|
Stop
Nuclear War in South Asia
Resources
for the promotion of nuclear
abolition
By
David
Krieger
President, The
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
TFF
associate
June 4, 2002
The Sunflower
Online monthly newsletter of the
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
June 2002 (No. 61)
The Sunflower is a monthly e-newsletter providing
educational information on nuclear weapons abolition and
other issues relating to global security. Back issues are
available at http://www.wagingpeace.org/sf/backissues.html
I N T H I S I
S S U E
PERSPECTIVE
NUCLEAR SOUTH ASIA
NUCLEAR MATTERS
MISSILES & MISSILE
DEFENSE
NUCLEAR WASTE
NUCLEAR INSANITY
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NAPF HAPPENINGS
ACTION
RESOURCES
************
PERSPECTIVE
************
Stopping a Nuclear War in
South Asia
By David Krieger
Two nuclear-armed countries stand on the brink of war
and the world seems paralyzed as it watches events
unfolding in what seems like slow motion. It is a war
that could easily escalate into a nuclear holocaust
taking millions or tens of millions of lives, and
virtually nothing is being done to end the standoff. The
US and the UK have advised their citizens to leave the
region and the UN is pulling out the families of UN
workers in the region, but the UN Security Council has
not yet even put the matter on its agenda let alone put
forward any constructive solution.
The US has sent its Secretary of Defense to the
region, but has lifted sanctions on the sale of military
equipment to both countries that it imposed after they
conducted nuclear tests in 1998. At the same time, the US
continues to demonstrate its own reliance on nuclear
weaponry, announcing on June 1st that it will resume
production of plutonium "pits" used to trigger nuclear
warheads.
Here is what Indian novelist Arundhati Roy has to say
about the situation:
"Terrorists have the power to trigger nuclear war.
Non-violence is treated with contempt. Displacement,
dispossession, starvation, poverty, disease, these are
all just funny comic strip items now. Meanwhile,
emissaries of the coalition against terror come and go
preaching restraint. Tony Blair arrives to preach peace
and on the side, to sell weapons to both India and
Pakistan. The last question every visiting journalist
asks me: 'Are you writing another book?'
"That question mocks me. Another book? Right now when
it looks as though all the music, the art, the
architecture, the literature, the whole of human
civilization means nothing to the monsters who run the
world. What kind of book should I write? For now, just
for now, for just a while pointlessness is my biggest
enemy. That's what nuclear bombs do, whether they're used
or not. They violate everything that is humane, they
alter the meaning of life.
"Why do we tolerate them? Why do we tolerate the men
who use nuclear weapons to blackmail the entire human
race?"
Arundhati Roy is absolutely right. It is because we
tolerate these men and their dangerous, inhumane and
genocidal policies whether they be in the US, Russia, UK,
France, China, Israel, India or Pakistan -- that nuclear
war is possible and increasingly likely.
But what should we do now, while these men remain in
control of the future of the fate of the people of India,
Pakistan and the rest of the world? Here are a few modest
suggestions:
Call for the UN Security Council to take charge of the
situation as a matter of highest priority, require Indian
and Pakistani forces to stand down their nuclear forces,
move back from their front line positions, interpose UN
Peacekeeping forces between them and require mediated
talks between the leaders of the two countries.
Call for the permanent members of the UN Security
Council (US, Russia, UK, France and China) to immediately
cancel the sale and delivery of all military equipment to
both India and Pakistan.
To deal with the continuing dangers of nuclear war, so
easy to visualize in the India-Pakistan standoff, we
should also call for all nuclear weapons states to
immediately commence good faith negotiations for the
elimination of all nuclear weapons as required by the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the International
Court of Justice.
Forty years ago, the world stood by helplessly as the
US and former Soviet Union almost stumbled into nuclear
war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. We obviously failed
to learn the lesson then that nuclear weapons are too
dangerous to be left in the hands of any military force.
Now we run the risk that acts of terrorists in the
Kashmir conflict could trigger a war in South Asia that
could quickly escalate to nuclear war. Similar conditions
exist in the Middle East.
The potential for war in South Asia must be defused
now before it erupts into large-scale conflict that could
go nuclear. But it is not enough to only defuse the
present crisis. The world must also become deadly serious
about putting away forever these dangerous instruments of
annihilation and genocide, before these instruments
become seriously and massively deadly in wars that no one
can truly desire or in the hands of terrorists.
