Syria May Have Built Damascus Atom Site

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Syria May Have Built Damascus Atom Site

IN THIS ISSUE: Syria may have built atom site near Damascus, UK plans new sanctions on Iran, Chinese help on Khushab-4?, China pledges to revive stalled nuke talks, U.S. fears Tripoli may deploy gas as chaos mounts, Lithuania to receive U.S. radiation detectors.

Published on February 24, 2011

In This Issue

Syria May Have Built Atom Site Near Damascus-Report
Reuters

David Cameron Plans Link-up with US and France for New Sanctions on Iran
The Guardian

Chinese Help on Khushab-4?
Arms Control Wonk

China Pledges to Revive Stalled Nuke Talks
Agence France Presse

U.S. Fears Tripoli May Deploy Gas As Chaos Mounts
The Wall Street Journal

Lithuania to Receive U.S. Radiation Detectors
Global Security Newswire

Syria May Have Built Atom Site Near Damascus-Report

Reuters

Western intelligence agencies suspect Syria may have been building a secret nuclear-related site near Damascus, a German daily said, and a U.S. think-tank suggested it could be linked to a site bombed by Israel in 2007.

If confirmed, Thursday's report by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper would add to Western fears that the Arab state had engaged in covert nuclear activity before the Israeli attack and may increase pressure for action by the U.N. nuclear watchdog.

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), a Washington-based think-tank, said the operational status of what it suspected was a small uranium conversion facility near the town of Marj as Sultan was not known.

"However, there is suspicion that Syria may have emptied the buildings prior to mid-2008 and taken steps to disguise previous activities at the site," it said in an analysis issued alongside the German newspaper report.

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David Cameron Plans Link-up with US and France for New Sanctions on Iran

Nicholas Watt | The Guardian

Britain is drawing up plans to join forces with the US and France to impose tough new sanctions on Iran amid fears that more formal UN and EU measures are failing to deter Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Full Article

Chinese Help on Khushab-4?

Mark Hibbs | Arms Control Wonk

Is China in fact providing assistance to Pakistan to make more plutonium at Khushab? The new Khushab reactor, I was reassured this morning from some people who know all about that project up close and personal, is not being set up with any Chinese assistance. Full Article

China Pledges to Revive Stalled Nuke Talks

Agence France Presse

China will work to revive stalled talks on North Korea's nuclear disarmament and to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said on Wednesday during a visit to South Korea. Full Article

U.S. Fears Tripoli May Deploy Gas As Chaos Mounts

Jay Solomon | The Wall Street Journal

The government of Col. Moammar Gadhafi hasn't destroyed significant stockpiles of mustard gas and other chemical-weapons agents, raising fears in Washington about what could happen to them--and whether they may be used--as Libya slides further into chaos. Full Article

Lithuania to Receive U.S. Radiation Detectors

Global Security Newswire

The United States is set to provide Lithuania with portable and fixed-location radiation sensors under a newly signed agreement to bolster joint work by the countries on combating illicit nuclear material transfers, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration announced yesterday. Full Article

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