Pakistan Expanding Nuclear Program
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- Start date
NEW DELHI: India has refused to be drawn into reacting to what it considers the final attempt to derail the US-India nuclear deal by the American non-proliferation lobby.
The report about a big Pak push for making nuclear warheads comes just days before US Congress votes on the deal. And this time, the non-proliferation lobby seems to hitting out through Pakistan.
What the report intends to do is to heighten the paranoia of the Indian strategic community that the nuclear deal would constrain Indiaââ¬â¢s weapons capability.
Conversely, in US, this argument could be used to push US lawmakers to first introduce a significant fissile materials cutoff provision in the Bills and for good measure, affect their passage.
Strategic expert Ashley Tellis told TOI : "Pakistan is serious about developing plutonium-based warheads, especially for its missiles.
"But to deduce from a half-constructed plutonium production reactor, scenarios of a high-octane regional nuclear arms race is seriously misleading."
At home, political parties looking for an excuse to go after the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear deal could find this report good fodder, as the Opposition fights for a parliamentary discussion on the N-deal.
However, this will be of little help to the Left, which is the principal opposition on this. Their opposition to the nuclear deal is based on their opposition to US.
Of course, CPM will be hard-pressed to respond to the reality that if Pakistan does indeed get the second reactor going, it will be courtesy the Chinese, something they refuse to talk about.
Tellis added: "Pak has been attempting since 1998 (if not earlier) to move towards a plutonium-based weapons capability (Islamabadââ¬â¢s original weapons designs were uranium-based)."
"The existing Khushab reactor has already enabled them to make the transition to plutonium-based weapons, so this second reactor will not bestow any qualitatively new capabilities."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1802944.cms
The report about a big Pak push for making nuclear warheads comes just days before US Congress votes on the deal. And this time, the non-proliferation lobby seems to hitting out through Pakistan.
What the report intends to do is to heighten the paranoia of the Indian strategic community that the nuclear deal would constrain Indiaââ¬â¢s weapons capability.
Conversely, in US, this argument could be used to push US lawmakers to first introduce a significant fissile materials cutoff provision in the Bills and for good measure, affect their passage.
Strategic expert Ashley Tellis told TOI : "Pakistan is serious about developing plutonium-based warheads, especially for its missiles.
"But to deduce from a half-constructed plutonium production reactor, scenarios of a high-octane regional nuclear arms race is seriously misleading."
At home, political parties looking for an excuse to go after the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear deal could find this report good fodder, as the Opposition fights for a parliamentary discussion on the N-deal.
However, this will be of little help to the Left, which is the principal opposition on this. Their opposition to the nuclear deal is based on their opposition to US.
Of course, CPM will be hard-pressed to respond to the reality that if Pakistan does indeed get the second reactor going, it will be courtesy the Chinese, something they refuse to talk about.
Tellis added: "Pak has been attempting since 1998 (if not earlier) to move towards a plutonium-based weapons capability (Islamabadââ¬â¢s original weapons designs were uranium-based)."
"The existing Khushab reactor has already enabled them to make the transition to plutonium-based weapons, so this second reactor will not bestow any qualitatively new capabilities."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1802944.cms
South Asia arms race - is it paranoia?
By Shahzeb Jillani
BBC South Asia reporter, Washington
Isis argues that the plant could trigger a new arms race
The revelation by a scientific monitoring institute in the United States that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor has left many in Washington and Delhi wondering.
Could it be that the report by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (Isis) was released at a time when it may derail the US-India nuclear agreement?
The landmark deal allowing the US to sell civilian nuclear technology to India - for the first time in three decades - is expected to be ratified by the US Congress later this week.
Nervous supporters of the deal see the report, which says that Pakistan is capable of using the reactor to produce enough plutonium to make 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, as the "final attempt by the US nuclear non-proliferation lobby" to raise paranoia over the prospect of a nuclear arms race in South Asia.
Investigative reports
They argue that the Isis report is aimed at influencing US lawmakers to insist upon tightening certain provisions in the bill, or even the introduction of amendments which may jeopardise its approval all together.
Pakistan - like India - has not signed the nuclear NPT
But even if the arguments about the timing of the report are accepted, the influence it could have on the future of US-India nuclear deal - or on the sale of or F-16 fighters to Pakistan - may be somewhat exaggerated.
It has to be remembered that Isis is an institution committed to "stopping the spread of nuclear weapons".
In the past, it has published investigative reports on covert nuclear activities of countries like Iran, North Korea, India and Pakistan.
In its latest report on Pakistan, the organisation used satellite photos and other data to bring the country's nuclear site at Khushab to the world's attention.
The authors, David Albright and Paul Brannan, believe that with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, the heavy water reactor has the potential to create a "new escalation in the region's arms race".
But some of the reasoning behind this conclusion could be flawed.
Surprise
The report states that construction on the reactor began nearly six years ago in March 2000.
But this was a time when the chances of an US-India nuclear deal were slim to non-existent.
According to Naeem Salik, South Asian security analyst and guest scholar at the Brookings Institution, both Pakistan and India have been working on modernising their nuclear arsenal with or without the US-India nuclear deal.
The US wants Pakistan on its side in the 'war on terror'
"This only goes to show that Pakistan's determination for achieving minimum credible deterrence against India cannot be underestimated," he said.
Nevertheless, it is true to say that the Isis report may have caught many Indian and US lawmakers by surprise.
The Bush administration, however, was not caught out so easily, and publicly reiterated its support for the nuclear deal with India.
"We have known of these plans for sometime," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
He pointed out that Pakistan - like India - has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Yet we continue to discourage the expansion and modernisation of nuclear weapons programmes, both of India and Pakistan," Mr Snow said.
Military partnership
During the course of lobbying the US Congress in favour of the nuclear agreement, Bush administration officials consistently argued that the deal would not end up feeding India's nuclear weapons programme, or start a nuclear arms race in the region.
