NAPSNet Daily Report 28 April, 1999

IN TODAY’S REPORT:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. People’s Republic of China

IV. Press Releases

I. United States

1. Four-Party Peace Talks

The Associated Press (Geir Moulson, “LITTLE PROGRESS IN LATEST ROUND OF KOREAN PEACE TALKS,” Geneva, 04/27/99) reported that the latest round of the four-party peace talks for the Korean Peninsula ended Tuesday. A statement read by US envoy Charles Kartman said that “serious differences in positions exist.” Kartman added, however, that the parties held “useful and productive discussions” and would meet again in August. DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye-gwan stated, “We will in the future, too, hold to our position on” the withdrawal of US military forces from the ROK. Kim said that if the other parties declined to discuss the issue, “we wouldn’t have any interest in that kind of talks.” An anonymous senior US State Department official argued that the DPRK army is a major source of military tension on the Korean peninsula. The official added, “We are at a point where agreements are at least feasible. I don’t think that from where we sit right now we can see clearly to the end.”

The United States Information Agency (“KOREA FOUR-PARTY TALKS APRIL 27 JOINT PRESS STATEMENT,” Washington, 04/27/99) issued the following joint press statement by the delegations to the latest round of the four party Korean Peninsula peace talks. “The fifth plenary session of the Four Party Talks, chaired by the United States, was held in Geneva from April 24 to April 27, 1999. Delegations of the four parties, the DPRK, PRC, ROK, and U.S. had useful and productive discussions which were conducted in a business-like and cordial manner. The two subcommittees that were established — to discuss, respectively, tension reduction on the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime there — held meetings over two days, on April 25-26. The two subcommittees were conducted in accordance with the procedures agreed to during the fourth session. In the subcommittees, detailed substantive views were freely exchanged and the subcommittees reported to the plenary on their activities, noting in their reports that serious differences in positions exist. The four parties agreed to continue to discuss substantive issues, and proposals for agenda items, at the next session. The four parties agreed in the next round to consider and fashion measures to reduce tension that fit the unique situation on the Korean Peninsula. The four parties also agreed to take steps in the next round to explore further the outlines of a future peace regime on the Korean Peninsula. The sixth plenary session of the Four Party Talks will be held in Geneva in August, 1999. A deputy head of delegation preparatory meeting will be convened to discuss arrangements for organizing the work of the next plenary session in Geneva a day before the plenary meets. In accordance with established procedure, the new Chair state, the PRC, will prepare for the next plenary session. The four delegations expressed their deep appreciation to the Swiss government for its support for this meeting and for the hospitality it extended to the delegations.”

2. DPRK Y2K Bug

The Wall Street Journal (Jane L. Lee, “NORTH KOREA REJECTS HELP ON Y2K BUG, RAISING FEARS OF ACCIDENTAL MISSILE LAUNCH,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that the DPRK has rejected US and ROK offers to help solve any problems that might be caused by the Y2K computer bug. An anonymous top ROK government official said that the main concern of US and ROK military officials is that the bug could cause the DPRK’s early-warning radar system to show mistakenly an attack on the DPRK, leading the DPRK to fire at the ROK. He added that another fear is that the DPRK could initiate a missile attack and blame it on computer problems. However, an unnamed Western diplomat argued, “If you’re a caveman, you don’t have Y2K problems. They have weapons systems that are so old that they were created before computers.” He added, “They haven’t asked for anyone’s help, and like a lot of other North Korea issues, you end up speculating more than you have facts.” Doug Richardson, editor of Jane’s Missiles and Rockets, said that he does not think the DPRK’s radar system is a problem either because its operation depends more on humans than computers. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for April 28.]

3. ROK Labor Leaders Visit DPRK

The Associated Press (“NORTH KOREA WELCOMES SOUTH KOREAN LABOR LEADERS,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that news reports said Wednesday that two representatives of the ROK’s Korean Confederation of Trade Unions arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday via Beijing. The two representatives will discuss a proposal by the DPRK’s General Federation of Trade Unions to hold workers’ soccer matches in Seoul and Pyongyang later this year. They were the first ROK labor leaders to visit the DPRK since division. The ROK government authorized the trip under its “sunshine” policy.

4. PRC Military Exercises

The Associated Press (“REPORT: CHINA BUILDS AIRPORT COPY,” Taipei, 04/28/99) reported that Taiwan’s China Times Express said Wednesday that the PRC has built a military airport in northwestern Gansu Province that is identical to Chingchuankang Airport in central Taiwan, so that it can practice bombing the island. The Taiwan Defense Ministry declined comment on the report, which quoted unidentified Taiwanese officials as saying that the PRC appears eager to test its ability to attack Taiwan.

