FT.com / World / US & Canada - Russia threatens to quit arms treaty

FT.com / World / US & Canada - Russia threatens to quit arms treaty

Russia threatens to quit arms treaty
By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington, Neil Buckley in Moscow, Daniel Dombey in London and Jan Cienski in Warsaw

Published: February 15 2007 19:04 | Last updated: February 15 2007 19:04

Russia threatened on Thursday to pull out of a landmark nuclear arms control treaty unless the US backed away from plans to install its missile defence shield in Eastern Europe.

Yury Baluyevsky, the Russian army chief of staff, said Moscow might unilaterally withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, which forced the US and the Soviet Union to ban nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500km.

There was “convincing evidence” for leaving the agreement because “many countries are developing and perfecting medium-range rockets”, he said.

But the general also explicitly linked Russia’s stance to the US’s plans to extend its missile defence into central Europe.

The Pentagon is preparing to start negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic about hosting missile interceptors and radars. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, Polish prime minister, on Thursday expressed conditional support for participating in the system.

A senior Pentagon official said the US would “resist” the Russian move, which he said would have serious implications for American allies in Europe.

The INF treaty includes the right for a party to withdraw with six months’ notice if “extraordinary events ... jeopardised its supreme interests”. The State Department said Russia had not formally notified the US of any move to abrogate the treaty.

Gen Baluyevsky’s comments came days after Vladimir Putin, Russian president, warned that US attempts to deploy part of its missile shield in Poland could spark a new arms race.

Mr Putin said the INF treaty was no longer in its interests because of proliferation of short and medium-range missiles. He rejected US assertions that the system was aimed at countries such as North Korea and Iran, not at Russia.

The US official said Russia had privately told the US it wanted medium-range missiles to counter Iranian threats while arguing publicly that the lack of Iranian missiles meant the US did not need a defence system.

Col-Gen Leonid Ivashov, a former senior Russian defence official, said Moscow had “every reason” to pull out of the treaty. He pointed to the US withdrawal in 2002 from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty.

Yuri Solomonov, director of the Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology, which manufactures missiles, told Itar-Tass news agency Russia was ready to resume production of medium-range ballistic missiles.

Nato officials said Russia intended to pressure Poland and the Czech Republic to reject US plans, but added that what Moscow really wanted was to be included in a European-wide anti-missile system.

“We are already talking to the Russians about co-operating on tactical missile defence for armies in the field,” said a senior Nato diplomat.



Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

FT.com / In depth - Iraq closes borders with Iran and Syria

FT.com / In depth - Iraq closes borders with Iran and Syria

Iraq closes borders with Iran and Syria

By Reuters Thu Feb 15, 2007 10:54AM GMT

Iraq closed its borders with Iran and Syria as U.S. and Iraqi troops tightened their grip on Baghdad on Thursday, setting up more checkpoints that stopped and searched even official convoys for weapons.

An Interior Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the closure of Iraq’s four border crossings with Iran and two with Syria took effect on Wednesday.

U.S. officials have long accused Syria of allowing foreign fighters to cross its long, porous border into Iraq, and at the weekend presented evidence of what they said was Iranian-manufactured weapons being smuggled into Iraq.

“The plan to close the borders went into effect last night. Many points were closed, but I can’t confirm that all were shut,” Lieutenant-Colonel Christopher Garver told Reuters.

There was no immediate confirmation from Tehran or Damascus, both of which deny involvement in Iraq’s chaos.

Iraq had said it would shut the borders for 72 hours. The U.S. military said on Wednesday the aim was to choke off the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into the country.

The closures came as thousands of U.S. and Iraqi troops stepped up operations in Baghdad, the epicentre of sectarian violence between minority Sunnis and majority Shi’ites that has pitched the country towards all-out civil war.

Fewer members of the Mehdi Army militia of radical cleric Moqtada al Sadr have been seen on the streets of their stronghold, the sprawling Sadr City slum in east Baghdad, in the past week.

Several Mehdi Army commanders are also reported to have left the capital to avoid arrest.

The United States has identified the militia as the greatest threat to peace in Iraq and hundreds of Mehdi Army members have been arrested.

The U.S. military and Iraqi government officials have said Sadr himself left Iraq for Iran ahead of the crackdown, but Maliki said he was still in Iraq.

STOP AND SEARCH

The chief U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Major-General William Caldwell, said checkpoints were to be revamped to establish “transfer points” so vehicles could be searched.

The U.S. military said last week the operation was under way, but Baghdad residents had noticed little change until Wednesday, when checkpoints began springing up in the city.

Operation Imposing Law is seen as a last-ditch effort to stabilise the capital. Shi’ite officials have warned that failure could mean a collapse of the Shi’ite-led government. U.S. President George W. Bush is sending more than 17,000 additional troops for the crackdown.

More checkpoints appeared overnight and residents reported that even official government or security convoys were stopped and asked for weapons permits and identification papers.


A Reuters photographer said only people with Interior and Defence Ministry badges were allowed to keep their weapons.


Civilians with permits still had their guns seized. He saw two people arrested for not having identification documents.


Policemen and soldiers searched vehicles thoroughly, using long metal rods to prod piles of vegetables to look for bombs or weapons. The city is blighted by daily car bombings that have killed thousands.


Similar operations in the past have ended in failure, partly because Shi’ite militias tied to parties within the government were seen as off-limits, but Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has said this time militants will be targeted regardless of their religious affiliation.


Military analysts say many militiamen were likely to lie low or leave Baghdad until the operation is completed rather than seek confrontation with U.S. and Iraqi forces.


“Some of the brothers who are wanted by the Americans have moved house because we’ve been targeted before,” Salam al-Maliki, a senior Sadr official, told Reuters.


Sadr official Maliki said the movement backed the crackdown. “That’s why there is no resistance to the security forces in our areas. The prime minister assured us that we won’t be targeted as an organisation but only death squads, terrorists and criminals wanted by the authorities.”

Al Qaeda calls for attacks on oil facilities | csmonitor.com

Al Qaeda calls for attacks on oil facilities | csmonitor.com

posted February 15, 2007 at 11:45 am EST - http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0215/p99s01-duts.html
Al Qaeda calls for attacks on oil facilities

A Saudi-based Al Qaeda group wants attacks in order to weaken US economy.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
A Saudi Arabian terrorist group with ties to Al Qaeda has called for Muslims around the world to attack oil installations – including those in Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico – in order to stop the flow of oil to the United States.