Security experts argue that is why the White House has not wavered in its support for the deal: It thinks that Pakistan's desire to expand its nuclear arsenal is not dependent on the agreement with India.
"I do not believe that the concerns of an arms race in the report will have any impact when it comes to Congress for passing the US-India nuclear agreement, or for that matter, the US-Pakistan F-16 sale," maintains Christine Fair, South Asia expert and Senior Research Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.
So as revealing as the Isis report may be, it is unlikely to influence the long-term strategic vision of the US for South Asia.
The Bush administration is determined to build a lasting economic, political and military partnership with the "biggest democracy in the world".
It also wants the only Muslim country armed with nuclear weapons on its side in the "war on terror".
So this is a week that began with the release of a report raising the frightening possibility of a nuclear arms build-up in South Asia. It looks as if may well end with the US more determined than ever to go ahead with its nuclear agreement with India and with the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5212718.stm
By Shahzeb Jillani
BBC South Asia reporter, Washington
Isis argues that the plant could trigger a new arms race
The revelation by a scientific monitoring institute in the United States that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor has left many in Washington and Delhi wondering.
Could it be that the report by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (Isis) was released at a time when it may derail the US-India nuclear agreement?
The landmark deal allowing the US to sell civilian nuclear technology to India - for the first time in three decades - is expected to be ratified by the US Congress later this week.
Nervous supporters of the deal see the report, which says that Pakistan is capable of using the reactor to produce enough plutonium to make 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, as the "final attempt by the US nuclear non-proliferation lobby" to raise paranoia over the prospect of a nuclear arms race in South Asia.
Investigative reports
They argue that the Isis report is aimed at influencing US lawmakers to insist upon tightening certain provisions in the bill, or even the introduction of amendments which may jeopardise its approval all together.
Pakistan - like India - has not signed the nuclear NPT
But even if the arguments about the timing of the report are accepted, the influence it could have on the future of US-India nuclear deal - or on the sale of or F-16 fighters to Pakistan - may be somewhat exaggerated.
It has to be remembered that Isis is an institution committed to "stopping the spread of nuclear weapons".
In the past, it has published investigative reports on covert nuclear activities of countries like Iran, North Korea, India and Pakistan.
In its latest report on Pakistan, the organisation used satellite photos and other data to bring the country's nuclear site at Khushab to the world's attention.
The authors, David Albright and Paul Brannan, believe that with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, the heavy water reactor has the potential to create a "new escalation in the region's arms race".
But some of the reasoning behind this conclusion could be flawed.
Surprise
The report states that construction on the reactor began nearly six years ago in March 2000.
But this was a time when the chances of an US-India nuclear deal were slim to non-existent.
According to Naeem Salik, South Asian security analyst and guest scholar at the Brookings Institution, both Pakistan and India have been working on modernising their nuclear arsenal with or without the US-India nuclear deal.
The US wants Pakistan on its side in the 'war on terror'
"This only goes to show that Pakistan's determination for achieving minimum credible deterrence against India cannot be underestimated," he said.
Nevertheless, it is true to say that the Isis report may have caught many Indian and US lawmakers by surprise.
The Bush administration, however, was not caught out so easily, and publicly reiterated its support for the nuclear deal with India.
"We have known of these plans for sometime," said White House spokesman Tony Snow.
He pointed out that Pakistan - like India - has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Yet we continue to discourage the expansion and modernisation of nuclear weapons programmes, both of India and Pakistan," Mr Snow said.
Military partnership
During the course of lobbying the US Congress in favour of the nuclear agreement, Bush administration officials consistently argued that the deal would not end up feeding India's nuclear weapons programme, or start a nuclear arms race in the region.
Security experts argue that is why the White House has not wavered in its support for the deal: It thinks that Pakistan's desire to expand its nuclear arsenal is not dependent on the agreement with India.
"I do not believe that the concerns of an arms race in the report will have any impact when it comes to Congress for passing the US-India nuclear agreement, or for that matter, the US-Pakistan F-16 sale," maintains Christine Fair, South Asia expert and Senior Research Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace.
So as revealing as the Isis report may be, it is unlikely to influence the long-term strategic vision of the US for South Asia.
The Bush administration is determined to build a lasting economic, political and military partnership with the "biggest democracy in the world".
It also wants the only Muslim country armed with nuclear weapons on its side in the "war on terror".
So this is a week that began with the release of a report raising the frightening possibility of a nuclear arms build-up in South Asia. It looks as if may well end with the US more determined than ever to go ahead with its nuclear agreement with India and with the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/5212718.stm
Pakistan's Nuclear Claims Viewed Skeptically in India
[SIZE=-1]Patrick Goodenough[/SIZE]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1]International Editor[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1](CNSNews.com) - A report claiming that Pakistan is planning to expand its arsenal of atomic bombs is making headlines, but in India it's being viewed as part of a push by the non-proliferation lobby to derail the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation pact.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Monday the administration did not want Pakistan to use a new nuclear reactor reportedly under construction "for military purposes such as weapons development."
He was commenting after the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) released a report showing satellite images of work evidently underway at the Khushab nuclear complex in Pakistan's Punjab province. The complex is home to a 50 MW reactor built with Chinese help and active since 1998, the year that Pakistan and India conducted their first successful nuclear tests.
Analysts at the think tank said that a new reactor being built at Khushab -- work began after 2000 and apparently is continuing, although in no hurry -- could produce more than 200 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium a year, enough for "over 40-50 nuclear weapons a year."
(Estimates of existing Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons arsenals range widely, with some experts saying they may have 50 or so warheads each.)
The ISIS report's co-authors, David Albright and Paul Brannan, speculated that awareness of the Pakistan development may have prompted India to increase its own plutonium production capacity.
