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The Journal of South Asian Non-Proliferation March, 2008 Editorial Staff
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The Journal of South Asian
Non-Proliferation is an online compendium of non-proliferation related
publications.
It is a periodic compilation of news, official statements, and expert analyses
related to South Asian non-proliferation issues.
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Supporting worldwide understanding of South Asian non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament issues. The Journal of South Asian
Non-Proliferation CONTENTSNUCLEAR
RELATED ISSUES MISSILE RELATED
ISSUES Missile Intercept Of U.S. Satellite Highlights Space
Policy Issues India's Sagarika missile to be tested soon off Orissa Russia
concerned over Iran's work to develop long-range missile Laying the Foundations for Multilateral Disarmament Iran Opens Space Center, Launches Rocket SUMMARIES
IAEA
Says Progress On Iran But Cleric Tells Security Council To Butt Out Vienna (AFP) Feb 22, 2008 - The UN atomic
watchdog said Friday it had made "quite good progress" in its
long-running investigation into Iran's disputed nuclear drive, but was still
not in a position to offer a verdict on Tehran's nuclear ambitions. In a
confidential new report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
complained that Iran was continuing to defy UN demands to halt uranium
enrichment. Furthermore, it had started developing faster and more efficient
centrifuges to produce enriched uranium, which can be used to make the
fissile material for a bomb. Gates to seek
bipartisan support in India for Nuke deal - February 25, 2008 - New
Delhi (PTI): US Defence Secretary Robert Gates is likely to push for a
bipartisan support for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal during his crucial
meeting with BJP strongman L K Advani here on Wednesday. Advani, who is the
leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is the only prominent opposition
leader that the US Defence Secretary would be meeting during his two-day
visit here beginning on Tuesday. The one-on-one meeting is seen here as a
fresh bid by Washington to shore up support for the civil nuclear agreement
as Washington feels time is running out. BJP is opposing the nuclear deal in
its current form and has sought re-negotiations. Iran can't
shake the sanctions shackle –
February 26 2008 - The United States' push for a new round of United Nations
sanctions on Iran has met a formidable obstacle in the form of a new Iran
report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and it is clear by
now that the sooner the UN Security Council washes its hands of the Iran
nuclear dossier, the better. The report by the director general of the IAEA,
Mohammad ElBaradei, has been hailed by Iran as a "victory" since it
confirms the satisfactory resolution of all the thorny "outstanding
questions", including those on procurement activities, sources of
contamination, Polonium-210, Gechine Mine, etc - "the one major
exception" being "alleged weaponization studies". India
and IAEA begin next round of nuclear talks - Vienna - 5 Feb 2008 - Nuclear negotiators from India resumed talks
with officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna
Monday, discussing India-specific nuclear safeguards, IAEA officials said.
The talks, that had been going on since November have so far failed to reach
agreement, adding pressure on the US-Indo nuclear deal. A key point was a
failure to agree on a guarantee for uninterrupted fuel supply by the IAEA and
giving India the right for corrective measures in case of disruption.
Negotiations are expected to continue until the end of the week, with hopes
diminishing that a deal will be approved by the IAEA's 35- nation Board of
Governors which meets next week. In this case, India would miss a US May
deadline. Nuclear
Renaissance and Non-Proliferation – February 19 2008 While the world consumption of
electricity rises, the share of total electricity produced by nuclear power
plants worldwide will, until 2030, likely remain at its present level of
about 15 percent, given the time it takes to build new reactors and the
number of aging reactors that will be decommissioned. Yet, as competition for
oil and gas supplies increase over the next two decades, more countries will
need to meet their electricity needs through alternative means. While not a
panacea, nuclear energy can be part of the solution. It is important to
ensure that future nuclear expansion is as safe and secure as possible, and
now is the time to put stronger barriers to proliferation in place, says
Pierre Goldschmidt, former deputy director general of the IAEA Russia,
India initial deal to build 4 more reactors for NPP - February 12 2008 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and India
initialed an agreement Tuesday to construct another four reactors for the
Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern India, Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Alexander Zhukov said. "An agreement to build additional
reactors for the Kundankulam NPP has been initialed. The first two reactors
are being completed," said Zhukov, part of a delegation accompanying
Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov on a visit to India designed to boost
bilateral trade and investment. Atomstroyexport, Russia's nuclear power
equipment and service export monopoly, has been building two reactors for the
Kudankulam plant in the southern province of Tamil Nadu since 2002 in line
with a 1988 deal between India and the then Soviet Union and an addendum
signed ten years later. Russia will supply nuclear fuel for the reactors and
re-export the spent fuel.
