WMD 411 Chronology —  2004

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Produced by the Monterey Institute's Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Updated April 2006

KEY: [B] Biological, [C] Chemical, [M] Missile, [N] Nuclear, [O] Organization [T] Terrorism

Jan 1 2004 [N] For the 13th consecutive year, India and Pakistan exchange lists of their respective nuclear facilities as part of an agreement signed in 1988 and effective in 1991, that prohibits attacks on the cities where facilities are located.

Jan 4 2004 [N] The son of Libyan leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi admits that Libya spent $40 million dollars purchasing nuclear weapons plans from Pakistan. Other estimates amount to $100 million since the late 1990's in payment to Pakistani scientists by the Libyan government.

Jan 5 2004 [N] On track to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by 2012, Russia completes destruction of the first 10 metric tons of lewisite from the stockpile located at the Gorny chemical weapons disposal plant.

Jan 6 2004 [N] Libya ratifies the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. As of this date, 170 countries have signed the CTBT and 109 have ratified it, including 32 of the necessary 44 whose ratifications are necessary for the treaty to enter into force.

Jan 8 2004 [N] North Korea says that it will not assume a Libyan-style model to disarm its WMD programs in exchange for promises of improved international relations. In a statement made by the DPRK's Foreign Ministry to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, any expectations that it would follow Libya would be "a folly of imbeciles utterly ignorant of the DPRK's independent policy."

Jan 9 2004 [N] The United States and China sign a "statement of intent" designed to further joint efforts in the realm of nuclear nonproliferation. This includes strengthening export controls and international nuclear safeguards, and the physical protection of nuclear materials and facilities. This is a preliminary agreement between these two countries and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Jan 12 2004 [B] French authorities confirm that the January 6th arrest of Islamic militants with ties to Chechnya foiled a possible biological attack in France. The eight suspects were arrested near the French city of Lyon where an attack involving botulism or ricin was being prepared.

Jan 15 2004 [B] Troops from Denmark and Iceland uncover a cache of 36 mortar shells near the town of al-Quarnah in southern Iraq. The shells, believed to be leftover from the Iraq-Iran war of the 1980s, test negative for blister agents after much speculation that a positive result would be identified.

Jan 20 2004 [B] The British Royal Society, Britain's national academy of science, calls for the creation of a scientific advisory panel to the Biological Weapons Convention. The Royal Society contends that the BWC lacks this crucial element while the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is supported by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

Jan 21 2004 [N] The Associated Press reports that there is mounting concern among Western diplomats and international nuclear experts that Iran's continued efforts to acquire uranium enrichment centrifuges is in violation of its pledge to suspend all such nuclear-related
activities.

Jan 22 2004 [N] Libya surrenders to the International Atomic Energy Agency drawings of a device similar to a nuclear warhead. This is the first time that substantial proof of Libya's intention to develop nuclear weapons has been offered.

Jan 23 2004 [B] A team of top U.S. experts urge the U.S. Defense Department to establish a new agency to consolidate multiple biological defense programs. Current military efforts to advance treatments and vaccines for potential biological weapon attacks have "dismal prospects for successful results."

Jan 23 2004 [M] India conducts a test of its nuclear-capable, short-range ballistic missile from its Chandipur-on-Sea test site in eastern India. The Prithvi missile has a range of 300 kilometers.

Jan 23 2004 [N] Pakistani investigators identify Abdul Qadeer Khan and Mohammed Farooq as the two scientists who are believed to have aided Iran through unauthorized assistance to its nuclear weapons program in the late 1980s. A.Q. Khan is recognized as the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program while Mr. Farooq is a high-level manager at the A.Q. Khan Research Laboratories.

Jan 26 2004 [M] The United States conducts a successful test of its primary missile defense booster rocket, launching the rocket from the U.S. test facility on Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. The rocket, developed by Orbital Sciences Corp., was not intended to intercept a target.

Jan 26 2004 [N, O] IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei says in an interview by Erich Follath titled "Nuclear War is Getting Closer" that he believes facilities that produce weapons-grade material, such as highly enriched uranium or plutonium, should be placed under multinational control.

Jan 27 2004 [B, C] Former chief U.S weapons inspector David Kay says there is new evidence in the form of recovered documents that former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein secretly destroyed portions of biological and chemical weapons stockpiles during the mid-1990s.

Jan 28 2004 [M] North Korea offers ballistic missile technology assistance to Nigeria. According to the Nigerian government, the two countries agree to a "program of cooperation" in a meeting between Nigerian Vice President Atiku Abubakar and visiting DPRK Vice President Yang Hyong Sop.

Jan 29 2004 [N] Bush administration representatives tell the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that they support ratification of the Additional Protocol to the U.S. international safeguards agreement. This sends a message to non-nuclear weapon states (NNWS) that the protocol is vital to global nonproliferation efforts.

Jan 30 2004 [C] A Japanese court sentences the cult scientist Masami Tsuchiya of Aum Shinrikyo to death for his role in the 1995 sarin attack on a Tokyo subway. Tsuchiya was the second most important man in the cult, after the founder Shoko Asahara. The attack killed 12 people and injured thousands.

Feb 2 2004 [N] Abdul Qadeer Khan, the "father" of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program, signs a confession acknowledging that from 1989 through 1997 he provided Iran, Libya, and North Korea with the necessary designs and technology to fabricate uranium enrichment equipment.

Feb 4 2004 [B] Authorities investigate the discovery of powdered ricin in a suite of offices in the United States Senate office buildings. A number of tests determined the substance was indeed ricin; the results of the tests were described as "definitive."

Feb 5 2004 [N] Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf says that he will not provide the documents requested by international nuclear inspectors that are related to Pakistan's internal investigation of proliferation activities nor will he ever allow the United Nations to oversee his country's nuclear program.

Feb 5 2004 [N] Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf grants a full pardon to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan, founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, on grounds of his scientific contribution to the country. Khan had admitted sharing nuclear technology with other countries.

Feb 8 2004 [N] A project meant to destroy the plutonium from thousands of retired Russian and American nuclear weapons has been delayed due to deadlock on liability rules for American workers and contractors that would help build the necessary plant in Russia.