NBC reports that the group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, posted the message on its online magazine Sawt al-Jihad, or Voice of the Holy War.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said in its monthly magazine posted on an Islamic Web site that "cutting oil supplies to the United States, or at least curtailing it, would contribute to the ending of the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan." The group said it was making the statements as part of Osama bin Laden's declared policy. It was not possible to verify independently that the posting was from the terror faction.

Al-Qaida claimed responsibility for last year's attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia and Yemen after bin Laden called on militants to stop the flow of oil to the West. The group also was behind the 2002 attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person in the Gulf of Aden.

NBC also reports that until 2004, Al Qaeda had refrained from calling for attacks on oil installations, seeing the money generated by oil as a boon to the Muslim world. But in a message he issued that year, Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden called for attacks in order to cripple the Western economy.

"One of the main causes for our enemies' gaining hegemony over our country is their stealing our oil; therefore, you should make every effort in your power to stop the greatest theft in history of the natural resources of both present and future generations, which is being carried out through collaboration between foreigners and [native] agents," bin Laden said. "Focus your operations on [oil production], especially in Iraq and the Gulf area, since this [lack of oil] will cause them to die off [on their own]."

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that in Canada, one of the countries mentioned on Al Qaeda's list of targets, the premier of Alberta – Canada's richest oil province – said security experts were aware of the threat and were monitoring the situation. But some Canadian oil producers feel the threat is very serious and that the group is "motivated to attack."

Greg Stringham, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, told CanWest News that they too are taking the threat seriously.

"It's not the first time that it's happened and we have no credible threat to substantiate it, but still, we are taking it seriously and we've informed all of our members and contacts about that – especially those with critical infrastructure — to pay extra attention and be vigilant."

The Houston Chronicle reports that the Department of Homeland Security dismissed the threat saying it had no proof that the group was planning any kind of an attack in Mexico. And while some there are taking the threat seriously, others were openly scoffing at it.

"It would have much more force if it came from one of Osama bin Laden's allies" instead of an unknown writer, said Gabriel Guerra, an international policy analyst. "Pemex [Mexico's national oil company] has much more important things to worry about."

Canada's National Post reports that other experts also believe the threat is minimal at this particular time, but could portend trouble down the road.

Tom Quiggan, a senior fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security, at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, cautioned yesterday: "We should not be overly concerned at this exact moment. Al-Qaeda is an organization has been severely weakened."

Even so, "Sawt al-Jihad has correctly analysed the oil-importing situation of the United States and concluded that it is not just Middle Eastern suppliers that are important," he said. The posting appears to be "intended to send a message to its followers that they should consider a wider set of targets than just those in the Middle East."

Agence France-Presse reports that world oil markets "shrugged off" the threatened Al Qaeda attack. Oil continued to hover around $60 a barrel.

Action: Congress wants to monitor all emails, IMs, etc.

seminal

A bill introduced last week by Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) is beginning to raise eyebrows.

[It] would require ISPs to record all users' surfing activity, IM conversations and email traffic indefinitely . The bill, dubbed the Safety Act by sponsor Lamar Smith, a republican congressman from Texas, would impose fines and a prison term of one year on ISPs which failed to keep full records. (emphasis mine)

This is a terrifying development and it must be stopped before it gains any significant momentum. Background, Action items and contact information below the fold.

Under the guise of reducing child pornography, the SAFETY (Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth) Act is currently the gravest threat to digital privacy rights on the Internet. Given the increasing tendency of people, especially young people, to use the Internet as a primary means of communication, this measure would affect nearly all Americans in ways we are only beginning to understand. Also, given the fact that the Act requires all Internet Service Providers to record the web surfing activity of all Internet users, this amounts to the warrantless wiretapping of the entire Internet.

Amazingly, although the bill was introduced and referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday Feb. 6, it has been virtually ignored by both the corporate media and major blogs alike. By combining such draconian legislation with several child pornography measures, Smith is trying to pull a fast one on the Judiciary Committee and on the democratically controlled Congress as a whole. I say we don't let this happen. So, first, a little background information. Then below, I've outlined a few actions you can take if you'd like to spread the word on this.

Background :
The original SAFETY Act, introduced in June of 2006 by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), was shot down due to free speech concerns over aspects of the bill other than the ones I've focused on here. At the time, the Center for Democracy and Technology wrote that the bill “would undermine First Amendment free speech protections and do nothing to protect children on the Internet.”

So what was Lamar Smith's response, you ask? He added the misguided measures discussed above in an attempt to fulfill the demands of the FBI. In an October 2006 conference of police chiefs, FBI Director Robert Mueller made the following statement :

Terrorists coordinate their plans cloaked in the anonymity of the Internet, as do violent sexual predators prowling chat rooms. All too often, we find that before we can catch these offenders, Internet service providers have unwittingly deleted the very records that would help us identify these offenders and protect future victims.

Mueller was signaling to Congress that he would like to see measures put in place that would require ISPs to store records of all Internet usage so he could access it when he felt it was neccessary. But, as has been pointed out :

The thing about retention laws is that they require all data to be maintained, not simply the data from child pornographers and terrorists. This means that such laws are usually favored by other, unrelated groups who would like access to such log files. Groups like the music labels. In Europe, where retention rules are already in place, the entertainment industry has already stated its belief that the data should be available for use in the investigation of any crime, even copyright infringement.

Action:
There are two ways to make members of Congress listen to your concerns.

1. Inundate them with phone calls and emails.
2. Get negative media coverage of what they are trying to accomplish.

Please contact any or all of the people and organizations listed below. Let them know that the SAFETY ACT, as it is written, is not acceptable.

Sponsor:
Rep. Lamar Smith, web form , 202-225-4236

Cosponsors:
Rep. Steve Chabot, (202) 225-2216
Rep. Tom Feeney, (202) 225-2706
Rep. J. Randy Forbes, (202) 225-6365
Rep. Trent Franks, (202) 225-4576
Rep. Elton Gallegly, (202) 225-5811
Rep. Dan Lungren, (202) 225-5716
Rep. Mike Pence, (202) 225-3021

House Judiciary Committee Chair:
Rep. John Conyers, (202) 225-5126

U.S. Says Powerful Iraqi Cleric Is Living in Iran - New York Times

U.S. Says Powerful Iraqi Cleric Is Living in Iran - New York Times

February 14, 2007
U.S. Says Powerful Iraqi Cleric Is Living in Iran
By MARK MAZZETTI
WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 — The powerful Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr has left Iraq and has been living in Iran for the past several weeks, senior Bush administration officials said Tuesday.

