US MILITARY OFFICIALS CONCERNED NORTH KOREA COULD TRANSFER WMDs TO TERRORISTS

March 31, 2004 The Voice of American reported: A Senior U.S. military officials say they are concerned about possible North Korean transfers of nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups. However, in testimony Wednesday to a congressional committee, they say U.S. and South Korean forces are well-prepared to deal with any threats arising fr

om the North.

Admiral Thomas Fargo, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, and General Leon LaPorte, commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, say North Korea's nuclear programs, ballistic missile production and illicit narcotics-related activities pose a threat to the region and the world.

The possibility of North Korean weapons or nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists is, said Admiral Fargo, "perhaps our biggest fear."

"I think our largest concern would be if nuclear material was sold to al-Qaida, clearly. They have the will and the skill obviously to carry out a devastating terrorist attack so that is kind of a nightmare scenario and that is why we feel so strongly about a non-nuclear Korean peninsula," he added.

Admiral Fargo says the U.S. force structure in the Pacific is well-prepared to respond to any threats and ensure diplomacy is backed by a strong military capability.

For his part, General LaPorte says all signs point to Pyongyang continuing to build its nuclear deterrent. As for the future of U.S.-South Korean military cooperation, he said Seoul and Washington are committed to an "enduring" U.S. presence. "Up to this point in time, in the 'Future of the Alliance' studies, there has been no discussion of troop withdrawals. It has really been a discussion of enhancing capabilities, shaping and aligning forces, for many reasons. But it's an increase in commitment to the Republic of Korea by the United States, we're not lessening our commitment at all," he said...@

 

LIBYAN INSPECTIONS POINT TO NUKE TIES WITH EGYPT

March 29, 2004 Middle East Newsline reported: A The United States has found evidence that Libya traded nuclear and missile expertise with Egypt.

Inspections by a British-U.S. team of Libyan facilities in late 2003 and early 2004 have uncovered evidence that Libya was both the source for and recipient of nuclear and missile technology and expertise from Egypt. Officials said the evidence confirmed suspicions over the last three years of a secret trade between Cairo and Tripoli in strategic weapons obtained from North Korea.

"The evidence of Egyptian involvement in Libya's missile and nuclear weapons program is highly damaging and most of the doubts we had previously have been resolved," an official said. "That doesn't mean, however, that there will be imminent repercussions."

The officials did not elaborate on the type of evidence found in Libya. But they said Egypt appeared to have been using Libya as a way-station for obtaining nuclear and missile technology and components from North Korea.@

THREATS PROMPT SEARCHES OF U.S. PLANES AND TRAINS

March 30, 2004 Reuters reported: A Bomb threats against three U.S. passenger jets and two Amtrak trains triggered extensive security checks on Tuesday but no explosives were found, authorities said.

Security officials, aided in some cases by sniffer dogs, took hours to sweep through the planes operated by Northwest Airlines . But the searches, of passengers and luggage as well as the airliners themselves, ended without incident.

"Fortunately these threats turned out not to be credible," said Yolanda Clark of the Transportation Security Administration.

The aircraft included one that arrived at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport on a flight from Miami, according to Clark and a spokeswoman for Northwest.

The second and third flights, from Memphis to Miami and Los Angeles to Detroit, were grounded before takeoff and screened by federal officials and airline staff. Both eventually departed for their respective destinations, Northwest said.

Both Clark and Northwest spokeswoman Mary Stanik said they were unable to comment on the source of the bomb threats but Clark stressed that authorities took "all of the precautions necessary to rule out any possible real threats."

There were also bomb threats against two Amtrak trains traveling between New York and Miami.

A spokesman for the railroad said more than 140 passengers were taken off the northbound Palmetto at the Selma-Smithfield station in North Carolina and the train was searched. Service resumed after a delay of nearly 2 1/2 hours.

At roughly the same time, 176 passengers were evacuated from the Silver Meteor in Philadelphia. Service resumed after a 45-minute delay.

Nothing was found on either train, said Amtrak spokesman Dan Stessel.@

GREECE EXPECTS ANARCHIST ATTACKS ON OLYMPICS

March 31, 2004 Middle East Newsline reported: A Greece and its allies expect an attack by anarchist groups on the 2004 Olympic Games later this year.

Greek officials said Western intelligence services have determined that anarchist groups have been cooperating in gathering information and exchanging resources for plans to attack the games in August. The counter-insurgency divisions of several intelligence agencies met in the Hague to discuss assessments of attacks in European Union states.

"We have an absolute need for an exchange of information between our services and to monitor and control the movements of these persons because the Olympic Games due to take place in August could be the target of anarchists," Greece's counter-terrorism service director Stylianos Syros said.

Syros, who participated in the Hague session, told the Republica daily that Greece was receiving cooperation from counter-insurgency services of EU states. The Hague meeting was attended by Belgium, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. Anarchists arrived in Greece in June 2003 in an attempt to disrupt an EU summit in the northern Greece port of Thessaloniki.@

MYSTERY OVER NEW RUSSIAN WEAPON

March 29, 2004 CNN.com reported: A Russia has designed a "revolutionary" weapon that would make the prospective U.S. missile defense useless, Russian news agencies reported, quoting a senior Defense Ministry official.

The official, who was not identified by name, said tests conducted during last month's military maneuvers would dramatically change the philosophy behind development of Russia's nuclear forces, the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news agencies reported on Monday.

If deployed, the new weapon would take the value of any U.S. missile shield to "zero," the news agencies quoted the official as saying. The official said the new weapon would be inexpensive, providing an "asymmetric answer" to U.S. missile defenses, which are proving extremely costly to develop.

Russia, meanwhile, also has continued research in prospective missile defenses and has an edge in some areas compared to other nations, the official said.

The statement reported Monday was in line with claims by President Vladimir Putin's that experiments performed during last month's maneuvers proved that Russia could soon build strategic weapons that could puncture any missile-defense system.

At the time, Col-Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, the first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, explained that the military tested a "hypersonic flying vehicle" that was able to maneuver between space and the earth's atmosphere.

Military analysts said that the mysterious new weapons could be a maneuverable ballistic missile warhead or a hypersonic cruise missile.

While Putin said the development of such new weapons wasn't aimed against the United States, most observers viewed the move as Moscow's retaliation to the U.S. missile defense plans.

After years of vociferous protests, Russia reacted calmly when Washington withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in 2002 in order to develop of a nationwide missile shield. But U.S.-Russian relations have soured again lately, and Moscow has complained about Washington's plans to build new low-yield nuclear weapons.@

Compiled by L. Jim Tuck, Pastor
UCGIA Oakland, San Jose, Stockton, and Santa

Rosaljtuc@msn.com