Feb 9 2004 [N] Investigators link companies or individuals in at least seven countries to an international nuclear black market believed to have been controlled by top Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. The countries confirmed to have been part of the smuggling network include Germany, Japan, Malaysia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates. The remaining two countries were not identified.

Feb 10 2004 [N] The United States says it shared information on nuclear proliferation activities by Pakistani scientists with Pakistan's government "over a long period of time" while rejecting accusations made by President Musharraf that the reports only started in October.

Feb 11 2004 [N] U.S. President George Bush proposes seven new international initiatives for restricting nuclear proliferation, including the possibly contentious initiative that would restrict the supply of nuclear fuel-making equipment to those states that already possess full-scale enrichment and reprocessing plants. Another initiative includes strengthening the laws and international controls that govern proliferation by all nations.

Feb 11 2004 [N, O] International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei calls for several new measures intended to strengthen nuclear nonproliferation efforts, saying that the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty "must be tailored to fit 21st-century realities." The measures would include treaty-based export controls to improve controls of nuclear materials.

Feb 12 2004 [N, O] International inspectors in Iran discover an undisclosed design for an enrichment centrifuge. This discovery raises questions about Tehran's November commitment to the IAEA that it would make its nuclear program completely transparent.

Feb 15 2004 [N] Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi says Iran intends to proceed with plans to enrich uranium for both domestic consumption and foreign sales in spite of the fact that it has currently suspended its uranium enrichment program.

Feb 15 2004 [N] Investigators determine that the nuclear weapons designs obtained by Libya, which included instructions for building an implosion-type nuclear bomb, originated in China.

Feb 17 2004 [N] Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf rejects the idea of allowing international inspectors to monitor Pakistani nuclear activities saying, "we are not hiding anything...what is the need of any inspection." This comes two weeks after Mr. Musharraf pardoned top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan for his role in transferring nuclear technology to Iran, Libya, and North Korea.

Feb 18 2004 [N] Russian President Vladimir Putin announces plans to develop new strategic weapons systems and a possible effort to develop a Russian missile defense system.

Feb 20 2004 [B] Researchers developing anthrax treatments at the University of Chicago report that an already available drug intended to treat hepatitis B, adefovir dipivoxil, can successfully block one of three toxins produced by the anthrax bacterium known as edema factor.

Feb 21 2004 [M] After two years of testing, Pakistan formally introduces into its military the nuclear-capable, short-range Hatf 3 Ghaznavi ballistic missile.

Feb 22 2004 [N] Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi acknowledges to the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran has covertly purchased components and materials for its nuclear program on the international nuclear black market. Asefi's announcement came just after the head of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council, Hassan Rohani, met with IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in Vienna.

Feb 24 2004 [N] Iran confirms that its voluntary suspension of uranium enrichment activities applies to all facilities in Iran.

Feb 25 2004 [N] International Atomic Energy Agency experts find evidence in Iran of indigenous production of a concentrated fuel that could be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has argued that any traces of highly enriched uranium must have come from materials and equipment contaminated prior to importation, but the report found fuel on parts that were Iranian made.

Feb 25 2004 [N] U.S. and North Korean officials meet privately in Beijing for talks on resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. The two and one-half hour meeting marks the longest and highest-level interaction between the United States and the DPRK since October 2002.

Feb 26 2004 [N] Russian Foreign Secretary Alexander Losyukov indicates that after the second day of multinational talks with North Korea, some consensus has been reached in Beijing. He indicates that Russia, China, and South Korea have agreed to offer the DPRK aid in return for freezing its nuclear program.
 

Feb 27 2004 [C] A Japanese court sentences Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Shoko Asahara to death by hanging for his orchestration of the 1995 sarin attack on a Tokyo subway. He is also found guilty of ordering Aum members to produce and stockpile arsenals of chemical and conventional weapons.

March 2 2004 [N] India plans to increase security at nuclear facilities in light of recently exposed transfers of nuclear components and know-how from Pakistan to Iran, Libya, and North Korea. Increased measures will include electrified fencing, armed guards, and highly sensitive detectors.

March 3 2004 [C] North Korea's highest ranking scientist admits after defecting to Seoul two years ago, that Pyongyang has tested chemical weapons on human subjects. He witnessed such testing on two political prisoners in 1979.

March 3 2004 [B] The U.S. Post Office reports that there have been more than 20,000 cases of suspicious powder found in parcels and letters since the 2001 anthrax attacks with the great majority of these cases proving to be false alarms. Some of the substitute substances have been dust, talc, and even powdered alfredo sauce, pudding mix, and ground lentils.

March 4 2004 [N] The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee votes unanimously to approve a resolution ratifying the Additional Protocol to the nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

March 5 2004 [C, O] Libya formally discloses that it has produced and stored some 23 tons of lethal mustard gas and has turned over to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) more than a dozen folders containing details of its illicit chemical weapons program.

March 8 2004 [N, O] The United States urges its European allies in the International Atomic Energy Agency to denounce Iran for its work on an advanced centrifuge design capable of producing highly enriched uranium for use in atomic weapons.

March 8 2004 [N, O] IAEA Director General ElBaradei updates the 35-member Board of Governors with his statement concerning the nuclear programs in Iran and Libya as well as other work linked to areas of nuclear nonproliferation and safeguards.

March 9 2004 [N] Russian President Vladimir Putin dismantles the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry and reassigns its activities to other cabinet-level ministries as part of a widespread government reorganization. This change triggers some concerns about effects on U.S.-Russian nonproliferation efforts conducted through the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program.

March 13 2004 [N] The IAEA Board adopts a resolution expressing serious concern that Iran failed to disclose information about all of its enrichment technology, including a more sophisticated centrifuge design than it had disclosed in October 2003, and the source of HEU contamination in the country. The Board calls on Iran to take necessary steps to resolve all outstanding issues, including the HEU contamination at the Kalaye Electric Company, the nature of Iran's laser isotope enrichment research, and its experiments on the production of polonium-210.

March 15 2004 [N, O] Iran reverses its decision to deny entry to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and now agrees to allow a visit later this month.

March 15 2004 [N] The Bush administration announces that Libya paid $100 million for nuclear technology from an international smuggling network created by Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan. This estimate exceeds earlier estimates that Libya paid less than $50 million for this technology, equipment, and know-how.

