Nonproliferation News - November 11, 2009

FISSILE MATERIAL
US presses diplomacy with NKorea despite skirmish
AP by Matthew Lee

U.S. missile defense may backfire if too robust: general
Reuters by Phil Stewart

U.S. Official Says IAEA Has Evidence Iran Sought Atomic Warhead
Bloomberg by Janine Zacharia

Is Russia playing both sides on Iran nukes?
CSM by Howard LaFranchi

EAST ASIA
1. US presses diplomacy with NKorea despite skirmish
AP by Matthew Lee
Amid rising tension between North and South Korea after a naval skirmish this week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday urged calm but said diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North would continue.

2. Clinton thanks China for pressing N. Korea for resumption of nuke talks 
Yonhap by Hwang Doo-hyong
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has expressed thanks to China for its efforts to join in international sanctions on North Korea to pressure the reclusive communist state to come out for talks after months of provocations.

3. U.S. missile defense may backfire if too robust: general
Reuters by Phil Stewart
A U.S. missile defense system that is too robust could actually backfire and become destabilizing, prompting countries like China to expand their nuclear arsenals, a U.S. general said on Tuesday.

MIDDLE EAST
4. U.S. Official Says IAEA Has Evidence Iran Sought Atomic Warhead
Bloomberg by Janine Zacharia
A U.S. arms-control official said today there is “strong evidence” Iran sought to develop the means to put a nuclear weapon on a missile prior to 2003 and perhaps afterward.

5. Israeli General Says Readying All Options on Iran
NYT by Reuters
Israel is readying all options to try to force Iran to halt its atomic program, Israel's top general told a parliamentary panel on Tuesday, an official said.

6. Israel's Peres says Brazil can help curb Iran
Reuters by Fernando Exman
Israeli President Shimon Peres has urged Brazil to use its growing voice on the international stage to help curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and support for militant Palestinian groups.

7. France says force not option for Iran
UPI
The French foreign minister Tuesday dismissed a military option to resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis, saying resorting to force would be catastrophic.

SOUTH ASIA

RUSSIA/FSU
8. Is Russia playing both sides on Iran nukes?
CSM by Howard LaFranchi
Much of the focus of the sanctions debate is falling on Russia, which has blown hot and cold on additional punitive measures on Iran over its nuclear program – but which is sounding open to the idea once again. The attention is reviving lingering questions about Russian assistance – either official or unauthorized – to Iran's nuclear program and weapons research.

EUROPE

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

MISCELLANEOUS

OPINION
9. Obama's Iran Diplomacy Isn't Working
WSJ by Con Coughlin
Five months after the first street protests against the sham re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rocked the regime to its core, it's time to assess the Obama Administration's "outstretched hand" policy. From the stalled nuclear talks to the Islamic Republic's deteriorating human-rights situation, it seems the mullahs have tightened, not unclenched, their fists.

10. ANALYSIS - Ahmadinejad serves up bitter-sweet world view
Reuters by Alistair Lyon
Building atom bombs is stupid. America must ditch Israel to gain friends in the Middle East. We need love and spirituality, not failed capitalist consumerism. The world according to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not without surprises. He expounds his views with rhetorical flourishes, jabs at his foes and occasional flashes of humour.