serious concern about the cold. Since October, when families first began fleeing Fallujah, temperatures in central Iraq have fallen from around 30 degrees Celsius to 2 degrees Celsius and sometimes colder overnight. Many families fled with the clothes they were wearing and a few personal items, unprepared for the change in weather. "The temperature has dropped, underscoring an urgent need for winterisation items and appropriate shelter," the report said. The only aid agency that has managed to get into Fallujah to help the people who remained during the furious two-week offensive is the Iraqi Red Crescent Society. It arrived with three truck loads of food and medical supplies, eight ambulances and several doctors, about 10 days ago and is working from offices in the city centre. The US military is also attempting to provide assistance. At one aid distribution point it recently delivered a supply of American snack food, including frosted flakes, granola bars and bagel chips to needy families, many of whom were left confused by the foreign food and frustrated. The offensive on Fallujah was designed to rid the city of insurgents holed up there for months and put Iraqi security services back in charge in time for elections due on January 30. ----- Departing troops test Iraq coalition THE WASHINGTON TIMES By Sharon Behn December 03, 2004 http://www.washtimes.com/world/20041202-115257-6961r.htm About one-third of coalition troops in Iraq, other than British and American soldiers, have left or are scheduled to be withdrawn after Jan. 30 elections, and remaining coalition members say they will be hard-pressed to fill the gaps. Troops from the Netherlands and Hungary are to leave in mid-March; Poland — which ranks fourth in terms of numbers — intends to downsize its troop force; and Italy — the third largest troop provider — may not extend its present commitment, which ends this month, by more than three to six months. The moves will reduce the multinational force on the ground by almost 2,200 troops by the end of March, bringing the total number of international soldiers who will have pulled out since the start of the war to just over 5,000 — about one-third of the coalition effort not including American and British forces. Most coalition members say they will not decamp even if the security situation deteriorates, but decisions on troop deployments often rest on parliamentary votes, not executive decisions. U.S. government officials are working to continue to build the coalition, said army spokesman Lt. Col. Joe Yoswa in Washington. "We are working with NATO [and] we continue to have open lines of communication with our coalition partners and others who may want to join us," he said. Altogether, 13 countries have pulled out their troops or are planning to leave or reduce their presence. Nevertheless, according to Lt. Col. David C. Farlow of Central Command, coalition force strength after the invasion peaked last month with approximately 25,800 soldiers — roughly 9,000 of them British — with fresh troops from other countries such as Georgia more than making up for the troops that left. Concrete country-by-country numbers are hard to come by. "We do not provide a comprehensive listing of countries that are supporting the operations there with forces on the ground," said Col. Farlow, citing security concerns. Although countries like South Korea and Japan recently joined the effort, other nations appear to be on their way out — using the January election as justification. The departures will increase pressure on allies who have vowed to stick with the United States until the end. Robert Killebrew, a retired Army colonel who writes extensively on national security issues, said problems caused by the withdrawals would be more political than military, but that there was a risk in relying too heavily and too soon on Iraqi troops and police. "We seem to be betting on the fact that the Iraqi army and national guard will be able to stand up and be effective as some allies pull out. I think that's a tremendous gamble," said Mr. Killebrew. Iraqi police and army have been regularly threatened and killed, and have often fled when attacked. Col. Yoswa said the Iraqis "improve their own security capabilities" daily. Asked how long it would be until the Iraqi forces could face the terrorist threat on their own, he said: "The situation continues to be dynamic. Every day they get closer, [but] I don't think you can put a time frame on it." Mr. Killebrew believes there will be more, not less, violence after the elections as terrorists and insurgents try to prevent a new government from taking over. As it is, gunfire, mortar attacks, car bombings and roadside bombs are a daily event in the capital. Apart from British forces, most coalition troops have been serving in a division under Polish command in the central-southern section of Iraq, covering restive cities like Najaf and Karbala. As