March 16 2004 [O] Hans Blix, former chief UN weapons inspector and former executive chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), announces that the war in Iraq could have been avoided if evidence of weapons of mass destruction had been more critically examined, if inspections had continued, or if Iraq had more willingly cooperated with the United States.

March 18 2004 [C, B] The U.S. Commerce Department amends export control regulations to reflect decisions made last year by the Australia Group regarding its chemical and biological control list.

March 21 2004 [N] Al-Qaeda's second highest ranking official Ayman al-Zawahri claims to have obtained nuclear weapons in Central Asia in the form of "smart briefcase bombs." Experts agree it is unlikely, although not impossible that al-Qaeda has a nuclear weapon. It is more probable that the organization could develop a "dirty bomb," which combines radioactive materials and conventional explosives.

March 22 2004 [N] Atomic energy officials announce that two cases of uranium were discovered earlier this month in Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The two cases contained less than 100 kilograms of uranium-235 and -238; these amounts are not sufficient for production of a nuclear weapon.

March 25 2004 [C] The Anniston Army Depot in Alabama completes the destruction of half of its stockpile. It has dismantled more than 21,300 M55 rockets filled with GB or nerve agent, otherwise known as sarin.

March 25 2004 Libyan Leader Col. Muammar Qadhafi and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agree to increase cooperation in the war on terrorism, including exchanging information on al-Qaeda.

March 27 2004 [N, O] Pakistan's ambassador to the United States pledges to cooperate to some degree with an IAEA investigation of Iran's nuclear program after rejecting a request to allow agency experts to inspect Pakistan's own nuclear facilities. The purpose of the inspections is to get environmental samples that could help verify Iranian claims that traces of highly enriched uranium (HEU) found in Iran came from Pakistan.

March 31 2004 [N, O] The U.S. Senate unanimously approves a resolution ratifying the Additional Protocol to the U.S. nuclear safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

March 31 2004 [N] Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton testifies that despite the recent confession of Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan about his involvement in nuclear weapons technology transfers to Iran, Libya and North Korea, top-level Pakistani government officials were not complicit in the proliferation. He states that government officials did not approve Khan's activities and therefore no U.S. sanctions are to be imposed.

April 5 2004 [N, O] IAEA nuclear inspectors are blocked from performing a thorough inspection of a uranium enrichment facility that is under construction near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Walls have been erected and equipment shrouded while Brazilian officials at headquarters in Vienna say the facility will only produce low-enriched uranium for power plants, not weapon-grade material.

April 6 2004 [N, O] In a meeting with the IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei in Tehran, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, promises to suspend the manufacturing and assembly of centrifuges and other nuclear components.

April 6 2004 [N, O] Top Brazilian nuclear scientist Luis Pinguelli Rosa says that Brazil has the right to keep its "technical solutions" confidential and should not have to submit to further international inspections of its uranium enrichment technology. "Technical solutions" refers to technology related to an uranium centrifuge, technology that Mr. Rosa says was developed in Brazil and should be exempt from inspection by the IAEA.

April 7 2004 [N, O] Iran announces that it will commence work beginning in June on a heavy water reactor in Arak; the reactor is to be used to produce weapon-grade plutonium. This comes just one day after Iran pledges to suspend production of uranium enrichment machinery.

April 7 2004 [N, O] The IAEA begins another round of inspections in Iran. The IAEA inspectors will try to determine if Iran has terminated all suspicious activities including the recently announced construction of uranium enrichment centrifuges.

April 12 2004 [N] Abdul Qadeer Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist who has admitted transferring nuclear weapons technology to several countries, tells interrogators that while on a trip to North Korea five years ago, he was shown what he describes as three nuclear devices in a secret underground nuclear plant. American intelligence officials note that this estimate agrees with previous U.S. Central Intelligence Agency estimates that North Korea has one or two nuclear weapons and the capability to produce more.

April 13 2004 [B] A plan by Palestinian extremists to detonate a bomb carrying HIV-infected blood during the Passover holiday celebration in Tel Aviv is foiled when one of the members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is arrested in the city of Nablus.

April 16 2004 [C] Suspected terrorists in Jordan are arrested before their planned attack with a chemical bomb and poison gas could take place. The foiled attack targeted the U.S. Embassy in Amman, and other foreign diplomatic missions, the Jordanian prime minister's office, as well as intelligence facilities and civilian targets. The chemical bomb attack could have killed up to 20,000 people according to Jordanian officials.

April 21 2004 [N] Mordechai Vanunu, a former technician at Israel's Dimona nuclear plant who revealed the existence of Israel's nuclear weapons program is released. At the same time, Israeli security services seize confidential information found in notebooks and letters in Vanunu's cell regarding Israel's clandestine nuclear program.

April 22 2004 [N] Japan and Singapore sign a bilateral agreement intended to stop nuclear weapons-related materials from being transferred from those nations to "countries of concern." North Korea's nuclear program and allegations that Pyongyang is trafficking heroin and other illegal drugs to fund those efforts have become major issues for Japan, according to Atsuo Shibota, an official from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

April 23 2004 [B, C, N] The United States lifts most economic sanctions imposed on Libya in recognition of Libya's decisions to dismantle its weapons of mass destruction programs. With these sanctions lifted, U.S. companies will be able to invest in Libya and develop the country's oil capacities.

April 23 2004 [C] The destruction of 632 bulk containers filled with VX nerve agent is completed by the Tooele Chemical Agent Disposal facility in Utah at the U.S. Army's Deseret Chemical Depot.

April 27 2004 [N] After a one-week meeting of the parties to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the consensus opinion is that the nuclear nonproliferation regime is under stress by both the countries that remain outside of the treaty and by NPT members. The two main issues identified as most troubling are the 2003 withdrawal from the treaty by North Korea and this year's exposure of an international nuclear proliferation network involving the founder of Pakistan's nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan.

April 28 2004 [N, C, B] The UN Security Council unanimously approves Resolution 1540 designed to close a loophole in international law by requiring states to adopt measures to deny terrorists and other non-state actors access to weapons of mass destruction. One section provides that all states will refrain from providing support to non-state actors that attempt to develop nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Another provision mandates that all states adopt and enforce laws that prohibit non-state actors from manufacturing weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

April 30 2004 [N, O] France, the United Kingdom, and the 13 non-nuclear weapon states of the European Union, sign Additional Protocols with the IAEA, which improve verification of nuclear nonproliferation commitments.