They noted that, in negotiations between India and the U.S. over their bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, India was insisting on keeping a major reprocessing facility and a large number of nuclear reactors outside of safeguards.
"South Asia may be heading for a nuclear arms race that could lead to arsenals growing into the hundreds of nuclear weapons, or at a minimum vastly expanded stockpiles of military fissile material," Albright and Brannan said.
In Pakistan, foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly media briefing that "there should be no excitement" about the report on its nuclear program expanding.
"This ought to be no revelation to anyone because Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state," she said, although declined to comment about the specifics of the Khushab facilities.
While India, Pakistan's longstanding rival, might be expected to be the nation most concerned about Islamabad building more nuclear weapons, there was no immediate reaction by the Indian government and a number of Indian commentators and media reacted skeptically to the ISIS report.
"What's so new about it?" said one newspaper headline Tuesday while another wondered whether the report was an attempt to "bomb India's N-deal" with Washington. Yet another thought it was all a "big dupe."
Controversial deal
Several reports predicted that the ISIS report and analysis would be embraced by opponents of the Indo-U.S. agreement, signed a year ago by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Under the deal, the U.S. will supply India with fuel and technology for its nuclear energy sector, in return for Indian steps to place its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards.
The pact requires Congressional approval, and enabling legislation has been inching slowly through the legislative process. It is due to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and assistant secretary of state for South Asia Richard Boucher said last week the pact could be finalized by year's end.
U.S. non-proliferation experts have argued strongly against the deal, saying that by giving India preferential treatment the administration was sending the wrong message to other countries that may want to develop nuclear weapons.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a leading critic of the agreement, used the ISIS report to attack the administration's policies
"The nuclear arms race in South Asia is about to ignite, and instead of doing everything possible to stop this vicious cycle, the Bush administration is throwing fuel on the fire," he said in a statement Monday.
"If either India or Pakistan starts increasing its nuclear arsenal, the other side will respond in kind; and the Bush administration's proposed nuclear deal with India is making that much more likely."
Markey, who is co-chair of a bipartisan nonproliferation taskforce, said Bush should negotiate a verifiable treaty to permanently cap global stockpiles of bomb-making material.
"Bush also needs to press both India and Pakistan to agree to suspend production of bomb-grade fissile materials while such a cut-off treaty is being negotiated."
'Fodder'
Indian media expected a similar response from critics in India, where Singh also faces strong opposition. Indian leftists have accused him of getting too cozy with Washington, while some security analysts, eyeing Pakistan, argue that the agreement may constrain India's nuclear weapons capability.
"Political parties looking for an excuse to go after the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear deal could find this [ISIS] report good fodder," said the Times of India.
"The real target of the report seems to be the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal," commented the Hindustan Times. "One co-author of the report, David Albright, has been one of the most strident voices against the deal."
"The release of the report appears to have been calibrated to scuttle the deal," said Daily News and Analysis, another Indian news organization.
It quoted an unnamed Indian government official as saying that Albright, who opposes the pact, appeared to be "trying to frighten lawmakers and raising fresh doubts about the wisdom of going ahead with the civilian nuclear agreement."
Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, former head of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi said the Pakistani development, being carried out with Chinese help, was "old hat," long known by the U.S. and India.
The Times of India quoted Ashley Tellis, an Indian-born strategic analyst and strong supporter of the Indo-U.S. agreement, as saying that while Pakistan was serious about developing plutonium-based warheads, "to deduce from a half-constructed plutonium production reactor scenarios of a high-octane regional nuclear arms race is seriously misleading."
Anupam Srivastava of the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia acknowledged that the ISIS report would be used by critics of the U.S.-India nuclear deal.
But he argued that the deal and Pakistan's nuclear build-up should be viewed as two separate issues.
Pakistan has long been seeking to develop plutonium-based weapons, which were lighter and more compact than the uranium-based ones currently in its arsenal, "making them easier to mount on the cone of a missile," he said.
Having them would enhance Pakistan's strike options with regard to India.
"Pakistan's nuclear weapons build-up is independent of the U.S.-India nuclear deal," Srivastava said. "Instead it should be pressed to stop using brinkmanship in its nuclear policy. India and Pakistan could look at technical confidence building measures to enhance crisis stability and reduce regional nuclear dangers."
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1409165.html[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=-1]Patrick Goodenough[/SIZE]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1]International Editor[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica][SIZE=-1](CNSNews.com) - A report claiming that Pakistan is planning to expand its arsenal of atomic bombs is making headlines, but in India it's being viewed as part of a push by the non-proliferation lobby to derail the Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear cooperation pact.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said Monday the administration did not want Pakistan to use a new nuclear reactor reportedly under construction "for military purposes such as weapons development."
He was commenting after the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) released a report showing satellite images of work evidently underway at the Khushab nuclear complex in Pakistan's Punjab province. The complex is home to a 50 MW reactor built with Chinese help and active since 1998, the year that Pakistan and India conducted their first successful nuclear tests.
Analysts at the think tank said that a new reactor being built at Khushab -- work began after 2000 and apparently is continuing, although in no hurry -- could produce more than 200 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium a year, enough for "over 40-50 nuclear weapons a year."
(Estimates of existing Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons arsenals range widely, with some experts saying they may have 50 or so warheads each.)
The ISIS report's co-authors, David Albright and Paul Brannan, speculated that awareness of the Pakistan development may have prompted India to increase its own plutonium production capacity.
They noted that, in negotiations between India and the U.S. over their bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement, India was insisting on keeping a major reprocessing facility and a large number of nuclear reactors outside of safeguards.
"South Asia may be heading for a nuclear arms race that could lead to arsenals growing into the hundreds of nuclear weapons, or at a minimum vastly expanded stockpiles of military fissile material," Albright and Brannan said.
