From the ABC

US signals abandonment of nuclear disarmament

The United States has signalled its apparent abandonment of the goal of nuclear disarmament "for the foreseeable future" as it embarked on a quest for a new generation of more reliable nuclear warheads.

Although the term "nuclear disarmament" quietly disappeared from the Bush administration's vocabulary long ago, the statement by Linton Brooks, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, marked the first time a top government official publicly acknowledged a goal enshrined in key international documents will no longer be pursued.

"The United States will, for the foreseeable future, need to retain both nuclear forces and the capabilities to sustain and modernise those forces," Mr Brooks stated on Friday as he addressed the East Tennessee Economic Council in the city of Oak Ridge, which is home to a major nuclear weapons complex.

"I do not see any chance of the political conditions for abolition arising in my lifetime, nor do I think abolition could be verified if it were negotiated."

The acknowledgment represents a departure from commitments given by previous US administrations to their negotiating partners and the international community at large. 

Gus is not surprised but appalled 

From Al Jazeera

Doubts dog US-India nuclear deal

By Jagpreet Luthra in New Delhi
Saturday 25 March 2006, 6:30 Makka Time, 3:30 GMT
The Indo-US civilian nuclear trade deal, signed during George Bush's visit to India earlier this month, continues to be dogged by criticism in both countries.

Under the agreement, first hammered out during the Indian prime minister's visit to the White House in July last year, the US will facilitate the transfer of nuclear technologies to India by lifting sanctions that were imposed when India first carried out nuclear tests in 1974 and again in 1998.

It will also facilitate the free flow of uranium for India's civilian nuclear-power programme.

In exchange, India, which has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT), will have to separate its estimated 22 military and civilian nuclear installations by 2014 and allow monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The deal is expected to boost India's nuclear energy supply from the present 3% to 25% by 2050.

Manmohan Singh told the Indian parliament in February he hoped for "new opportunities and possibilities for promoting (India's) energy security and pathways to accelerated social and economic development".

But many of India's nuclear scientists are apprehensive about the conditions stipulated in the deal and fear losing control of their nuclear programme.

Contradictions

"There are contradictions in the prime minister's statement (in parliament) and I have doubts about the basic assumptions and premises on which the deal is based," a leading Indian nuclear scientist AN Prasad told Aljazeera.net.

Prasad, former chief of the flagship nuclear science institute, Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC), believes the deal has made India "dependant" and "vulnerable", not strong and secure as claimed by the prime minister.

Singh has had to give long justifications about the deal in and outside parliament, not only to allay the concerns of the scientific community but also to silence his allies from leftist parties who comprise a 100-strong parliamentary bloc.

The left bloc believes that the deal was a quid pro quo for India's vote against Iran at the IAEA, which helped refer the Islamic Republic's nuclear programme to the UN Security Council.

Leftist MPs say the deal also marks a fundamental shift in India's position - from being a non-aligned country to becoming America's ally.

"Under Bush's leadership, America is dictating to India its foreign and economic policies ... which amount to an outrageous interference in our internal affairs," Communist Party of India leader D Raja told Aljazeera.net before Bush's visit.

Left slammed

Officials involved in the trade negotiations, however, dismiss the opposition.

"The left is pursuing its old policy of opposing any agreement with the US. It never supported India's nuclear programme but is now overanxious to protect it from IAEA inspections," Naresh Chandra, India's former ambassador to the US, said.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

From Al Jazeera

Iran pledges to maintain oil supply
Saturday 01 April 2006, 8:09 Makka Time, 5:09 GMT

Manouchehr Mottaki said: "We're not going to use energy as a political leverage."

However, Mottaki also said that Iran would not give up its right to develop nuclear energy for civilian use, which he said was enshrined in the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The recent decision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to pass Iran's nuclear dossier to the UN Security Council has raised fears that the world's fourth-largest oil exporter might retaliate by refusing to sell oil to the West.

read more at Al Jazeera...

From the Independent

True price of UK's nuclear legacy: £160bn
Fresh analysis shows mushrooming cost of clean-up

By Jason Nissé
Published: 02 April 2006
The true cost of cleaning up Britain's nuclear legacy is more than twice the £70bn figure given out by the radioactive clean-up body this week.

On Thursday, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the body set up to clean up the UK's nuclear sites, increased its estimate of how much it would need by £14bn to £70bn.

However, this giant figure is only around half of what will be required. It excludes decommissioning British Energy's seven nuclear power stations, the first of which is due to close in 2011, dealing with the Ministry of Defence's nuclear sites and the long-term storage of the waste. Adding those all in would bring the total cost to around £160bn.

read more at the Independent

From the ABC

Downer urges patience with Indonesia
The Foreign Affairs Minister says he expects to meet his Indonesian counterpart at some stage to further discuss the issue of Papuan asylum seekers.

The granting of temporary protection visas to 42 Papuans has strained ties between Australia and Indonesia, which has recalled its ambassador.

Last week, the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Michael L'Estrange travelled to Jakarta to try to ease Indonesia's concerns.

Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer has told ABC TV's Lateline the situation will improve if it is handled with patience.

"I don't think Australia rushing up to Jakarta, in the form of the Foreign Minister or the Prime Minister, and begging for forgiveness or whatever it might be perceived to be, is the right way for a dignified and significant country like ours to behave," he said.

read more at the ABC
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Gus is impressed by the mishy mushy diplomatic words... explaining things to a six year old kid as if the average voter's age, usually around fourteen had dropped by 8 points... Good grief... And this guy's has his hands on our levers... as dignified like a roundabout....