May 4 2004 [M] The U.S. Commerce Department amends its national export control regulations to implement decisions made during last year's plenary meeting of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). The control regime aims to restrict the spread of critical missile technologies by establishing common export controls among its 33 members. The changes that are now in effect include amended language for some current control list entries and the addition of inhibited red fumic nitric acid, which is used in missile fuel, to the list of items that must be licensed for export.

May 7 2004 [N, O] The final Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the parties to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) collapses in the late hours of the evening after delegates fail to resolve differences on numerous political and procedural issues. Among the contentious issues are the nuclear weapon states' responsibilities to eliminate their weapons, the concerns over North Korea's and Iran's noncompliance with the treaty, the debate over a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction, and the ongoing issue of balancing states' rights, under the treaty's provisions, for peaceful nuclear technology. This marks the final PrepCom before next year's NPT Review Conference.

May 11 2004 [N] The United States imposes several new economic sanctions against Syria for its continued official support of terrorists groups and for failing to cease its suspected efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. The two new sanctions include a restriction on all U.S. exports except food and medicine and a ban on any Syrian-owned aircraft taking off or landing in the United States.

May 12 2004 [N] Parties to the six-party working group meet on the North Korean nuclear crisis in Beijing and are expected to finalize a date for the third round of high-level multilateral talks.

May 12 2004 [N, C, B] The United States and Panama sign a reciprocal ship boarding agreement that supports the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The agreement establishes procedures and protocols for boarding and searching ships in international waters that are suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction, delivery systems, or related items. The agreement is part of a strengthened effort to prevent the flow of these items to and from states and non-state actors who pose proliferation concerns.

May 14 2004 [N, B, C] The U.S. State Department announces that Libya has agreed to end all military trade with countries considered to be serious "proliferation concerns," namely Iran, North Korea, and Syria. The Libyan statement read by Undersecretary of State John Bolton declared that Libya's decision stems from its move last year to dismantle its WMD programs.

May 14 2004 [N] The working group talks on the Korean Peninsula's nuclear crisis end with little progress mostly due to glaring differences between North Korea and the United States. The members (North Korea, the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia) agree to meet for another round of working group discussions to pave the way for a third round of high-level multilateral talks.

May 15 2004 [C] A bomb containing the nerve agent sarin explodes near a U.S. military convoy in Iraq, and two soldiers are treated for "minor exposure." The incident involves a binary-type 155-millimeter artillery shell in which two separate chemicals are combined after the shell is fired to produce the nerve agent sarin.

May 19 2004 [N] A U.S. State Department spokesman says that a light-water nuclear power reactor will not be part of a U.S. offer to induce North Korea to end its nuclear activity.

May 19 2004 [B] The U.S. Senate votes 99-0 to establish a program that would use $5.6 billion over the next 10 years to activate private sector development of vaccines and treatments against agents such as smallpox, anthrax, botulinum toxin, Ebola, and plague.

May 20 2004 [B, C, N] The U.S. House of Representatives votes 391-34 in favor of a Bush administration request for more than $400 million for efforts by the U.S. Defense Department to secure and eliminate remaining stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union (FSU).

May 21 2004 [N, O] Iran delivers a report on its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency. The report is a critical component of the agency's inspections and evaluation process in preparation for a meeting next month in which it will deliver its latest assessment of Iran's nuclear activities.

May 22 2004 [N, O] Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency discover evidence that suggests North Korea clandestinely provided Libya with some two tons of uranium hexafluoride. Pakistan had originally been labeled as the supplier of the material after Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi agreed earlier this year to give up his nuclear program.

May 26 2004 [N] Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham announces to delegates at the International Atomic Energy Agency a comprehensive global initiative known as the Global Threat Reduction Initiative. The cooperative effort would secure and remove high-risk nuclear and radiological materials that pose a threat to the United States and the international community.

May 27 2004 [N] The United States and Russia sign an agreement to recover Russian-origin fresh and spent highly enriched uranium fuel from worldwide research reactors. Under the agreement, the United States promises to assist in funding the recovery effort. Russia will supply experts and equipment for the recovery process. The initial phase will focus on removing materials from the countries given high priority, namely Belarus, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

May 27 2004 [N] China is formally invited to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the multilateral export control regime that oversees trade in nuclear-related technology. Estonia, Lithuania, and Malta also receive initiations to join the regime. 

June 1 2004 [N, O] In a report to its Board of Governors, the International Atomic Energy Agency says doubts still linger about nearly all aspects of Iran's nuclear program despite Tehran's promise made last year to suspend much of its atomic activity. The most pressing concerns are Iran's continued effort to produce parts for uranium-enrichment centrifuges, its production of uranium hexafluoride, and its plans to build a reactor that could be used in a plutonium-based nuclear-weapon program.

June 1 2004 [N, B, C] Today marks the one-year anniversary of the launching of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The anniversary meeting held in Krakow, Poland confirms the growing awareness of the dangers of weapons of mass destruction proliferation. U.S. President Bush proposed expanding the work of the PSI beyond the interdictions of shipments to bring to justice the middlemen and the financiers that enable this kind of illicit trade. The PSI, an assemblage that boasts the backing of more than 60 countries with 15 core member states, seeks international cooperation to derail the unlawful trade in nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and materials by intercepting vessels, aircrafts, or other means of transportation.

June 1 2004 [N, B, C] New Zealand's foreign minister Phil Goff says that his country will join the Group of Eight (G8) Global Partnership and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), two programs designed to help stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The G8 has pledged over $20 billion over the next 10 years for nonproliferation efforts largely in Russia.

June 4 2004 [N] In a classified report submitted to Congress, the Bush administration says it plans to reduce the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal by nearly half over the next eight years. Linton Brooks, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, says when fully implemented, the stockpile reduction plan would leave the United States with "the smallest nuclear weapons stockpile we've had in several decades," by reducing the number of "operationally deployed" strategic warheads by about two-thirds by 2012. The United States would then possess no more than 2,200 warheads.