In Pakistan, foreign office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam told a weekly media briefing that "there should be no excitement" about the report on its nuclear program expanding.
"This ought to be no revelation to anyone because Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state," she said, although declined to comment about the specifics of the Khushab facilities.
While India, Pakistan's longstanding rival, might be expected to be the nation most concerned about Islamabad building more nuclear weapons, there was no immediate reaction by the Indian government and a number of Indian commentators and media reacted skeptically to the ISIS report.
"What's so new about it?" said one newspaper headline Tuesday while another wondered whether the report was an attempt to "bomb India's N-deal" with Washington. Yet another thought it was all a "big dupe."
Controversial deal
Several reports predicted that the ISIS report and analysis would be embraced by opponents of the Indo-U.S. agreement, signed a year ago by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Under the deal, the U.S. will supply India with fuel and technology for its nuclear energy sector, in return for Indian steps to place its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards.
The pact requires Congressional approval, and enabling legislation has been inching slowly through the legislative process. It is due to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, and assistant secretary of state for South Asia Richard Boucher said last week the pact could be finalized by year's end.
U.S. non-proliferation experts have argued strongly against the deal, saying that by giving India preferential treatment the administration was sending the wrong message to other countries that may want to develop nuclear weapons.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a leading critic of the agreement, used the ISIS report to attack the administration's policies
"The nuclear arms race in South Asia is about to ignite, and instead of doing everything possible to stop this vicious cycle, the Bush administration is throwing fuel on the fire," he said in a statement Monday.
"If either India or Pakistan starts increasing its nuclear arsenal, the other side will respond in kind; and the Bush administration's proposed nuclear deal with India is making that much more likely."
Markey, who is co-chair of a bipartisan nonproliferation taskforce, said Bush should negotiate a verifiable treaty to permanently cap global stockpiles of bomb-making material.
"Bush also needs to press both India and Pakistan to agree to suspend production of bomb-grade fissile materials while such a cut-off treaty is being negotiated."
'Fodder'
Indian media expected a similar response from critics in India, where Singh also faces strong opposition. Indian leftists have accused him of getting too cozy with Washington, while some security analysts, eyeing Pakistan, argue that the agreement may constrain India's nuclear weapons capability.
"Political parties looking for an excuse to go after the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear deal could find this [ISIS] report good fodder," said the Times of India.
"The real target of the report seems to be the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal," commented the Hindustan Times. "One co-author of the report, David Albright, has been one of the most strident voices against the deal."
"The release of the report appears to have been calibrated to scuttle the deal," said Daily News and Analysis, another Indian news organization.
It quoted an unnamed Indian government official as saying that Albright, who opposes the pact, appeared to be "trying to frighten lawmakers and raising fresh doubts about the wisdom of going ahead with the civilian nuclear agreement."
Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, former head of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses in New Delhi said the Pakistani development, being carried out with Chinese help, was "old hat," long known by the U.S. and India.
The Times of India quoted Ashley Tellis, an Indian-born strategic analyst and strong supporter of the Indo-U.S. agreement, as saying that while Pakistan was serious about developing plutonium-based warheads, "to deduce from a half-constructed plutonium production reactor scenarios of a high-octane regional nuclear arms race is seriously misleading."
Anupam Srivastava of the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia acknowledged that the ISIS report would be used by critics of the U.S.-India nuclear deal.
But he argued that the deal and Pakistan's nuclear build-up should be viewed as two separate issues.
Pakistan has long been seeking to develop plutonium-based weapons, which were lighter and more compact than the uranium-based ones currently in its arsenal, "making them easier to mount on the cone of a missile," he said.
Having them would enhance Pakistan's strike options with regard to India.
"Pakistan's nuclear weapons build-up is independent of the U.S.-India nuclear deal," Srivastava said. "Instead it should be pressed to stop using brinkmanship in its nuclear policy. India and Pakistan could look at technical confidence building measures to enhance crisis stability and reduce regional nuclear dangers."
http://www.crosswalk.com/news/1409165.html[/SIZE][/FONT]
Tuesday, July 25, 2006[URL="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/email_this.gif"][/URL] http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/shim.gif [URL="http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/images/print_this.gif"][/URL]
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is building a giant plutonium reactor at Khushab that will enable it to produce 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, the Washington Post claimed in an exclusive lead story on Monday.
The newspaper, whose information is derived from the International Institute for Science and Security, and two unnamed experts, said that Pakistan has begun building a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium. “Satellite photos of Khushab nuclear site show what appears to be a partially completed heavy-water reactor capable of producing enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, a 20-fold increase from Pakistan’s current capabilities, according to a technical assessment by Washington-based nuclear experts,” the report added.
The dimensions of the new reactor suggest a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. Pakistan is believed to have 30 to 50 uranium warheads, which tend to be heavier than plutonium warheads. This assessment was endorsed by two other nuclear experts who reviewed the satellite images and supporting data. Pakistani officials would not confirm or deny the report, but a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that a nuclear expansion was underway. “Pakistan’s nuclear programme has matured. We’re now consolidating the programme with further expansions,” the official said.
“With plutonium bombs, Pakistan can fully join the nuclear club,” the Post quoted a Europe-based diplomat and nuclear expert as saying. Construction of the reactor at Khushab apparently began sometime in 2000. Satellite photos taken in the spring of 2005 showed the frame of a rectangular building enclosing what appeared to be the round metal shell of a large nuclear reactor. A year later, in April 2006, the roof of the structure was still incomplete, allowing an unobstructed view of the reactor’s features. The slow pace of construction could suggest difficulties in obtaining parts, or simply that other key facilities for plutonium bomb making are not yet in place. Once complete, the new reactor could produce over 200 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year. At four to five kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year.
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Pakistan is building a giant plutonium reactor at Khushab that will enable it to produce 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, the Washington Post claimed in an exclusive lead story on Monday.
