Nuclear Policy News – May 7, 2010

FISSILE MATERIAL
Head of Atomic Agency Asserts Right to Scrutinize Iran
NYT by William J. Broad and David E. Sanger

Too Much Mr. Nice Guy
NYT by R. Jame Woolsey

Obama Plans Revival of Russian Nuclear Deal
NYT by Peter Baker

Solving Tokyo's Nuclear Conundrum
WSJ by George Perkovich

EAST ASIA
1. China's embrace of North Korea's Kim irks neighbours
Reuters by Chris Buckley and Jack Kim
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il won a warm embrace from China on a visit this week that prompted an icy response from other regional powers who had hoped Beijing would help tame the isolated state.

2. S.Korea says no nuclear talks before warship probe ends
AFP
Efforts to restart talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament must wait until South Korea finds out who sank its warship near their disputed border, Seoul's foreign ministry said Thursday.

MIDDLE EAST
3. Head of Atomic Agency Asserts Right to Scrutinize Iran
NYT by William J. Broad and David E. Sanger
The new chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday rejected Iran’s claim that international inspectors have no right to ask questions about research Tehran has conducted into missile technology and warheads.

4. Nuclear watchdog urges united international pressure on Iran
Reuters
The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog called for concerted international pressure on Tehran which still refuses to clear up doubts about its nuclear program and cooperate fully with watchdog IAEA's inspections.

5. In unusual move, Iran's foreign minister invites U.N. Security Council to dinner
WP by Colum Lynch
In a highly unusual move, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki hosted a dinner Thursday for the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council, including a senior U.S. diplomat, at the Iranian mission's sumptuous Fifth Avenue townhouse in New York, according to Security Council diplomats.

6. US: Iran trying to buy time with Brazil mediation
Reuters
The Obama administration accused Iran on Wednesday of trying to buy time by accepting Brazil's offer to mediate in its nuclear standoff and said the United States would be undeterred in its push for new U.N. sanctions.

7. Iran 'risks nuclear race' - Biden
BBC
US Vice-President Joe Biden has warned that Iran's actions risk sparking a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

SOUTH ASIA

RUSSIA/FSU/EUROPE
8. Biden: US committed to missile defense in Europe
WP by Slobodan Lekic (AP)
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that Washington remains determined to deploy its planned anti-missile system in Europe to counter the danger of Iran's nuclear program and its long-range ballistic missiles.

9. Obama Plans Revival of Russian Nuclear Deal
NYT by Peter Baker
President Obama is preparing to revive a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Moscow that his predecessor shelved two years ago in protest of Russia’s war with Georgia, an American ally, administration officials said Thursday.

10. Gates to Brief Senate on New START Treaty
American Forces Press Service by Elaine Wilson
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to go to Capitol Hill today to brief the full Senate on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty that President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed last month, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters today.

MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL AND NONPROLIFERATION
11. Turkey urges more support for UN atomic watchdog
Xinhua
As the sole legitimate body to determine compliance with the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty ( NPT) regime, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is in need of more support and resources, Turkish Undersecretary of the Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu said on Thursday at the NPT Review Conference.

12. Egypt wants talks over nuclear-free Mideast zone
AFP
Egyptian Foreign Minister  Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Thursday that his government was in talks with the five veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council on proposals for a nuclear-free Middle East.

13. West Europeans target US nukes at treaty session
WP by Charles J. Hanley (AP)
Germany and other West European nations at the U.N. nonproliferation conference are calling for elimination of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons in Europe - "leftovers from the Cold War" - as a way to advance global arms control.

U.S. NUCLEAR WEAPONS STRATEGY AND POLICY
14. Faster dismantling of B53 at Pantex Plant: Sizable undertaking
Amarillo Globe-News
The Pantex Plant has developed a new process and special tooling to speed dismantlement of a minivan-sized nuclear weapons system that weighs more than 5 tons.

OPINIONS
15. Too Much Mr. Nice Guy
NYT by R. Jame Woolsey
There are three ways in which I believe recent decisions by the Obama administration are, unintentionally, actually fostering the proliferation of nuclear weapons rather than constraining them.

16. Solving Tokyo's Nuclear Conundrum
WSJ by George Perkovich
All but four countries in the world are meeting in New York this month at the quinquennial Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference to discuss the treaty's effectiveness. But one of the more interesting nuclear developments is not on the agenda: Japanese nuclear sales to India.

17. Advancing Europe’s Security
NYT by Joseph R. Biden Jr.
This week I will sit down with NATO ambassadors to advance the ongoing dialogue among the United States and its closest allies on the future of European security. I do so because the United States is firmly committed to the view that any decisions about Europe’s security must be made in close coordination with our European allies and partners. We will decide nothing about our European allies and partners without them.

18. If Any Treaty Should Be Ratified, This Is the One
Huffington Post by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Cal)
The ink on the nuclear arms treaty signed in Prague by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev was barely dry before some senators warned they may vote against ratification for reasons that in fact have nothing to do with the treaty. This makes no sense.

19. NPT talks: Why it's so hard for the UN to strengthen the treaty
CSM by Howard LaFranchi
When North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003, it paid no cost for its move – and then went on to declare itself a nuclear power by testing two nuclear weapons.