June 8 2004 [M] Taiwan rejects a Chinese proposal that Taiwan cease purchasing advanced weaponry from the United States in exchange for China's withdrawing hundreds of ballistic missiles aimed at the island. Taiwan's government spokesman, Chen Chi-mai says that China's arms buildup threatens Taiwan.

June 8 2004 [M] Israel develops its first surface-to-surface cruise missile, the Delilah-GL-- a converted air-launch missile -- with a range of 300 kilometers according to Israeli defense officials. While the Israeli military industry is keeping the details of the missile's payload capabilities secret, it is believed that the missile can carry a 30-kilogram high-explosive warhead.

June 9 2004 [N, C, B] South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announces it will join the Global Partnership against the spread of weapons and materials of mass destruction. The Global Partnership, launched at the Group of 8 (G8) summit in Canada in June 2002, aims to destroy chemical and nuclear weapons, dismantle nuclear submarines, and employ former weapons scientists.

June 9 2004 [N] The Group of Eight (G8) leaders (from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) approve a nonproliferation action plan that calls on Iran and North Korea to end their alleged nuclear weapons efforts. The plan calls for Iran to "promptly and fully" comply with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations; including ratifying and implementing the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement.

June 10 2004 [C, N] Russia and Canada approve an agreement to cooperate in the destruction and disposal of Russian chemical weapons and Soviet-era nuclear submarines. The approval comes during the G8 summit where the G8 Global Partnership is meeting to discuss issues related to nonproliferation, largely focused on Russia.

June 11 2004 [B] Five researchers at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California are exposed to anthrax while working on a vaccine to protect children from infection. None of the researchers, who are being treated with antibiotics, show symptoms of infection.

June 14 2004 [N] South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says his country would provide North Korea with considerable economic assistance if the nuclear crisis were settled. Seoul is prepared to help Pyongyang obtain technology and funding for economic development through its membership in international organizations.

June 14 2004 [C] The U.S. Army reports that 20 rockets are found to be leaking GB nerve agent vapor at the U.S. Army depot in Anniston, Alabama. The vapor was detected during routine daily monitoring and the Army adds that there is no danger to the community or workers at the facility.

June 15 2004 [C] In the Chinese city of Qiqihar, a Japanese team of experts arrives to help dispose of a nearby cache of World War II-era Japanese chemical weapons. The team is expected to re-excavate the more than 500 munitions filled with agents such as mustard gas and phosgene that were unearthed and reburied last month. Japan has promised to recover and destroy all chemical weapons in China dating from the WWII-era and its efforts are expected to continue through the year 2007.

June 17 2004 [N, O] Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei acknowledges wrongly accusing Iran of withholding information from an investigation of its nuclear program. He admits that his agency erred in not noting that one of its inspectors had been informed as to the purchase of 150 magnets designated for Iran's P-2 centrifuges.

June 18 2004 The IAEA Board adopts a resolution noting that Iran has been more cooperative about providing information and allowing inspections, and has continued to voluntarily suspend uranium enrichment activities. However, the Board again requests that Iran resolve questions about HEU contamination at various sites in Iran, and the nature of Iran's P-2 centrifuge program.

.June 19 2004 [N] India and Pakistan hold talks about reducing the threat of nuclear conflict in South Asia, an effort encouraged by India's new coalition government. The talks, the first between the two sides over nuclear issues since 1998, focus on the issues of regional nuclear security and the disputed area of Kashmir. The foreign secretaries of the two governments agree to establish a communications link or a "dedicated and secure hot line" meant to reduce risks relevant to nuclear issues as part of increased nuclear confidence-building measures being taken on the part of the two governments.

June 22 2004 [N] President Bush authorizes a team of U.S. negotiators to offer North Korea a new set of incentives to forgo its plutonium and uranium weapons program. In return for agreeing to stop its nuclear weapons program, North Korea would receive aid from China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea, tens of thousands of tons of heavy fuel oil, and a "provisional" guarantee from the United States not to invade the country or to try to topple Kim Jong Il's government.

June 22 2004 [M, N] An agreement is reached between India's Foreign Secretary Shashank and his Pakistani counterpart Riaz Khokhar to develop a formal system for advance pre-test notification of missile flight tests carried out by the two nuclear-armed rivals. This agreement concludes one set of nuclear confidence-building measures meant to improve the confidence the two countries place in the information they receive.

June 24 2004 [N] Iran announces that it will restart production of uranium centrifuge parts that Bush administration officials believe are meant for Iran's nuclear-weapons program. U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton says that Iran's announcement is a direct "reneging" on commitments made by Iran to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

June 24 2004 [N] U.S. officials report that North Korea is threatening to test a nuclear weapon if its demands for energy aid are not met. The threat comes during the third day of the six-nation talks in a meeting between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly and North Korean negotiators in Beijing.

June 28 2004 [B, O] The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the U.S. Capitol Police inadvertently spread anthrax beyond the Hart Senate Office Building while responding to the October 2001 mail attacks. Officers who were not properly decontaminated were initially allowed to enter and exit affected areas at the Hart Building causing the increased levels of contamination.

June 29 2004 [N] North Korea requests 2 million kilowatts of energy aid and other concessions from the United States in exchange for the freezing of its nuclear programs. It is also demanding that the United States "remove North Korea from the list of countries facilitating terrorism, and lift sanctions and the economic blockade from our country," according to Pak Ui Chun, Pyongyang's ambassador to Russia. Mr. Chun says that North Korea would begin freezing its nuclear program when compensation begins.

June 30 2004 [N] The Russian government approves the "Statute of the Federal Atomic Energy Agency." The statute authorizes the Energy Agency to license legal entities' activities related to the use of atomic energy and radioactive materials for defense purposes. These uses include the development, production, testing, transportation, operation, storage, and scrapping of nuclear weapons and military- purpose nuclear power plants.

June 30 2004 [B] The Bush administration plans to perform certain biological defense activities that some critics argue could potentially violate the Biological Weapons Convention, rendering the treaty's restrictions futile. The work includes developing and testing new and existing biological weapons agents and delivery devices. In response to criticism that the Bush administration is seeking an offensive biological weapons capability, Maureen McCarthy, director of research and development at the Department of Homeland Security, says the intent is to "develop protective measures to protect the American public."