The newspaper, whose information is derived from the International Institute for Science and Security, and two unnamed experts, said that Pakistan has begun building a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium. “Satellite photos of Khushab nuclear site show what appears to be a partially completed heavy-water reactor capable of producing enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year, a 20-fold increase from Pakistan’s current capabilities, according to a technical assessment by Washington-based nuclear experts,” the report added.
The dimensions of the new reactor suggest a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, according to the Institute for Science and International Security. Pakistan is believed to have 30 to 50 uranium warheads, which tend to be heavier than plutonium warheads. This assessment was endorsed by two other nuclear experts who reviewed the satellite images and supporting data. Pakistani officials would not confirm or deny the report, but a senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged that a nuclear expansion was underway. “Pakistan’s nuclear programme has matured. We’re now consolidating the programme with further expansions,” the official said.
“With plutonium bombs, Pakistan can fully join the nuclear club,” the Post quoted a Europe-based diplomat and nuclear expert as saying. Construction of the reactor at Khushab apparently began sometime in 2000. Satellite photos taken in the spring of 2005 showed the frame of a rectangular building enclosing what appeared to be the round metal shell of a large nuclear reactor. A year later, in April 2006, the roof of the structure was still incomplete, allowing an unobstructed view of the reactor’s features. The slow pace of construction could suggest difficulties in obtaining parts, or simply that other key facilities for plutonium bomb making are not yet in place. Once complete, the new reactor could produce over 200 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium per year. At four to five kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006javascript:; http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/print.asp?page=2006\07\25\story_25-7-2006_pg1_9
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed reports about the Khushab Nuclear Weapons Facility on Monday as ââ¬Åno new revelationââ¬Â. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan had been regularly exchanging coordinates of the site with India as part of their 1998 agreement. The Washington Post said on Monday that Pakistan was building a plutonium reactor at Khushab to produce an annual 40-50 nuclear weapons. Aslam refused to go into specifics, but said the Khushab facility was part of Pakistanââ¬â¢s indigenous efforts to acquire nuclear capability. ââ¬ÅWe do not want a nuclear and conventional arms race in the region,ââ¬Â she said, when asked if the new facility would trigger an arms race. ââ¬ÅWe were not the first to introduce and test nuclear weapons in the region.ââ¬Â
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has dismissed reports about the Khushab Nuclear Weapons Facility on Monday as ââ¬Åno new revelationââ¬Â. Foreign Office spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said Pakistan had been regularly exchanging coordinates of the site with India as part of their 1998 agreement. The Washington Post said on Monday that Pakistan was building a plutonium reactor at Khushab to produce an annual 40-50 nuclear weapons. Aslam refused to go into specifics, but said the Khushab facility was part of Pakistanââ¬â¢s indigenous efforts to acquire nuclear capability. ââ¬ÅWe do not want a nuclear and conventional arms race in the region,ââ¬Â she said, when asked if the new facility would trigger an arms race. ââ¬ÅWe were not the first to introduce and test nuclear weapons in the region.ââ¬Â
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Good articles NEO.
It could have been another Indian strategy by bringing the attention of world in order stop US selling F-16's to Pakistan and to impose more sanctions. Few US officials could have involved as well. But the Pakistan has already cleared, that its nothing new, they have been developing this for years and every one is aware of that including US and India. Further more Pakistan is out of CTBT and can expand its nuclear program.
It could have been another Indian strategy by bringing the attention of world in order stop US selling F-16's to Pakistan and to impose more sanctions. Few US officials could have involved as well. But the Pakistan has already cleared, that its nothing new, they have been developing this for years and every one is aware of that including US and India. Further more Pakistan is out of CTBT and can expand its nuclear program.
Yep, you've just said it!
Here's another one for you...
'F-16s to Pakistan plus its nuclear reactor equals disaster'
Sridhar Krishnaswami, Washington: Asking the Bush Administration to scrap the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, a prominent lawmaker here has said the acquisition of the US-made fighter jets plus the plutonium reactor being built by Islamabad equals a "catastrophe." "At any time this news (about Pakistan building a plutonium reactor at its Khushab nuclear plant) would be unwelcome," Gary Ackerman, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said in a "Dear Colleague" letter.
The import of the story is "truly alarming" in the context of a pending sale by US of F-16 fighter-bombers, he said pointing to 'The Washington Post' piece about the dramatic expansion in Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme.
Despite assurances by the Bush Administration that these aircraft would not be misused or their technology transferred to other countries like China, "once these planes have been delivered to Pakistan, there is, in fact, absolutely nothing we can do to prevent misuse," the New York Democrat said in his letter.
"Based on history and strategic analysis, there is every reason to believe the contrary that these F-16s will be drafted for use as nuclear weapons delivery vehicles, and that they will be picked apart by potential adversaries to answer questions about our aviation capabilities." "Help stop a catastrophe before it happens... And stop the sale of F-16s to Pakistan" the lawmaker, also a senior member in the House International Relations Committee, said.
http://www.newkerala.com/news3.php?action=fullnews&id=28015
Here's another one for you...
'F-16s to Pakistan plus its nuclear reactor equals disaster'
Sridhar Krishnaswami, Washington: Asking the Bush Administration to scrap the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, a prominent lawmaker here has said the acquisition of the US-made fighter jets plus the plutonium reactor being built by Islamabad equals a "catastrophe." "At any time this news (about Pakistan building a plutonium reactor at its Khushab nuclear plant) would be unwelcome," Gary Ackerman, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said in a "Dear Colleague" letter.
The import of the story is "truly alarming" in the context of a pending sale by US of F-16 fighter-bombers, he said pointing to 'The Washington Post' piece about the dramatic expansion in Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme.
