Korea
North Korea is likely to miss the year-end deadline to declare all its nuclear programmes, South Korea’s foreign minister said yesterday, striking a downbeat note as talks to persuade Pyongyang to denuclearise hit a “critical stage”.
FT 8th Dec 2007 more >>
Libya
French MPs are investigating what promises President Nicolas Sarkozy made to Col Gaddafi to secure the release of six foreign medics from a Libyan jail five months ago. It emerged that several French companies secured lucrative contracts with Libya the day after the release. These included a memorandum of understanding to build a nuclear reactor for water desalination. France’s nuclear offer to Libya has sparked security concerns. Germany said that “the risk of proliferation rises with every country that uses nuclear energy”.
Telegraph 8th Dec 2007 more >>
Iran
Iran poses a threat to the United States and the Middle East despite a U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Saturday.
Reuters 8th Dec 2007 more >>
European officials have reacted with dismay to this week’s US announcement that Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, arguing that the findings give a misleading impression of the country’s progress towards nuclear armament and weaken international leverage on Tehran. The Europeans’ disappointment is particularly acute because, until the report’s main conclusions were released this week, the US and the European Union had appeared to be making headway in their goal of convincing Russia and China to sign up to a new wave of United Nations sanctions on Tehran armament. Iran insists its programme is wholly peaceful.
FT 8th Dec 2007 more >>