July 2 2004 [O, C] Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is charged with several counts of war crimes in an Iraqi courtroom. Among the charges are the use of chemical weapons against Iraq’s Kurdish population during the 1980s and the 1991 invasion of Kuwait. Hussein has also been incriminated with the assassination of religious figures and members of political opposition parties, as well as toppling Shiite and Kurdish uprisings. According to former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran should also press charges against Hussein for the use of chemical weapons during the Iraq-Iran war. Hussein has rejected all charges.

July 6 2004 [M] Australian Defense Minister Robert Hill signs an agreement with the United States to help develop a controversial missile defense shield. The memorandum of understanding commits Australia to working on the program with its strong ally over a 25-year period. Although critics argue that the U.S. program is similar to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan’s failed “Star Wars” missile defense shield, Hill maintains that new technologies would increase the potential of protection against incoming ballistic missiles.

July 7 2004 [N] Prior to meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says that his country will not change its “no show, no tell” nuclear policy in order to ensure Israel’s protection. Under its strategy of “nuclear ambiguity,” Israel neither verifies nor refutes having such weapons. Experts estimate that Israel has the world’s sixth-largest stockpile of nuclear weapons and the ability to rapidly expand.

July 15 2004 [B] The U.S. engineering firm CUH2A announces that it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency for designing four Biosafety Level 2 and 3 laboratories that would house and study dangerous pathogens in Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. According to a spokesperson from the Pentagon agency, the four facilities should be built by September 2007 and would go into operation the following year.

July 16 2004 [N, B, C] Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwaffaq al-Rubaie asserts that his country will never again possess weapons of mass destruction and will abide by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Chemical Weapons Convention. According to the senior official, Iraq has also approved a U.S. operation to remove radioactive materials and low-enriched uranium from the Tuwaitha nuclear complex.

July 19 2004 [C] The Anniston chemical weapons incinerator is on target to destroy the 4.1 million pounds of sarin, VX-filled munitions and blister agents that remain in its stockpile by 2010. Since its opening in 2003, the U.S. Army’s incinerator has burned about 5 percent of its munitions and 7 percent of the agent. Although progress has been made at Anniston and other sites, Russia and the United States are unlikely to meet the 2007 deadline for complete destruction of their chemical weapons, as agreed upon in the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. According to U.S. Army officials, regulatory and environmental delays are some of the factors responsible for the slow pace and high costs of the program.

July 21 2004 [C, B] President Bush signs Project BioShield, a $5.6 million program to develop and stockpile vaccines and other antidotes to chemical and biological weapons. The legislation encourages the drug industry to research and develop bioterrorism countermeasures and, in case of an emergency, allows the government to distribute certain treatments before the Food and Drug Administration has approved them. U.S. officials are hopeful that, in addition to providing sufficient new-generation anthrax vaccines for 25 million people, Project BioShield will provide antidotes for botulism, smallpox, and a children’s version of an anti-radiation pill.

Aug 3 2004 [N] As part of the Russia-NATO Council work program, “Avaria 2004” exercises involving military and law enforcement personnel are conducted in the northern Murmansk region of Russia. The training concentrates on defending Russia’s nuclear facilities and nuclear weapons in transit, as well as dealing with the consequences of possible nuclear accidents. While similar exercises have been held in Russia on an annual basis, 2004 marks the first time that foreigners, including observers from 17 NATO countries, are invited to participate. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov contends that, contrary to widespread beliefs, the successful exercises are proof that Russia’s nuclear facilities are well protected.

Aug 6 2004 [M] As part of the U.S. missile defense effort, the United States, Denmark, and Greenland sign an agreement to modernize a U.S. early warning radar system at Thule Air Base in northwestern Greenland. Secretary of State Colin Powell says that the “Radar Upgrade Pact” will assist in meeting the security challenges of the 21^st century, ranging from missile defense to international terrorism.

Aug 8 2004 [N] Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma announces that his country has opened its second nuclear reactor in the western Ukrainian city of Khlemnitsky. The nuclear plant opened following a controversial decision by the government that the reactor did not present a potential risk to the surrounding environment. Kuchma states that this represents a further step towards independence from Russia in the nuclear energy sector.

Aug 9 2004 [M] The U.S. State Department announces that Bulgaria has joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a multilateral export control organization whose members aim to implement common export control policies on missiles and related technologies. The regime, which currently has a total membership of 34 countries, is scheduled to hold its annual plenary meeting on 4-8 October 2005 in Seoul, Korea. Among the expected agenda items are discussions on changes to the organization’s control list, status of missile proliferation programs of concern, as well as cooperation on national export control.

Aug 13 2004 [B] In an effort to prevent the proliferation of biological weapons, the United States has agreed to increase funding by an additional $21 million for joint projects with Uzbekistan. Uzbek Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov says that a portion of the funds will be used to develop an infectious disease monitoring system.

Aug 16 2004 [N, O] The International Atomic Energy Agency announces that it plans to hold a Middle East Nuclear Forum in January 2005 in Vienna. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei says that the forum aims at creating nuclear-free zones worldwide, especially in the Middle East, and with the participation of Arab States, Israel, and other countries in the region, would provide an opportunity to engage in discussions on the necessary conditions for creating nuclear-free zones.

Aug 26 2004 [N, C, B] In order to enhance the inspection of shipping containers for weapons of mass destruction and other illegal imports before entry into the United States, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bureau announces that it plans to increase the number of international seaports currently participating in the Container Security Initiative. The proposed program would place U.S. customs agents in foreign ports to examine U.S.-bound freight containers and to identify those that pose a potential threat.

Sept 8 2004 [B, O] More than 300 scientists and specialists from Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and other countries attend an international conference dealing with biological security, bioterrorism, and the fight against infectious diseases in Novosibirsk. Among the topics of discussion are research findings in areas such as developing effective vaccines, diagnostic and anti-viral medications, as well as biological security and countering bioterrorism.

Sept 14 2004 [N, O] As part of a joint U.S.-Russia agreement, the Russian Atomic Energy Agency announces that it has repatriated approximately 900 kilograms (1,980 pounds) of enriched uranium from Eastern Europe and Libya. According to a Rosatom spokesperson, the goal of this initiative is to reduce the risk of nuclear material from falling into the hands of non-state actors.