5. Alleged PRC Nuclear Espionage

The New York Times (James Risen and Jeff Gerth, “U.S. SAYS SUSPECT PUT DATA ON BOMBS IN UNSECURE FILES,” Washington, 04/28/99) reported that US government officials said that Wen Ho Lee, a scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, improperly downloaded huge amounts of secret data from a computer system at the laboratory. The officials said that Lee transferred the data from a computer system open only to those with top- level security clearances to a widely accessible computer network at the laboratory. They said that Lee transferred most of the secret data in 1994 and 1995. US experts said the data would be useful to any nuclear power trying to replicate US atomic designs, but one scientist said that the codes and accompanying data were not, by themselves, sufficient to produce an exact copy of a US weapon. Officials do not know whether the data was obtained by another country. They said that federal investigators discovered evidence that Lee had been transferring files involving millions of lines of secret computer codes when they examined Lee’s office computer in connection with their investigation of the earlier theft at Los Alamos. According to John Browne, director of Los Alamos, the codes consist of computer data used to design nuclear weapons, analyze nuclear test results and evaluate weapons materials and safety characteristics. Browne stated, “They are codes that integrate our best understanding of the processes that go on in a nuclear weapon.” Ray E. Kidder, a nuclear-weapons physicist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, stated, “If you’ve got the source code and the input data, you can reverse-engineer the thing and have a complete plan for nuclear explosive part of the weapon.” [Ed. note: This article was one of the top stories in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for April 28.]

The Los Angeles Times (Bob Drogin, “SPYING BY CHINA ONGOING IN U.S., PANEL CHIEF SAYS,” Washington 04/28/99, Pg.1) reported that US Representative Christopher Cox, R-California, said that the congressional committee investigating alleged PRC spying in the US has concluded that PRC espionage “continues to this very day.” Cox said that an unclassified version of the report will document “literally scores” of cases where the PRC illicitly acquired sensitive US military and commercial knowledge. He stated, “These are not isolated incidents. This is a very deliberate pattern of action.” He argued that visits by hundreds of Chinese scientists and other officials to US nuclear weapons facilities each year provided a cover for PRC spy handlers to meet their agents on the inside. However, Representative Norman D. Dicks of Washington, the committee’s top-ranking Democrat, disputed Cox’s account, pointing out, “We didn’t interview any of these spies.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for April 28.]

The Washington Post (Vernon Loeb and Walter Pincus, “SEN. SHELBY MOVES TO RESTRICT FOREIGN VISITORS TO NUCLEAR LABS,” 04/28/99, Pg.12) reported that US Senator Richard C. Shelby, R-Alabama, chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would restrict visits by scientists from the PRC, Russia and other sensitive countries to the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons laboratories. The legislation would require the US secretary of energy to personally request a waiver and give Congress 10 days’ notice before a scientist from any one of seven sensitive countries could visit Los Alamos, Sandia, or Lawrence Livermore national laboratories. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for April 28.]

6. Russian-PRC Energy Cooperation

Dow Jones Newswires (Peter Wonacott, “RUSSIA PROPOSES POWER GRIDS LINK WITH CHINA – CHUBAIS,” Beijing, 04/28/99) reported that Anatoly Chubais, head of Russia’s state company Unified Energy Systems, said Wednesday that his company plans to increase electricity sales to the PRC. He added that his company wants to build an “energy bridge” linking the two countries’ grids, once the PRC creates its own national power grid. Chubais said that the Chinese State Power Corporation promised to consider the link. He estimated that Russia could supply the PRC with 15 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year after the power grids are joined, at a value of between US$200 million and US$400 million a year. Chubais stated, “No matter what the political and economic circumstances are, you can be 100% sure it won’t affect this agreement.” Currently, Russia provides just 30 million KWH to the PRC through a power plant in Amir Energo on the Western part of the border. Russia has proposed increasing that amount to 60 million KWH a year.

7. Indian Adherence to CTBT

Dow Jones Newswires (Mark Drajem, “INDIA DEFENCE MIN: TEST BAN TREATY TALKS ONLY POST ELECTION,” New Delhi, 04/28/99) reported that Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes said Wednesday that talks on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) will have to wait until after a new Parliament takes office. Fernandes said that due to the government’s caretaker position, “there will be no discussions on CTBT or any other foreign policy decisions while Parliament is not in session.” On Monday, President K.R. Narayanan dissolved parliament and called for early elections after the government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee lost a confidence vote and opposition parties failed to agree on an alternative administration. Elections must be held within six months, but no date was immediately set.