coalition members leave, pressure is being put on those left behind. "There's a limit to what they can handle," said Robert Jamro, managing director of Polish Exchange, who works closely with Polish officials. "First the Spanish left, then the Dominicans pulled out. [The Poles] were somehow patching the holes, but at some point we can't patch all that," he said. Hungary has decided to withdraw its 300 troops — which were dealing mainly with transport and logistics for the whole division — forcing remaining troops to reorganize. An estimated 300 to 500 Polish troops are expected to leave after the elections, and Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko — who may yet win the presidency — has said he would bring home the roughly 1,650 soldiers that country has in Iraq. "So, at some point, there is nothing under the Polish command," said Mr. Jamro, who said he expects the status of the multinational division will change. Its members may be incorporated into a U.S. division, he said. Apart from British troops, the U.S. military has not had to work directly with troops from other coalition countries — all with different mission statements and different languages, uneven training levels and varied cultural approaches. Under Polish command, the lingua franca, for example, was Russian, followed at one point by Spanish. When the 1,300-strong Spanish contingent left in April, it became even harder to communicate with the small contingents from Latin America, most of whom eventually left. Another 1,300 troops are expected to leave by mid-March — this time the Dutch. That would bring the total expected to leave in the next four months to at least 2,400. Italy is also considering what to do with its 3,000 troops, whose commitment expires Dec. 31. One Italian diplomat said he expected Rome to renew its commitment for three to six months. Pro-U.S. European partners say that a lack of concrete recognition by Washington of their efforts for the past two years has fed the exodus. Some countries felt that they should have been offered a greater role in the profitable reconstruction effort. Seoul, which has been asked to extend its troop strength in the face of stiff domestic opposition, was miffed when President Bush failed to mention its participation in the war effort when he addressed the Republican convention in September. "It was a minor error by a speechwriter, and a senior official of the administration called his counterpart to explain. But many people are not quite certain that we are duly recognized for such a major contribution," said National Assembly member Chung Eui-yong. South Korea is building up its troop presence in Iraq to 3,600 soldiers, which will displace Italy as the third largest contingent after the United States and Britain. The South Korean Cabinet last week agreed to extend the South Korean reconstruction mission in northern Iraq for another year. The Bush administration has emphasized on the multinational nature of the Iraq war, and coalition partner diplomats are quick to say that they are in Iraq for the Iraqis, not to win concessions from Washington. "But at the same time, when you work alongside the U.S., and are open to the U.S. viewpoint on the war on terror, you also want to convince your public by showing them that the relationship with the U.S. is two-way street," said one European diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Many participating countries had expected to win more on reconstruction projects or, like Poland, to have visa restrictions waived. Polish citizens need visas to enter the United States, while nationals from France and Germany — which opposed the war and have refused to send forces — do not face the same regulations. The diplomat said that coalition members may decide to send some forces back to Iraq under a NATO umbrella to train Iraqi forces, changing the profile of their participation. "We are trying to get more NATO involvement and more EU involvement and build on that," the diplomat said. -------- Iraq: The U.S. Wrong All the Way Al-Jazeerah, By Sam Hamod December 3, 2004 http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20editorials/2004%20opinions/December/3%20o/Iraq%20The%20U.S.