Sept 18 2004 [N] Pakistan’s Senate approves export control legislation in an effort to reinforce existing measures to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. With the enactment of the export control bill, Pakistan attempts to ease concerns over A.Q. Khan’s revelation that his network transferred nuclear information to countries such as Iran and Libya. Under the new legislation, persons convicted of proliferating nuclear and biological weapons technology will face up to 14 years in prison and up to $85,000 in fines. Pakistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khusro Bakhtiar, stresses the importance of strengthening regulations and export controls on the transshipments and the transit of items of proliferation concern. In passing the bill, Pakistan affirms its compliance with its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540.    

Sept 19 2004 [N, O] During an International Partners Conference held at the Austria Center in Vienna, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, emphasizes the need for protecting nuclear facilities and controlling the spread of radioactive materials. ElBaradei also stresses that, while nuclear security should remain a top priority among nations, it is estimated that approximately 110 countries still do not have the necessary resources for responding to the threats of nuclear and radiological terrorism.

Sept 20 2004 [N, C, M] In an effort to improve relations with Tripoli, President George W. Bush lifts the majority of remaining U.S. sanctions on Libya and terminates the national emergency declared in 1986 under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In addition to freeing Libyan assets previously frozen in the United States, direct flights will also be permitted between the two countries. Bush also renounces embargos on certain U.S. export assistance programs to Libya, and allows U.S. taxpayers to claim credits for taxes paid to Libya. The decision to lift sanctions comes after Libya committed to relinquish its nuclear and chemical weapons programs, as well as its longer-range missiles in December 2003.

Sept 22 2004 [O] During a two-day meeting in Vienna, over 90 nations endorse the Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), a U.S.-sponsored program to reduce the worldwide traffic in nuclear and radiological materials.  The threat reduction initiative seeks to primarily stop terrorists from obtaining highly enriched uranium (HEU) fuel, which can be used to build a nuclear weapon if enough is stolen. In addition to the $400 million already committed, the United States will add another $3 million toward initiative activities. Notwithstanding GTRI’s recent successes, the global effort still faces several challenges, including an incomplete inventory of nuclear materials worldwide, high costs related to the implementation of reactor security, as well as some countries’ resistance to relinquishing materials.

Sept 30 2004 [N] The U.S. Energy Department completes the first transfer of nuclear materials from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to a more secure facility at the Nevada Test Site. The agency intends to relocate the most sensitive weapon-grade material from Los Alamos by September 2005, and to conclude the removal of the remaining material by 2008.  

Oct 1 2004 [N, O] Tanzania signs and ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. A radionuclide station in Dar el Salaam is part of a global network that monitors compliance with the treaty. Thus far, 119 countries have ratified the treaty. 

Oct 1 2004 [N] During the first presidential debate, President Bush and Democratic nominee Senator John F. Kerry agree that nuclear proliferation is the main security challenge facing the United States, but disagree on ways to combat the threat. While Senator Kerry argues that less nuclear material has been secured since 9/11 than in the two years preceding it, President Bush contends that his administration has increased funding by 35 percent, established the Proliferation Security Initiative, which includes more than 60 nations, and encouraged Libya to disarm. The two presidential candidates also disagree on ways to convince North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons program.

Oct 6 2004 [N, C, B, M, O] The United States releases a 918-page report (the "Duelfer Report") containing the Iraq Survey Group's findings on the state of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program following the Gulf War in 1991. The report concludes that the 1991 Gulf War and the subsequent UN sanctions and inspections effectively put an end to all of Iraq's WMD programs, and eliminated its long-range missile inventory and production capabilities. The report drew on interviews with captured Iraqi experts and regime officials, physical inspections of suspected WMD sites, and tens of millions of pages of documents recovered after the war.

Oct 11 2004 [N, O] In order to avoid possible sanctions from the UN Security Council, Russia urges Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment program as required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). During a visit to the Iranian city of Isfahan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov points out that Moscow will continue nuclear cooperation with Tehran if it complies with the IAEA. Russia has assisted Iran during the construction of its first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.

Oct 12 2004 [N] The U.S. Congress approves the Domenici-Feinstein Amendment, a domestic nuclear security measure, which seeks to prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear materials. The amendment calls for the establishment of a task force that deals with the removal of nuclear materials from vulnerable sites and grants funding authorization for a removal program. In addition, a defense bill provision authored by Senator Domenici allows the Energy Department to accept international payments for shutting down Russia’s remaining plutonium reactors in Seversk and Zheleznogorsk by 2011.

Oct 12 2004 [O] The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1566, a resolution proposed by Russia to make the fight against terrorism more effective by requesting states to deny safe haven to terror suspects, and more aggressively extradite and prosecute people suspected of committing or planning terrorist acts. Russian Ambassador Andrei Denisov declares that the “major emphasis” of the resolution is that terrorism is “a crime that could not be justified by any political, ideological, religious, or other views. Those responsible for terrorist acts should be given the harshest punishment for their crimes.”

Oct 15 2004 [O] The G-8 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction has selected Ukraine as the next recipient of nonproliferation aid. Established in 2002, the G-8 Global Partnership aims at providing funds for nonproliferation activities, predominantly in Russia. Thus far, nonproliferation projects undertaken in Russia have focused on tasks such as the disposal of chemical weapons and nuclear submarine dismantlement. One of the proposed projects for Ukraine is reassigning former Soviet WMD and missile scientists to civilian research projects. 

Oct 19 2004 [N] After months of disagreement over Brazil’s nuclear program, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors are granted limited access to vital uranium-enrichment technology at a facility in Resende, near Rio de Janeiro. A dispute over IAEA monitoring started in April when inspectors were prevented from observing the plant’s centrifuge components. Brazilian officials argued that portions of the plant had been concealed to protect Brazil’s industrial secrets. According to an IAEA spokesperson, access to the centrifuges is necessary to ensure Brazil’s compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and peaceful use of enriched uranium. In addition to the stalemate over inspections, there have also been concerns about Brazil’s reluctance to sign the Additional Protocol, which would increase the IAEA’s ability to identify clandestine nuclear operations. 