Back to Top
*********************
NUCLEAR
SOUTH ASIA
*********************
India and Pakistan: The
Crisis Casts A Nuclear Shadow
India and Pakistan are moving dangerously toward war.
On 22 May, Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee told
troops "to be ready for sacrifice...It's time to fight a
decisive battle." The Pakistani government responded by
saying they would use "full force" if India is to strike.
The greatest concern not only to the region, but to the
world is whether or not either country will resort to
using nuclear weapons in order to "win" a war.
Tensions have been mounting between South Asian
nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, particularly since the
13 December terrorist attacks on the Indian Parliament.
On 12 January, Pakistani President General Musharraf made
a landmark speech condemning terrorism, promising
internal reform and calling for a peaceful resolution
with India over the disputed Kashmir region--the issue at
the center of the standoff between the two nations.
However, in India's view, Musharraf has done
substantively little to stop Islamic militants and Indian
officials have charged Musharraf with continuing to
support them.
Both India and Pakistan must show restraint and
resolve the current crisis before the conflict escalates
any further, making the use of nuclear weapons in a war
between the two countries even more likely. Neither
country will win a war in which nuclear weapons are used.
The situation in India and Pakistan evidences that the
use, let alone the existence, of nuclear weapons is
completely irrational because they do the exactly
opposite of what they purport to do. Nuclear weapons do
not provide security. Neither India, nor Pakistan, nor
anyone in this world is more secure because of the
existence of nuclear weapons. In fact, at this moment
India, Pakistan and indeed the whole world sit on the
precipice of nuclear annihilation. It is time for global
leadership, particularly from the nuclear weapons states,
to rid the planet of these completely irrational
weapons.
Pakistan Threatens Using
Nukes
On 30 May, Pakistan threatened to use nuclear weapons
even if India only used conventional weapons in a
conflict. Pakistani Ambassador to the United Nations
Munir Akram stated, "India should not have license to
kill with conventional weapons while Pakistan's hands are
tied regarding others means to defend itself." He also
asserted that Pakistan has never subscribed to a
"no-first-use policy" of nuclear weapons. Akram told
diplomats and officials at the UN that Pakistan would
rely on the "means it possessed to deter Indian
aggression" and would not "neutralize" that deterrence by
any doctrine of "no-first-use."
Furthermore, Akram defined what Pakistan viewed an
"aggression" by India as any action by India across the
border, any aerial attack on Pakistani territory and its
assets, and any action to economically strangle it. He
claimed that Pakistan believes in "no-first-use of force"
and that is why Pakistan has offered a non-aggression
pact to India, a pact that was rejected. Akram said that
the Security Council should address the issue of tensions
between India and Pakistan that "constitutes a threat to
international peace and security." However, there has
previously been no support among the Security Council's
15 members who stressed after a meeting on 10 January
that this is a bilateral issue and should be resolved
between the two countries. According to diplomats on the
council, the immediate issue is for Pakistan to crackdown
on terrorist groups that are operating in Kashmir.
In related news, Bruce Riedel, an adviser to former US
President Bill Clinton on India and Pakistan, reveals in
a new report that the Pakistani Army mobilized its
nuclear force against India in 1999 without the knowledge
of then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A recent report by
the US Central Intelligence Agency entitled, "Global
Trends 2015," predicts that the threat of nuclear war
will remain a serious regional issue for the next fifteen
years.
(sources: Times of India, 10 January 2002; PTI, 30 May
2002)
Pakistan May Have More
Nuclear Weapons Than Previously Thought
According to Pervez Hoodboy, a leading Pakistani
nuclear physicist, the country has been secretly working
over the past three years to accelerate production of
weapons-grade uranium for nuclear warheads. Hoodboy
stated in an interview, "The scientists have been working
in three shifts over the past three years since the
Kargil conflict." He also said that there were clear
indications that the warheads were already in place on
missiles. Hoodboy's statement means that Pakistan could
have more warheads than the estimated 30 to 50. Each
warhead is estimated to have the same explosive power as
the US nuclear weapon that was dropped on Hiroshima in
1945. Hoodboy stated, "We are much closer to a nuclear
confrontation with India than at any other time."