With fresh American forces arriving in Baghdad as part of the White House plan to stabilize the capital, officials in Washington suggested that Mr. Sadr might have fled Iraq to avoid being captured or killed during the crackdown.

But officials also said that Mr. Sadr, who has family in Iran, had gone to Tehran in the past and that it was unclear why he had chosen to leave Iraq at this time. Mr. Sadr’s departure from Iraq was first reported Tuesday night by ABC News.

Neutralizing the power of Mr. Sadr, whose Mahdi Army has sporadically battled American forces for the past four years, has been a particular concern for American officials as they try to rein in powerful Shiite militias in Baghdad.

With the new American offensive in Baghdad still in its early days, American commanders have focused operations in the eastern part of the city, a predominantly Shiite area that has long been the Mahdi Army’s power base.

If Mr. Sadr had indeed fled, his absence would create a vacuum that could allow even more radical elements of the Shiite group to take power.

Last year’s election of Nuri Kamal al-Maliki as prime minister enhanced Mr. Sadr’s political stature inside Iraq. Mr. Maliki was elected with the backing of a political bloc led by Mr. Sadr.

American and Iraqi officials have said that recent intelligence points to signs of fracturing within the Mahdi Army, and that radical splinter groups who are not under Mr. Sadr’s control could be carrying out commando-style raids and assassinations.

Officials have suggested that these splinter groups could be receiving orders from officials in Iran, but have not offered direct evidence to back up their claims.

An aide to Mr. Sadr, reached by telephone on Tuesday night, denied that Mr. Sadr had left Iraq and said that the cleric was planning a televised address in the next several says.

Last week, during a raid in Diyala Province, Iraqi forces killed an aide of Mr. Sadr’s who American military officials said had been leading “rogue” elements of the Mahdi Army and fomenting violence against Iraqi civilians and police.

Three days later, Iraqi and American troops arrested the second-highest-ranking official in the Health Ministry, who they said was running a Mahdi Army splinter group and funneling millions of dollars to rogue Shiite militants.

The raids were carried out after Mr. Maliki dropped his protection of Mr. Sadr.

American officials said Tuesday that Mr. Sadr may have seen these operations coming and fled the country to avoid his own arrest.

But military officials in Iraq have also been wary of moving directly against Mr. Sadr, fearing that capturing or killing the militant cleric would further stoke the sectarian violence inside Iraq and turn more Shiites against the Maliki government.

In 2004, American forces arrested several of Mr. Sadr’s top aides and shut down a newspaper allied with the Mahdi Army, setting off bloody clashes in eastern Baghdad and the Shiite holy city of Najaf.

The news of Mr. Sadr’s departure from Iraq came amid an escalating war of words between the Bush administration and top Iranian officials. In recent days, White House and military officials have accused the Iranian government of supplying Shiite militias with the materials to make deadly roadside bombs.

Iranian officials have denied the charges.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran drones 'can attack US ships'

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran drones 'can attack US ships'

Iran drones 'can attack US ships'
By Frances Harrison
BBC News, Tehran

An Iranian website close to the Revolutionary Guard has said they have drones that can launch attacks on American warships in the Persian Gulf.
This comes as the US has sent a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf in a move it says is intended to warn Iran that it intends to have a regional presence.

Both sides have increased the talk of war readiness in recent weeks.

This comes as concerns mount internationally about Iran's nuclear programme and its involvement in Iraq.

The Baztab website quotes the acting commander of the Revolutionary Guard's land forces as saying that Iran has unmanned aircraft that can fly long distances and launch attacks on American warships.

The commander reportedly said this would make the Americans leave the region in shame.

He added Iran had all US activity, including the slightest changes of the enemy, under constant surveillance.

And the website also quoted the commander claiming that Iran had managed to put the logo of the Revolutionary Guards on the side of an American warship in the Gulf to demonstrate how insecure they were in this region.

There is no independent confirmation of these Iranian assertions, but they show how Tehran is trying to counter what it says is the psychological warfare of the Americans with claims of military superiority.

Every few weeks, there are new Iranian war games and state television shows pictures of fresh military hardware like missiles and torpedoes being tested.



Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6356971.stm

Published: 2007/02/13 12:45:50 GMT

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US 'to take 7,000 Iraq refugees'

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US 'to take 7,000 Iraq refugees'

US 'to take 7,000 Iraq refugees'
The US is to take in another 7,000 Iraqi refugees over the next year amid rising international concern over those fleeing the insurgency, officials said.
The number represents a huge increase on the 463 refugees the US has taken in since the four-year-old war began.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been outlining the plan in talks with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The UN estimates that up to 50,000 Iraqis flee each month and that 3.8m have left since the war started.

UN appeal

Most of the refugees have headed for Syria and Jordan. But both countries have tried to cut the influx, narrowing options for those fleeing.

The new US plan was revealed by state department officials ahead of a formal announcement on Wednesday.

The 7,000 refugees would move to the US from countries they have already reached.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the figures was a "target" not a ceiling.

The plan, outlined by Ms Rice to UN refugee chief Antonio Guterres, would also afford special treatment to those in Iraq who were at risk of sectarian attack through providing the US with information.

The UN has called for $60m (£30.5m) from nations for a global resettlement programme. The US is expected to pledge $18m.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6362289.stm

BBC NEWS | Europe | EU endorses damning report on CIA

BBC NEWS | Europe | EU endorses damning report on CIA

EU endorses damning report on CIA
The European parliament has approved a damning report on secret CIA flights, condemning member states which colluded in the operations.
The UK, Germany and Italy were among 13 states which allowed the US to forcibly remove terror suspects, lawmakers said.

The EU parliament voted to accept a resolution condemning member states which accepted or ignored the practice.

The EU report said the CIA had operated 1,245 flights, some taking suspects to states where they could face torture.

The report was adopted by a large majority, with 382 MEPs voting in favour, 256 against and 74 abstaining.

Vigilance

The final version denounces the lack of co-operation of many EU member states and it condemns the actions of secret services and governments who accepted and concealed renditions.


