@@ Persian Gulf War III @@
Arash
May 22, 2004
Gulf War III
Dr. James Gordon Prather
Nuclear Weapons Physicist
gpra...@worldnetdaily.com
American Likudniks have been "examining" the consequences to our national
security of an Israeli "pre-emptive" strike against certain Iranian
facilities and programs, all now subject to an International Atomic Energy
Agency Safeguards Agreement.
Whenever President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon get together, they
invariably discuss Iran's "nuclear weapons programs."
"It would be intolerable for the Middle East if they [Iran] get a nuclear
weapon," Bush said after their April 14 meeting.
There doesn't seem to be much doubt in Washington that the Iranian programs
have to be "taken out" - safeguarded or not. Recall that the Iraqi programs
that Israel "took out" back in 1981 - using U.S.-supplied fighter bombers -
were also safeguarded.
A decade later, then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney thanked the Israelis
for having done so. But the rest of the world didn't thank the Israelis
then, and they won't now.
Here are excerpts from U.N. Security Council Resolution 487 (1981),
condemning the Israeli pre-emptive strike.
Fully aware of the fact that Iraq has been a party to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since it came into force in 1970, that,
in accordance with that treaty, Iraq has accepted IAEA safeguards on all its
nuclear activities, and that the agency has testified that these safeguards
have been satisfactorily applied to date;
Fully recognises the inalienable sovereign right of Iraq - and all other
states, especially the developing countries - to establish programmes of
technological and nuclear development, to develop their economy and
industry - for peaceful purposes - in accordance with their present and
future needs, and consistent with the internationally accepted objectives of
preventing nuclear-weapons proliferation;
Strongly condemns the military attack by Israel - in clear violation of
the Charter of the United Nations and the norms of international conduct;
Calls upon Israel to refrain in the future from any such acts or threats
thereof;
Further considers that the said attack constitutes a serious threat to the
entire IAEA safeguards regime, which is the foundation of the
non-proliferation treaty.
For the record, no non-nuke NPT signatory subject to the IAEA Safeguards
regime has ever developed nukes. Israel, Pakistan and India have never been
NPT signatories. China and South Africa were not NPT signatories at the time
they developed nukes. Iraq, Libya and North Korea may have tried to develop
nukes, but they didn't succeed.
During the past year or so, Iran has given IAEA inspectors unprecedented and
unlimited access to go anywhere and see anything thought suspicious. The
IAEA has found no evidence that Iran now has - or has ever had - a nuke
development program.
Nevertheless, on May 6, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by an
overwhelming margin (376-3) a resolution that said - among other things -
that Congress:
1.. Condemns in the strongest possible terms Iran's continuing deceptions
and falsehoods to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the
international community about its nuclear programs and activities;
2.. Calls upon all State Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT), including the United States, to use all appropriate
means to deter, dissuade and prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,
including ending all nuclear and other cooperation with Iran (including the
provision of dual use items), until Iran fully implements the Additional
Protocol between Iran and the IAEA for the application of safeguards;
3.. Declares that Iran, through its many breaches for 18 years of its
Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, has forfeited the right to be trusted
with development of a nuclear fuel cycle, especially with uranium conversion
and enrichment and plutonium reprocessing technology, equipment and
facilities.
So what's going on? Rep. Ron Paul, R, Teaxas - one of the three who voted
against the resolution - thinks he knows:
I find it incomprehensible that as the failure of our Iraq policy becomes
more evident - even to its most determined advocates - we here are approving
the same kind of policy toward Iran.
With Iraq becoming more of a problem daily, the solution as envisioned by
this legislation is to look for yet another fight. And we should not fool
ourselves: This legislation sets the stage for direct conflict with Iran.
The resolution "calls upon all State Parties to the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), including the United States, to
use all appropriate means to deter, dissuade and prevent Iran from acquiring
nuclear weapons. ..."
Note the phrase "... use all appropriate means ..."
So, will U.S. pilots - or Israeli pilots "under contract" - "take out" the
Iranian Safeguarded facilities?
Stay tuned.
--------------------
* Physicist James Gordon Prather has served as a policy implementing
official for national security-related technical matters in the Federal
Energy Agency, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the
Department of Energy, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the
Department of the Army. Dr. Prather also served as legislative assistant for
national security affairs to U.S. Sen. Henry Bellmon, R-Okla. -- ranking
member of the Senate Budget Committee and member of the Senate Energy
Committee and Appropriations Committee. Dr. Prather had earlier worked as a
nuclear weapons physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in
California and Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico.
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