(source: The Times, UK; 27 May 2002)
Pakistan Conducts Missiles
Tests
As tensions continued to escalate with India, Pakistan
test fired three missiles capable of carrying nuclear
warheads into India between 25 and 28 May. The final
missile test coincided with the fourth anniversary of
Pakistan's underground nuclear test in 1998, which took
place just two weeks after India tested its own nuclear
weapons. Pakistan insisted that the missile tests were
routine. However, some say the tests were clearly meant
to send a message to India that Pakistan could meet any
attack with massive retaliation and has the capability to
send nuclear weapons to Indian cities.
(sources: AP Asia, 28 May 2002; Reuters, 28 May
2002)
US and UK Aiding and Abetting
India
On 11 May, US and Indian Armies launched a two-week
joint military exercise, the biggest in 40 years.
Exercise Balance Iroquois took place in the northern
Indian tourist town of Agra, some 400 miles from the
Pakistan border. While Pakistan has been a US ally for
much longer, India has been building up relations with
the US in recent months. The US has agreed to resume
sales of defense equipment to India that were banned
under sanctions imposed after the country tested nuclear
weapons in 1998. On 11 May, also the fourth anniversary
of India's nuclear tests, the ruling National Democratic
Alliance stated India's esteem in the world has grown
after it conducted the nuclear tests.
The UK is also trying to profit from the Indian arms
market, despite the government's 1997 policy to "not
issue an export license if there is a clearly
identifiable risk that the intended recipient would use
the proposed export aggressively against another
country." British ministers have been pushing the sale of
60 Hawk jets worth some $1.5 billion. Additionally, with
official blessing, British companies offered howitzers,
anti-aircraft guns, missiles and tanks at a major arms
fair in India earlier this year. The British Foreign
Office stated on 23 May that arms sales were considered
"carefully" and were "under constant review."
(sources: Reuters, 11 May 2002; The Guardian, 24 May
2002)
NATO Leaders Urge
De-escalation
During a NATO summit at which Russia was recognized as
a junior partner on 28 May, leaders of the countries
expressed concern over the escalating crisis between
nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. NATO Secretary General
Lord Robertson, speaking in the name of the 19 NATO
allies and Putin, urged both countries to take urgent
steps to draw back from the brink of war, "to de-escalate
and resume talking together."
(source: AP World Politics; 28 May 2002)
Individuals Can Take Action
on India-Pakistan Crisis
Individuals can access the URL's below to contact
their UN mission and urge their Ambassadors to invoke
Article 8 of the 1899 Hague Convention for the Pacific
Settlement of International Disputes to allow Pakistan
and India a 30-day cooling off period.
http://www.unsystem.org/
http://www.un.org/Overview/missions.htm#usa
http://www.unsystem.org/en/permanent.missions.en.htm
Sign an online petition calling on Pakistani President
Musharraf and India Prime Minister Vajpayee to disavow
the use of nuclear weapons under any circumstances,
reestablish diplomatic ties, and engage in a
comprehensive peace agreement on the future of Kashmir,
to be enforced by international bodies. http://www.moveon.org/nonukesoverkashmir/
Write to the Indian and Pakistani governments, their
embassies, consulates or High Commissions (in
Commonwealth countries). The fax numbers of the Prime
Minister of India, the President of Pakistan, other
government ministers, and the UN representatives of those
countries are listed below.
Organize demonstrations or vigils outside Indian or
Pakistani embassies, consulates, high commissions, or
travel offices.
Persuade parliamentarians to put forward urgent
resolutions urging restraint on both parties and calling
for an end to arms sales. Limited resolutions have
already been passed by the British, Canadian, and
European parliaments. For more information, please
contact: Parliamentarians Network for Nuclear
Disarmament: alynw@ibm.net
PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA A.B. VAJPAYEE, SOUTH BLOCK,
NEW DELHI, 110-004 +91-11-301-6857 +91-11-301-9545,
+91-11-972-2-664-838
MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS INDIA
+91-11-301-0700
PRESIDENT MUSHARRAF OF PAKISTAN,+92-51-920-3938,
+92-51-920-1968
+92-51-811390
FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN +92-51-920-7217
+92-51-920 0420 or 820-420
Back to Top
*******************
NUCLEAR
MATTERS
*******************
Significant Nuclear
Reductions or Maximum Nuclear Flexibility?