II. Republic of Korea

1. Four-Party Talks

Joongang Ilbo (Jangsoo Seo, “NEXT FOUR PARTY TALKS WILL HOLD IN AUGUST,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that the 5th meeting of four party talks among the US, the PRC, the DPRK and the ROK in Geneva ended without any progress. US State Department spokesman James Rubin said Tuesday that the next meeting will also be held in Geneva in August. The failure of this round was blamed on the parties’ disagreement on setting an agenda. The ROK asserted that the meeting should first discuss issues easy to resolve, including setting up telecommunications equipment between military guards of the two Koreas around Mt. Kumkang. The DPRK, on the other hand, repeatedly insisted that the meeting discuss important issues, including the withdrawal of US troops from the ROK and establishing a peace accord between the US and the DPRK. After the meeting ended, ROK representative Park Kun-woo said that the ROK suggested concrete proposals on three confidence-building measures, including establishing a hotline between the two Koreas’ military authorities. DPRK representative Kim Kye-gwan stated that the DPRK will not change its insistence on discussing the withdrawal of US soldiers from the ROK, adding that the DPRK and the US focused their discussion on the inspection of the underground construction site at Kumchangri.

2. US Inspection of Alleged Nuclear Site

Chosun Ilbo (Hyo-sang Kang, “US-NK AGREE ON INSPECTION TIMING,” Washington, 04/28/99) and the Korea Times (“US TO INSPECT NK NUKE SITE IN MAY,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye- gwan said Tuesday that US inspectors will be given access in May to the alleged nuclear site in Kumchangri. The first tour of the facility will be conducted in the middle of May, with a second tentatively planned for autumn. A senior US official said that US and DPRK officials discussed the date and other access issues on the sidelines of the four-party talks. The agreement includes details relating to the timing of visits, frequency and travel schedule. Further details will be revealed later, according to the US official, but the size of the inspection team is rumored to number up to 15 experts.

3. US Force Deployment in Asia

Chosun Ilbo (Hyo-sang Kang, “USFK STRONG ENOUGH TO DETER NK,” Washington, 04/28/99) reported that US Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hanley told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday that the US Forces in Korea (USFK) would not be needed to take part in the NATO attack on Yugoslavia. He added that the removal of the 7th fleet from the Pacific had been compensated for by the addition of more aircraft at US air force bases on the peninsula, and that the forces were capable of deterring and containing any attack by the DPRK. Committee head Ted Stevenson had questioned the redeployment to the Balkans of F15 fighters from Alaska that were tasked to cover the Korean peninsula. The Pacific-based aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk has been moved to the Gulf to cover aircraft dispatched from the Middle East.

4. ROK Labor Leaders Visit DPRK

Chosun Ilbo (In-ky Kim, “NORTH KOREA ROLLS OUT RED CARPET FOR KCTU,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that the DPRK welcomed representatives of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) who arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday. The KCTU representatives arrived in the DPRK to discuss the possibility of staging soccer games in both Seoul and Pyongyang between labor groups from the two Koreas. A welcoming ceremony was staged on a grand scale, with a parade held to honor the representatives. In a state-radio broadcast, the DPRK authorities played up the recent strikes in the ROK, but failed to mention the soccer matches. Through the broadcast, officials sent out their complete support and expressed their allegiance to the ROK’s union leaders in their struggle to safeguard the democratic right to a decent livelihood. The DPRK authorities also lauded the KCTU over the radio, saying that the labor group has made it clear that the working class will blaze a trail for the reunification of the Korean peninsula. The ROK government plans to keep a close eye on the KCTU’s activities to ensure that they are consistent with the original purpose of the visit which, in keeping with ROK’s sunshine policy, was ostensibly to promote athletic exchange between the two countries.

5. DPRK Y2K Computer Bug

The Korea Herald (Shin Yong-bae, “EXPERTS SEE LITTLE CHANCE OF Y2K GLITCH SPARKING MISTAKEN N.K. MISSILE ATTACK,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that the ROK government recently concluded that there is little possibility that the DPRK would accidentally launch missiles due to Y2K related computer problems. In an interview with the Korea Herald, an unnamed official said, “Our conclusion is that there is no Y2K-related problem in the North’s military system at present.” The officials said that Russia informed the ROK that there is little chance the computer bug will cause problems in the DPRK’s weaponry, adding that most of the DPRK’s sophisticated weapons were Soviet made. An anonymous ROK Foreign Ministry government official stated, “Most of the DPRK missiles have nothing to do with computers, so how a computer reads the year is not even a factor. As a matter of fact, there is no ‘up-to-the-second’ weaponry that can go haywire upon the slightest change in computer signals.” An unidentified private military expert added, “the DPRK’s major ground-to-ground SCUD and Rodong missiles do not have inertial guidance systems, which could trigger Y2K problems.” A deputy head of the US Central Intelligence Agency reportedly told the Senate Defense Committee in February that presently there appeared to be little danger that a missile would fly in the wrong direction because of the bug.

