Nonproliferation News - October 2, 2009

FISSILE MATERIAL
Q+A: What's behind Geneva agreement on Iran's enriched uranium?
Reuters by Louis Charbonneau

Inspectors Prepare to Visit Qom Facility
WSJ by David Crawford and Joe Lauria

Obama agrees to keep Israel's nukes secret
Washington Times by Eli Lake

GOP memo spells out demands on START talks with Russia
The Cable (Foreign Policy) by Josh Rogin 

EAST ASIA
1. US targets banks in effort to restart NKorea talks
AP by Foster Klug
The Obama administration's push to settle a tense nuclear standoff with North Korea is being spearheaded not by soldiers on a battlefield or big-name diplomats but by government officials knocking on the doors of banks throughout Asia.

2. North vows not to give up its nuclear weapons
JoongAng Daily
North Korea vowed Wednesday not to be bound by the latest United Nations resolution on non-proliferation and disarmament, saying it will never give up its nuclear weapons under any circumstance.

3. North Korea reverts to form
Asia Times by Donald Kirk
The brief honeymoon of mysterious moves toward reconciliation between North and South Korea appears to be nearing an end.

MIDDLE EAST
4. Iran, world powers agree to further nuclear talks
AP by George Jahn
Iran and six world powers put nuclear talks back on track at a landmark session that included the highest-level bilateral contact with the U.S. in years. The meeting ended with a pledge to meet again this month, but disputes surfacing shortly after its conclusion indicated a rough road to agreement ahead.

5. Iran Agrees to Transfer Uranium Abroad
WSJ by Marc Champion and Jay Solomon
Iran agreed to transfer the bulk of its known nuclear fuel to other countries to enrich it, Western officials said. The officials said the surprise move could temporarily reduce Tehran's potential to make bombs, but analysts cautioned that the Iranians merely may be seeking to defuse pressure for sanctions while continuing their nuclear program.

6. Inspectors Prepare to Visit Qom Facility
WSJ by David Crawford and Joe Lauria
Iran's agreement to permit inspectors to examine its recently disclosed uranium-enrichment facility could clear the way for the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, to dispatch a team within two weeks if no obstacles arise.

7. Q+A: What's behind Geneva agreement on Iran's enriched uranium?
Reuters by Louis Charbonneau
Iran has agreed 'in principle' to a deal that would move most of its enriched uranium out of the country. Western officials say this would ease tensions in the Middle East caused by fears Tehran wants a nuclear weapon.

8. US bill targets companies selling gasoline to Iran
AFP
The US House of Representatives approved legislation that would sanction foreign companies that sell gasoline to Iran, as talks on the country's nuclear program were underway in Geneva.

9. SNAP ANALYSIS - Limited Geneva deal wins Iran sanctions respite
Reuters by Mark Heinrich
Iran struck preliminary deals with world powers on Thursday to start easing a protracted standoff over suspicions it secretly seeks nuclear weapons, winning itself a reprieve from tougher sanctions in the near future.

10. Paths on Iran Start to Take Shape
WSJ
Iran, it appears, was more cooperative than many expected in its much-anticipated talks with the U.S. and others about its nuclear program.

11. Obama agrees to keep Israel's nukes secret
Washington Times by Eli Lake
President Obama has reaffirmed a 4-decade-old secret understanding that has allowed Israel to keep a nuclear arsenal without opening it to international inspections, three officials familiar with the understanding said.

SOUTH ASIA
12. India's N-submarine undermines strategic stability: Pakistan
Times of India by PTI
Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday said that the recent launch of a nuclear-powered submarine by India has undermined strategic stability in the region.

RUSSIA/FSU
13. GOP memo spells out demands on START talks with Russia
The Cable (Foreign Policy) by Josh Rogin 
As the Obama administration negotiates with Russia over a new nuclear arms reduction treaty, Senate Republicans are already planning their strategy to demand maximum concessions in exchange for their potential support.

EUROPE
14. Poland, Czech Republic May Get Roles in Missile Defense
Washington Post by Walter Pincus
Poland and the Czech Republic are being offered roles in the Obama administration's new plan to defend Europe against Iran's development and deployment of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, senior administration officials told Congress on Thursday.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
15. This Means War
Slate by Christopher Beam
Iran pledged on Thursday to allow nuclear inspectors into its newly disclosed uranium enrichment facility near the city of Qom. The Iranians insist the plant was constructed for peaceful purposes; the United States and its allies have accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons. How can inspectors tell whether a site is being used for good or evil?

MISCELLANEOUS
16. U.S. Sea-Based Missiles Seen as "Core" Nukes, Maybe at ICBM Expense
GSN by Elaine M. Grossman
The U.S. Navy's nuclear-armed missiles are likely to remain the "core" of the nation's deterrent force when the results of a major review are unveiled at year's end, a senior Defense Department official said in an interview (see GSN, Sept. 22).

OPINION
17. October surprise in US-Iran relations
Asia Times by Kaveh L. Afrasiabi
Defying the onslaught of pessimistic predictions, the Geneva meeting on Thursday of Iran and the "Iran Six" nations did not end in failure, given the recent revelations of a second Iranian uranium-enrichment plant.

18. The top ten things you didn't know about Iran
Salon by Juan Cole
Although Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had earlier attempted to put the nuclear issue off the bargaining table, this rhetorical flourish was a mere opening gambit and nuclear issues will certainly dominate the talks. But on this occasion, I thought I'd take the opportunity to list some things that people tend to think they know about Iran, but for which the evidence is shaky.

19. Springtime for Mullahs
WSJ
Negotiations helped save Ahmadinejad who was struggling politically at a surprisingly modest cost.

20. Obama's French Lesson
Washington Post by Charles Krauthammer
When France chides you for appeasement, you know you're scraping bottom. Just how low we've sunk was demonstrated by the Obama administration's satisfaction when Russia's president said of Iran, after meeting President Obama at the United Nations, that "sanctions are seldom productive, but they are sometimes inevitable."

21. Leaving Israel With No Choice?
Washington Post by Michael Gerson
But for several months, high-ranking Israeli officials have been telling American visitors that buying time may be worth it. In the end, it is American leaders who can talk Israeli leaders off the ledge of military confrontation. This is possible only if Israelis trust American goodwill, competence and strength of purpose.

22. Beauty of nukes is in the eye of the beholder
The Star by Jim Hoagland
U.S. President Barack Obama's dream of a world without nuclear weapons seems more like a nightmare to Russia and other nations that also possess doomsday arms. Obama is pushing on a door that is closed, barred from inside and locked with a key that has been thrown away, as far as the Kremlin is concerned.