Presidents George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin signed
the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty between the US
and the Russia during a summit in Moscow on 23 May. The
treaty calls for the reduction of strategic forces of
each country's arsenal to 1,700 to 2,000 by 2012, the
year in which the treaty expires. It also does not
require the destruction of a single missile launcher or
warhead and each side can carry out the reductions at its
own pace and even reverse them to temporarily build up
its forces. In other words, the treaty allows either side
to worry more about protecting their own nuclear options
than constraining the options of the other country. A
senior US administration official stated, "What we have
now agreed to do under the treaty is what we wanted to do
anyway. That's our kind of treaty."
Under the terms of the treaty, either side can
temporarily suspend reductions or even build up forces
without violating the treaty. This will allow maximum
flexibility to the US, which insists on continuing to
rely on nuclear weapons in its national security policy.
The US Nuclear Posture Review, released in January 2002,
stated, "In the event that US relations with Russia
significantly worsen in the future, the US may need to
revise its nuclear force level and posture." The new
treaty will allow the US to do so.
Rather than completely destroying the strategic
weapons, the US has repeatedly stated that it will shelve
or stockpile the warheads. Although previously adamantly
opposed to US plans to store warheads, Russia announced
on 15 May that it will also store some of the warheads. A
Russian diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity,
stated, "Each one will do what it wants: a part of them
will be stored, a part will be recycled and part will be
destroyed. We will do the same as they [the
Americans] will."
China welcomed the treaty between the US and Russia.
Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan stated that China "hoped
that the two countries will continue their efforts to
reduce their arsenals in this manner, so as to further
advance the process of international disarmament."
(sources: AP World, 16 May 2002; NY Times, 13 May
2002)
Text of the Strategic Offensive Reductions Treaty:
http://www.nuclearfiles.org/issues/nuclearweapons/sortreaty.htm
"Nuclear Dangers Remain After Bush-Putin Summit" by
David Krieger:
http://www.napf.org/articles/02.05/0515kriegerbushputin.htm
"Still Missing: A Nuclear Strategy" by Nuclear Threat
Initiative Board Members Sam Nunn, William Perry &
Eugene Habiger is available to download in pdf format
at:
http://www.nti.org/c_press/c_index.html#opeds
US To Construct New Plutonium
Pit Production Plant
The US Department of Energy (DoE) announced on 31 May
that it will resume production of plutonium pits, which
are used to trigger nuclear warheads. Plutonium pits were
last produced at the Rocky Flats Facility in Colorado,
but the DoE halted production in 1989.
A statement from the National Nuclear Security
Administration stated that design work is beginning for a
manufacturing plant, which is expected to cost between
$2.2 billion and $4.4 billion, depending on production
capacity. The plant will be built at a weapons facility
and is anticipated to begin production by 2020. According
to the DoE, the site selection process will begin in
September.
US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham stated, "We need
to have the capacity to manufacture certified pits to
maintain the safety, security and reliability of the US
nuclear deterrent into the future." According to the New
York Times, a recent study by the Bush administration
urged that a pit production plant be constructed. Some
members of Congress have also expressed concern that the
lack of a plutonium pit production plant could jeopardize
the future readiness of the US nuclear arsenal.
(source: New York Times, 1 June 2002)
Report Calls for Better
Security at Research Reactors
A report released on 20 May raises concerns about
inadequate safeguards on uranium used at some 345
civilian research reactors in 58 countries. The report
was produced by Harvard's Kennedy School of Government
and urges the US and Russia to launch a global effort to
end the use of highly enriched (also called weapons
grade) uranium (HEU) at these research facilities. HEU
could be converted for use in a weapon by terrorists if
they were to obtain the material.
According to the report, "Security at these hundreds
of buildings varies widely from excellent to appalling.
In some cases, security is provided by a single sleepy
watchman and a chain-link fence." The report urges US
President George W. Bush and Russia President Vladimir
Putin to accelerate efforts to secure and account for
nuclear materials worldwide. Former Democratic Senator
Sam Nunn, co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative
that helped produce the report, stated, "Terrorists are
racing to get weapons of mass destruction. We should be
racing to stop them."
The report specifically sites three "impoverished"
reactors with no money to tighten security including: a
closed reactor near Belgrade; a reactor in Ukraine that
has 165 pounds of HEU; and a reactor in Belarus with 660
of HEU. The report calls for a $50
million-per-year-program to fund uranium "take-back" and
get research institutions to use low-enriched
uranium.