Despite assurances by the Bush Administration that these aircraft would not be misused or their technology transferred to other countries like China, "once these planes have been delivered to Pakistan, there is, in fact, absolutely nothing we can do to prevent misuse," the New York Democrat said in his letter.
"Based on history and strategic analysis, there is every reason to believe the contrary that these F-16s will be drafted for use as nuclear weapons delivery vehicles, and that they will be picked apart by potential adversaries to answer questions about our aviation capabilities." "Help stop a catastrophe before it happens... And stop the sale of F-16s to Pakistan" the lawmaker, also a senior member in the House International Relations Committee, said.
http://www.newkerala.com/news3.php?action=fullnews&id=28015
Pakistan acknowledges nuclear expansion
(Kyodo) _ Pakistan on Monday acknowledged that it is carrying out an expansion of its nuclear program in northern Punjab but said this activity is well known to the outside world.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam at a weekly briefing was asked to comment on a Washington Post article that Pakistan has begun building what independent analysts say is a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium.
Aslam said the construction should not come as a revelation to anybody. However, she said she would not comment on the specifics of the article and the progress being made on the nuclear front.
Pakistan exploded six nuclear devices in May 1998 based on enriched uranium. The article said that access to plutonium would enable Pakistan to modernize its nuclear weapons capability.
The construction site is adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, a modest, 50-megawatt unit that began operating in 1998, according to the report. Reliable sources have indicated efforts by Pakistan to set up new capacity of nearly 100 megawatts at the same site.
By contrast, the dimensions of the new reactor suggest a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, according to an analysis by Washington-based nuclear experts.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060724/kyodo/d8j2cp981.html
(Kyodo) _ Pakistan on Monday acknowledged that it is carrying out an expansion of its nuclear program in northern Punjab but said this activity is well known to the outside world.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam at a weekly briefing was asked to comment on a Washington Post article that Pakistan has begun building what independent analysts say is a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium.
Aslam said the construction should not come as a revelation to anybody. However, she said she would not comment on the specifics of the article and the progress being made on the nuclear front.
Pakistan exploded six nuclear devices in May 1998 based on enriched uranium. The article said that access to plutonium would enable Pakistan to modernize its nuclear weapons capability.
The construction site is adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, a modest, 50-megawatt unit that began operating in 1998, according to the report. Reliable sources have indicated efforts by Pakistan to set up new capacity of nearly 100 megawatts at the same site.
By contrast, the dimensions of the new reactor suggest a capacity of 1,000 megawatts or more, according to an analysis by Washington-based nuclear experts.
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060724/kyodo/d8j2cp981.html
US ‘aware’ of new N-plant: Powerful nuclear reactor coming up in Khushab: ISIS report
By Anwar Iqbal
http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/25/images/top01.jpg
WASHINGTON, July 24: The United States said on Monday it was aware that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor and urged Islamabad not to use the facility for military purposes.
“We have been aware of these plans and we discourage any use of that facility for military purposes such as weapons development,’ White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. “Pakistan of course is outside the non-proliferation treaty and, therefore, they do develop their capabilities independently,” Mr Snow said.
A US think-tank reported earlier Monday that Pakistan had started work on a new reactor that could signal a major expansion of the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities “Commercial satellite imagery suggests Pakistan is building a second, much larger plutonium production reactor inside the Khushab complex,” said the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. Diplomatic observers in Washington say that the timing of release is significant, because it raises fresh concerns about an arms race in South Asia at a time when the US Congress is on the verge of ratifying a deal which would give India greater access to American civilian nuclear technology.
In an analysis based on the diameter of the vessel, the institute estimates that the under-construction reactor is capable of operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts-thermal. Such a reactor could produce over 200 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium per year, assuming it operates at full power for a modest 220 days per year. At 4-5 kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40-50 nuclear weapons a year, the report says. A separate assessment by Washington-based nuclear experts concludes that this would represent a 20-fold increase from Pakistan’s existing capabilities.
“Reactors of this size should lend further support to the fissile material capacity,” Paul Brannan, one of the co-authors of the report told Dawn when asked why believes this reactor is not meant to produce energy.
The reactor could also be used to produce substantial amounts of tritium for boosted fission weapons, the report adds.
Along with the report the institute also published two close ups of the building suspected to be a large heavy water, plutonium production reactor.
“South Asia may be heading for a nuclear arms race that could lead to arsenals growing into the hundreds of nuclear weapons, or at minimum, vastly expanded stockpiles of military fissile material,” the institute’s David Albright and Paul Brannan conclude in the report.
The ISIS claims that the construction of the reactor started after March 2000. In the image from June 2005, a possible reactor vessel is visible within the inner portion of the building. The support columns for the outer portion of the building are visible as well. A large crane is visible just outside the building. Situated to the west of the main building is a structure suspected to be a mosque. It is the only building within the Khushab site with walls that are not parallel to those of other buildings and appears to face Mecca.
In an April 2006 image, the outer portion of the building has been covered with a roof. Across the ground next to the new crane are what appear to be several arched metal rods. These pieces could be used as the frame for a roof on top of the inner structure. The linear distance between the ends of the arched rods and the distance between the east and west walls of the inside structure are both approximately 105 feet.
The construction activity just above the north-east corner of the entire building could be the foundation for a stack.
The round object inside the building has a diameter of about five meters. This is significantly larger than the corresponding vessel in the existing reactor at this site.
Based on the size of the vessel, assuming moderation by heavy water, standard values for heavy water reactors, and economical use of the volume of the vessel, this reactor is estimated to be capable of operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts-thermal. It is important to note that this estimate remains uncertain, absent any confirmatory information from Pakistan.
Based on the apparent rate of construction, the reactor could be finished within a few years. However, nothing suggests that Pakistan is moving quickly to finish this reactor.