Nov 4 2004 [N, O] The Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency and the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry sign a memorandum of understanding entitled the Closed Nuclear Cities Partnership program. The program, to which Britain contributes more than $5 million annually, seeks to reduce the spread of nuclear technologies to rogue states and terrorist groups by improving the economic viability of 10 Russian cities. The initiative includes directing former Russian nuclear scientists and technicians toward new assignments by providing personnel training, investment grants, business partnering, and economic development.

Nov 10 2004 [B, C, O] The Singapore Defense Ministry announces that Singapore and Australia will conduct their first annual joint antiterrorism exercise. The combined effort, referred to as “Black Orchid,” involves personnel from the Singapore Armed Force’s chemical, biological, radiological, and explosives defense group and the Australian Defense Force’s incident response group. Participants take part in a number of terrorist activity scenarios and exchange possible courses of action in the event of a chemical or radiological attack.

Nov 15 2004 [N] The International Atomic Energy Agency supports Iran’s decision to temporarily suspend its uranium-enrichment activities until negotiations with the Europeans are completed. Iran’s decision is one of the key components of a deal with Britain, France, and Germany, which is intended to guarantee that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons. An acceptable agreement with the Europeans would prevent Iran’s past violations of its safeguards agreement from being referred to the UN Security Council as well as the imposition of possible sanctions on its nuclear program.

Nov 19 2004 [N, O] Within the framework of the Global Partnership program, Great Britain intends to appropriate over $30 million for the construction of a nuclear waste storage site in Murmansk, Russia. British Ambassador to Russia, Tony Brenton, emphasizes the importance of the project in preventing nuclear waste expansion worldwide, and especially in Russia. The project is expected to be implemented by the middle of 2006 and will store approximately 50 containers of nuclear waste up to 50 years.

Nov 22 2004 [N] In a major setback to the Bush administration’s nuclear weapon strategy (set forth in the 2001 Nuclear Posture Review), Congress decides to exclude $36.6 million in funding for research and development of the Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator program and the Advanced Concepts Initiative from the fiscal 2005 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator program explores new capabilities for striking deeply buried facilities. The Advanced Concepts Initiative includes studies on such topics as improving the safety, security, and control of cruise missiles with nuclear weapons, using nuclear weapons for the destruction of chemical and biological agents in storage, and substituting existing warheads with longer-lasting warheads. Critics have pointed out that these programs would weaken U.S. efforts to convince other countries to halt nuclear weapons proliferation. According to U.S. Representative Edward Markey, the cuts represent “the biggest victory for arms-control advocates in Congress since 1992.”

Nov 29 2004 [N, O] Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signs an agreement with Poland and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to provide Poland with nuclear fuel for its research reactor at the Institute of Atomic Energy in Swierk. Poland agrees to use the fuel for peaceful purposes.

Nov 29 2004 [C, O] United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan calls for universal participation in the Chemical Weapons Convention. In a message to the Ninth Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Convention, Annan states that increasing membership in the treaty is imperative for strengthening international security and for promoting the peaceful use of chemistry. Since the treaty entered into force in 1997, 167 states parties have become members.

Dec 2 2004 [B] The University of Michigan Medical School has been awarded $5.9 million for anthrax research. Researchers anticipate developing a vaccine that is not only more cost effective but also requires fewer inoculations than the current treatment. 

Dec 3 2004 [N, O] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin announce their pledge to continue cooperation in the field of nuclear energy. In a joint declaration both countries emphasize the importance of utilizing environment-friendly resources, applying innovative technologies to ensure energy security, and encouraging investments in the energy sector in both countries.

Dec 3 2004 [C, O] Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention approve a proposal by Libya to convert its former chemical weapons production facility at Rabta into a pharmaceutical plant. The new facility plans to manufacture medicines and vaccines for treatment of diseases such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis in Africa. According to a spokesman of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Libya’s intended conversion is aimed at assuring member states that the facility will only be used for peaceful purposes.

Dec 7 2004 [B, O] In an effort to strengthen the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention, experts from numerous countries are meeting in Geneva to discuss enhancing the surveillance of infectious diseases, as well as improving the response to biological or chemical attacks. Parties to the convention express their concern about the likelihood of terrorist groups obtaining biological agents since pathogens can be easily transferred. In order to inform scientists of the ethical importance of their work, an international code of conduct for scientists will be designed.

Dec 10 2004 [N, O] During a meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the NATO-Russia Council agrees to increase scientific, technical, and operational cooperation in order to prevent the risk of terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction. Under this initiative, the council members agree to such measures as increasing intelligence sharing, strengthening nonproliferation agreements, focusing on potential threats to freight and passenger transport, as well as improving preparedness training. The NATO-Russia Council was established in 2002, and its membership includes Russia and all NATO countries.

Dec 10 2004 [B, O] The United States and Kazakhstan sign an agreement to increase efforts to prevent the spread of biological weapons. Under the agreement, an additional $35 million in U.S. nonproliferation aid will be provided to Kazakhstan through joint projects such as improving security at biological facilities, eliminating Cold War-era biological weapons-related infrastructure, consolidating pathogen stocks at central repositories, as well as improving Kazakhstan’s ability to respond to potential bioterrorist attacks by developing new medical countermeasures. The current agreement modifies a bilateral U.S.-Kazakh agreement reached in 1995 by implementing the U.S. Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, which aims at securing and disposing former Soviet weapons of mass destruction.

Dec 15 2004 [N, O] Norwegian ambassador to Moscow, Oyvind Nordsletten, says that Norway will contribute approximately $15 million to finance ecological and nuclear security projects in Russia’s polar region. Most of the funds will be used to finance projects associated with the utilization of nuclear submarines and the reconstruction of the depository of radioactive wastes located in the Andreyeva Bay on the Russian-Norwegian border. According to the ambassador, Norwegian agencies specializing in radiation protection also seek to expand their collaborative efforts with Russia at the Kola nuclear power plant.

Dec 19 2004 [N, O] In an effort to strengthen bilateral nonproliferation cooperation, the United States and Kazakhstan sign an amendment to their agreement on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Under the new agreement, the United States plans to provide financial assistance for projects such as building a laboratory and system for monitoring, diagnosing, and responding to infectious diseases in Kazakhstan. Both countries are also working on developing treatments for possible epidemics caused by intentional acts of terrorism.

 

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This material is produced independently for NTI by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2008 by MIIS.