We must be vigilant that what has been happening in the past five years may never happen again
Giovanni Fava
Italian Socialist MEP and report author


It is unlikely, the report says, that European governments were unaware of rendition activities on their territory, something the British government, among others, has denied.

"This is a report that doesn't allow anyone to look the other way. We must be vigilant that what has been happening in the past five years may never happen again," said Italian Socialist Giovanni Fava, who drafted the document.

The parliament also called for an "independent inquiry" to be considered and for closure of the US' Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

Human rights campaigning group Amnesty International welcomed the EU lawmakers' vote, but urged member states to carry out independent investigations.

Revealing facts

Although the report has no force in EU law, Mr Fava said during the parliamentary debate that the related investigation, over a year, had uncovered much new evidence.


EU STATES INVOLVED
Austria
Cyprus
Denmark
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Spain
Sweden
Poland
Portugal
Romania
United Kingdom


Many of those taken from EU states were subjected to torture to extract information from them, the report said.

It said there was a "strong possibility" that this intelligence had been passed on to EU governments who were aware of how it was obtained.

It also uncovered the use of secret detention facilities used as the flights made their journey across Europe towards countries such as Afghanistan.

It was not possible to contradict evidence or suggestions that secret detention centres were operated in Poland and Romania, the report said.

'Incommunicado detention'

Centre-right MEPs - the largest group in parliament - have been highly critical of the report, saying it is primarily motivated by anti-Americanism.

EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said the commission would act on the truth, even if it were uncomfortable or unpalatable. But he called for a relaunching of the Euro-Atlantic relationship and said Europe must continue to work with its US partners.

During the course of their investigation, delegations of MEPs travelled to countries including Romania, Poland, the UK, the US and Germany to investigate claims of European involvement in so-called extraordinary renditions.

The governments of Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the UK were criticised for their "unwillingness to co-operate" with investigators.

The report defines extraordinary renditions as instances where "an individual suspected of involvement in terrorism is illegally abducted, arrested and/or transferred into the custody of US officials and/or transported to another country for interrogation which, in the majority of cases involves incommunicado detention and torture".


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6360817.stm

Published: 2007/02/14 17:33:17 GMT

Angry German tourist drops pants at airport X-ray machine

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A 66-year-old German tourist, annoyed by stringent security at Manila's airport, dropped his pants before walking through an X-ray machine, newspapers said Monday.

Authorities were not amused.

Instead of boarding a flight to Frankfurt on Friday, Hans Jurgen Oskar von Naguschewski was detained after police filed a complaint of lasciviousness against him, the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star newspapers reported.

"He must have been annoyed that he was asked to walk through the X-ray twice, so he took off his pants," airport security chief Angel Atutubo was quoted saying.

Oskar spent the weekend in police detention and was to face the prosecutor later Monday. If convicted, he could face six months to six years in jail.

"He actually didn't say much, unlike Filipino passengers who would talk a lot. He was clearly irked and he showed it by disrobing," the Inquirer quoted police Supt. Atilano Morada saying.

--------------------
I am always asked to take off my belt and jump through a million hoops at security checks(im on their bad citizen list). After being told by a condescending cop to remove my belt, I almost did the same thing this german guy did. I just make it a point to not fly unless its unavoidable, and never go into government buildings unless you absolutely have to. I don't like being treated like a criminal by a bunch of dumbed down moron cops who work for criminals.

Let's not forget their lies.

When THEY tell you about Iran, remember what THEY said about Iraq.

Let go of Cold War mentality, US defence chief tells Putin

fairfax digital

THE United States Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, has disputed a lengthy critique of American power by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, telling a European security conference: "One Cold War was quite enough."

Mr Gates chose words of velvet, not steel, in offering Washington's fullest response to Mr Putin's long complaint on Saturday about US domination of global affairs.

"As an old Cold Warrior, one of yesterday's speeches almost filled me with nostalgia for a less-complex time," he said. "Almost."

Mr Gates, a former director of the CIA recently called back to government service from academia to serve as defence secretary, told attendees of the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy that both he and Mr Putin had spent most of their careers in their governments' spy agencies. "And, I guess, old spies have a habit of blunt speaking," Mr Gates said.

"However, I have been to re-education camp - spending 4½ years as a university president." His remark drew laughs and applause. His sharpest response to Putin was gently couched.

"Russia is a partner in endeavours," Mr Gates said.

"But we wonder, too, about some Russian policies that seem to work against international stability, such as its arms transfers and its temptation to use energy resources for political coercion."

Throughout the rebuttal, and in a longer discourse on how the US's European allies must help rebuild Afghanistan and remain engaged in the fight against terrorism, Mr Gates mentioned Mr Putin only once by name. That came when he said he had accepted an invitation from Mr Putin to visit Moscow.

Mr Gates cast himself as a geopolitical realist and drew a knowing laugh when he focused on Mr Putin's assertion that the US and its allies were dividing Europe. "All of these characterisations belong in the past," Mr Gates said. "The free world versus those behind the Iron Curtain. North versus South. East versus West. And I am told that some have even spoken in terms of old Europe versus new."

■ The US has asked Japan not to arrange a meeting between the Vice-President, Dick Cheney, and the Defence Minister, Fumio Kyuma, an apparent response to Mr Kyuma's criticism of US policy, Kyodo news agency reported.

Last month Mr Kyuma irked the US by saying it was wrong to start the war in Iraq. Mr Cheney is scheduled to meet the chief officers of Japan's Self-Defence Forces during a visit next week.

Militant Islamic groups turn to YouTube - Tech News & Reviews - MSNBC.com

Militant Islamic groups turn to YouTube

Militant Islamic groups turn to YouTube

Videos show bombings, sniper attacks against U.S. forces

By Tariq Panja
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:54 p.m. ET Feb 11, 2007

LONDON - Anyone with an Internet connection can watch videos of bombings and sniper attacks against U.S. forces — shot and edited by Islamic militants and broadcast on YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing Web site.

With the global spread of high-speed Internet connections and the relative anonymity afforded by the world's biggest and busiest sites, extremists have found a new theater to display violence and anti-American propaganda.

On Friday, prosecutors in Britain charged six suspects in an alleged plot to kidnap and kill a British soldier — an act that police allege was intended to be recorded and posted on the Internet.

