(October 22, 2004) One of the outcomes of the symposium "The Lie of the peaceful use of atomic energy; nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants - two sides of the same coin" organized by Atomstopp International (WISE Austria) and held in Linz, Austria on October 1-2, was a draft sign-on letter on the IAEA's untenable dual-role of promoting nuclear technology AND regulating the global nuclear industry.
(617.5645) WISE Amsterdam - The fact that many within the anti-nuclear community still divide themselves into anti-weapons and anti-power camps illustrates just how controversial and divisive a topic this is. In fact, organizers Atomstopp International experienced much resistance to the idea and fought hard to be able to hold the meeting. Several organizations that had attended the Linz symposium in 2003 withdrew participation based on the subject matter alone.
In a workshop entitled "Nuclear programmes as a pretext for world-wide armament", Professor Alexey V. Yablokov, recipient of the 2002 Nuclear-Free Future Award and former advisor to former Russian President Gorbachev, gave a presentation on the inevitable connections between nuclear power and the nuclear bomb.
Despite apparent ongoing efforts to halt international nuclear proliferation and the various nonproliferation regimes in place, the discovery of A. Q. Khan's nuclear black market has proven just how ineffective these measure have been to date (see also WISE/NIRS Nuclear Monitor 602.5573 "Proliferation: focus on enrichment issues").
In his presentation, Professor Yablokov raised, and answered, the question of why nuclear proliferation is able to continue and increase. Politically, proliferation is able to occur because the Nuclear Weapons States refuse to demolish their nuclear arsenals - in fact, many are seeking to strengthen these - and technically, it is able to flourish because of the existence of the supposedly "peaceful" nuclear power industry.
The Professor also confirmed the legal, historical, physical and technological connections between nuclear weaponry and energy. On the legal side, there are various international treaties that expose the connection. Two examples given were the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Stripped down to bare essentials, the FMCT basically bans the production of new weapons-usable fissile materials, civil and military. The CTBT, which does exactly as its name suggests, cannot enter into force until 180 days after ratification by all signatory States - over one hundred countries have ratified this treaty to date, however, France, the UK, the US, China and Germany are NOT among that list.
IAEA reform essential
The IAEA's role in proliferation is quite clear given its official mandate. The agency has been directly responsible for assisting countries, like Iraq, in building up nuclear infrastructure and has helped "provide training in the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities" under the guise of 'development'.
During an interview with Friends of the Earth Europe in May (see WISE/NIRS Nuclear Monitor 609.5606 "IAEA chief sees no case for reform"), the agency's director general, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei said that he "did not accept" that promotion of nuclear energy and safety regulation conflicted.
In an article published in The Washington Times on 1 October, John Bolton, US undersecretary of state, expressed frustrations at what he called the "ineffectiveness and inefficiency of UN agencies". Bolton also complained that the agency spent the vast majority of its resources (human and financial) on peaceful nations although 'rogue' nations were the real threats.
This view is, of course, one that receives little or no support from the anti-nuclear community because it yet again implies that nuclear technology is safer in some hands than in others. The point that John Bolton and his masters in the Bush administration fail to acknowledge, or understand, is that nuclear is unsafe, period. The IAEA should not spend more time investigating the so-called 'rogue' nations than it does the supposed 'peaceful' nations since none can be trusted to behave responsibly where nukes are concerned. As the world has discovered of late, much of the materials available on the nuclear black market have actually originated from these so-called 'peaceful' nations.
Professor Yablokov's workshop concluded with the drafting of a letter, addressed to the UN Secretary General with copies to the IAEA and national representatives to the UN and will be sent before 1 March 2005 - the anniversary of the H-bomb test at Bikini Atoll. The letter draws attention to some of the obvious deficiencies in international nonproliferation regimes, states the connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and suggests substituting the IAEA with a new agency for the promotion of renewable energy amongst other things.
Those wishing to obtain a copy of the draft and organizations willing to add their signatures to the letter are asked to contact Elvira Poeschko at Atomstopp International (elvira.poeschko@aon.at) by 31 January 2005 at the latest.
Sources: Inevitable Connections between N-power and N-bomb, Alexey V. Yablokov, October 2004; IAEA, www.iaea.org; The Washington Post, 1 October 2004; Kollert, 1996, p. 63
Contact: WISE Amsterdam