“The driving forces behind the reactor completion schedule could be a shortage of necessary reactor components or other parts of the weapons-production infrastructure such as the rate of heavy water production, the availability of a sufficient fuel reprocessing capacity or, perhaps, the availability of sufficient modern tritium recovery and packaging facilities,” the report says.
“For example, Pakistan may not have enough heavy water for this reactor, which could require about 100-150 tons of heavy water,” the report adds.
According to the report, the Khushab site has a heavy water production plant able to produce an estimated 13 tons of heavy water a year, a relatively small production capability. Pakistan may not be able to reprocess all of the anticipated irradiated fuel from this reactor.
Pakistan is known to process fuel to separate plutonium at the New Labs facility at Rawalpindi, and this facility was expanded between about 1998 and 2002. However, this increase in capacity was believed to be associated with the smaller, heavy water reactor.
The institute believes that India is already aware of this reactor construction in Khushab.
Neither Pakistan nor India have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and both are believed to have substantial quantities of weapons.
India is reported to have 69 Prithvi and Agni ballistic missiles — each with one warhead — plus many more bombs that can be dropped by bombers.
Pakistan is thought to have 165 missiles of various versions of its Hatf series of missiles — each with a warhead — plus bombs capable of being dropped by air.
But experts say that because Pakistan uses a simpler uranium-based warhead design — as opposed to the more sophisticated plutonium version used by India — Islamabad is eager to upgrade its arsenal.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/25/top1.htm
By Anwar Iqbal
http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/25/images/top01.jpg
WASHINGTON, July 24: The United States said on Monday it was aware that Pakistan is building a powerful new nuclear reactor and urged Islamabad not to use the facility for military purposes.
“We have been aware of these plans and we discourage any use of that facility for military purposes such as weapons development,’ White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. “Pakistan of course is outside the non-proliferation treaty and, therefore, they do develop their capabilities independently,” Mr Snow said.
A US think-tank reported earlier Monday that Pakistan had started work on a new reactor that could signal a major expansion of the country’s nuclear weapons capabilities “Commercial satellite imagery suggests Pakistan is building a second, much larger plutonium production reactor inside the Khushab complex,” said the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security. Diplomatic observers in Washington say that the timing of release is significant, because it raises fresh concerns about an arms race in South Asia at a time when the US Congress is on the verge of ratifying a deal which would give India greater access to American civilian nuclear technology.
In an analysis based on the diameter of the vessel, the institute estimates that the under-construction reactor is capable of operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts-thermal. Such a reactor could produce over 200 kilograms of weapon-grade plutonium per year, assuming it operates at full power for a modest 220 days per year. At 4-5 kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40-50 nuclear weapons a year, the report says. A separate assessment by Washington-based nuclear experts concludes that this would represent a 20-fold increase from Pakistan’s existing capabilities.
“Reactors of this size should lend further support to the fissile material capacity,” Paul Brannan, one of the co-authors of the report told Dawn when asked why believes this reactor is not meant to produce energy.
The reactor could also be used to produce substantial amounts of tritium for boosted fission weapons, the report adds.
Along with the report the institute also published two close ups of the building suspected to be a large heavy water, plutonium production reactor.
“South Asia may be heading for a nuclear arms race that could lead to arsenals growing into the hundreds of nuclear weapons, or at minimum, vastly expanded stockpiles of military fissile material,” the institute’s David Albright and Paul Brannan conclude in the report.
The ISIS claims that the construction of the reactor started after March 2000. In the image from June 2005, a possible reactor vessel is visible within the inner portion of the building. The support columns for the outer portion of the building are visible as well. A large crane is visible just outside the building. Situated to the west of the main building is a structure suspected to be a mosque. It is the only building within the Khushab site with walls that are not parallel to those of other buildings and appears to face Mecca.
In an April 2006 image, the outer portion of the building has been covered with a roof. Across the ground next to the new crane are what appear to be several arched metal rods. These pieces could be used as the frame for a roof on top of the inner structure. The linear distance between the ends of the arched rods and the distance between the east and west walls of the inside structure are both approximately 105 feet.
The construction activity just above the north-east corner of the entire building could be the foundation for a stack.
The round object inside the building has a diameter of about five meters. This is significantly larger than the corresponding vessel in the existing reactor at this site.
Based on the size of the vessel, assuming moderation by heavy water, standard values for heavy water reactors, and economical use of the volume of the vessel, this reactor is estimated to be capable of operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts-thermal. It is important to note that this estimate remains uncertain, absent any confirmatory information from Pakistan.
Based on the apparent rate of construction, the reactor could be finished within a few years. However, nothing suggests that Pakistan is moving quickly to finish this reactor.
“The driving forces behind the reactor completion schedule could be a shortage of necessary reactor components or other parts of the weapons-production infrastructure such as the rate of heavy water production, the availability of a sufficient fuel reprocessing capacity or, perhaps, the availability of sufficient modern tritium recovery and packaging facilities,” the report says.
“For example, Pakistan may not have enough heavy water for this reactor, which could require about 100-150 tons of heavy water,” the report adds.
According to the report, the Khushab site has a heavy water production plant able to produce an estimated 13 tons of heavy water a year, a relatively small production capability. Pakistan may not be able to reprocess all of the anticipated irradiated fuel from this reactor.
Pakistan is known to process fuel to separate plutonium at the New Labs facility at Rawalpindi, and this facility was expanded between about 1998 and 2002. However, this increase in capacity was believed to be associated with the smaller, heavy water reactor.
The institute believes that India is already aware of this reactor construction in Khushab.
Neither Pakistan nor India have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and both are believed to have substantial quantities of weapons.
India is reported to have 69 Prithvi and Agni ballistic missiles — each with one warhead — plus many more bombs that can be dropped by bombers.
Pakistan is thought to have 165 missiles of various versions of its Hatf series of missiles — each with a warhead — plus bombs capable of being dropped by air.