%20Wrong%20All%20the%20Way%20By%20Sam%20Hamod.htm I've heard many generals say that we should have sent more troops into Iraq. This is pure out and out Nonsense! In truth, no matter how many troops we send into Iraq, nor how many we've sent, will make it possible for America to conquer and occupy Iraq. More troops may kill more people, and more of the troops will be killed, but it will all be to no avail in the end. The Iraqis and other Muslims from around the world will come to fight against us in Iraq and elsewhere; thus, in the end, we will lose more than we could possibly gain by our misadventure into Iraq. We should never have gone into Iraq. That is what went wrong and is still wrong with the American action in Iraq. First, what would you do if someone invaded your country and decided to take it over? Wouldn't you fight back? Of course you would. For those of who still have some common sense and are not hypnotized by the lies of the media--we are aware that anyone would defend his or her country. So why is it so hard for Americans to realize that what are called "insurgents" and "terrorists" are actually Iraqis defending their families, their homes and their country against outside invaders. Thus, to the Iraqis and to most of the world, at least 85% according to recent world wide surveys, our American troops are seen as the "terrorists" who do not belong in Iraq and it is our troops who are committing the atrocities with the illegal use of the outlawed napalm, poison gas and phosphorous shells. We have also committed significant and continuing war crimes in Iraq: 1. Taking over hospitals and not allowing patients to come in for treatment. 2. Our torture and deprivation at Abu Ghraib. 3. The bombing of major civilian populations, knowing full well that there were no military targets therein. 4. Depriving civilians of medical aid, water, electricity and the freedom of move about in order to take care of their needs. The list could go on, but these are only a few matters that have been listed by the International Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and by the United Nations. Somehow, the American people believe Iraq is their country to do with as they wish. This is utter nonsense, it shows our country is out of touch with reality. American troops are told the Muslims in Iraq are "satan's people" and that they should be killed. Ironically, Islam is closer to Christianity than any other religion--yet the uneducated mass of evangelical preachers have no idea of Islam or the try Christianity--they are preaching a distorted Christianity and they have made up lies about Islam so that our troops are following these lies as truth. American troops often have pictures of 9/11 and the Twin Towers in their camps and such words as "They did this to us," and "Now let's kill their asses for this," and other such lies. The Iraqis had absolutely nothing to do with 9/11, yet Cheney, Bush, Rumsfeld and others continue these lies to our troops and to our public. This is insanity of the worst sort. We also cannot win in Iraq. All America can do is to kill a lot of people, poison them with Depleted Uranium, leave the children worse off than ever (this according to a UN health report of today that said Iraqi children are far worse off than before the American invasion of Iraq). America is also making more enemies among Muslims throughout the world; something that will not go away in a year or two, but will be alive for possibly centuries--just as the Crusades are remembered to this day! It it time we brought our troops home--in order to save their lives, their bodies, their physical and mental health, and to save the lives and health of thousands of Iraqis. It is not a lack of troops that is wrong in Iraq, is is that we never should have been there and do not belong there now. And let us also understand that Vichy like puppets like Allawi are not for or from the Iraqi people--they are transplants who have been and will continue to be rejected by the Iraqi people until they either leave or are assassinated. Sam Hamod is an expert on the Middle East and Islam. He is the former editor of 3rd World News in Wash, DC and former Director of The Islamic Center of Wash, DC; he also edits, http://www.todaysalternativenews.com . He may be reached at shamod@cox.net -------- Slow Pace in Iraq Surprises NATO Commander AP Dec 3, 2004 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=6&u=/ap/20041203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_nato BAGHDAD, Iraq - NATO (news - web sites) commander Gen. James Jones on Friday expressed surprise at the slow pace of restoring security to Iraq (news - web sites), saying he had believed the insurgency here would have been brought under control faster than in Afghanistan (news - web sites). Jones also urged NATO member states opposed to the U.S.-led war in Iraq — in particular Germany and France — to join other members of the bloc in training Iraqi military forces. "For everybody that sits out of the mission, it increases the pressure on those who are committed and makes the future challenging ... and more difficult," said Jones. Jones arrived in Baghdad with Jaap De Hoop Scheffer, secretary-general of the Brussels-based alliance. NATO has sent about 70 troops from Italy, Hungary, Norway and Canada to Iraq to run a training program for officers of the interim government's security forces. Jones said he had believed Iraq's insurgency would have been brought under control sooner than Afghanistan's, which U.S.