>From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: FWD:Rumsfeld link to sale of reactors to North Korea >Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 14:43:50 -0500 > >Rumsfeld link to sale of reactors to North Korea >By Randeep Ramesh >May 10 2003 > > >The US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, sat on the board of a company >that three years ago sold two light water nuclear reactors to North Korea - >a country he now regards as part of the "axis of evil" and which has been >targeted for regime change by Washington because of its efforts of build >nuclear weapons. >Mr Rumsfeld was a non-executive director of ABB, a European engineering >giant based in Zurich, when it won a $US200 million contract to provide the >design and key components for the reactors. He sat on the board from 1990 to >2001, earning $US190,000 a year. He left to join the Bush Administration. >The sale of the nuclear technology was a high-profile contract. ABB's then >chief executive, Goran Lindahl, visited North Korea in 1999. >The company opened an office in the capital Pyongyang, and the deal was >signed a year later in 2000. >Despite this, Mr Rumsfeld's office said the Defence Secretary did not >"recall it being brought before the board at any time". In a statement to >the American magazine Newsweek, his spokeswoman, Victoria Clarke, said there >"was no vote on this". > >A spokesman for ABB told The Guardian on Thursday that "board members were >informed about the project which would deliver systems and equipment for >light water reactors". >Just months after Mr Rumsfeld took office, President George Bush ended the >policy of engagement and pulled the plug on diplomacy. Pyongyang warned that >it would respond by building nuclear missiles. >By January 2002, the Bush Administration had placed North Korea in the "axis >of evil" alongside Iraq and Iran. >Critics of the Administration's bellicose language on North Korea say the >problem was that Mr Rumsfeld did not "speak up against it". >"One could draw the conclusion that economic and personal interests took >precedent over non-proliferation," said Steve LaMontagne, an analyst with >the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington. >Heavy water reactors produce weapons-grade plutonium. Light water reactors >are known as "proliferation-resistant" but one expert said they were not >"proliferation-proof". >The Guardian > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~