NORTH KOREA
North Korea Urged to Drop Rocket Launch Plan
Reuters – December 3, 2012
Russia and China urged North Korea on Monday not to go ahead with a plan for its second rocket launch of 2012, with Moscow saying the launch would violate restrictions imposed by the U.N. Security Council. North Korea’s state news agency on Saturday announced the decision to launch another space satellite and reportedly told neighbors it would take a similar path to that planned for a failed rocket launch in April.
South Korea to Reroute Flights Near Path of North Korea’s Planned Long-Range Rocket Luanch
AP – December 3, 2012
South Korea said Monday that it plans to reroute passenger flights over the Yellow Sea to avoid possible collisions with debris from a long-range rocket that North Korea plans to launch this month. The Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs said it made the decision after learning that North Korea had informed China and Singapore of the flight path and other details of the launch.
NUCLEAR SECURITY
Obama to Hail Nuclear Security
USA Today – December 3, 2012
It’s a diplomatic day for President Obama, as he talks about securing nuclear weapons and meets with the leader of an Eastern Europe ally. Late Monday afternoon, Obama delivers remarks at the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) symposium, a project aimed at identifying “loose nukes” in the wake of the Cold War.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Official: Syria Moving Chemical Weapons Components
AP – December 3, 2012
A U.S. defense official says international intelligence sources have detected that Syria has been moving chemical weapons components in recent days. The official says U.S. and allied intelligence officials have detected activity around more than one of Syria’s chemical weapons sites in the last week.
Syria Denies Plans to Use Chemical Weapons
Erika Solomon, Reuters – December 3, 2012
Syria said on Monday it would not use chemical weapons against its own people after the United States warned it would take action against any such escalation. The statements came amid media reports, citing European and U.S. officials, that Syria’s chemical weapons had been moved and could be prepared for use in response to dramatic gains by rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
IRAN
AFP: US ‘Steps Up Spying’ on Iran Nuclear Reactor
AFP – December 3, 2012
US intelligence agencies have significantly stepped up spying operations on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor prompted by concerns about the security of weapons-grade plutonium there, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the increased US surveillance of Bushehr has been conducted in part by US unmanned drones operating over the Gulf.
Is Asia Doing Enough to Curb Iranian Oil Purchases?
Clyde Russell, Reuters – December 3, 2012
Asia’s buyers of Iranian crude believe they’ve cut their purchases from Tehran enough to justify an extension of their U.S waivers, and strictly speaking, they probably have. The United States this week will likely announce whether China, India and South Korea will join Japan in receiving exemptions allowing them to continue buying Iranian crude.
TERRORISM
NATO Stresses Unity to Fight Terrorism
AFP – December 3, 2012
NATO stressed Monday the importance of its ties with Pakistan in the fight against “terrorism” as the military alliance prepares the way for its 2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Most urgently, we need to remain united to defeat terrorism,” NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen told visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Administration Debate on Pace to Troop Withdrawals from Afghanistan Hinges on Risk Assessments
AP – December 3, 2012
The debate over how many U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan after 2014 comes down to risky business. There is a risk that leaving too few troops after 2014 would stop or stall the already slow development of the Afghan army and police, whose competence — and that of the Afghan government as a whole — is crucial to ending the war successfully.
