Nonproliferation News - September 29, 2009

FISSILE MATERIAL
How to Press the Advantage With Iran
NYT by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

Geneva talks on Iran may fizzle, more sanctions loom
Reuters by Louis Charbonneau and Mark Heinrich

Nuclear Debate Brews: Is Iran Designing Warheads?
NYT by William J. Broad, Mark Mazzetti, and David E. Sanger

U.S., Allies Seek New Ways to Sanction Iran
WSJ by Joe Lauria, Jay Solomon, and Farnaz Fassihi

EAST ASIA
1. No decision yet on bilateral talks with N. Korea: State Dept. 
Yonhap News by Hwang Doo.hyong
The United States said Monday it has not yet made a decision on whether to have bilateral talks with North Korea to woo the North back to six-party talks on ending its nuclear ambitions.

2. Light-water reactors not part of grand bargain for N. Korea: Seoul 
Yonhap News
South Korea ruled out the construction of light-water reactors Sunday as part of a "grand bargain" that President Lee Myung-bak had recently proposed to press North Korea to abandon its nuclear arms programs.

3. Nkorea promises UN to combat nuclear proliferation
Reuters
North Korea's atomic weapons were for deterrent purposes only and will be handled "in a responsible manner" to ensure there was no nuclear proliferation, a senior official said on Monday.

4. US must change Pyongyang policy: NKorean diplomat
AFP
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Park Gil Yon told the UN General Assembly Monday that the key to a nuclear-free Korean peninsula was whether Washington was prepared to change its nuclear policy toward Pyongyang.

5. North Korea says strives for nuclear-free peninsula
Reuters
North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons if its national sovereignty were respected and it did not face a nuclear threat, the country's ambassador to Britain said Monday.

MIDDLE EAST
6. Geneva talks on Iran may fizzle, more sanctions loom
Reuters by Louis Charbonneau and Mark Heinrich
World powers will bank on last week's revelation of a second uranium enrichment plant in Iran for leverage in pushing Iran for nuclear restraint and transparency in rare talks in Geneva set for Thursday.

7. Nuclear Debate Brews: Is Iran Designing Warheads?
NYT by William J. Broad, Mark Mazzetti, and David E. Sanger
When President Obama stood last week with the leaders of Britain and France to denounce Iran’s construction of a secret nuclear plant, the Western powers all appeared to be on the same page.

8. Iran tests longest range missiles
BBC News
Iran has successfully test-fired some of the longest range missiles in its arsenal, state media say.

9. Iran soon to set time for atom plant inspection
Reuters by Parisa Hafezi and Fredrik Dahl
Iran said it would set a date soon for international inspection of a newly declared nuclear installation, but warned on Tuesday it may curb cooperation if Western powers repeated "past mistakes" at talks this week.

10. U.S., Allies Seek New Ways to Sanction Iran
WSJ by Joe Lauria, Jay Solomon, and Farnaz Fassihi
The Obama administration and its Western allies are looking at new ways to constrict Iran's energy, transportation and financial sectors in the wake of last week's revelation that Tehran had secretly developed a second nuclear-fuel facility.

11. US ramps up pressure on Iran, Russia concerned on missiles
AFP by Stephen Collinson
The United States piled pressure on Iran Monday ahead of key nuclear talks, demanding full access to Tehran's newly revealed uranium plant and denouncing "provocative" new missile tests.

12. West to seek objective guarantees from Iran: Solana
Reuters
World powers will seek guarantees from Iran that its nuclear programme is peaceful, but this is unlikely to be an easy task, Europe's top diplomat said on Tuesday ahead of talks with Iran.

13. Israel Pushes Harder Line On Iran Nuclear Ambitions
NPR by Peter Kenyon
Iran announced Monday that it tested missiles with a range of 800 to 1,200 miles, putting Israeli cities and U.S. military bases in the region within striking distance. The reported tests of the Shahab-3 and Sajjil missiles came just days after the disclosure of another Iranian uranium-enrichment plant.