Iran
plans to launch two more rockets into space - Feb 11,2008 - Iran is
to launch two more rockets into space in the next few months, President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Monday, after a firing of a rocket earlier
this month sparked international concern. "Two other rockets will be
launched so that we can then send a satellite into space," Ahmadinejad
said at a rally in Tehran broadcast live on state television. "We home
that Iran's first home-produced satellite will be launched in the
summer," he added, reiterating a prediction made by other Iranian
officials who said the satellite would be launched in May. On February 4, Iran fired a rocket
into space to mark the opening of its first space centre, triggering swift
condemnation from the United States amid continued tensions over the Iranian
nuclear drive. Missile
Intercept Of U.S. Satellite Highlights Space Policy Issues - Feb. 21, 2008 — The targeting by missile of
a failed U.S. intelligence-gathering spacecraft now orbiting Earth spotlights
a number of associated policy issues, from dealing with the growing problem
of orbital debris and the need to establish space traffic control measures,
to defusing concerns over the weaponization of space. Officials at the Secure
World Foundation have flagged the missile strike of the rogue spacecraft as a
reminder of the need to preserve and protect the global commons of space for
the benefit of all nations. IndiaÕs
Sagarika missile to be tested soon off Orissa – February 19
2008 NEW DELHI: India is all set to improve its capability to respond to a
nuclear attack with the first-ever test of Sagarika, an under-sea missile,
and the second test of a 3,000-km variant of the surface-to-surface Agni
missile, a senior defence scientist said here on Monday. Sagarika would soon
be test-fired from a submerged platform off the coast of Orissa. The second
test of the land-based Agni-III missile would be conducted as soon as the
weather clears up, said Chief Controller of the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO) S. Prahlada. Sagarika, under development for
at least 16 years and acknowledged by the government only for the last 10
years, would complete the triad — land, air and sea — of the
countryÕs nuclear deterrence. IndiaÕs nuclear doctrine eschews a first strike
and assures that it will retaliate only after a nuclear attack. Russia concerned over
Iran's work to develop long-range missile - February 6 2008, MOSCOW, February 6
(RIA Novosti) - Russia is concerned over Iran's attempts to develop a
long-range ballistic missile following the recent launch of a research rocket
into space, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday. "Any progress
in the development of this [long-range ballistic missile] weaponry, certainly
worries us and others," said Alexander Losyukov, a Russian deputy
foreign minister. Tehran successfully tested on Monday the Explorer-1
research rocket, which is reportedly capable of carrying a satellite into
orbit. Iranian media gave no details about the rocket, but some experts
believe it could be an advanced variant of the Shahab-3 ballistic missile,
which has a range of up to 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles). Laying
the Foundations for Multilateral Disarmament - February 5, 2008 - Speech by Des Browne to the Conference on
Nuclear Disarmament, February 5, 2008 - I know it is rare for a Defence
Minister to address a conference on disarmament. That is precisely why I
wanted to come here today. I want the fact that the British Secretary of
State for Defence is addressing this Conference to send a strong message
about the priority we give to our disarmament commitments. These are
commitments not just theoretical obligations. They are priorities against
which we have made real progress since we came to power in 1997. The UK has a
vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and, in partnership with everyone
who shares that ambition, we intend to make further progress towards this
vision in the coming years. Iran Opens Space Center, Launches Rocket - TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Feb 4, 2008 - Iran launched a research rocket and unveiled its first major space center, state television reported Monday, the latest steps in a program many fear may be cover for further development of its military ballistic missiles. State television showed live images of the event, with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad issuing the launch order. Iran has long declared a goal of developing a space program, but the same technology used to put satellites in space can also be used to deliver warheads. The country's space program, like its nuclear power program, has provoked unease abroad. "It is just another troubling development," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "And, of course, the U.N. Security Council and other members of the international system have expressed their deep concern about Iran's continuing development of medium- and long-range ballistic missiles." Iranian officials have said they are developing a Shahab-4 missile to launch a satellite. Iran's powerful ballistic missile, the Shahab-3, is believed to have a range of at least 800 miles, putting Israel and much of the Middle East in range. In November, Iran said it had manufactured a new missile, the Ashoura, with a range of 1,200 miles.
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