NucNews August 24, 2006 -------- NUCLEAR -------- accidents and safety Small tritium spill at Prairie Island highlights larger problem An incident at the Prairie Island nuclear plant illustrates growing national concerns about spills and leaks of radioactive liquids. Tom Meersman, Minneapolis Star Tribune Last update: August 24, 2006 http://www.startribune.com/462/story/634748.html Water contaminated with radioactive tritium was spilled at the Prairie Island nuclear plant in Red Wing, Minn., this month, said company and federal officials, but the incident did not threaten public health and safety. The plant is one of about 20 in the nation to have problems with tritium, ranging from relatively minor spills to major leaks that have sometimes contaminated groundwater in nearby communities. According to the report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, workers at Prairie Island spilled 168 gallons of contaminated water onto gravel outside the plant on Aug. 5 as they were cleaning some heating equipment. The amount of radioactivity in the water was slightly below federal drinking water standards, said Scott Burnell, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. "We're talking about a very small volume of water that was spilled," he said. "There's no indication that the spill made it into groundwater on the site." Arline Datu, spokeswoman for the Nuclear Management Co., which manages the Prairie Island plant, said there was no need to clean up the gravel or soil because the radioactivity levels were low. The company also notified state and local officials, she said. Tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, accumulates in reactor coolant water, said Burnell, and utilities are typically allowed to dilute and discharge it once or twice a year into lakes and rivers under controlled conditions. However, the uncontrolled and sometimes inadvertent release of tritium has become a significant concern recently for the nuclear industry, which is trying to build public confidence in plant safety. Last year it was revealed that the Braidwood nuclear plant in northeast Illinois leaked 6.2 million gallons of contaminated water over nine years, and had contaminated nearby residential wells. Tritium also has been detected, mostly in groundwater, beneath nuclear plants in at least eight other states. Federal officials established a task force in March to study the issue, and the industry adopted a voluntary initiative that advised utilities to report all tritium spills or other leaks. David Lochbaum, director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists, spearheaded an effort by two dozen environmental groups to petition federal officials to require stricter reporting by utilities and more extensive groundwater monitoring. Their request was denied, but, Lochbaum said, it increased public attention and industry concern. "Not that anyone has been harmed yet, but we don't need to wait for that day," he said. Tom Meersman • 612 673-7388 • meersman@startribune.com WHAT IS TRITIUM? Tritium is produced naturally in the upper atmosphere when cosmic rays strike air molecules. Tritium is also produced as a byproduct in reactors producing electricity and in special production reactors. More about tritium from the U.S. Enviromental Protection Agency is at www.startribune.com/a1678 -------- canada ALBERTA COMPANY LOOKS TO GO NUCLEAR TO POWER OIL SANDS Shannon Phillips / shannon@vueweekly.com August 24, 2006 Edmonton Vue Weekly http://www.vueweekly.com/articles/default.aspx?i=4571 Albertans took one step closer to nuclear power last week, as a small Alberta company began marketing Candu reactors to tar sands companies. Energy Alberta Corp has a two-year exclusive deal with Atomic Energy Corporation Ltd (AECL), to sell the Candu 6 reactor and the concept of nuclear power to oil companies. According to the Sierra Club of Canada, AECL receives several hundred million dollars a year in federal subsidies. The federal government gave the Atomic Energy Corporation “about $17 billion in free money in the last two decades,” according to Stephen Hazell, executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada. “These guys have so much money they don’t know what to do with it. “ Hazell says. “They haven’t sold a reactor in years and even then they only sell in China and Romania. “There’s been chatter about nuclear power in the oil sands for years. But with this deal between AECL and this new company, Energy Alberta, it is now serious business,” adds Hazell. Last year, Premier Ralph Klein mused aloud that nuclear power would not be an option in Alberta. But in April, Klein told reporters that Albertans should be prepared to look at nuclear power in the oil sands, which is seen as a way to increase tar sands extraction even as natural gas reserves decline. “There is a huge gap between the amount of energy that the tar sands needs in order to triple its production by 2015 and quintuple by 2030,” Hazell explains. “The McKenzie Valley Gas Pipeline may meet about half of what they need. Conventional natural gas reserves are on the decline. They are trying to fill some of that gap with coal bed methane and other forms of gasification, but all of these schemes aren’t looking like they will generate the additional energy they need in the tar sands,” says Hazell. Nuclear power plants require provincial approval, and Hazell says there needs to be a public discussion before the province okays nuclear power in northern Alberta. “In September and October, there will be hearings about tar sands expansion all over the province. And if the Atomic Energy Corporation is serious about bringing nukes to Alberta, they should darn well show up to these consultations and explain themselves,” Hazell argues. Alberta Energy did not return calls from Vue. “Leaving aside the environment and disposing nuclear waste for a moment —the economics of nuclear power alone make it a mad scheme.” In Ontario, nuclear energy has also required massive provincial subsidies. The province still carries debt from nuclear power projects and maintenance on some of their plants—the Pickering plant in particular—is costing the province between $4 and $5 billion. “Albertans need to wake up and realize this is coming,” Hazell said. -------- depleted uranium Global diabetes epidemic caused by depleted uranium Depleted Uranium is WMD By Leuren Moret (Rense.com) August 24, 2006 http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=8/24/2006&Cat=2&Num=005 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=MOR20060823&articleId=3053 This information (on weapons used by Israel in the Lebanon war) is from my own observations in news coverage I saw on Italian TV and the BBC while I was in Italy July 4-July 18, and from Major Doug Rokke who was in charge of the Depleted Uranium cleanup team in the (Persian) Gulf after (Persian) Gulf War I: * cluster bombs * depleted uranium bombs - including an order during the war by Israel from the US for 100 more GBU-28 5000 lb. depleted uranium warhead bombs -- (I was in Italy July 4-27 and saw depleted uranium bombs on Italian news and the BBC. Israeli military planes bombed Beirut, the airport and southern Lebanon with DU.) * depleted uranium 105mm and 120mm tank rounds (Info from Major Doug Rokke which he saw in the news) * missiles (probably DU) * white phosphorous weapons * Baccilus globigii -- bioweapon which makes people throw up violently but does not kill. (A military source said this was determined from color coding on the weapons) This was used in southern Lebanon and reported that it suddenly caused people to get sick. * Reports from MDs treating the wounded describing new kinds of wounds never seen before which may be laser weapons. The U.S. has them (classified) on the Abrams tanks. There were certainly Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) used by Israel because shrunken bodies and other types of indicators were reported by Lebanese MDs, descriptions exactly like wounds etc. reported in Baghdad at the airport in 2003 and since. - Toxic chemicals Lebanese MDs working with the dead and wounded reported horrific new types of wounds and causes of death. In every war new weapons are tested and old weapons are dumped. I will continue to do interviews regarding the illegal use of depleted uranium weaponry, a radioactive poison gas weapon, which has now polluted the entire global atmosphere and has been measured in the British atmosphere within 7-9 days of its use on the battlefields of Iraq, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan: 'THE QUEEN'S DEATH STAR' By Leuren Moret http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/2006/DU-Europe-Moret 26feb06.htm 'Depleted Uranium is WMD' By Leuren Moret http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0809-33.htm Yes it travels… very rapidly at relatively low altitude in the troposphere, and is carried by westerlies, trade winds, convection cells, and air currents, not to mention the sand and dust storms which are characteristic of arid regions. It is traveling west across the Atlantic on the westerlies at about 10,000 feet, north into Europe, and east where it is blowing off the Himalayas and contaminating northern India. We are now in a global diabetes epidemic since 1991 as a result of global contamination from depleted uranium. India now has 39 million diabetics and expects 50 million by 2010 (in Third World countries 80% is undiagnosed). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control reported in 1980 that there were 5.7 million diagnosed cases of diabetes. That number increased by 1 million in a decade, in 1990, to 6.7 million. Between 1990 and 2002 the number increased to 13.5 million, with the largest increase of 2 million in a single year between 1996 and 1997. That was the year Clinton did heavy grid and carpet bombing… now we know it was with massive amounts of depleted uranium dirty bombs. This huge increase in diabetes is consistent with Japanese public health increases in diabetes and cancer mortality as well as other radiation related illnesses, also increases in India, and the UK. This planet is enveloped in depleted uranium radioactive poison dust, and with all the other problems, it is causing the greatest mass extinction in 65 million years since the dinosaurs went extinct. 50% of the world’s species will be extinct within 100 years. Infertility in humans is an increasing problem now, with only 15% of sperm in men globally which is normal. It used to be 80% was normal. Britain and the U.S. … and now Israel… have turned this planet into the Auschwitz radioactive poison gas chamber and we are all sitting in it, increasing our body burden of radiation with every breath we take. There is no escape… I received an email "Thank god Bush finally nuked Israel… all we have to do is sit and wait now." As bad as this sounds, the reality is that it is not a joke. Israel has been contaminated from French atmospheric testing in the Sahara, Dimona (their own nuke program), depleted uranium used in Iraq/Yugoslavia/Afghanistan and now… Lebanon. This will contaminate the entire Mediterranean, Europe, and beyond… wherever the winds take it, to be rained and snowed out in our back yards. -------- israel Report: Israel Buys Two Nuclear Submarines Thursday, August 24th, 2006 Headlines Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/1424249 In news from Israel, The Jerusalem Post is reporting that Israel has agreed to buy two submarines capable of carrying nuclear weapons. Israel signed a contract with a German company in July. ---- Israel may 'go it alone' against Iran By HERB KEINON August 24, 2006 Jerusalem Post http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/jpost00.html Israel is carefully watching the world's reaction to Iran's continued refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, with some high-level officials arguing it is now clear that when it comes to stopping Iran, Israel "may have to go it alone," The Jerusalem Post has learned. One senior source said on Tuesday that Iran "flipped the world the bird" by not responding positively to the Western incentive plan to stop uranium enrichment. He expressed frustration that the Russians and Chinese were already saying that Iran's offer of a "new formula" and willingness to enter "serious negotiations" was an opening to keep on talking. "The Iranians know the world will do nothing," he said. "This is similar to the world's attempts to appease Hitler in the 1930s - they are trying to feed the beast." He said there was a need to understand that "when push comes to shove," Israel would have to be prepared to "slow down" the Iranian nuclear threat by itself. Having said this, he did not rule out the possibility of US military action, but said that if this were to take place, it would probably not occur until the spring or summer of 2008, a few months before President George W. Bush leaves the international stage. The US presidential elections, which Bush cannot contest because of term limits, are in November 2008. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, in a meeting in Paris with French Foreign Minister Phillippe Douste-Blazy Wednesday, said Iran "poses a global threat" and needed to be dealt with by the whole international community. "The first thing they need to do is stop the enrichment of uranium," Livni said. "Everyday that passes brings the Iranians closer to building a nuclear bomb. The world can't afford a nuclear Iran." She said the Iranian reply to the Western incentives was just an attempt to "gain time." Government officials said Israel's role at this time is to warn the world of the dangers of an Iranian nuclear potential. Some government officials are sending the message to their counterparts abroad that the firm implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon will send a strong message to Iran - which is testing the world's resolve - that it is serious about implementing Security Council resolutions. Meanwhile, the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) reported Wednesday that the Iranian news service Al-Borz, which it said is known to have access to sources in the Iranian government, predicted that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would announce what the news service called Iran's "nuclear birth" on the first anniversary of his government later this month. In addition, an article Tuesday on the Teheran Times Web site, considered to be affiliated with the Foreign Ministry, implied that Iran's nuclear technology had already reached the point of no return. "If the West is seeking to impede Iran's nuclear industry, it should realize that Iran has passed this stage," the report read. Diplomats from Europe, the US, Russia and China were poring over details of Iran's counterproposal to the Western nuclear incentives package Wednesday. Initial comments from Russia and China made clear Washington is likely to face difficulty getting at least those nations to agree to any tough sanctions against Iran. In Paris, however, Douste-Blazy made clear that his government was sticking by the UN demand for Iran to halt enrichment by the end of this month as a precondition to further talks. Israeli officials said France has consistently advocated a firm position with Iran regarding the nuclear issue. "I want to point out again that France is available to negotiate, and to recall that, as we have always said... a return to the negotiating table is linked to the suspension of uranium enrichment," Douste-Blazy said. However, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it would continue to seek a political, negotiated solution to the dispute with Iran. China appealed for dialogue, urging "constructive measures" by Iran but also urging other parties to "remain calm and patient, show flexibility, stick to the orientation of peaceful resolution and create favorable conditions for resuming talks as soon as possible." In London, a British Foreign Office spokesman predicted "some hard discussions" when the Security Council takes up the Iran issue in the coming weeks. Iran said Tuesday it was ready for "serious negotiations" on its nuclear program and cast the counterproposal as a new formula to resolve the crisis with the West. But a semiofficial news agency said the government was unwilling to abandon uranium enrichment. The world powers, the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany, have given Iran until August 31 to accept the incentives package. AP contributed to this report. -------- japan Report: U.S. offers to sell Japan missiles CARL FREIRE Associated Press Thu, Aug. 24, 2006 http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/15348445.htm TOKYO - The United States has offered to sell Tokyo up to 80 advanced Patriot interceptor missiles to boost its defenses following North Korea's missile tests last month, news reports said Thursday. The PAC-3 Patriot missiles are to be delivered to a Japanese military base in March 2007, speeding up the planned development of missiles in the country by at least a year, Kyodo News agency and public broadcaster NHK said. The reports come a day after the top U.S. commander in the Pacific said Japan and the U.S. planned to work closely to develop a joint missile shield to defend against the threat posed by communist North Korea. Kyodo, which attributed the report to unidentified sources familiar with U.S.-Japan relations, said Washington offered Tokyo the Patriot missiles in response to a letter from Japan's defense chief, Fukushiro Nukaga, to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in late July. Japan's Defense Agency initially planned to develop an unspecified number of missiles in 2008 and 2009 for deployment at Japanese and U.S. bases in the country. The agency had planned to request a record-high $1.88 billion from the 2007 budget to help cover the cost of the development, Kyodo said. It was unclear how many missiles were planned for domestic production. But in the latest deal, the agency will request nearly $100 million extra from the 2007 budget to buy missiles made in the U.S., Kyodo and NHK reported. The agency will also request a supplementary budget for the current year to speed up the deployment, Kyodo said. Sgt. Terence Peck, a spokesman for U.S. Forces Japan, could not immediately confirm the reports. A spokeswoman for Japan's Defense Agency declined to comment. On Wednesday, Adm. William Fallon of the Hawaii-based U.S. Pacific Command told Japan's foreign minister in Tokyo that the allies should continue to bolster defense cooperation, according to ministry official Hiroyuki Mase. Fallon's comments came in response to a request from Foreign Minister Taro Aso for stronger cooperation between the two countries after North Korea tested seven missiles last month, Mase said. Kyodo and NHK did not say if the offer of Patriot missiles was discussed during Fallon's Tokyo visit. The allies agreed earlier this year to deploy jointly produced advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on American bases in Japan for the first time. The U.S. has about 50,000 troops in bases across Japan under a bilateral security pact. After the latest North Korean missile tests, Japan slapped sanctions on the communist country and pushed for a punitive U.N. Security Council resolution. Tokyo also sent its top nuclear envoy to South Korea to discuss restarting six-nation talks on the North's nuclear program. ---- Japan police plan arrests over nuclear parts: report Thu Aug 24, 2006 (Reuters) http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060825/ts_nm/crime_japan_nuclear_dc_1 TOKYO - Tokyo police were planning on Friday to arrest several executives from a Japanese company suspected of exporting equipment that could be used in producing nuclear weapons, Kyodo news agency said. Mitutoyo Corp., which produces precision measuring equipment, is suspected of exporting to Malaysia without a license two devices that could be used in uranium enrichment, the report said. Television showed police entering Mitutoyo premises in Kawasaki, near Tokyo. A police spokesman said he had no information on the arrests, and no one answered the phone at the company's head office. Police have been investigating possible export routes from Japan after a device made by the firm was found at nuclear facilities in Libya inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency between December 2003 and March 2004, media reports said earlier this year. Mitutoyo is also suspected of exporting equipment to Iran, and police have raided an Iranian trading company in Tokyo in connection with the case, Kyodo said. Mitutoyo, founded in 1934, has some 2,300 employees in Japan and 2,000 overseas. -------- u.s. nuc facilities -------- hawaii Nuclear power makes sense for Hawai'i By Tom Macdonald Thursday, August 24, 2006 Honolulu Advertiser http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608240323 The U.S. government is "putting its money where its mouth is" on the urgent need to end our addiction to oil. The Department of Energy has just announced it will provide $2 billion in federal risk insurance as one part of a package of incentives for companies willing to build the first new nuclear power plants in the United States since the 1970s. The Energy Department is committed to supporting the construction of at least six new nuclear plants, and some 20 companies have already lined up to take advantage of these new incentives, according to the Washington Post. But here in Hawai'i, where the need for an oil substitute is greater than in any other state, there is silence on the issue of nuclear power. For months, we have been seeing publicity splashes for the governor's energy independence plan, for thermal solar, for photovoltaic solar, for wind farms, for ocean thermal energy, for ethanol farms — indeed, for every conceivable form of oil substitute. What has been left out is nuclear power. It is time-tested, produces no greenhouse gases, is independent of the vagaries of the wind or sunshine, and already safely and economically produces 20 percent of electrical power in the United States. Although Hawaiian Electric is stretched past its limits in meeting the ever-increasing demands of a growing population for electrical power, its public relations executive will not even return phone calls inquiring about any plans it may have to add nuclear power to its capacity. Ditto for the UH Public Policy Center and the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism's Energy Resources and Technology Division. A political reason for the lack of willingness to discuss the matter of nuclear energy may be that in 1978 Hawai'i voters, in a move they may regret, approved an amendment to the state Constitution that prohibits any nuclear reactor other than a military reactor in Hawai'i without a prior two-thirds vote of both houses of the state Legislature. Such a vote from our current legislators is about as likely as a snowstorm on Waikiki. A more practical reason for HECO's apparent reluctance to consider nuclear power is that present federal regulations do not permit commercial reactors smaller than 600 megawatts. In order to have backup power in the event of a plant breakdown, HECO would need to have huge amounts of expensive idle capacity to avoid an islandwide blackout. Unlike Mainland power companies, HECO could not call upon emergency power from a neighboring state for backup. And, of course, there will always be the "not in my backyard" factor, which has already stymied some of HECO's wind farm efforts. The good news is that the Hawai'i constitutional prohibition could easily be removed if enough citizens make it clear the energy crisis requires such a change. Also, the minimum size of future nuclear plants will be much smaller than the current 600-megawatt requirement as the new and ultrasafe "Pebble Bed Reactor Technology" being tested now in South Africa comes online. And the NIMBYs will have a hard time criticizing the ideal location we have for such a plant: the 3,700-acre wasteland that was Barbers Point Naval Air Station. The largest nuclear plants require only 100 acres — less than 3 percent of the Barbers Point area. Barbers Point has several key advantages. It is close enough to Honolulu population centers for economical power transmission and it is in an area already filled with heavy industry. A 100-acre site would still leave the bulk of the land available for possible renewed military use. Its location on the ocean provides a ready source of cooling water, and in the unlikely event of a nuclear accident, it is downwind from all Hawai'i population centers. Planning, licensing and building a nuclear plant is a decade-long process. If Hawai'i is ever going to have the benefits of nuclear power, our state and local government and HECO planners need to be working on it now. If planning starts next week, we won't have the benefit of our first nuclear power until about 2016. Imagine what the price of oil will be by then — if it is available, that is. Tom Macdonald is a Kane'ohe resident. He wrote this commentary for The Advertiser. -------- new york Indian Point 2 shuts down August 24, 2006 Hudson Valley News http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/IP2_shutdown-24Aug06.htm Buchanan – The Indian Point 2 nuclear power plant stopped producing electricity Wednesday morning at 10:36 a.m. when operators manually shut down the plant after detecting a problem with a heat drain tank monitoring system. The system monitors water levels in a series of tanks, which capture drain water from heaters used to heat water, which is not radioactive, that is eventually returned to the steam generators. When water levels in the tank are too low, the pumps used for removing water from the tanks can run dry and potentially break. “Operators took prudent measures to shut down the reactor, in order to determine the cause of the monitor malfunction,” Entergy said. The plant will return to service once the cause is identified and a repair is made. There was no release of radioactivity to the environment. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was notified. Indian Point 3, which is unaffected by the shutdown, is operating at full power. Each plant produces about 1,000 megawatts of electricity, approximately the amount used by two million homes. -------- MILITARY -------- africa Nigeria to free 10,000 prisoners Obasanjo, a former political prisoner, criticised jail conditions Thursday 24 August 2006, Reuters http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CF57C96E-0A0F-4B82-8A93-ED55E1149ECD.htm Nigeria is releasing 10,000 people who have spent up to 10 years in jail awaiting trial, the justice minister has said. More than 25,000 Nigerian inmates, or 65% of the prison population, have never been convicted of a crime but remain jailed because of delays in the justice system, missing police files, absent witnesses and prison mismanagement. Bayo Ojo, the justice minister and attorney-general, said on Thursday: "We have embarked on a massive decongestion of prisons and 10,000 prisoners have been cleared for release. Some are already out, some are in the process of being freed." He said those being freed included thousands who were accused of minor crimes and had spent longer in jail awaiting trial than they would have served if convicted. The average waiting time for a trial is five to 10 years. Ojo spoke on the sidelines of an event to launch a $64 million fundraising campaign for prison reform that would be carried out by the government and Nigerian non-governmental organisations with help from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime. The funds would be used to renovate six pilot jails, train prison staff, improve data management and introduce rehabilitation programmes for prisoners, among other measures. Rehabilitation lacking Speakers at the event, including Olusegun Obasanjo, the president and a former political prisoner, described Nigerian jails as violent, overcrowded, filthy, rife with diseases and unable to provide decent food to inmates. They said that, in most cases, prisoners were being hardened by their experiences behind bars because of the harsh conditions and a dearth of rehabilitation opportunities. Ojo said he expected the 10,000 to be free by the end of this year, after which the cases of the remaining 15,000 prisoners awaiting trial would be considered. "These cases are more complex because most of those 15,000 are armed robbery suspects so you can't let them out on to the streets just like that," he said. The strategy would be to bring the suspects to trial as quickly as possible. However, thousands of them cannot be tried because their police files have been lost. Halfway houses Ojo said those suspects would be released to "halfway houses" where they would spend two years in rehabilitation and professional training before gaining their freedom. Six halfway houses are due to be created, one in each of Nigeria's geo-political zones. A government-commissioned survey published last September found that in four out of 10 cases, prisoners awaiting trial were ordered to be jailed indefinitely by magistrates under a "holding charge". Yet such a charge does not exist in any of Nigeria's legal codes. Ojo said a bill going through parliament would address this problem by banning indefinite detention without trial. He also said the government was working on a police reform programme that would help improve Nigeria's poorly trained, badly paid police who are more often found extorting money from drivers at illegal roadblocks than investigating crimes. -------- iran PostGlobal: Life in Iran and Nuclear Deals Ali Ettefagh Iranian Lawyer Thursday, August 24, 2006; 12:00 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/08/23/DI2006082301195_pf.html Iranian author and PostGlobal panelist Ali Ettefagh was online Thursday, August 24, at noon ET to discuss daily life in Iran, the country's expanding influence in the Mideast, and solutions to the nuclear energy standoff. Dr. Ali Ettefagh serves as a director of Highmore Global Corporation, an investment company in emerging markets of Eastern Europe, CIS, and the Middle East. He is the co-author of several books on trade conflict, resolution of international trade disputes, conflicts in letters of credit, trade-related banking transactions, sovereign debt, arbitration and dispute resolutions and publications specific to the oil and gas, communication, aviation and finance sectors. He speaks Persian (Farsi), English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Turkish. ____________________ Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your participation. I think the main focus of the current rounds about Iranian nuclear operations must be framed within the legal structure of the NPT as this is a test of the value and effect of international treaties and whether treaties can be interpreted by political pressure. This can be a fundamental issue in world affairs and whether agreements can be bulldozed by unlearned opinions. In case of Iran, there has been specific pressure on Iran to prove a negative. That will be a very dangerous precedent. _______________________ Lisbon, Portugal: Is there really anything the international community can do to make Iran give up its nuclear program short of war? Why bother with negotiations? Ali Ettefagh: The issue under discussion is exactly why should Iran give up its civilian nuclear program to which it is entitled under NPT, especially Article 4 of it. In other words, Iran joined an international legal system to benefit from a system and a body of law to let it have civilian nuclear programs. The UN agency in charge of the Treaty, the IAEA in Vienna, is the body that must conduct and regulate the affairs of treaty members and it has made more than 2200 hours of inspections of Iranian facilities. No other country has been inspected in this manner. And the report is that Iran has complied with its treaty obligations. You ask why bother with negotiations? I think this has to be put to the countries that pressure Iran. Iran is in full compliance with its treaty obligations. Should Iran be pressured to renounce its rights under the NPT? I say no, as tomorrow, other countries may be forced to do the same. _______________________ New Hampshire: Hello Mr. Ettefagh and thank you for taking my question. I remain perplexed at the situation regarding the development of nuclear technology in Iran. Why is it ok for Israel, Pakistan and India to possess nuclear weapons and not okay for other nations? I certainly can understand the impetus for wanting such technology as the US has launched wars on Iran's borders-- Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel's aggression to the Palestinians and the Lebanese is fully evident now. As long as none of these nations are committed to doing away with their nuclear weapons or technology, I simply do not see the fairness of such a "policy". I, for one, would like to see a nuclear weapons free world, but I don't see that happening until all nations come together honestly and openly. Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your comments. I am as much perplexed as you are about this massive hype and the double standards that are being applied. I am even more concerned why Iran is put in a position that it has to prove a negative: i.e. that it does not have nuclear weapons. It is absurd! The Nuke 5 have a treaty obligation to stop proliferation of weapons-related equipment, alas non-members of the NPT (like India and Israel) have long accessed western equipment and systems for their weapons programs. I would also like to get rid of double standards. _______________________ Jerusalem, Israel : Do you believe Mohammed Ahmadinejad upon attaining nuclear weapons will immediately use them to attempt to realize what seems to be his most obsessive desire, the destruction of Israel? Ali Ettefagh: No. _______________________ Richmond, Va.: Dear Mr. Ettefagh: Isn't it true that the "third force" of millions of young Iranians actually possesses quite a favorable opinion of the US? Why do they not exert pressure on their government to respond positively to US efforts at a diplomatic resolution on the Iranian nuclear program? Do most of them honestly believe that their government harbors no desire to obtain nuclear weapons or at least the latent capacity to do so? Thank you for your time. Ali Ettefagh: Most Iranians have a favorable opinion of Americans and America. However, that does not extend to the policies of the American government towards Iran. Iranians have suffered a lot from sanctions against them, support for Saddam and his killing and maiming more than 1 million Iranians, chemical weapons, and the dual standards. Concurrently, most Iranians are proud that Iran is mastering nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Iranians are keen students of history and they have a long-term vision, both to the past and the future and all remember that Iran has always been a major regional power but Persians have never attacked another country. _______________________ Oslo, Norway: I think that Iranian stubbornness on the matter of enrichment is much more a question of the national pride today. It's more about being a member of the atomic club and being respected as a modern society with access to technology rather than possessing the bomb. What are your ideas about that? At the same time, I have feeling that it can simply be a very well done cover-up number by the government to play the nationalist card. Lately I have seen a lot of national flag waving instead of the standard green flags and "Down with USA" banners. What do you think? Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. The issue of access to technology is a matter of pride for any nation. There is nothing wrong with any nation to seek a more modern life for its people. The issue is also a matter of principles within international legal system that we all respect: If a country like Iran is a member of NPT, and when Iran has complied with its treaty obligations, why should it be stopped from its treaty rights? The treaty is essentially a set of rules that govern nuclear technology and there are no bans for a country to obtain peaceful nuclear technology for, say, electricity. Moreover, Iran has vast uranium ore deposits and this natural resource, like oil and gas, could be commercialized for export to the rest of the world. Look at India, for example. It is a very promising market for future exports of uranium. As for your suggestion of a "cover-up", the world is too small. The Iranian government is not a cheater and very intrusive inspections by the IAEA have concluded that there are no military programs in Iran. _______________________ San Pedro, Calif.: Iran is a major crude oil producing country in the world. How many barrels of crude oil does Iran export per day and how many barrel of gasoline does Iran imports per day? Please explain why the disparity. Ali Ettefagh: Thank you. Iran has an OPEC quota to export about 2.6 million barrels a day. The issue of gasoline imports is essentially due to rapid growth in demand for cars in Iran, as Iran is now producing about 1 million cars a year, and as investment in refineries has a long cycle. But that is a simple issue and its is fixed by short-term trades of crude oil vs. refined products until the refineries are upgraded. Iran is also going towards CNG technology which is more environmentally friendly and can tap Iranian gas reserves. _______________________ San Francisco, Calif.: Some of the ethnic groups in Iran have strong desire for separation and they have an organized movement for this goal, how serious this threat is? If this is a serious matter, would autonomy and federalism be viable option? Ali Ettefagh: My view and observation from Iran is that this "strong desire" is a fabrication of certain foreign lobbies abroad. I venture to say that this risk is not serious for Iran as Iraq and Yugoslavia have served as examples that not every theory and dream can become reality. India is also a land of many ethnic groups but there are no serious and strong movements that can be defined as a threat. Thank you for your question. _______________________ Baltimore, Md.: How do you see the future for non-Muslim ethnic groups living in Iran, like the Armenians? How do you view the current restrictions they live under now, especially Armenian women? Ali Ettefagh: Armenian Iranians are very much part of the fabric of Iranian society and are honored and respected by other Iranians. There are no restrictions against Armenians in participating in daily life on par with other Iranians. There are many churches in main Iranian cities and practice of minority religions in Iran is openly accepted and considered normal. Compared with all other countries in the region, Armenians, Jews and Zoroastrians have complete legal and practical rights to worship, employment and other civil rights. Many streets in Tehran are named after Iranian Armenian soldiers that fought the war against Saddam to honor them. The Iranian civil code actually reserves the right of applying special religious rights and decrees of non-Muslims in matters of inheritance, marriage and divorce. It is fair to say that this cannot be found in other countries in the region. _______________________ Sun Prairie, Wis.: Mr. Ettefagh: Good afternoon as it must be to you, and welcome. As we have often been reminded in the last few years, natural disasters are apt to put even more lives at risk than wars are, and Iran is one of several countries most at risk. I wonder if you could tell us something about the progress of reconstruction after the Bam earthquake, and the state of Iranian preparedness for future earthquakes. Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your observation. Iran has been subject to several earth quakes and the reconstruction project for Bam is going along on its second phase. For several years, Iranian building codes now require strengthen building structures in all cities and the Iranian civil defense system has an elaborate national system to assist at least 1 million families. Aside from earth quakes, Iran is also subject to floods in the north and the southwest. But again, no nation can be fully prepared for such disasters. _______________________ Saint Brieuc, France: Hello, and thanks for taking my question. Is there any discussion in Iran about WHY such a gas-rich country needs a nuclear energy program now? Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. The Bushehr project as well as other uranium conversion facilities are not new and they date back to about 35 years ago. Iran has vast deposits of uranium ore and has been an exporter of uranium ore. This is essentially another way to exploit its natural resources, just like gas, and extend the value-added chain of processing for commercial purposes. Think of crude oil vs. refined products and plastics and you can have a better idea. Secondly, Iran was and is a minority shareholder in Eurodiff, a French uranium processing company that is the fuel processor for French reactors. Thirdly, power generation is only one of the several processes and other peaceful purposes (such as isotopes for medical imaging) are other products. And finally, production of electricity by way of nuclear technology is an efficient way to produce electricity in a country where annual demand for electricity grows by about 8% a year. So, Iran has decided to finish the project as substantial money has been invested in the project and, having a long-term view, the plans are to be a major exporter of fuel for foreign power plants. The market potential for exports of fuel is significant. Just think about India and the fact that 50% of Indians do not have electricity. _______________________ Wheaton, Md.: If Iran continues with its nuclear weapons program and the UN does nothing, is it likely that the Israelis will take matters into their own hands as they bravely did in Iraq in 1981? Ali Ettefagh: Your question presumes that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. It does not, and the IAEA has inspected all Iranian facilities that are for solely civilian purposes. In fact, President Ahmadinejad proposed in September of 2005 that Iran is ready to put all Iranian nuclear facilities into partnerships with foreign companies and governments to assure continued transparency. It is very unfortunate that weapons and power plants are all rolled up into one simplified blurb of reference. _______________________ Hamburg, Germany: Since Iran is clearly funding and supporting Hezbollah, shouldn't the Israelis be bombing Tehran, in addition to Beirut? Ali Ettefagh: It all depends on one's perspective, I suppose. If bombing solves any thing, the world would have not chosen peace, justice and equity as the basis of its civility. In my personal opinion, Israeli bombing of Lebanese civilians was a a preplanned project that was looking for an excuse. _______________________ Baton Rouge, LA: Let's say Iran does create a nuclear weapon, Will Iran be more or less inclined to actually use their nuclear arsenal than other current or past members of the nuclear club like say India, Pakistan, Israel or even the now extinct Soviet Union who had plenty of leaders similar to Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Ali Ettefagh: I deeply appreciate your comments. Atomic weapons in fact have been the best guarantors of peace for humanity. However, Iran has always announced its position that it is not developing nuclear weapons nor is Iran required to lie. It always has the legal right to withdraw from NPT. Thus, I agree with you that the risk of use of atomic weapons by others is also significant. _______________________ New York: 1- Do you have real $ number Islamic republic pays to Hezbollah? 2- What are the effects of Mullahs dictatorship on Iranian Economy? Ali Ettefagh: As for your first question, and based on publicly available figures, most aid from Iran to Lebanon is about $100m a year and it is not from the government, but from charities and religious foundations. That sums to about $80 per pro-Hezbollah Lebanese and it is spent on healthcare, schools and alike. As for your second question, I can only say that the clergy and the Iranian economy are two different subjects entirely. To compare, what is the role of the Catholic church in the Italian or Irish economy? Thank you for your interest. _______________________ Gothenburg, Sweden: Which countries in Europe does the Iranian regime consider as friends and which are "enemies"? Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. Iran has diplomatic relations with all European countries as well as extensive business relations, including investments of Iranian companies from both the public and private sector. In fact, Iran does not categorize any country as a friend or enemy, except that Iran does not recognize Israel. The other one is that the United States (and not Iran) cut diplomatic relations with Iran in 1980. Otherwise, Iran has cordial relations with all other countries. _______________________ Melbourne, Australia: How do people feel about living with so many oppressive laws and arbitrary systems of government? From a Western viewpoint, how do the Iranian people tolerate and live with this hanging over their heads? Ali Ettefagh: Your question is very interesting as you mention the "Western" point of view which is subject to incorrect information. Less than 10% of all Iranians have passport (on par with Americans) and only half of this 10% live abroad and the rest simply travel. Iran is not a Soviet gulag. There are more than 120 newspapers published and more than 1500 weekly, monthly and periodicals. There is a lot of debate that never existed before the Revolution. The legal system is not "arbitrary" as you stated although it is fair to say that the early days of the Revolution was not without mistakes. But that is 27 years ago. Unlike any other country in the region, Iranian constitution recognizes religious minorities and has allocated 4 parliament members for the Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Jews and Zoroastrians. There are many other examples that will simply annul your question. _______________________ Tulsa, Okla: Iran has some large ethnic/religious minorities: Kurds, Azeris, Armenians, Arabs, Baha'i's, etc. Are these groups repressed by the government as potential enemies of the state ? How well do they fare in to the overall civil society dominated by a Persian theocracy ? Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. Iran is indeed a land with many ethnic groups, however, none are "repressed" as you indicate. The Baha'i group have been declared by religious decrees and are subject to restrictions based on religious doctrine, and not based on law. In fact, Iranian Azeris, Kurds, Armenians are equal members of Iranian society and all enrich Iranian culture without restrictions. None are "enemies of the state" and no body is "dominated" as you indicate. There are Azeri and Kurdish language radio and TV broadcasts and local newspapers in each region. Armenians are strongly represented in Iranian parliament with two parliament members that are reserved for this minority group within the constitution. There are several churches in all major cities and Armenians are simply Iranians. I am afraid your idea of Persian theocracy is wrong as many of Iranian clergy are Azeris, Kurds or from other areas of Iran. _______________________ San Francisco, Ca.: US policy in Middle East has accelerated Iran's influence in the area, and some believe that Hezbollah has shined in recent events. Looking back, is it true that Hezbollah was started by Imam Mousa Sadrr with the Shah's help to create a Shiite organization in Lebanon to counter the possibility of Soviet Union influence in the area? Ali Ettefagh: Imam Musa Sadr was a very respected Shiite leader in Lebanon and, even during the pre-Revolutionary era, Iran was the main regional power in both religious and political realms. Iran has always promoted peace, regional cooperation and dialogue. As for U.S. policy in the Middle East, I can only say that it has lost the credibility of a super power to act as an honest broker to settle all issues in the region. Oslo was a good structure but it has been cast aside and destroyed beyond recognition. Unfortunately! _______________________ Moscow, Russia: Is there a fashion police in Iran, or can women wear what they please? Ali Ettefagh: There is no fashion police. A look at shops in Tehran will convince you that the same articles are available. As for women's dress, there is a nationally accepted code for traditional (conservative) Islamic head cover. But that does not stop any one to be creative and wear the colors and designs of their choice. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: Dear Mr. Ettefagh, Thank you for your thoughtful comments and for joining us here. Many Americans, including Bush, emphasize the liberation of women as part of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan, for example. Is this a specious claim? Do you believe Muslim women are treated fairly in Iran? How about Saudi Arabia? Also, could you please give us a sense of life on the street in Tehran. Are people discussing this nuclear deal with pride and excitement. Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. The idea of liberating Iranian and Saudi women from Washington sets aside the requirement of respecting local culture. Just because women observe the local traditions of dress, does not lead to automatic repression which requires carpet bombing. As seen in Afghanistan, some women continue to follow their local customs. As for role of women in Iranian society, it is not comparable with Saudi Arabia. Iranian women have the legal right to a national identity card, driving licenses, and the right to vote, work and inheritance. Women can be seen as police women (even commandoes), teachers, doctors, family judges, lawyers (like Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize), reporters, taxi bus and truck drivers, flight attendants and alike. As for sense of life on the street, Iranians are very pleased with technical progress of their country. And just like Americans, they all love their children and do not want nuclear wars and nuclear weapons. I invite you for a visit to see for yourself. _______________________ Great Falls, Va.: Dear Mr. Ettefagh: Given Iran's ancient history as an aggressor nation (Persia), given its modern history in the 1970's takeover of the American embassy contrary to International law, and given its support of warring parties most recently in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, why should any Westerner believe its claims that it is engaged in the peaceful development of nuclear technology? I for one am inclined to believe our administration on this one. Ali Ettefagh: Persians as aggressors? This one must be a new con job hyped by neocons that I have not read! In my opinion, the takeover of the American Embassy at the beginning of the Revolution was not proper. The mastermind of that operation in fact apologized to a hostage at a meeting at UNESCO in Paris in summer of 1997. Unfortunately, that event (that took more than 6 months of planning) was on the same day as the Monica Lewinsky Affair broke in the news and the significance of it was snuffed out by the other story. As for support of "warring parties", I am afraid your description is not accurate. Palestinians and Lebanese Hezbollah are fighting for their own country and their own rights against unfair occupation of their land, illegal arrests of their people and resolution towards an equitable deal. I suggest your administration should trust the IAEA reports and not second guess it. Those reports have been prepared with careful technical analysis and with real-time cameras monitoring all facilities. Accusations against Iran and forcing it to prove a negative is absurd! _______________________ London UK: In an item in The Times of London:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2326132,00.html we see a suggestion that a more peaceful and effective way to proceed is for the US and the West to admit defeat and engage in a constructive dialogue and stop empty threats against Iran. Would you agree that this is a more effective way of promoting peace in the world? Ali Ettefagh: I think that dialogue and discussion on an even turf is the best and the only way to resolve differences, exchange ideas and sound out each other. No threats, no pre-conditions, no canned sanctions and prepackaged answers before the questions are put to each other. Diplomacy is about making an equitable deal for both sides. The East & West ideas are very old, Cold War ideas. Those ideas suffered a permanent intellectual bankruptcy and I trust this war mongering mentality must go with it. Religion must not be used as the new form of Apartheid. _______________________ Prof. S. Massarrat, Marburg, Germany: You know from the many papers published by scientific journals like Nature and Science that Iran has progressed much in science in the last two decades. Do you believe that Iranian scientists especially in USA are willing to come back to Iran and work in their country of origin despite the today life restriction and low salary in the research centers? Ali Ettefagh: This is a very interesting question. The road to and from Iran is a two way street for scientists and engineers as well as other professionals. However, the working atmospheres are completely different due to budgets, planning cycles and, frankly, the stark difference of progress. The Iranian government has an overall policy of encouraging Iranians to return to Iran. However there are many practical issues such as families and language and schools for second generation people. I think the ideal solution would be to let go of the hostile environment cause by politics and let there be cooperation, exchange and other fields. Iranian stem cell research programs, for example, are very advanced and every one in the world can benefit from such cooperation. _______________________ Austin, Tex.: Thank you for your insight, to a complex problem. What solution do you see for Iran? Pakistan, Israel, N. Korea, India, each have nuclear weapons. Should Iran gain nuclear weapons the risk of invasion from hostile countries, (Iraq, Israel, and other enemies) decreases. Should Iran get nuclear weapons the world is at risk of Iran exporting those weapons to its client militia, Hezbollah or other enemies of Israel and Western Christian countries. How are should those countries deal with this legitimate risk? Ali Ettefagh: Iran has clearly and repeatedly announced that it has no weapons-related nuclear programs. The only solution that I can see is to have dialogue and elevated levels of good will with a clear and objective mind. Trading barbs and cheap one-liners is not the way to make the world a better place. An even turn and genuine two-way dialogue is the only way to resolve any unclear issue. Be it in Iran or elsewhere. I also believe that religious covers are a dangerous shortcut to prejudice. _______________________ New York, N.Y.: You say we should trust Iran, but it has been developing a nuclear program in secret for the past 18 years and a recent report before the Security Committee reveals that the US knows far less about Iran's nuclear capabilities than it would like - lacking both information that it has them, and that it does not. Agreed, Bush was wrong on WMD last time, but Iran is a far more sophisticated country. Intelligence is key. Trust, I don't think, is warranted. In short, why 18 years of secrecy? Ali Ettefagh: Given the IAEA inspections and given Iran's offer of full transparency and opening all of its nuclear operations to an international partnership ought to neutralize all mistakes and shortcomings of the past. If we are working to go forward, then we should set aside yesterday's newspaper! _______________________ Los Angeles, Ca.: Dr Ettefagh, You said that religious minorities have equal rights in Iran. How do you explain some restrictions against Jewish people. For instance, Jews are forbidden to be teachers in Iran outside of Jewish schools? Ali Ettefagh: There is no such law in Iran. The Iranian Jewish population is a very small group as a percentage of the population and especially as more than 1.3 million people enter the job market every year. _______________________ Washington, D.C.: "I remain perplexed at the situation regarding the development of nuclear technology in Iran. Why is it ok for Israel, Pakistan and India to possess nuclear weapons and not okay for other nations?" Mr. Ettefagh, thank you for your time. How do you respond to policy-makers who suggest that the reason it is okay for Israel, Pakistan, and India to possess nuclear weapons is that they are not signatories of the NPT? Also, I would argue (and I think the IAEA has repeatedly said) that Iran is not in full compliance with its treaty requirements. Ali Ettefagh: Thank you for your question. It is very important to differentiate between peaceful nuclear technology under NPT and weapons-related technology. The heart of current issues are about double standards. Iran has complied with its treaty obligations. To the extent of my understanding, IAEA has said that Iran has not violated its NPT obligations. There are always questions and there will always be questions to clarify. But no other country in the world has gone thru such extensive and intrusive inspection by IAEA. Moreover, Iran has actually offered to put its enrichment assets in an international partnership (with governments or private sector) to ensure transparency of its operations. What more can it do to create an atmosphere of good will? _______________________ Valley Forge, Pa.: Why did Iran refuse nuclear inspectors earlier this week? This type of action does not build trust or leave the rest of the world with the belief Iran does not want nuclear weapons. Ali Ettefagh: Frankly, I never got to the bottom of that story. What I know is that IAEA has live monitoring cameras at nuclear facilities that provide full details. There are several facilities and a scheduling difference about one visit should not make or break the trust of any one. This kind of facilities are not something that can be constructed or changed in a day or two.... _______________________ Rochester, N.Y.: Do you think that the Iranian government has equivalent, less, or more moral authority than the US government? 2 - Same questions vis-a-vis Israel and Saudi Arabia Ali Ettefagh: I think every sovereign government believes to have an equal right to being independent and leading its own people, regardless of their system. But does, for example, U.S. have a "moral" authority to tell Iranians what to do? No, especially if it is said in the same breath of one man-one vote. As for the Iranian system, I must say that Iranians have now voted for 9 presidential elections since the Revolution. That is 9 more elections that they had since the CIA brought back the Shah in a coup! _______________________ Bethesda, Md.: What do people think of the Iranian president's pro nuclear missile propaganda posters, videos and murals. I've seen images of them and are curious if they can be found online. Ali Ettefagh: People are free to express their opinions. Russians were also characterized as The Evil Empire. But I have yet to see any one with read horns and tails walking around Kremlin. _______________________ Burke, Va.: There is a statement that the President of Iran made that appears to be mistranslated and is causing huge problems. The statement is that he would like to "wipe Israel off the map". As could be expected that makes a lot of people worried. If one investigates the statement though what one finds is that it actually is a reiteration of Khomeini's Israel would be "erased from the pages of history" much as the way way the Soviet Union no longer exists but is now Russia etc. This is not a threat the way "wiping off the map" would be. Iran had nothing to do with the demise of the Soviet Union, and what he is saying is more of a prediction. Ali Ettefagh: Your point is well taken and quite accurate. Some times, idioms can not be directly translated in the context that they were said. In context, I trust the President was making a reference to the idea of Israel and Zionism, not the physical removal and destruction of the country. _______________________ Washington D.C.: Does the Iranian government have an alternative energy policy or a position on its own oil dependence. As a fairly large developing country its energy needs must be accelerating. And as the developed world looks anew at nuclear as an energy alternative, is this (explicitly) a factor in the Iranian regime's thinking? Also, seems to me that given Iran's political isolation, it is only sensible that Iran would want to pursue an autonomous nuclear program including fuel enrichment. Would more open discussion of these factors calm the hysteria in the rest of the world? Or is this doomed to be just a schoolyard game where the sides are already chosen? Ali Ettefagh: Your points are very valid and keen observations. Growth in demand for energy in Iran is on par with China and overall consumption of electricity in Iran is about 10-11% every year and more importantly, year-on-year. Just like any other country, Iran must diversify its energy resources. Due to its geography, hyrdo resources are limited. Moreover, it is more economic for Iran to convert its own vast uranium ore to use (and to market abroad) rather than import nuclear fuel that is said to be 30 times more expensive! All of these issues are raised in extensive IAEA reports. However and unfortunately, no body reads these reports that are freely available on the Internet. _______________________ Alexandria, VA: Re the earlier questions on arbitrary justice and fashion police: Are you completely oblivious to the existence and activity of the Basij - the religious police who beat and 'arrest' people who violate their idea of sharia? Ali Ettefagh: I live in Tehran. I see the reality whilst I am afraid you have access to only slices of reality. I also travel frequently to the rest of the world so I try to be very objective. _______________________ Laurel: Is science (such as nuclear research) in Iran in any way constricted by religious fundamentalism? Ali Ettefagh: Not at all. _______________________ Ali Ettefagh: I sincerely thank all participants for this frank and very useful exchange. People-to-people exchanges are always useful and I was delighted to read your views and to have the opportunity to answer your questions. I really hope that this made a very small contribution to better understanding of each other. Finally, I invite you all to visit Iran and see for yourselves that Iranians also celebrate life and peace in the same way as others in the world. Best wishes to all. _______________________ Ali Ettefagh will be online at PostGlobal to continue the discussion. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal _______________________ Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties. -------- israel / palestine Amnesty International Accuses Israel of Committing War Crimes in Lebanon Thursday, August 24th, 2006 Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/1425205 Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes for deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. In a report released yesterday, the human rights group criticized Israel for destroying homes, bridges, roads, water treatment plants and fuel tanks. [includes rush transcript] Amnesty International has accused Israel of committing war crimes for deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Lebanon. In a report released yesterday, the human rights group criticized Israel for destroying homes, bridges, roads, water treatment plants and fuel tanks. The report said such attacks were an "integral part" of Israel’s strategy in the war. The group is calling for a United Nations investigation into whether Israel and Hezbollah broke humanitarian law. The report is based on research from Amnesty missions in Lebanon and Israel, including interviews with victims, UN officials, Israeli military officers and members of the Lebanese government. In a few minutes we are going to get a response on the report from Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Daniel Carmon, but first we take a closer look at the report’s findings with Marty Rosenbluth. He is a specialist for Israel, the Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority for Amnesty International-USA. He was on one of the research missions for the group that helped compile this report. * Marty Rosenbluth, specialist for Israel, the Occupied Territories, and the Palestinian Authority for Amnesty International-USA. Related Links: * Amnesty International report "Lebanon: Destruction of civilian infrastructure" * Satellite images showing the destruction in Lebanon RUSH TRANSCRIPT AMY GOODMAN: Our guest in studio in Washington, D.C. is Marty Rosenbluth. He's with Amnesty International, a specialist for Israel, Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority with Amnesty International-USA, one of the research missions for the group that helped compile this report. He joins us in studio. Welcome to Democracy Now! MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Thank you for having me. AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you joining us in the Reuters studio. Can you talk about your major findings in this report? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, sure. What the report shows is that the Israeli claims that the damage to the civilian infrastructure was purely collateral damage just really doesn't match the facts. And you really only have to look at the statements by Israeli government officials. I mean, Dan Halutz, who’s the Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff, said at the very beginning of the war that the purpose of the air strikes was to send a message to the Lebanese government that if they didn't rein in Hezbollah, that the Lebanese population would pay a heavy price. I mean, that's prima fascia evidence that the strikes were designed as collective punishment. But also just the sheer level of the destruction, the destruction of the electrical infrastructure, the water infrastructure, the roads, the bridges, houses, businesses, etc., just doesn't match the Israeli claims that this was either collateral damage or due to the fact that Hezbollah was shielding amongst the civilian population. JUAN GONZALEZ: And what are, in terms of established rules of war or international law, the main guiding points in terms of when civilian areas can be attacked in time of war? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, the most important principle of the laws of war is what is called the principle of distinction. I mean, this was passed a long time ago into what's called customary international law, which means it's binding on all parties, whether they be, quote/unquote, “non-state actors” like Hezbollah or the Israeli military. So the Israeli claim that since these have a military potential or contribute in some way to the military effort makes them a legitimate military targets is just not how international humanitarian law works. JUAN GONZALEZ: When you say the principle of distinction -- for example, in your report you mentioned the many roads that were destroyed by Israel. Israel was claiming that these roads could potentially be used for military transport. But you raise the issue that while that may be true, they were principally used by civilians and that that should have been the overriding factor? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Correct. And that's really what the principle of distinction means: you have to distinguish between whether it's primarily a military purpose or primarily a civilian purpose to balance essentially what the military advantage is versus the effect on the civilian population. So when we met with senior IDF officials in Israel, they said, “Well, the electrical infrastructure is a military target, because Hezbollah needs electricity.” Well, of course Hezbollah needs electricity, but so do hospitals, so do civilians for refrigeration, so does the water infrastructure. The electrical pumps rely on electricity for water. So if you knock out the electricity infrastructure, you also knock out the water, which creates a major health hazard. So, simply claiming that there's some military potential or it contributes in some way to Hezbollah's military purposes doesn't mean that it can be targeted as a military target. That's a clear violation of the laws of war. AMY GOODMAN: Marty Rosenbluth, can you outline the level of destruction? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: It's still very difficult. I mean, just now, the full extent of the destruction has really begun to be estimated, but there's still, for all practical purposes, from our documentation, no electricity in the south, which, again, affects the water. Hundreds, if not thousands, of houses have been destroyed, businesses, roads, etc., etc. We now have another mission, which just got on the ground there on Sunday, to try to assess what the full extent of the damage is. And we'll also be sending another mission into northern Israel to assess the damage there. I was on the ground for a week in northern Israel looking at the effect of the war on civilians in northern Israel. And it's also clear that there was very clear violations of the laws of war on the part of Hezbollah, by targeting Israeli civilians. AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Marty Rosenbluth, specialist for Israel, the Occupied Territories, and the Palestinian Authority for Amnesty International-USA. Now, your report, Marty, includes a number of statements from Israeli military officials indicating the destruction of the civilian infrastructure was indeed a goal of Israel's military campaign, designed to press the Lebanese government and the people of Lebanon to turn against Hezbollah. MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Yeah, correct. And again, we take them at their word. I mean, when the chief of staff of the IDF says that the purpose of the air strikes is so that the Lebanese government will realize that they don't rein in Hezbollah, that Lebanon will pay a heavy price, that's a very clear statement of policy. When they say that unless the Lebanese government reins in Hezbollah, that they're going to destroy the electrical infrastructure, that's a very clear statement of policy. So the Israeli government is doing essentially, is what they're saying. If you read their documents, they say, well, it isn't a question of the individual objective, but the overall strategic advantage. It's a very, very broad interpretation of what's called, quote/unquote, “dual use,” where if something has a military purpose and a civilian purpose, it can be targeted. And we and the entire human rights community, as well as the majority of the international community, would have a much more restrictive approach, which would require them to balance each attack, each target, based on whether or not it's a military target or a civilian target. JUAN GONZALEZ: Your report also raises questions about the attacks on the communications and media infrastructure of the country. You note that not only did the Israelis target the Hezbollah television station, but they also bombed the transmitters of the Lebanese Public Broadcasting Corporation and other commercial broadcasters that had nothing to do with the conflict. Could you talk about that? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, sure. And even with the targeting of the Hezbollah TV station, Al Manar, when we were in the meeting with senior Israeli defense officials in Israel, you know, what they said was, well, you know, not only are they broadcasting propaganda, but they're broadcasting instructions to the troops. And we asked for documentation. We said, “Can you give us transcripts? Can you give us audio tape? Can you give us videotape of Al Manar being used to actually broadcast instructions to Hezbollah fighters?” And they backed down on that. And again, it's totally indiscriminate. I mean, they targeted basically the entire communications infrastructure. And again, I’m sure their claim would be, well, this has military potential, but it also has civilian use and affects civilians disproportionately to the military advantage from Hezbollah. AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about hospitals and supermarkets? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, the supermarkets was actually pretty surprising to us, pretty alarming, in terms of what our mission on the ground found, is that from talking to civilians, from interviewing eyewitnesses, very often the supermarkets were the first thing that were targeted. And they were targeted in a way that the trajectory was very high, so the contents of the supermarket was destroyed. It opens up the question whether that was targeted to force the civilian population to evacuate, to force the civilian population to flee. In addition to that, we documented I think three separate cases where hospitals were targeted. And targeting hospitals is absolutely prohibited under international humanitarian law, unless it can be proven that they were being used essentially as a cover for military operations. JUAN GONZALEZ: And when you say “targeted,” are you saying that they were deliberately hit or inadvertently hit, or did you question the Israelis about whether they actually intended to hit these hospitals? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, we didn't on the hospitals, per se, because when we were meeting with the Israeli officials in Israel, we didn't have that documentation. But the Israelis were pretty clear. The Israelis were basically claiming that they chose their targets very carefully, that they chose their targets very deliberately, and each and every target was vetted by a command chain, including an international humanitarian law trained expert. So that sets a very high bar. And, in fact, the conclusion to our report and what we're asking for is an international investigation with experts that have the mandate and the training and the support and the financial resources and the cooperation of the parties to conduct the investigation properly. And I would think that both the Israeli government and our own government would have an interest in wanting a proper investigation. I mean, if Israel can show, if Israel can demonstrate, that these were in fact legitimate military targets, that should come out in a proper investigation. Our documentation and the documentation of other human rights organizations says that a lot of the targets were hit were not military targets. But if the Israelis can prove that they were through a proper investigation, that's what the investigation will show. And the same goes for Hezbollah. AMY GOODMAN: Marty Rosenbluth, your report, Amnesty International's report on “Israel/Lebanon: Deliberate Destruction or ‘Collateral Damage’? Israeli Attacks on Civilian Infrastructure,” says that people guilty of war crimes should be held responsible anywhere in the world. What does that mean if you find Israeli officials responsible? For example, those that travel to this country. MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, and it's not just the Israeli officials. I mean, let's be clear that this is just the first of a series of reports that are going to come out. I mean, as I was saying, I was part of the