(source: AP World Politics, 20 May 2002; http://www.nti.org)
Putin Calls for Proposals to
Destroy Aging Weapons
President Vladimir Putin urged the Russian government
on 20 May to draft proposals to dispose of aging weapons
stockpiles inherited from the Soviet Union. Putin stated
at a meeting with Cabinet officials, "We must think about
financing the destruction of excessive stockpiles of
aging weapons which have become a liability and,
sometimes, an environmental hazard."
Putin also pointed out the need to deal with the
country's chemical weapons arsenal. Russia has the
world's largest arsenal with some 40,000 metric tons of
chemical weapons, which the country pledged to destroy
when it signed the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997.
Last year, the Russian government approved a program to
allow the country to destroy its arsenal by 2012 without
having to seek international help beyond what has already
been pledged. The program is estimated to cost some $3.5
billion.
(source: AP, 20 May 2002)
Kazakh Upper Parliament
Ratifies US Agreement Extension
The upper house of Kazakhstan's parliament ratified an
agreement with the US on 16 May, extending an earlier
agreement that provides US assistance in destroying
leftover Soviet missile and infrastructure. Kazakhstan
surrendered all former Soviet nuclear weapons to Russia
after 1991. In 1993, the US and Kazakhstan signed a
seven-year agreement that provided funds to the ex-Soviet
state to help it destroy missile silos and nuclear
infrastructure. After the agreement expired in 2000, the
US and Kazakhstan agreed to extend it, but the Kazakh
parliament just ratified it in May. To date, the US has
made $183 million available to Kazakhstan under the
original 1993 agreement. Kazakhstan still must destroy
six intercontinental ballistic missile silos at its
southern launchpad, Leninsk.
(source: Interfax News Agency, 16 May 2002)
Russia Passes Law to Punish
Theft of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on 9 May
that will make the theft of nuclear or other weapons of
mass destruction or the theft of the material to produce
them punishable by a five to ten year jail sentence. The
law will also make failure to ensure that weapons of mass
destruction are safely guarded punishable by a sentence
of three to seven years. The law comes amid concern of
terrorists being able to obtain such material and at the
fact that weapons-grade nuclear material has been stolen
from Russian facilities on several instances. The Duma,
Russia's parliament, passed the law in April.
(source: RIA Novosti News, 9 May 2002)
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MISSILES
& MISSILE DEFENSE
**************************
Conservative Think Tank to
Hold Cheerful Wake for ABM Treaty
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank
based in Washington, D.C., will be holding a "cheerful
wake for a flawed treaty" on 12 June 2002. The
invitation-only event is being held at the Russell Caucus
Room in Washington, D.C. The event is entitled "ABM: RIP
[Rest In Peace]" and will feature, among other
guests, The Honorable [sic] John Bolton,
Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, Senator Trent
Lott (R-Missouri), Senator Jesse Helms (R-North
Carolina), The Honorable [sic] Frank Gaffney,
Jr., and Lt. General James A. Abrahamson. The event will
celebrate the "lapse" of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile
(ABM) Treaty, which the US is set to withdraw from on 13
June. The Heritage Foundation and those attending the
event consider withdrawal from the ABM Treaty and
"important step forward for national interest." They have
praised the decision of the Bush administration saying
that it will serve "to bolster the national security by
allowing the unfettered development and deployment of
missile defenses."
(source: The Heritage Foundation; http://www.heritage.org)
Iran Confirms Missile
Test
On 26 May, Iran Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani
confirmed US reports that his country had conducted a
successful test flight of Shahab-3, a ballistic missile,
earlier in the month. The Shahab-3, which means shooting
star in Farsi, is based on North Korea's No Dong missile.
The current test is believed to be the fifth test of the
missile, which has a range of some 800 miles. Shamkhani
stated that the test "should not be considered a new
production or a new step to increase the missile's
range," but rather the tests were meant to "enhance the
power and accuracy of Shahab-3 missile."
(source: AP Middle East, 26 May 2002)
Army National Guard Tests
PAC-2 Missile
According to the Pentagon, the US Army National Guard
successfully shot down a drone aircraft on 15 May using a
Patriot PAC-2 missile at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
The intercept is part of a series of tests to familiarize
part-time National Guard soldiers with the Patriot
system. The PAC-2 is made by Raytheon Co. and is
scheduled to be replaced by a more advanced PAC-3 that is
being developed and tested by Lockheed Martin Corp.
Unlike the PAC-3, which is designed to track and collide
with a target, the PAC-2 carries an explosive warhead
which blows up nears a target and spreads a cloud of
debris in its path.