Parviz Khan, 36, is accused of plotting to carry out the alleged abduction while four other men are accused of acting as his accomplices, prosecutor Patrick Stevens told the court hearing. A sixth man is set to appear in court on Saturday.

Until recently, videos shot by terrorist groups were posted predominantly on specialist Internet forums, which often only those knowing what to look for could find. But more are turning to mainstream sites like YouTube, which draw millions of visitors around the world each day.

"They can always bring down a video, but it's very easy to create a new one. It's like an uphill treadmill for YouTube," said Sajjan Gohel, director of international security at the London-based Asia-Pacific Foundation, a counterterrorism think tank.

Jeremy Curtin, a U.S. State Department official responsible for monitoring Internet propaganda, said authorities were aware of the footage on sites like YouTube but had not made any real headway in tackling the problem.

"It's new to everybody, we are trying to find out how best to engage with Internet companies," he said.

European intelligence agencies, while acknowledging existence of the videos, also say there is little they can do to stop them from popping up.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Thomas de Maiziere, who oversees intelligence agencies, said authorities are struggling to glean information from cyberspace.

"Trying to uncover Internet meetings of terrorists is like searching for a needle in a haystack," he told the online magazine Netzeitung. "The security agencies have their hands full trying to keep pace and get into these chat rooms."

That poses problems for companies like YouTube, which features a range of weird and wonderful videos directly uploaded onto the Web site by users around the world. The most popular videos now include a panda sneezing, a song by an "American Idol" entrant and a music video by hip hop star Naz.

Although scores of Web sites let anyone post and share video clips for free, YouTube is the most popular, receiving some 65,000 new clips a day. Users collectively watch more than 100 million videos on YouTube daily.

YouTube — owned by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc. — says it reserves the right to remove videos that users flag as unsuitable.


"YouTube has clear terms and conditions which prohibit, amongst other things, hateful content," the company said in a statement. "Our community has been highly effective in policing the site, and YouTube removes videos if our community flags them as inappropriate."

But like other video-sharing sites, YouTube generally takes down video only after receiving a complaint. Someone else can easily repost the video under a different account, and it would remain available until YouTube receives a complaint on that as well.

It's similar to the challenges YouTube and other sites face trying to keep copyrighted clips from appearing as technology makes sharing video among everyday users increasingly easy.

A recent search brings YouTube users to a video carrying the logo of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, an umbrella organization of Sunni insurgent groups including al-Qaida in Iraq.

In the video, a man stands in a deserted field beside a blue car. Speaking in Arabic, he gives what he describes as his final testament before a suicide car bombing that he claims will target a U.S. convoy in Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad.

"I ask God this day to enable us to kill the infidels and to grant us the highest martyrdom," he says. "I dedicate a special greeting to sheik Abu Abdulla (Osama bin Laden), Sheik Ayman (al-Zawahri) and our Sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."

Moments later, the footage shows what appears to be a checkpoint, followed by an explosion. The man shooting the film screams, "Allahu akbar. (God is great.)"

In another video entitled "Qanaas Baghdad Episode II," a man purporting to be an Iraqi sniper offers tips on attacking U.S. soldiers. As music plays, a group of soldiers stand at the side of a bustling, dusty street. The sniper locks on to one of them. A second later, the soldier falls to the ground.

The site had recorded 30,000 hits for the video since it was posted in November, according to YouTube's view counter on the site. The video was removed from the site Thursday, but other videos showing sniper shootings of American troops were still available.

Such videos often touch off heated exchanges by viewers, such as one between users Sameerah and Helmycito.

"I follow Islam and what the Koran (sic) says. I dont (sic) follow these stupid idiots who think they are Muslim and kill innocent people which is against Islam," user Sameerah wrote.

"Do u call US soldires (sic) innocent people? why r they there? Kill them as they kill our bros and sisters out there," Helmycito replied.

Following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the United States accused the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera of giving a propaganda platform to al-Qaida for broadcasting videos in which bin Laden justified the attacks. The failure of American counterterrorism officials to now move against U.S. companies also displaying martyrdom videos shows a lack of fairness, said Ahmed Sheikh, Al-Jazeera's editor in chief.

"It's really hypocritical and unbelievable," Sheikh said.

Experts believe advances in Internet technology will lead to a surge in well produced, homemade extremist videos.

"It's practically impossible to stop these videos," said the State Department's Curtin. "You can close one channel and another one will open up."

Mark Rasch, a former Justice Department computer crimes prosecutor, said the videos at YouTube and other sites are evidence of "a new front in the propaganda battle."

"It's here to stay," Rasch said. "It's going to get worse — we are going to see real-time executions with higher production values."

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17107489/

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran president attacks US claims

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iran president attacks US claims

Iran president attacks US claims

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says US accusations Tehran is fomenting violence in Iraq are an attempt to hide Washington's own failures.

Mr Ahmadinejad made the comments in a rare US television interview on Monday.

US officials in Iraq had said they had evidence that Iran was providing weapons to Shia militias who attacked the US military.

Mr Ahmadinejad said Iran "shied away from all conflict" and that no peace would come with foreign troops in Iraq.

'Baseless propaganda'

In the interview with ABC Television in Tehran, Mr Ahmadinejad was questioned repeatedly about the US claims.


Anyone who wants to attack our country will be seriously punished
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

He said the accusations were "excuses to prolong the stay" of US forces.

"There should be no foreigners there in Iraq. And then you see that you have peace in Iraq," Mr Ahmadinejad said.

He said any claims of Iranian military supplies should have a "court to prove the case".

Mr Ahmadinejad said: "We have made it clear the lack of security in Iraq is to our disadvantage."

Earlier Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini had called the US allegations baseless propaganda.

He said Washington had a long history of fabricating evidence.


We assess that these activities are coming from the senior levels of the Iranian government
US official


On Sunday, US officials said they had proof that Iran had provided sophisticated weapons which had been used to kill American soldiers in Iraq.

The US claims have not been independently verified.

The Bush administration denies it is planning to invade Iran but has indicated it is willing to use military force to deal with any Iranian interference inside Iraq.

Democratic Senator Chris Dodd said the Bush administration had tried to falsify evidence before, and it would be a mistake to create a premise for future military action.

Mr Ahmadinejad told ABC he thought the possibility of an attack "very low".

"We believe there are wise people in the US who will stop such illegal actions," he said.