mission that went into northern Israel. We would also hold Hezbollah officials accountable. But, I mean, this is the challenge of international humanitarian law, is how is it enforced? How do you hold people accountable? But, yes, I mean, if Israeli officials who are responsible for war crimes are in the United States or are in Europe, they can be arrested and held accountable. Look what happened with Pinochet, for example. This is more and more a tool that's being used to try to enforce international humanitarian law, by holding those individuals who are responsible accountable for those offenses. And that would go both for Hezbollah and for Israeli officials. AMY GOODMAN: And Israel's charge that Hezbollah used people as human shields, that they embedded themselves in the civilian population so that everyone was a target? MARTY ROSENBLUTH: Well, if it were true -- and again, we're still working on documenting that. And I’m not saying it didn't happen. Let's be really clear on that. We're still trying to investigate the extent to which Hezbollah did use civilians as human shields. And if this was true, it would, in fact, be a war crime. But that does not remove from Israel the responsibility to protect civilians. It can't be used as a blanket excuse. So if Israel says, well, there was one Hezbollah fighter in a building, that does not give them the right to level the entire neighborhood to try to target that one fighter. Again, the principle of proportionality, where you have to balance the military objective against the effect on civilians, comes into play. So, I mean, the Israelis essentially have used the argument that Hezbollah is shielding amongst a civilian population to -- in the south, to level entire villages, you know, destroying about 80%, in some cases, of the houses in the village. That's not a legitimate interpretation of the laws of war. AMY GOODMAN: Marty Rosenbluth, I want to thank you for being with us, of Amnesty International-USA, specialist for Israel, the Occupied Territories and the Palestinian Authority. Thanks for joining us. ---- Israel’s Deputy UN Ambassador Defends Israel’s Attacks on Lebanon: “We Cannot For Sure Prove That All Of The Civilians In Southern Lebanon Were Purely Innocent” Thursday, August 24th, 2006 Democracy Now! http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/08/24/1425218 Ambassador Daniel Carmon refuses to respond to Amnesty International’s report on Israel deliberately targeting Lebanese civilians. “There is hardly any distinction between Hezbollah and the civilian population,” Carmon said. “This whole region was a region in which you could not make the distinction between one and the other.” Carmon also questions the war’s death toll Lebanon and refuses to confirm whether Israel used cluster bombs. [includes rush transcript] * Ambassador Daniel Carmon, Israel’s Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations RUSH TRANSCRIPT AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to Daniel Carmon, Israel's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations. We welcome you to Democracy Now! AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Thank you very much, and thank you for having me. AMY GOODMAN: It's good to have you with us. Can you respond to the Amnesty report? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Well, I’d rather not respond specifically to what I’ve heard. Amnesty International is a very respectable organization, and I’m sure they're doing a good job, but I still feel that many things have been lacking, from what I heard. We haven't seen the report yet and will be glad to comment later on the specifics. But I think that we should not forget the background to all of what happened. And if we are talking about a war that has been inflicted upon Israel, something like six weeks ago, it didn't come out of nothing. There is a whole infrastructure that was amassing during all those years. I’m talking for at least six years, of a whole region. Lebanon, as a country, southern Lebanon especially, were completely hijacked, occupied by terror, by terrorism, by a terrorist organization coming as a subcontractor for two very unrespectable states like Iran and Syria, who have decided to divert the world's attention from their own problems by inciting Hezbollah, and Hezbollah gladly did so. Now, we're talking about a region -- my predecessor in this program talked about distinction. We are talking about a region where there was no distinction, and quoting leaders -- I would quote leaders not selectively. I would quote leader on both sides. I would quote Lebanese leaders or Lebanese officials, including the ones we meet here at the United Nations, who said and who will continue, I guess, explaining that there is hardly any distinction between Hezbollah and the civilian population. And this whole region was a region in which you could not make the distinction between one and the other. Now, during all of those years, the whole region was filtered by these terrorist organizations with the great help of those two countries in Iran and Syria. And what we saw is a state within a state. Thousands of missiles being directed against Israel. The potential was there all the time. We warned the international community. And then, one day, 12th of July, the war erupted. It was probably an irreversible process that started. And the main obligation, the main obligation of any democracy, the main obligation of any state, is to protect its citizens, and this is exactly what Israel has been doing. JUAN GONZALEZ: But, Ambassador, I understand you don't want to respond to the direct allegations of Amnesty International in its report, but on this whole issue of distinction, areas that were hit, like the television stations, like these hospitals, like the roads, that while they may have had military use by Hezbollah, clearly they were crucial for the civilian population even to be able to get out of the area. How do you respond to the issue of these kinds of targets being hit on such a systematic basis by Israel? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Well, we did make or we did try to make the distinction. And we also, in some way, in the way Israel acted -- and I must say that Israel acted prudently and cautiously towards the civilian population, the one that you can make the distinction about, before attacking. And there is, I think -- I hope there is no -- we cannot argue about the right or the obligation of Israel to act in self-defense, as it did against the threat. Before attacking, Israel did ask for hours or for days before attacking -- by the way, endangering the success of the attack -- asked the population to leave the areas in order for itself not to be in danger. In many instances, the population did leave and left the area to -- just left the terrorists -- were there and were attacked. I mean, we did make the distinction that maybe it’s pretty difficult to do. AMY GOODMAN: Ambassador Carmon, the figures of fatalities. You have Lebanese, 1,183 fatalities, over 90% of them civilian, about a third of the fatalities children. You have close to a million Lebanese people displaced: 970,000. Israeli, you have 120 people killed, 30% of them civilian. How do you justify the overwhelming number of civilians, over a thousand Lebanese who were killed? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: If those figures are true and the number of civilians is as you have described, this is something that really has to be checked. And if we already have said -- and this is something that is in line with what even my predecessor in this program has said, we cannot for sure prove that all the civilians in southern Lebanon were purely innocent civilian. But we cannot justify and we do not try to justify the killing of innocent civilians. And I must tell you, and I’m sure that you know the Israeli doctrine, in which deliberate killing of civilians is beyond the question. But we should go back to the background. We should go back to what was the situation. AMY GOODMAN: Without going to history, the response of the human rights community that Israel has long said it respects, not afterwards looking back, but throughout the conflict from July 12th, repeatedly said -- Human Rights Watch coming out with a report also saying that Israel is guilty of war crimes for indiscriminately hitting civilians. I think the figures of numbers killed are not in dispute, particularly by Israel or Lebanon, that over a thousand Lebanese were killed, a third of them children. If we just take the kids, are you questioning that they were not innocent civilians? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: I’m not questioning, especially when we are talking about children. I was questioning the high number of civilian, or if you wanted to call them innocent civilian casualties. But I’m not sure that we should be going into this discussion. One thing is certain. Israel respects international humanitarian law. Israel does not deliberately target civilians. AMY GOODMAN: But when you heard, through the time of the conflict, day after day, the number of civilians who were dying, when you heard the human rights groups that you say you respect, saying Israel was guilty of war crimes, what is your response? You knew at the time that the civilians were dying. AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Well, I’m sure that we cannot ignore the fact that there was a war going on. My predecessor has talked about assessing the damage in Israel. We're not talking about assessing damage in Israel. We had a similar situation on both sides of the border. Those two countries, Israel and Lebanon, were held for years. And I’m sorry you don't want me to go into history. I’m not going into history. I’m going into way back, weeks and not years back. Those two countries were held practically hostages by terrorism. And when war broke, war has its prices. It’s not that -- AMY GOODMAN: Ambassador, let me ask you a question. When you say held by terrorism and terrorists, in a sentence, how do you define terrorism? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: I would like maybe to make a comparison. Terrorism deliberately, deliberately targets civilians, innocent civilians, and for every Israeli civilian that is injured or killed on the Israeli side of the border, it's a great success for Hezbollah, for Iran, for Syria, for Hamas, for the Palestinian terrorist organizations, and I think if not defining terrorism, it says it all. Answering maybe in some way to your previous question, -- AMY GOODMAN: Well, let me just -- let me respond to that one -- AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: -- for every Lebanese innocent civilian injured or killed, we see it as a failure. JUAN GONZALEZ: Ambassador, I’d like -- AMY GOODMAN: So do you consider what happened over the last month a failure? Would you consider Israel's bombing of Lebanon a failure? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Not at all. What we have been trying to do, and I think with quite a great amount of success, is not to win a war. We're not talking about a basketball game. We're not talking about comparing casualties, which is something that I’m pretty -- I must say I’m pretty annoyed by the comparison of numbers from one side to the other side. What we have been doing -- and I don't think it's a matter of declaring a victory. What we have been doing is changing the reality in a way that the international community, who was warned during all of those years about the danger, the great danger of what -- the great danger to Lebanon and to Israel, not only to Israel, so that the international community, who had the provisions with all the UN Security Council not implemented resolutions. What we have been doing is preparing the infrastructure in a way that could bring the international community now, and I hope it is doing it now, to change the reality in a way that on our northern border we don't have a terrorist organization that is threatening Lebanon and Israel, the citizens, the civilians, the innocent children on both sides. This is one thing. And it has, if I may say, regional implications with anything that has to do with terrorism, the fundamental Islamic terrorism, and policy that might endanger not only northern Israel and southern Lebanon. And this is what we have been doing. JUAN GONZALEZ: Ambassador, I’d like to ask you -- earlier, in your beginning remarks, you mentioned that once the war began, it was irreversible. I’d like to ask you about that, because obviously every day that the war went on, decisions had to be made as to whether it would continue or not, and eventually Israel did decide that it could accept the agreement that was reached at the United Nations for a ceasefire. So how do you say that it was irreversible once it had begun? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: It had begun with an incident, which was local in its scope, but much larger in its implications. And what happened -- and I’m sure you and your listeners have not forgotten what happened. After the first reaction, the first almost natural reaction was a barrage of thousands of rockets. And I hope you do not forget the pictures on the Israeli side and do not talk only about what happened in Lebanon. A barrage of rockets, some of them long-range rockets, some of them endangering very central targets within Israel, a barrage of 3,500 rockets inflicted upon Israel against its population, against its sites. And this is what I meant when I said it was irreversible. The next stages, we all know what happened in the next stages of the war. AMY GOODMAN: Can you talk about Israel's use of cluster bombs, the cluster bombing of the civilian population of Lebanon? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: What I can tell you, that Israel abides by the principle of international law and international military law. I don't want to go specifically into details of something that has been written in one report, respectable as it is or not. I’d rather not go into the details. AMY GOODMAN: Well, Israel hasn't denied that it's used cluster bombs in Lebanon. And now, after the hot conflict has begun to simmer down, you still have these bomblets on the ground that are exploding. AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Well, I didn't deny it either. What I was saying, that we are abiding by the international law, the military and the international humanitarian law. And I would leave it at that. AMY GOODMAN: How would you have done this differently, given what we see today, given the damage, given the casualties? As you said, every civilian killed is a failure. You know that the figures are very high for the Lebanese civilians, whether you would dispute one number or another. What would you have done differently? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: It's somewhat an unfair question, because it's -- as we say, it's to be very smart after the deed. I would go and answer with a question: what would the international community do differently if it had known that what Israel has been saying during all those years, namely that southern Lebanon has been hijacked, occupied, terrified by terrorism with a big threat to both countries, and it had the utensils in its hand? The international community had those resolutions, could implement, could try implement, and did nothing. And I would ask the international community, what would you have done differently, knowing the outcome of this threat that was inflicted upon both countries? And again -- AMY GOODMAN: Ambassador, one last question. AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Yes, please. AMY GOODMAN: Do you think you could have accomplished this without the U.S. government's support? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Well, we value very much the support of our friends. May I say that the help of the U.S. government in everything is really very valuable, but I would like to add something that maybe is not known and maybe not so public. Discreetly, behind the scene, we have received the understanding, if not the support, of many in the international community who understood very well what Israel is doing, Israel not only implementing the first and foremost obligation of any democracy, which is -- of any state and any democracy, which is to safeguard its security and the security of its citizens. AMY GOODMAN: Support from what country? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: Excuse me? AMY GOODMAN: Support from what country? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: I can't hear you. AMY GOODMAN: Support from what country? AMBASSADOR DANIEL CARMON: I don't want to go into details, but I can assure you that in our diplomatic channels, many a country in the international community, including in our region, has expressed at least understanding, at least understanding, to what Israel was doing in its actions of self-defense, trying to bring a new reality to our northern border, to the southern border of Lebanon. And what we have to see now is how does the international community take it from there. AMY GOODMAN: We want to thank you for being with us, the Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations from Israel, Daniel Carmon. Thanks for joining us. -------- landmines Cluster bomb toll mounts as displaced return to South Lebanon (ANTARA News) August 24, 2006 http://www.antara.co.id/en/seenws/?id=18772 Tyre, Lebanon - Israeli cluster bombs dropped during a month-long blitz against Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon are taking an increasing toll on civilians trying to return home more than a week after the fighting ended, the UN and rights groups say. "Every day we hear about casualties -- it's a large number," said Dalya Farran, media officer for the UN Mine Action coordination Center in southern Lebanon. "We're in an emergency situation," she said as reported by AFP. Several children have been among the eight killed and 38 wounded by cluster bomb explosions since the ceasefire began on August 14, according to Lebanese military figures last updated Tuesday. On Wednesday three Lebanese bomb disposal experts were also killed by a cluster bomb in the village of Tebnin, some 15 kilometers (nine miles) from the Israeli border. Hundreds of Israeli artillery shells containing nearly 200 explosive rounds each were fired into southern Lebanon during the fighting, landing in villages and towns dozens of kilometers beyond the border. According to the most recent data, 185 cluster bomb strikes have been found so far by assessment teams racing against a tide of displaced people scrambling to return to their stricken villages, Farran said. New ones are being discovered each day as assessment teams push deeper into Lebanon. At each impact zone, hundreds of tiny bomblets burst from the shells, creating a huge killing field of shrapnel. But the UN estimates that a dangerously high percentage of these failed to explode, leaving their targets strewn with deadly sub-munitions. "Not all of these, a majority maybe, failed to go off," Farran said, adding that those intact bomblets are hard to find amid the rubble, and when they are spotted, "people assume that because of their small size that they are harmless". The result, according to Human Rights Watch military analyst Marc Garlasco, are "minefields in peoples' homes". Vietnam-era stock Several houses near the southern city of Naqura had "clusterbomb strike" sprayed across them in red spraypaint with arrows pointing to pock-marked walls or towards the ground where unexploded bomblets lay. "The Israelis were using Vietnam-era stock with an extraordinarily high dud rate. We've seen some ordnance that was dated March 1973," Garlasco said following a week-long tour through the south where "whole villages have been contaminated" by bombs. "Unexploded ordnance is a huge problem. It's getting worse, certainly as far as cluster bombs are concerned," he said "There are kids playing with them and getting hurt, killed." In a fact sheet issued earlier in the week, the UN urged parents to be especially vigilant for unexploded ordnance. Some 100,000 leaflets and 10,000 posters have been distributed by the Lebanese army at checkpoints and radio and television spots have aired warning the people against the dangers of live bombs in a massive public education campaign. "It's important to get the message out early," said an official with the British-based Mine Action Group, which has been tasked by the UN with clearing the most recent battlezones of cluster bombs. Nonetheless, the UN warned, "civilian casualties are mounting". Farran said ordnance teams were dealing with "immediate threats" -- those unexploded bombs found in places most commonly used by people. "It's mostly cluster bombs in houses, in gardens or fields, on roofs of hospitals or in main roads," she said, but added that their efforts have strained under a lack of manpower and material. "It's not total clearance. We don't have the time or the assets," she said. "More help should be coming." (*) -------- us US Marine call-up signals a long war Troop levels in Iraq could remain at current levels for two years, experts say. By Brad Knickerbocker | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor August 24, 2006 http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0824/p02s02-usmi.html With the "global war on terrorism" in Afghanistan and Iraq now well into its fourth year, the strain is starting to show on US troop levels. The Marine Corps announced this week that it will involuntarily activate 2,500 reservists. Briefing reporters Tuesday, Col. Guy Stratton, head of Marine Corps manpower mobilization, acknowledged that "this is going to be a long war" and that there is "clearly a need" for more marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. In essence, Col. Stratton said, there have not been enough volunteers among those in the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) - marines who served four years on active duty but are eligible for recall for the next four years. The Marine Corps call-up follows a pattern in military manpower in recent years. Some of those in uniform are on their second or third deployment to the war zones. From time to time, the Army has had to recruit more soldiers from the "lowest acceptable" category based on test scores, education levels, personal background, and other indicators of ability. Some military recruiters - always under pressure to produce - have been reprimanded for illegally inducing clearly unqualified young men and women into signing up. "Citizen soldiers" in the National Guard have played an extraordinarily large role on the ground in combat areas. To some experts, the call-up of Marine Corps reservists indicates that the war is likely to last longer and be more hard-fought than earlier official predictions. "The most significant dimension of this to me is that it says there are no longer any rosy assessments about how things are going in Iraq and Afghanistan," says retired Air Force Col. Sam Gardiner. "The call-up suggests the Pentagon envisions current troop levels in Iraq through the summer of 2008, with these guys going in the summer of 2007 for one year." Troop strength in Iraq today is back up to 138,000, notes military analyst John Pike of globalsecurity.com, a research and consulting firm specializing in security issues. "All that happy talk earlier this year about getting below 100,000 by the end of this year now seems premature." At the Pentagon and within the military services, the debate over necessary troop levels in Iraq has raged both quietly and sometimes, not so quietly, with senior officers arguing for a more robust force and Bush administration civilians wanting to reduce American forces there as soon as possible. Some observers note that calling up marines with their ever-ready image is less politically fraught than activating more National Guard troops, who tend to be older and more established in their communities. Recalled marines are entitled to five months' additional training. "I would expect our National Guard soldiers and their families are wondering more than ever how soon they may be called up again," says retired Navy Capt. Larry Seaquist, who notes that individuals from the Army and Navy reserves have been recalled to active duty and sent to Iraq as well. This latest recall of reservists may indicate problems in Marine Corps morale, according to some observers. "Marine Corps spirit is legendary," says retired Army Col. Dan Smith, now a military analyst with the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington. "But ... IRR members probably have been in Iraq or Afghanistan two, three, even four times already, and they feel they have done their duty, taken their share of the risks." Following a serious shortfall last year, the Army now predicts that it will meet its 2006 recruiting goal. But the Army, too, has had to mobilize several thousand soldiers from its ready reserves. It's also issued "stop loss" orders for several thousand troops, extending their tours in Iraq. Meanwhile, an Alaska-based Army "stryker" brigade recently was extended for four months in Iraq to address the growing violence in Baghdad.