Kazakhstan Probes Nuclear Black Market
Fred, I think we need a seperate Nuclear Black Market file. EFL:
Kazakhstan has opened an investigation into the nuclear black market that helped Iran, Libya and North Korea, exploring suspected ties in the country that housed much of the Soviet Unionâs atomic arsenal. Kazakhstanâs intelligence agency is examining the Almaty office of a Dubai company linked by President Bush to the market headed by the father of Pakistanâs nuclear program, the officials said. Bush accused Sri Lankan businessman Bukhary Syed Abu Tahir of brokering black-market deals for nuclear technology using his Dubai-based company SMB Computers as a front. That firm also has an office in the Kazakh commercial capital, Almaty.
Well, isnât that interesting.
The Kazakh intelligence agency, the National Security Committee, is investigating allegations that SMB Computersâ affiliate was dealing with highly enriched uranium, spokesman Kenzhebulat Beknazarov said Thursday.
"Upgrade now to Version U.235!"
SMB Computersâ office in Almaty was closed Thursday.
Tap, nope
According to a receptionist in the building where the company rents a room, the only person who staffed the office hasnât shown up there for a week. The receptionist said he had been planning to "wrap up business" and move out.
"Feet, donât fail me now!"
The Dubai headquarters of SMB identified the head of its Almaty office as Shaul Hameed, but said they didnât have any further contact details for him.
"Well, he does head that office, but we donât talk to him. In fact, we donât see a lot of people who run this company."
A receptionist there said "our company has nothing to do with this," regarding allegations of nuclear smuggling.
Honey, Iâd be looking for a new job. And Iâd consider not putting SMB on my resume.
Bush named SMB Computersâ owner Tahir as a key link in a clandestine network run by Abdul Qadeer Khan. Tahir was described as the networkâs chief financial officer, money launderer and shipping agent - using the firm as a cover to ship parts for centrifuges, used to enrich uranium.
Tahir has been telling Malaysian police much the same thing about Khan.
Kazakhstan transferred all its Soviet nuclear warheads to Russia by April 1995, and destroyed its nuclear testing infrastructure at the major Semipalatinsk weapons test site by July 2000. About 1,320 pounds of weapons-grade highly enriched uranium was removed to the United States from the Ulba Metallurgy Plant in 1994. Yet the Central Asian nation still holds weapons-grade nuclear material, including 3.3 tons of plutonium at a mothballed breeder reactor in the countryâs west, and small amounts of highly enriched uranium at two nuclear research institutes, according to the Web site of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, a U.S.-based foundation.
Need to get that stuff out of there.
Still, Kazakh nuclear officials denied the chance of any weapons-grade uranium leaks. "It is impossible to illegally take any uranium out of Kazakhstan," said Shinar Zhanibekova, spokeswoman for Kazakhstanâs national atomic energy company, KazAtomProm.
"Itâs inconceivable!"
The Atomic Energy Committee, which grants licenses for the export of nuclear materials, said it had never done any business with SMB Computers and never granted it a license.
Thanks, I feel so much better.
Kazakhstan has 30 percent of the worldâs uranium reserves and is the fourth biggest uranium producer, according to KazAtomProm. She said all uranium exports from the country were monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, and tightly controlled by Kazakh nuclear and security agencies.
So much for feelin better
A Europe-based Western diplomat working on issues of nuclear proliferation questioned the reliability of Kazakh safeguards for its nuclear assets. "Nobody can pretend that everything is perfectly secure," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. However, he had no further information on SMB Computersâ possible activities in Kazakhstan.
"I can say no more"
Posted by: Steve 2004-02-20 |