Martino
09-02-2004, 05:46 AM
S Korea in 'rogue' nuclear trials
The South Korean Government has admitted its scientists experimented secretly with nuclear fuel enrichment.
Experts say the technique used could have military implications, but a government official denied any intention to build a weapons programme.
A European based diplomat said the work was a violation of South Korea's international nuclear commitments.
The discovery could lead to calls for South Korea to be referred to the UN Security Council, like North Korea.
It is also likely to cause severe embarrassment to Seoul, and its key ally the US.
A team from the IAEA secretly rushed to South Korea last week, after the government revealed that the country had broken its commitments on nuclear proliferation.
Seoul made the admission under the terms of a tougher inspection regime that is just coming into effect.
A South Korean government official told the BBC that the research, which involved the use of lasers to enrich nuclear fuel, was not authorised by the government.
The official said it was a "rogue" operation which ended four years ago, and concerned the production of highly enriched uranium, which could be used for an atomic bomb.
The official said the research was for the domestic production of nuclear fuel for the country's civil programme.
However, according to analysts, there is no credible civilian use for the technique, which uses lasers to create weapons-grade uranium.
'Same as Iran'
South Korean officials said the government only found out about the experiments in the last few months, and were now investigating the scientists responsible.
A European-based diplomat said their actions were a clear violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and could put South Korea into the same category as Iran.
South Korea abandoned a nuclear weapons programme in the 1970s, under intense pressure from the United States.
It has since committed itself to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and has been at the forefront of efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its development of atomic bombs.
The finding is likely to cause deep embarrassment to the US, which regards Seoul as a close ally in its attempts to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3620566.stm
Embarrassing as, at the same time ...
US seeks UN action against Iran
The US wants the UN to impose sanctions on Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons programme, says Secretary of State Colin Powell.
He was speaking after a report by the UN nuclear agency said Iran planned to test a facility that could convert raw uranium into weapons-grade material.
Mr Powell said the US wanted the issue to be referred to the UN Security Council for action.
Tehran insists the only purpose of its nuclear programme is power generation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said Iran wants to turn 37 tonnes of raw "yellow cake" uranium into uranium hexafluoride which can be used to produce enriched uranium by spinning it in centrifuges.
This can in turn be used to generate power or for nuclear warheads, depending on the level of enrichment.
But the document said Iran did not appear to be operating or installing centrifuges.
Tehran welcomed the report, saying it was a positive step towards demonstrating the peaceful nature of its nuclear project.
But Colin Powell said the US would be urging the IAEA board in coming days to refer the report to the UN Security Council, which could impose economic, political or diplomatic sanctions against Iran.
"We still believe the Iranians are not 'fessing up to everything. They still have a programme that, in our judgement, is a nuclear programme designed to develop ultimately a nuclear weapon," he told reporters on a one-day trip to Panama.
But he acknowledged other board members of the IAEA - which include Germany, Britain and France - did not favour sanctions at this time.
"There are a number of countries I think that would say, 'No, let's not do it yet; let's take another look at it in November'. We think there's enough now to do it, but I obviously have to hear what others have to say," he said.
The IAEA board is next due to meet in November.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3620222.stm
This will be a good test to see whether Powell is genuinely concerned about countries violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, or whether he is just trying to childishly score points over an old adversary.
The South Korean Government has admitted its scientists experimented secretly with nuclear fuel enrichment.
Experts say the technique used could have military implications, but a government official denied any intention to build a weapons programme.
A European based diplomat said the work was a violation of South Korea's international nuclear commitments.
The discovery could lead to calls for South Korea to be referred to the UN Security Council, like North Korea.
It is also likely to cause severe embarrassment to Seoul, and its key ally the US.
A team from the IAEA secretly rushed to South Korea last week, after the government revealed that the country had broken its commitments on nuclear proliferation.
Seoul made the admission under the terms of a tougher inspection regime that is just coming into effect.
A South Korean government official told the BBC that the research, which involved the use of lasers to enrich nuclear fuel, was not authorised by the government.
The official said it was a "rogue" operation which ended four years ago, and concerned the production of highly enriched uranium, which could be used for an atomic bomb.
The official said the research was for the domestic production of nuclear fuel for the country's civil programme.
However, according to analysts, there is no credible civilian use for the technique, which uses lasers to create weapons-grade uranium.
'Same as Iran'
South Korean officials said the government only found out about the experiments in the last few months, and were now investigating the scientists responsible.
A European-based diplomat said their actions were a clear violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, and could put South Korea into the same category as Iran.
South Korea abandoned a nuclear weapons programme in the 1970s, under intense pressure from the United States.
It has since committed itself to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and has been at the forefront of efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its development of atomic bombs.
The finding is likely to cause deep embarrassment to the US, which regards Seoul as a close ally in its attempts to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3620566.stm
Embarrassing as, at the same time ...
US seeks UN action against Iran
The US wants the UN to impose sanctions on Iran over its alleged nuclear weapons programme, says Secretary of State Colin Powell.
He was speaking after a report by the UN nuclear agency said Iran planned to test a facility that could convert raw uranium into weapons-grade material.
Mr Powell said the US wanted the issue to be referred to the UN Security Council for action.
Tehran insists the only purpose of its nuclear programme is power generation.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said Iran wants to turn 37 tonnes of raw "yellow cake" uranium into uranium hexafluoride which can be used to produce enriched uranium by spinning it in centrifuges.
This can in turn be used to generate power or for nuclear warheads, depending on the level of enrichment.
But the document said Iran did not appear to be operating or installing centrifuges.
Tehran welcomed the report, saying it was a positive step towards demonstrating the peaceful nature of its nuclear project.
But Colin Powell said the US would be urging the IAEA board in coming days to refer the report to the UN Security Council, which could impose economic, political or diplomatic sanctions against Iran.
"We still believe the Iranians are not 'fessing up to everything. They still have a programme that, in our judgement, is a nuclear programme designed to develop ultimately a nuclear weapon," he told reporters on a one-day trip to Panama.
But he acknowledged other board members of the IAEA - which include Germany, Britain and France - did not favour sanctions at this time.
"There are a number of countries I think that would say, 'No, let's not do it yet; let's take another look at it in November'. We think there's enough now to do it, but I obviously have to hear what others have to say," he said.
The IAEA board is next due to meet in November.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3620222.stm
This will be a good test to see whether Powell is genuinely concerned about countries violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, or whether he is just trying to childishly score points over an old adversary.