"Anyone who wants to attack our country will be seriously punished."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/6353923.stm

Published: 2007/02/12 13:05:35 GMT

Obama to announce presidential bid - Politics - MSNBC.com

Obama to announce presidential bid - Politics - MSNBC.com

Obama running in '08 to 'lead a new generation'

Illinois Senator declares candidacy at site where Lincoln once held office

BREAKING NEWS
The Associated Press
Updated: 11:41 a.m. ET Feb 10, 2007

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Democrat Barack Obama declared himself a candidate Saturday for the White House in 2008, evoking Abraham Lincoln's ability to unite a nation and promising to lead a new generation as the country's first black president.

The first-term senator announced his candidacy from the state capital where he began his elective career just 10 years ago, and in front of the building where in another century, Lincoln served eight years in the Illinois Legislature.

"We can build a more hopeful America," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery. "And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States."


Focus on life, not race
Obama did not mention his family background, his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia or that as a black American, he would make history if elected president.

Instead, he focused on his life in Illinois over the past two decades, beginning with a job as a community organizer with a $13,000-a-year salary that strengthened his Christian faith.

He said the struggles he saw people face inspired him to get a law degree and run for the Legislature, where he served eight years before becoming a U.S. senator just two years ago.

"I recognize there is a certain presumptuousness, a certain audacity, to this announcement," Obama said. "I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change.

"Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done," he said. "Today we are called once more -- and it is time for our generation to answer that call."

Obama, 45, gained national recognition with the publication of two best-selling books, "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," and by delivering the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. His optimistic message and his compelling biography immediately sparked talk of his White House potential.

Initially he said he would not run for president. But he said last fall that he was considering it after receiving so much encouragement. He formed a presidential exploratory committee last month.

Viability as a candidate
Despite his thin political resume, Obama is considered New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief rival among many vying for the Democratic nomination.

Obama planned to travel throughout Iowa on Saturday and Sunday before a rally Sunday night in Chicago, where his campaign has its headquarters.

He planned to visit New Hampshire on Monday on the heels of front-runner Clinton, whose first visit to the state as a presidential candidate over the weekend provided some early competition for attention from Obama's announcement.

Low temperatures, big crowd
Thousands of people in their warmest winter wear came out for Obama's campaign kickoff despite temperatures in the teens. The crowd huddled in close for warmth and to squeeze into the closed off streets around the Old State Capitol.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us," said Bethany Scates of Ridgway, Illinois, who drove four hours with her family for the announcement.

Brenda and Michael Calkington of Muncie, Indiana, said they have never been involved in a political campaign, but both were laid off from jobs with a lighting company and plan to volunteer for Obama.

"He makes you feel like it is possible to change things," Brenda Calkington said.

She seemed to be reading from Obama's songbook.

Candidacy building blocks
Obama spoke of reshaping the economy for the digital age, investing in education, protecting employee benefits, insuring those who do not have health care, ending poverty, weaning America from foreign oil, fighting terrorism while rebuilding global alliances.

"But all of this cannot come to pass until we bring an end to this war in Iraq," Obama said. "America, it's time to start bringing our troops home. It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war."

Obama was not yet elected to the U.S. Senate when Congress voted to give Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq, but Obama gave a speech in 2002 opposing the war. He said Saddam Hussein posed no imminent threat to the United States and predicted the invasion would lead to an occupation with undetermined costs and consequences.

Obama has introduced a bill to prevent President George W. Bush from increasing troop levels in Iraq and to remove U.S. combat forces from the country by March 31, 2008 -- legislation that has virtually no chance of becoming law while Bush is president.

Obama's address was steeped in American history.

He talked how previous generations have brought change -- fighting off colonizers, slavery and the Great Depression, welcoming immigrants, building railroads and landing a man on the moon.

He repeatedly referred to Lincoln and his success in moving a nation. He said it is because of Lincoln that Americans of every race face the challenges of the 21st century together.

"The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible," Obama said. "He tells us that there is power in words. He tells us that there is power in conviction. That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people. He tells us that there is power in hope."


© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17079682/

Pentagon 'twisted Iraq findings'

Mr Feith left the Pentagon in 2005, admitting doubts about Iraq
BBC

The Democratic chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee has suggested intelligence was twisted in the run-up to the war in Iraq.
Carl Levin responding to a report by the defence department's top watchdog, Inspector-General Thomas Gimble.

At issue is whether a former top Pentagon official was running an alternative intelligence operation.

Mr Gimble said Douglas Feith's office had not acted illegally but some of its activities had been "inappropriate".

Sen Levin suggested Mr Feith's office was reaching different conclusions to the CIA's in order to establish a link between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda.

Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Acrobat Reader
Under repeated questioning by Sen Levin, Mr Gimble said the conclusions reached in reports by Mr Feith were not fully supported by the available intelligence.

'Relationship' unproven

In particular, his conclusion there was a "mature and symbiotic relationship" between Iraq and al-Qaeda could not be justified on the basis of the available intelligence.

And an alleged meeting between an Iraqi intelligence officer and a leader of the 9/11 attacks, Mohamed Atta, never took place.

Sen Levin suggested this proved intelligence had been twisted before going to war, but supporters of Mr Feith say his reports never pretended to be intelligence assessments.

They stress that the inspector general found no evidence of illegal or unauthorised activity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/070209ig_sumary.pdf
Review of Pre-Iraqi War Activities:Executive Summary

5 charged in British soldier plot

ap
LONDON -- Five men were charged Friday in a plot to kidnap and kill a British soldier, prosecutors said, revealing details of the alleged plan for the first time.

They were among nine people arrested Jan. 31. British media had reported the raids were in connection with an alleged plan to abduct, torture and behead a British Muslim soldier and broadcast the killing on the Internet.

The five were charged with helping supply equipment for use in terrorist acts and helping arrange to provide money or property that they were aware could be used for terrorism, between March and January, prosecutors said.

They appeared in City of Westminster Magistrates' Court after prosecutors confirmed for the first time that they were arrested in connection with a suspected plot to kill a soldier. Three of the other men arrested in the raids have been released, while another remains in custody but has not been charged.

One of the men, Parviz Khan, 36, has been charged with taking steps to carry out "his intention to kidnap and kill a member of the armed forces," prosecutor Sue Hemming told a news conference.

The four other men were identified as Mohammed Irfan, 30, Zahoor Iqbal, 29, Hamid Elasmar, 43, and Amjad Mahmood, 31.