But experts say that because Pakistan uses a simpler uranium-based warhead design — as opposed to the more sophisticated plutonium version used by India — Islamabad is eager to upgrade its arsenal.
http://www.dawn.com/2006/07/25/top1.htm
THE writer of a Washington Post article seems to give the impression of breaking frightening news: "Pakistan has begun building... a powerful new reactor for producing plutonium (at Khushab), a move, if verified, would signal a major expansion of the country's nuclear weapons capabilities." Interestingly, the report goes on to inform its readers that the construction work on the reactor began in 2000, questioning its own version of "has begun building". Besides, there is no need for verification; the project is too well known.
The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said at her weekly press briefing on Monday, "Its coordinates are exchanged even with India under a 1988 agreement on nuclear facilities and installations." Islamabad, at the highest level, has been on record having declared on more than one occasion that it was developing and expanding its nuclear weapons programme consistent with the requirements of minimum deterrence. A US spokesman, reacting to a thinktank report on which the Post write-up is based, has said that Washington has been aware of it and, most probably, the under-construction reactor was not a revelation to the article's author either.
But then what is the point of bringing it up six years after the work on building the reactor began? The likelihood that the Indo-Zionist lobby in the US is behind the sinister move cannot be ruled out. The 'findings' of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security about the '20-fold increase in Pakistan's nuclear capacity', which the Khushab reactor would make possible, would naturally create a general scare among experts as well as the public. The ISIS report has come as a handy tool for those opposed to providing military equipment to Islamabad. Coincidence? The non-proliferation lobby would become more active against Pakistan, while the reactor would figure in the current debate in US Congress on the Bush administration proposal to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, even though a press report some days back suggested that aircraft being sold to Islamabad would not be able to carry atomic warheads. The news has been neither confirmed nor contradicted. As Congress is empowered under the law to scuttle the idea, the lawmakers opposed to the deal would naturally try to exploit it. Hopefully, the administration would be able to sell the deal.
Concern has also been expressed that the upcoming nuclear facility signals a 'potential new escalation' in the Subcontinent's arms race. Islamabad has repeatedly maintained that it has no intention of joining an arms race. However, the doctrine of minimum deterrence to which it adheres would involve continuous readjustment, upgradation and augmentation of forces in the light of the varying strengths of potential adversaries. If New Delhi is building up its nuclear and conventional arsenals, Islamabad should not be expected to ignore this. American political forces must acknowledge the boost US civilian nuclear technology would give to India's nuclear weapons strength. With this in view, the US is on a weak moral wicket to ask Pakistan not to use the Khushab facility for military purposes.
The Pakistan Foreign Office spokesperson said at her weekly press briefing on Monday, "Its coordinates are exchanged even with India under a 1988 agreement on nuclear facilities and installations." Islamabad, at the highest level, has been on record having declared on more than one occasion that it was developing and expanding its nuclear weapons programme consistent with the requirements of minimum deterrence. A US spokesman, reacting to a thinktank report on which the Post write-up is based, has said that Washington has been aware of it and, most probably, the under-construction reactor was not a revelation to the article's author either.
But then what is the point of bringing it up six years after the work on building the reactor began? The likelihood that the Indo-Zionist lobby in the US is behind the sinister move cannot be ruled out. The 'findings' of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security about the '20-fold increase in Pakistan's nuclear capacity', which the Khushab reactor would make possible, would naturally create a general scare among experts as well as the public. The ISIS report has come as a handy tool for those opposed to providing military equipment to Islamabad. Coincidence? The non-proliferation lobby would become more active against Pakistan, while the reactor would figure in the current debate in US Congress on the Bush administration proposal to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, even though a press report some days back suggested that aircraft being sold to Islamabad would not be able to carry atomic warheads. The news has been neither confirmed nor contradicted. As Congress is empowered under the law to scuttle the idea, the lawmakers opposed to the deal would naturally try to exploit it. Hopefully, the administration would be able to sell the deal.
Concern has also been expressed that the upcoming nuclear facility signals a 'potential new escalation' in the Subcontinent's arms race. Islamabad has repeatedly maintained that it has no intention of joining an arms race. However, the doctrine of minimum deterrence to which it adheres would involve continuous readjustment, upgradation and augmentation of forces in the light of the varying strengths of potential adversaries. If New Delhi is building up its nuclear and conventional arsenals, Islamabad should not be expected to ignore this. American political forces must acknowledge the boost US civilian nuclear technology would give to India's nuclear weapons strength. With this in view, the US is on a weak moral wicket to ask Pakistan not to use the Khushab facility for military purposes.
Samudra
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Gents,
It appears this is an old program.
As the Colonel pointed out Pakistan is yet to master a weapon based on WgPu.Running a reactor in full burn mode is bitchy.It wont be run in 100% full burn mode.
Nobody in India is going to be overly concerned.But if somebody in Hill is going to be then we shall do our best to help.
And if you're changing from HEU to WgPu then your HEU stuff failed.
It appears this is an old program.
As the Colonel pointed out Pakistan is yet to master a weapon based on WgPu.Running a reactor in full burn mode is bitchy.It wont be run in 100% full burn mode.
Nobody in India is going to be overly concerned.But if somebody in Hill is going to be then we shall do our best to help.
And if you're changing from HEU to WgPu then your HEU stuff failed.
Samudra said:Gents,
It appears this is an old program.
As the Colonel pointed out Pakistan is yet to master a weapon based on WgPu.Running a reactor in full burn mode is bitchy.It wont be run in 100% full burn mode.
Nobody in India is going to be overly concerned.But if somebody in Hill is going to be then we shall do our best to help.
And if you're changing from HEU to WgPu then your HEU stuff failed.
Then you must read how your government is pissing in their dhotis over this...And it is my pleasure to post it on here as a polite and helpful forum member
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