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South Africa praises conviction in nuke technology case
Vienna (AFP) Sept 11, 2007 South Africa said Tuesday that its recent conviction of a German involved in a global nuclear technology smuggling ring was a breakthrough that will help further efforts to stop proliferation. "As one of the first successful cases against those involved in the so-called AQ Khan network, South Africa has illustrated the value of the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and of effective information sharing," South African ambassador Abdul Minty told reporters at an IAEA meeting here. "We believe that this type of co-operation will contribute to the prevention, combating and eradication of such illicit activities." On September 4, a South African court gave the managing director of a German engineering firm, Gerhard Wisser, an 18-year suspended jail sentence for his involvement in the Khan smuggling ring. Wisser will have to spend three years under house arrest as part of a plea bargain with prosecutors which saw him admit to seven charges of contravening the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction Act and the Nuclear Energy Act, as well as two charges of forgery, according to the South African Press. The 68-year-old will also co-operate with South African and overseas authorities in their investigations against other players in the ring. Abdul Qadeer Khan was the founder of Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme and a national hero, but he fell from grace after he publicly confessed in February 2004 to passing nuclear secrets to Iran, North Korea and Libya. Minty said the Khan network "apparently operated in more than 30 countries." A diplomat close to the IAEA said these countries included members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which oversees the trade of nuclear technology in order to keep so-called dual-use items from falling into the hands of those who might make bombs. The Khan network found fertile ground in South Africa from 1986 to 1995 as "the former South African apartheid regime only joined the NPT (nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) in 1991, during the period of transition," Minty said. In addition, "relevant legislation" was only introduced in 1994, "the year when the first democratic government came to power in South Africa," he said. Minty said that while South African investigators received assistance from some countries, others "that were ideally placed to provide evidence either provided limited assistance or declined to provide any assistance whatsoever." He did not provide details. In a statement to the IAEA meeting, US ambassador Gregory Schulte said South Africa's "landmark case is a direct result of the government's determination and perseverance in pursuing the investigation and prosecution." He said "the technology made available by the Khan network has altered the nonproliferation landscape" and that the IAEA must be given "relevant export- and import-related information." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Seoul warns US-India nuke deal could set bad example
Seoul (AFP) Sept 11, 2007A South Korean envoy has warned that a controversial US civilian nuclear deal with India could set a bad precedent for North Korea. |
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