(source: Reuters, 15 May 2002)
Russia To Develop New
Generation of Interceptor Missiles
According to a Russian military newspaper, the country
is developing a new generation of light missiles designed
to intercept enemy cruise missiles and aircraft. The
Igla-S will be capable of carrying more explosives than
current similar weapons and will also have a new guidance
system. According to the KBM Company developing the new
missile, the Igla-S will also be cheaper and lighter than
current interceptor missiles.
(source: Voyenny Parad, 14 May 2002)
Taiwan Test-Fires New
Missile
On 10 May, Taiwan successfully test-fired the
locally-made Sky Bow II, a surface-to-air missile that
some Taiwanese experts hope will eventually replace the
US-made Patriot missiles. It was the first missile test
open to media. Three US short-range, surface-to-air Hawk
missiles were also successfully test-fired. The Sky Bow
II, Taiwan's version of the US Patriot missile, has a
range of some 120 miles and the country's experts claim
is better than the Patriot at hitting fighter jets and
bombers. Continuing to develop its own missiles may prove
difficult for Taiwan as its weapons program has a limited
budget and many engineers and scientists have taken
higher-paying jobs in the computer industry.
(source: AP Asia, 10 May 2002)
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****************
NUCLEAR
WASTE
****************
Taiwan Seeks Home for 100,000
Barrels of Nuclear Waste
In a pledge that ended a four-day standoff between
residents and the government, Taiwan agreed on 4 May to
study ways to remove 100,000 barrels of nuclear waste
from Orchid Island. For years, residents have demanded
that the waste be removed, but the government ignored
them. The Yamis, one of Taiwan's 10 major indigenous
tribes, want the waste removed by the end of the year
when a government contract to store the waste on the
island runs out. However, Economics Minister Lin Yi-fu,
who flew to the island to settle the dispute, would not
give a timeline for when the waste will be removed.
The Yamis were not consulted when the government began
dumping waste on the island more than twenty years ago,
during Taiwan's martial law era. After marital law ended
in 1987, the government told protesters that it was
unable to find another place to store the waste. Taiwan
Power is currently considering moving the waste to
another outlying island or possibly shipping the waste
abroad. Russia is one foreign possibility because it
passed a law earlier this year allowing it to receive
foreign waste. China is also under consideration.
(source: AP, 4 May 2002)
Hot Waste, Cold
Cash
A new report from Public Citizen entitled, "Hot Waste,
Cold Cash," reveals that US Senators and senatorial
candidates have taken more than $5 million from the
nuclear power industry in political action committee
(PAC) contributions since 1997. The report found Ranking
minority member of the Senate Energy Committee Frank
Murkowski (R-Alaska) the indisputable Nuclear PAC Man,
with more than $143,582 received from nuclear PACs since
1997. PACs of corporations belonging to the Nuclear
Energy Institute (NEI), the nuclear industry's most
powerful lobby in Washington, have contributed $1.3
million to Senate campaigns from 1 January 2001 to 28
February 2002 alone.
Among the report's other findings:
-Of the Senate's 20 leading recipients of nuclear PAC
money, eight serve on the Senate Energy Committee and six
sit on the Environment and Public Works Committee, both
of which are committees for legislation related to
nuclear power.
-All but seven current US senators have accepted
nuclear PAC money.
-The largest total contributions by an NEI member came
from General Electric, which designs and services nuclear
power plants.
The full report is available online at http://www.citizen.org/hot_issues/issue.cfm?ID=297
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*******************
NUCLEAR
INSANITY
*******************
NASA to Purchase Russian
Plutonium for Spacecraft
US Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced that
NASA will renew a contract to purchase plutonium-238 from
Russia as part of US efforts to reduce Russia's
stockpiles of the nuclear material, which the US
government fears terrorists could get their hands on and
use to build a "dirty bomb." According to Abraham, NASA
will use the plutonium purchased from Russia to power
spacecraft. Russian experts estimate a minimum cost of
$10 million for 30 kilograms of the plutonium-238.
The new deal revives the 1995 Voinoi agreement,
potentially worth $12 billion for Russia. Plutonium
deliveries were put on hold when George W. Bush took
office in January 2001 and insisted that the plutonium
was too expensive. In February 2002, Russia agreed to
lower the price by about 15%. Officials have declined to
reveal the value of the current deal or the amount of
plutonium that will be purchased.