All five were ordered held by district judge Daphne Wickham until a Feb. 23 hearing.

Mahmood is also charged with failing to give authorities information that could have prevented the others from committing a terrorist act, prosecutors said.

David Shaw, the West Midlands police officer in charge of the investigation, told the news conference that police were analyzing more than 4,500 seized items, including computers, documents and mobile phones.

He said police had "made extraordinary progress" since the arrests.

"While the charging of some of those arrested is a very significant development, I don't want to leave you thinking this inquiry is now complete," Shaw said.

Raiders of the Temple Mount

TIME
Amid the old city of Jerusalem and rising above it is the ancient site of Solomon's Temple and the point from which the Prophet Mohammed journeyed to Heaven. Holy to Jews and Muslims, it is as dangerous these days as a ticking atom bomb. Any readjustment of its ancient stones can detonate outrage among millions of faithful around the world. On Friday, Muslims in Jerusalem protested against Israeli excavation work next to al-Aqsa, one of Islam's holiest shrines, which sits atop the site. Around the world, Muslims declared a universal "day of anger," Israeli police stormed into the Muslim compound and fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at youths trying to hurl stones at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall. Israeli police claim that 17 protesters and 15 police officers were injured in the clashes, but Palestinians say many more were hurt in skirmishes around the mosque grounds.

The latest crisis began when Israeli authorities started rebuilding and extending a pedestrian ramp which rises to the Mugrabi Gate, an entrance that allows tourists to view the gardens of the sacred Muslim precinct, the silver al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock, a shrine clad with turquoise mosaics and topped with a glowing, golden dome. The ramp is a simple piece of construction that will rest on seven concrete pillars. A 2004 earthquake and a snowstorm had damaged the old pedestrian bridge. But with tension running high between Israelis and Palestinians, the repair work has become a volatile religious issue, one that radical Muslim clerics are using to whip up more hatred against Israel. Says Dan Seidemann, a Jerusalem lawyer trying to broker a solution to the latest religious flare-up, "It's reaching critical mass and the situation could explode at any time."

Neither Muslims nor Jews are comfortable sharing this holy site, and religious extremists are trying through bombs, fire, stones and other provocations to drive the other out. Some Muslim clerics say that re-building the pedestrian walkway is tipping the balance of co-existence between the two faiths. As an editorialist wrote wearily in the Israeli daily Ha'aretz: "The excavation work and bridge construction...have turned into the Battle of Armageddon, as happens every time." In 1996, tunneling by Israeli archeologists underneath the compound led to riots between protesters and Israeli troops in which 69 Palestinians and 16 Israeli soldiers were killed.

The Mugrabi Gate has always been a thorn in the side of the al-Aqsa worshippers. It provides the only Israeli access to the Muslim mosque and shrine, and it was through this gate in 2000 that Ariel Sharon, then the Israeli opposition leader, strutted into the Muslim grounds and sparked a bloody Palestinian uprising. It is also via this pedestrian ramp that Israeli police swarm into the Muslim precinct whenever trouble erupts — as they did during Friday's riots — and Muslim leaders are worried that the new, reinforced ramp will allow more police and extremists to trespass on their holy shrine. Some Christians and Jews believe that the building of the Third Temple by the Jews will herald the Messiah's arrival, and that can only be accomplished by destroying the Muslim place of worship. But Israeli authorities insist they are making the ramp stronger only to make it safer for thousands of daily visitors.

Muslims also say that the excavations will also be destroying chunks of their religious heritage, but Israeli archeologists and Palestinian workers on the site are clearing away every stone and pottery fragment with the precision of surgeons. Not that it matters. Throughout the Muslim world, the Israeli excavations adjacent to al-Aqsa are being portrayed as sacrilege, as another blow by Israel and, indirectly, by its ally America, against Islam. For the last three days, the story has topped headlines and news broadcasts throughout the Muslim world.

In Mecca, Palestinian leaders from the rival Fatah and Hamas movements took a break from their efforts to avert a civil war and condemned Israel's supposed tampering with the holy place in Jerusalem. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad said: "Israel has a clear scheme to demolish the al-Aqsa mosque through various games and tricks, and we hope to see a decisive Arab and Islamic position. The language of condemnation is not enough." Also in Mecca, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas warned that further excavation could endanger a November cease-fire in Gaza between Palestinian militants and Israelis. The crisis will also complicate Abbas' task of persuading Hamas to moderate its hostility towards Israel, which it refuses to recognize. Meanwhile, in Iran, spiritual leader Ali Khamenei warned: "We must make the Zionists regret their action."

All this hostility could have been avoided, say Israeli experts, if the authorities had first sought clearance from the Waqf, the Islamic board which governs the al-Aqsa mosque. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is under pressure from his neighbor, Jordan's King Abdullah, and from his own defense minister Amir Peretz, to halt the controversial dig. So far, Olmert has refused their entreaties, saying that the changes would not " harm" anyone. Meir Ben-Dov, a leading Israeli archeologist who has worked on the site for 39 years, criticized the excavation work. He told the Israeli press that it was " short-sightedness by someone who wants riots, by people with no brain." Already, one Palestinian militant group says it intends to attack synagogues in revenge for the excavations. The standoff at Temple Mount/al-Aqsa, over a simple repair, threatens to blow into something far larger and more dangerous.

With love, definitely will miss you man.

Josh, when I see you again, be sure to save me a dance!
Love you, Jodie


Local Marine killed in Iraq

February 8, 2007 12:50 am

Sgt. Joshua J. Frazier

BY BRIAN BAER

Joshua J. Frazier was scheduled to return from Iraq in April, but decided to re-up for a third tour.

The newly promoted sergeant didn't want to leave the young Marines he was now leading on their own. By staying, he told friends and family, he believed he could keep his men safe.

The Spotsylvania County Marine was killed by a sniper in Iraq late Monday, his family said yesterday. He was 24.

Frazier had been serving in the Ar Ramadi area of Iraq as part of the Company A, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment.

His mother, Shelia Cutshall, last spoke with him Sunday night, when he called home with news of his promotion.

"He was upbeat," she said. "I told him I missed him, and he said he missed me, too."

Frazier, who left for his second deployment to Iraq last September, also told her about his plan to extend his stay, and the reasons for that.

To those who knew him best, it was typical Josh.

It was the same guy who would stay with a friend all night after a buddy lost a relative.