-led forces invaded following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. "I am very pleased with what is going on in Afghanistan (in restoring security), but at the beginning I would have projected the opposite, with Iraq coming along faster," Jones told reporters. Military planners had anticipated that insurgents in Afghanistan would try to sabotage the Oct. 9 presidential elections. NATO deployed an additional 2,000 troops to safeguard the ballot, bringing its total peacekeeping force in that country to 9,000. "But the insurgents have not been able to materialize (in Afghanistan)," said Jones. Scheffer, who inaugurated NATO's training facility in Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses the U.S. Embassy and interim Iraqi government, sidestepped a question on whether NATO forces would take a combat role in Iraq. "Of course there is an area where (the security) is problematic, but NATO has decided on the training mission and NATO will embark on the training mission in the present situation," he said. Scheffer also said it was important for Iraq's national elections to take place on Jan. 30 as scheduled "because that is what this training is all about, to see the political process in this country developing." NATO expects to deploy 250 trainers, supported by 1,500 to 2,000 troops, to Iraq, alliance spokesman Col. Petter Lindqvist said. -------- israel / palestine Girl's killing puts focus on soldiers THE WASHINGTON TIMES By Joshua Mitnick December 03, 2004 http://www.washtimes.com/world/20041202-092434-8388r.htm TEL AVIV — The calculated killing of an unarmed Palestinian schoolgirl in the Gaza Strip in October has prompted unusual public scrutiny of the Israeli army and its treatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories. A military court last week indicted a company commander in the Oct. 5 killing of 13-year-old Iman Hams after she wandered near an army outpost. In two counts of improper use of firearms, prosecutors charge that the officer, identified only as "Capt. R," needlessly fired several rounds of bullets into the girl's body at close range. Details of the incident came to light last week after military video and audio recordings of the incident were leaked to news media. The cold-blooded way the girl was killed — even after she had been identified as an unarmed and nonthreatening child — has disturbed commentators and former military officers. "If a real court battle is conducted in this case," wrote Amos Harel, a military correspondent for the Ha'aretz newspaper, "the trial of the company commander will turn into a discussion about the [Israel Defense Force's] behavior in the Gaza Strip during the past years and about the freedom of action it has allowed itself in the name of confronting terror in this war." An internal review of the incident submitted to Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Yaalon supported Capt. R's contention that he was unaware that the girl did not pose a threat when his unit opened fire. It also supported his argument that he did not fire into the girl's body, but into the ground next to her to ward off militants from the nearby border town of Rafiah. "She was close to the outpost by infiltration standards," said Capt. Jacob Dallal, an army spokesman. "When a suspicious figure approaches an outpost, they're allowed to open fire." But a subsequent investigation by military police and the tape of the soldiers' chatter showed that others in the unit already had identified the girl as an unarmed child trying to flee the scene when the initial command was given to open fire. "This is the commander," Capt. R is heard saying on the tape at the conclusion of the incident. "Anyone who moves in this zone — even if it's a 3-year-old child — must be killed. Over." The army said it routinely documents its field operations through video and audio recordings. The tapes were leaked to the press by either the soldiers in the unit or the commander's attorney. Though Gen. Yaalon has since admitted that the killing was a "grave" mistake, observers are questioning the ability of the army to investigate the treatment of Palestinian civilians. "The investigations in the army have become bankrupt," reserve Col. Ilan Katz, a former deputy chief military prosecutor, told the online edition of the Ma'ariv newspaper. "Action needs to be taken immediately because it is no longer possible to have any faith in the army inquiries." The schoolgirl shooting is one of three incidents in the past few weeks that have thrown into question whether the army is adhering to its code of conduct. Earlier last month, at a checkpoint outside the West Bank city of Nablus, a Palestinian musician was told to unpack his violin for inspection. A picture of the musician playing his instrument for the soldiers appeared on the cover of Ha'aretz, reminding many older Jews of prisoners being forced to perform for Nazi officers during the Holocaust. The army denied newspaper reports that the soldiers had forced the violinist to perform, sayi