(source: Moscow Times, 14 May 2002)
UK MoD Abandons Construction
of Nuclear Re-Arming Dock
The UK Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on 14 May
that it will abandon construction on a dock for re-arming
nuclear submarines. The concrete jetty was being built in
the middle of the River Tamar at Plymouth in order to
relocate the work of re-arming Britain's submarine fleet
away from the heavily populated area around Devonport.
However, a new MoD safety assessment concluded that the
risk to people living near the existing submarine base is
less than originally estimated.
Environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners have
always opposed the construction of the dock, but the MoD
insisted that it was absolutely necessary. Some $21.8
million has already been spent and it will cost some
additional $7.3 million to pay off contractors. Colin
Breed, Member of Parliament (Liberal Democrat Party) for
South East Cornwall, stated, "We asked whether it was
absolutely necessary bearing in mind the environmental
damage and we were told it was vital. Now they have
suddenly decided it is not needed at all."
(source: UK Times Online, 15 May 2002)
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NUCLEAR
ENERGY
****************
Vietnam Studying Feasibility
of Nuclear Power
An official from the National Institute of Atomic
Energy announced on 23 May that Vietnam is setting up a
group to study the feasibility of building the country's
first nuclear power plant. The group will be comprised of
government representatives and scientists and is expected
to submit its findings to Vietnam's National Assembly in
late 2003. According to the official, Vietnam's energy
consumption has increased by 12-15% in recent years. The
country currently produces 5,500 to 6,000 megawatts a
year, 55% of which is produced from hydropower plants.
The official stated that Vietnam will need some 20,000 to
30,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020 and the nuclear
power plant will help meet that demand. According to the
official, Russia, China and South Korea have offered to
sell Vietnam the technology to build the plant.
(source: AP World Politics, 23 May 2002)
Finland Approves Construction
of New Nuclear Power Plant
On 24 May, Finland's parliament approved the
construction of the country's fifth nuclear reactor. It
is the first such nuclear plant to be authorized in
Western Europe or North America since the 1986 Chernobyl
disaster. Currently some 70% of Finland's energy is
imported from abroad. Some 28% of the country's energy
comes from nuclear facilities and with the construction
of the new reactor, this figure will rise to 35%. The
decision comes at a time when other European countries,
notably Germany and Sweden, plan to phase out their
nuclear power. The new reactor is set to have an
operating life of 60 years. In 2001, Finland became the
first country in the world to decide on a permanent
underground storage facility for its nuclear waste that
will be situated by its nuclear power plant in the city
of Eurajoki, 155 miles northwest of Helsinki.
For information on the movement in Finland to oppose
the construction of the reactor, please contact Ulla
"Klotzer" ullaklotzer@yahoo.com,
Women Against Nuclear Power - Finland.
(source: AFP, 24 May 2002)
Russia Will Help Myanmar
Build a Research Nuclear Reactor
The Russian government announced on 15 May that the
country will help Myanmar, also called Burma, to
construct a center for nuclear studies and a research
nuclear reactor with a thermal capacity of 10 megawatts.
The agreement will also include structures for the
disposal of nuclear waste and a waste burial site. Under
the agreement, Russia will deliver the fuel. Myanmar, one
of the poorest Asian countries and which frequently
suffers energy shortages, has informed the International
Atomic Energy Agency of its intention to acquire the
research reactor.
(source: AP World, 15 May 2002)
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***************
NAPF
HAPPENINGS
***************
Calling All
Poets!
In 1995 the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation established
an annual series of awards to encourage poets to explore
and illuminate positive visions of peace and the human
spirit. The Barbara Mandigo Kelly Poetry Awards are
offered in three categories: adults, youth 13 to 18, and
children 12 and under. Each year a committee of talented
poets meets to select the winning poems. The deadline to
submit 2002 entries is July 1st. To find out more about
the Barbara Mandigo Kelly Peace Poetry Contest and to
obtain the 2002 guidelines, please visit the website at:
http://www.wagingpeace.org/awards/poetryaward.html
New Security Challenges: Ten
Themes
By David Krieger
The International Network of Engineers and Scientists
for Global Responsibility, in cooperation with Scientists
for Global Responsibility and the University of Bradford
Department of Peace Studies, held a seminar on "New
Security Challenges: Global and Regional Priorities" at
Bradford University on May 23-24, 2002. Ten themes
emerged from the seminar. To read the full text of the
article, please visit: http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/02.05/0531kriegernewsecurity.htm
UC Nuclear Free Campaign:
Nobel Peace Laureate Calls on University of California to
Stop Making Nuclear Weapons
For more than 50 years the Regents of the University
of California have been responsible for management and
oversight of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where most of the
US nuclear arsenal has been researched, developed and
tested. Sir Joseph Rotblat, a distinguished scientist and
recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, recently sent an Open
Letter to the University of California Community. As
Rotblat states in his letter, "For more than 50 years,
the UC system has provided respectability to these
laboratories that carry out research, develop and test
nuclear weapons -weapons that could destroy civilization
and probably the human species." In his letter, Rotblat
asks the students, faculty and staff of the University to
"raise your voices and demand that the University get out
of the business of making weapons of mass
destruction."