It was the same young man who would visit a casual acquaintance in the hospital for hours.

It was the same person who would spend what little free time he had on leave taking family and friends' kids to Lake Anna and birthday parties.

And, above all, they said, it was the same son and brother who would drop anything for his family.

Yesterday afternoon, his mom's house was filled with tangible reminders of the Spotsylvania High graduate.

At one end of the living room, a family friend held onto "Teddy," the stuffed bear Cutshall received as a gift when she was six months pregnant with her second son.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Frazier still slept with the bear when he was home.

On one couch was a blanket with a dragon on it that he had sent his mom for her 50th birthday. A dragon is a sign of strength in Korea, where he once deployed, he told her.

On another sofa rested a small quilt with the Marine insignia and the large words, "Welcome Home Josh." It was prepared for his last return home from Iraq.

The blanket was signed by many of the same friends and family who were gathered at the home yesterday.

Memories flowed.

Frazier collected guns and loved all things Spider-Man. He had a huge handshake, but a warm, sheepish smile.

He was a partier, they recalled with a laugh, but that never kept him from church come Sunday morning.

Michelle Luehrs had known him since grade school.

"He was so full of life and energy and so passionate about so many things. And he cared so much about people," she said. Frazier was the godfather to her 7-year-old son, Xavier.

She remembered what he said when she tried to talk him out of extending his term with the Marines.

"He said, 'Michelle, there's a lot of really bad people over here and I can't go home while they're still here.' He didn't want Xavier to have to go over when he was 18. He felt like it was on his shoulders."

Aaron Mallin, 29, Frazier's older brother, said Josh was proud of the difference he was making in Iraq. He once told Mallin, for instance, that his unit was serving in what has been described as the most dangerous intersection in the world.

Since Frazier and his fellow Marines moved in, he told Mallin, people could once again cross the street without being killed.

"And he was very proud of that," Mallin said.

Dad Rick Frazier said his son's strong will was what made him unique.

"That helped him get through life. He worked very hard at being an individual. But I think the most important thing I can say about my son was that he loved his family and we'll sorely miss that part of him," he said.

"He believed in the United States and believed what he was doing was right. He gave his life for what he thought was the right thing to do."

Nuclear Officials Seek Approval for Warhead - washingtonpost.com

Nuclear Officials Seek Approval for Warhead - washingtonpost.com

Nuclear Officials Seek Approval for Warhead
Design Would Require No Live Testing

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 7, 2007; A06



Officials of the National Nuclear Security Administration, which runs the nuclear weapons complex, said yesterday that they hope to receive administration and congressional authorization by the end of 2008 for the development and production of a warhead that could be deployed on submarine-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The NNSA requested $88 million in the fiscal 2008 Energy Department budget -- up from $27 million this year -- to complete detailed planning with the Navy based on a design produced in December by the nation's two nuclear weapons laboratories. The new funds would support design concept testing and could lead to production of the warhead for the Navy's D5 missile, 24 of which are carried on each U.S. Trident submarine.

A key aspect of the Reliable Replacement Warhead program is that the warhead could be certified to enter the U.S. nuclear stockpile without testing, acting NNSA Administrator Thomas D'Agostino and other officials said during a session with reporters.

U.S. moves to develop a new warhead come as the Bush administration is attempting to stop Iran and North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and trying to keep other countries, such as India and Pakistan, from expanding their stockpiles.

Last month, former secretaries of state Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz, former defense secretary William Perry and former senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) called for the Bush administration to take the leadership in reversing reliance on nuclear weapons as a step toward preventing proliferation. In a Jan. 6 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, the four called for ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, taking nuclear weapons off alert, further reducing the number of nuclear forces and halting production of fissile materials.

Hans M. Kristensen, director of the Federation of American Scientists' nuclear information project, said yesterday that as a result of the op-ed piece, "There are a lot of new groups in Washington looking at what really low numbers [of U.S. warheads] would look like."

Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, said yesterday that she would hold a hearing next month on the RRW program to review the new design and to determine if it meets military needs and whether it would lead to a smaller and more reliable stockpile with no testing, a smaller nuclear production complex and increased dismantling of older warheads.

"There are significant questions in Congress about how all this holds together," Tauscher said.

The NNSA officials said that in the past, the nuclear weapons labs held underground nuclear tests at this stage in the development of a new warhead. But they said the new designs, by the Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, could be certified without testing. Meanwhile, there needs to be detailed planning with the Navy before the NNSA could proceed to the engineering phase.

The warhead is being built to fit into the Mark V reentry vehicle used on the D5, which is commonly known as the Trident II missile. The joint decision last year by the Energy and Defense departments was to try to come up with a warhead that could be used on Navy and Air Force missiles.

NNSA officials said yesterday that production of the new warhead would allow for the Bush administration's plan to reduce the number of deployed nuclear warheads from about 6,000 today to between 1,700 and 2,200 by 2012, and also to lower the number in ready reserve. Critics of the Bush plan, which was set out in the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review, have claimed that far fewer numbers of nuclear warheads will be needed in the future because of the accuracy of precision-guided conventional weapons.

Iran’s leader warns U.S. against attack

Iran’s leader warns U.S. against attack

Iran’s leader warns U.S. against attack

Khamenei says Iran prepared to strike American interests around the world
The Associated Press
Updated: 7:40 a.m. ET Feb 8, 2007

TEHRAN, Iran - If the United States were to attack Iran, the country would respond by striking U.S. interests all over the world, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday.

Speaking to a gathering of Iranian air force commanders, Khamenei said: “The enemy knows well that any invasion would be followed by a comprehensive reaction to the invaders and their interests all over the world.”

Iranian leaders often speak of a crushing response to any attack. While the remarks are seen as an attempt to drum up national support, Iran’s position on Iraq and its nuclear program have provoked more than usual international pressure in recent months.

President Bush has ordered American troops to act against Iranians suspected of being involved in the Iraqi insurgency and has deployed a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf area as a warning to Iran. The U.N. Security Council has imposed sanctions because of Iran’s refusal to cease uranium enrichment.

“Some people say that the U.S. president is not prone to calculating the consequences of his actions,” Khamenei said in remarks broadcast on state television, “but it is possible to bring this kind of person to wisdom.

“U.S. policymakers and analysts know that the Iranian nation would not let an invasion go without a response,” Khamenei added.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17042605/