SOUTH ASIA
14. Nuclear weapons: To test or not to test?
UPI by M.D. Nalapat
At precisely the moment that U.S. President Barack Obama is returning to the road travelled by Bill Clinton – trying to "persuade" India that nuclear weapons would make the country less, rather than more, secure – top scientists within the country have stated publicly that India’s 1998 nuclear test was a dud, and that the declared yields were false.

15. India and Nuclear Iran: Time to focus on the Gulf
Indian Express by C. Raja Mohan
At the end of G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasized India's "principled position" on Iran's controversial nuclear programme. Having been ambushed by the Iran question in his first term as PM, Dr Singh has been quick to lay down an early marker for Indian diplomacy.

RUSSIA/FSU
16. Warmer U.S.-Russia Relations May Yield Little in Action Toward Iran
NYT by Clifford J. Levy
The Kremlin has long responded to proposals for tougher sanctions against Iran with arms folded and a scowl. Last week, that attitude began softening, bringing the Obama administration closer to a diplomatic coup in its efforts to contain the Iranian nuclear program.

EUROPE

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
17. IAEA chief hails US, Russian move to cut n-weapons
AP
The International Atomic Energy Agency chief on Tuesday welcomed recent moves by the United States and Russia to resume talks on reducing their nuclear arsenals, saying it would contribute to efforts to rid the world of such weapons.

18. IAEA cautions countries to adhere to safety mechanisms
Press Trust of India
Global atomic watchdog IAEA today said Asia would see exponential growth in nuclear power sector and cautioned countries to adhere to safety mechanisms for ensuring non-proliferation of nuclear materials.

MISCELLANEOUS

OPINION
19. How to Press the Advantage With Iran
NYT by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett

INSTEAD of pushing the falsehood that sanctions will give America leverage in Iranian decision-making — a strategy that will end either in frustration or war — the administration should seek a strategic realignment with Iran as thoroughgoing as that effected by Nixon with China. This would require Washington to take steps, up front, to assure Tehran that rapprochement would serve Iran’s strategic needs.

20. Talking Iran Down The Nuclear Road
WSJ by Amir Taheri

The way the Obama administration portrays them, this week's talks between Iran and the so-called 5+1 group of nations represent a diplomatic breakthrough. Indeed they do—for Iran, that is.

21. A Big Card To Play in Iran
Washington Post by Anne Applebaum

Instead of pursuing additional sanctions, the Obama administration should focus on human rights violations in Iran to empower the democracy movement.  It would be more threatening to the regime than sanctions.

22. Obama Faces Reality on Iran, Middle East
US News and World Report by Kenneth T. Walsh
President Obama's disclosure that Iran has been building a secret uranium enrichment plant underscores a truism in foreign policy: Harsh reality trumps good intentions. Obama says the plant is further evidence of an Iranian nuclear weapons program, and he promises to push even harder for sanctions against the Tehran regime. Administration officials say that, at a special conference in Geneva Thursday, the Iranians will have another chance to prove that they are not building such weapons or to agree to stop such a program. But, with Iran having just completed more missile tests as a defiant gesture, few are expecting conciliation.

23. Disarmament: The Long Road of Nuclear Hurdles, Hopes and Hard Work
Baltimore Chronicle by Frida Berrigan
On the face of it, nuclear disarmament seems pretty straightforward—we have a bunch of things that we don’t need any more, and let’s get rid of them.  Even in the midst of Russia and the United States’ mutual commitment to “achieving a nuclear free world,” there are many hurdles ahead. The devil’s in the details.

24. How to Lose Friends and Amuse Your Enemies
Center for Defense Studies by Eric R. Sterner and David J. Trachtenberg
In less than a week’s time, the Obama administration gave in to Tehran’s demands, sawed off the limb that our East European allies had climbed onto on behalf of NATO, and signaled Moscow, Tehran, and North Korea that the United States will not stand up to their bullying tactics.  With that in mind, it’s not a good time to be America’s ally, while America’s enemies must be laughing themselves to sleep over outmaneuvering the United States on critical national security issues such as nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.