Rotblat worked as a scientist on the Manhattan
Project, but resigned in 1944 when he realized that the
Germans would not succeed in creating their own atomic
weapons and therefore the Allied powers would not need
these weapons to deter the Germans. Since that time,
Rotblat has worked for a world free of nuclear
weapons.
For information on how you can play a role in ending
the University of California's oversight and management
of the US nuclear weapons laboratories, visit the web
site of the UC Nuclear Free Campaign sponsored by the
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at http://www.ucnuclearfree.org.
To read the full text of the Open Letter from Sir Joseph
Rotblat, please visit: http://www.ucnuclearfree.org/articles/020529rotblatletter.htm
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*******
ACTION
*******
Tri-Valley CAREs Launches
International Petition
Tri-Valley CAREs has created an international petition
to:
- End funding for the development of nuclear
earth-penetrating bombs and other new and modified
nuclear weapons,
- Bring US nuclear policy into compliance with the
nation's Non-Proliferation Treaty obligation to
eliminate nuclear weapons, and
- Reject the Bush administration's "Nuclear Posture
Review."
The petition is an important way to make your voice
heard. Please join in this international effort to
restrain and reorient U.S. nuclear policy by signing and
circulating the petition. Tri-Valley CAREs will collect
the signed petitions and send copies of them to (1)
President Bush, (2) the U.S. Congress and, (3) the United
Nations.
Download the petition from the website of Tri-Valley
CAREs at http://www.trivalleycares.org.
Send The Sunflower to Ten
Friends
A simple way to take action is to send this electronic
newsletter to ten friends or even better, to your entire
electronic address book. Help spread the message and help
us to reach a wider audience with important news of
nuclear dangers.
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************
RESOURCES
************
Visit the ever-evolving website of the Nuclear Age
Peace Foundation at http://www.wagingpeace.org
Moving Beyond Missile Defense is a joint project of
the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the International
Network of Engineers and Scientists Against
Proliferation. Visit the MBMD website at http://www.mbmd.org.
Take a journey through the Nuclear Age. Visit the
Nuclear Files at http://www.nuclearfiles.org
Apply now for the 2002 Brower Youth Awards! The Awards
were established by Earth Island Institute to honor
founder and lifelong environmentalist, David R. Brower.
The Brower Youth Awards recognize young leaders age 13-22
who are working for Global Conservation, Preservation and
Restoration (CPR). Each winner receives a cash award of
$3,000 and is honored at a gala celebration in Berkeley
on 26 September. Applications are available on the Earth
Island web site at http://www.earthisland.org/bya.
Or, request an application via e-mail <bya@earthisland.org>.
"Courting Nuclear Disaster (India-Pakistan)," an
article by Praful Bidwai is available online at:
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/may2002-daily/16-05-2002/oped/o1.htm
"Nuclear-tipped Foolishness," an article by Michael
Kraig and Michael Roston is available online at:
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0205nuke.html
The Reaching Critical Will website newly features a
web-page on the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space
(PAROS) and the United Nations: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/paros/parosindex.html
Two experts deliver the low-down in plain English on
the Bush administration's decision to study the possible
use of nuclear-tipped interceptor missiles. Their
message: What could they possibly be thinking? To read
the report, visit: http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/commentary/2002/0205nuke.html
The Annual Report 2001 of INESAP is now available at
the INESAP website at: http://www.inesap.org
"Stop nuclear waste from travelling through your
neighborhood!"
http://nuclearneighborhoods.org/images/nn-pub.swf
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**********
EDITORS
**********
Carah Ong
David Krieger
©
TFF & the author 2002
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