6. DPRK Tourism

Joongang Ilbo (Hwashik Bong, “36,000 VISIT NORTH KOREA IN FIRST QUARTER,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that more than 36,000 ROK nationals visited the DPRK during the first quarter of this year. Most of them were Mt. Kumgang tourists, while general-purpose travelers numbered 638. The ROK government has approved 105 requests to contact the DPRK this year for business purposes.

7. PRC-ROK Relations

The Korea Times (“RANKING CHINESE COMMUNIST OFFICIAL TO VISIT KOREA,” Seoul, 04/28/99) reported that Li Luihuan, the fourth ranking person in the PRC Communist Party, will visit the ROK from May 9-15, the ROK Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry announced Tuesday. Li, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and member of the Standing Council of the Chinese Communist Party’s Political Bureau, will lead the 50-member delegation. During his stay in Korea, Li is scheduled to meet ROK President Kim Dae-jung, Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil, and National Assembly Speaker Park Jyun-kyu, in addition to a number of business leaders. ROK officials said that Li’s visit would serve to deepen the PRC’s understanding of ROK’s gradual engagement policy toward the DPRK.

8. Russian Weapons Sales to ROK

The Korea Herald (“RUSSIAN OFFICIAL SAYS MOSCOW WANTS TO SELL MIDSIZE SUBS TO KOREA,” Seoul, 04/29/99) reported that visiting Russian Duma Speaker Genadiy Seleznev said Russia would like to participate in the ROK Navy’s medium-sized submarine project. In his press conference held at the Hilton Hotel, Seleznev said he understands that the ROK will invite submarine-producing countries to an international tender for the procurement of medium-sized submarines and that Russia has an excellent capability for producing diesel-engine submarines. On inter-Korean relations, the Russian leader said that because Korean reunification is the hope of all the Korean people in the DPRK and the ROK, nations of the world should contribute to a peaceful reunification of the Koreas.

9. ROK-Thai Relations

Korea Times (“THAILAND BACKS SEOUL’S ENGAGEMENT POLICY TOWARD NK,” Seoul, 04/26/99) reported that Thailand Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said in Monday’s summit at Chong Wa Dae with ROK President Kim Dae-jung that he fully backs the ROK’s “Sunshine Policy” of engagement with the DPRK. The Thai Prime Minister, who came to the ROK on Sunday for a four-day visit, said that he fully supports the ROK’s efforts to promote peace and stability on the Korean peninsula. Following the summit, the two countries unveiled a 13-point “action agenda for the 21st century,” which will serve as a framework and guideline for further cooperation between the two countries in the next century. The joint statement said that ROK and Thailand reaffirmed the importance of smooth progress in the Four-Party Talks and the implementation of the Agreement on Reconciliation, Nonaggression, and Exchanges and Cooperation between the ROK and the DPRK. Leekpai vowed Thailand’s full and continued support for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization project to help establish durable peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and promote global nuclear non-proliferation. The two sides said that the ROK and Thailand will further strengthen defense cooperation in various fields through regular security talks on regional issues.

III. People’s Republic of China

1. ROK Economy

China Daily (“US RATING AGENCY UPGRADES S. KOREA,” Seoul, 4/27/99, A6) reported that a US-based credit assessor raised the ROK’s sovereign ratings on April 26, citing an easing liquidity crunch and impressive reforms. Duff and Phelps Credit Rating Co upgraded its foreign currency sovereign rating on the ROK to “BBB” from “BB-“, the agency said in a statement. Duff and Phelps’ move follows similar actions earlier this year by Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s. The upgrade comes following a “sharp turnaround in external liquidity, along with the impressive economic reform program led by President Kim Dae-jung,” the agency said. The reforms welcomed by Duff and Phelps include recent moves by major conglomerates, or chaebol, to significantly reduce their debt. Duff and Phelps also raised the country’s local currency rating to “A-” from “BBB-,” with the outlook on both ratings stable.

2. ROK-Thai Relations

China Daily (“LEADERS AGREE TO STRENGTHEN TIES,” Seoul, 4/27/99, A11) reported that Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and ROK President Kim Dae-jung agreed on April 26 to work together to overcome the lingering Asian economic crisis. The leaders adopted a “Korea-Thailand Action Plan for the 21st Century,” which sets out guidelines for boosting cooperation in areas ranging from the economy, to security and to politics, Kim’s office said. The plan calls for the countries to work together “in bilateral and regional contexts to maximize their capacities and effectiveness in dealing with the economic crisis and to minimize the risk of social instability in the region.”

3. PRC-US WTO Talks

China Daily (“CHINA HOLDS TALKS WITH US AND EU ON WTO ENTRY,” 4/27/99, A1) reported that Chinese and US negotiators concluded the latest round of talks on the remaining issues on the PRC’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on April 26, while talks with the European Union started on the same day. No concrete progress from the talks with the US was announced so far, the report said. However, “the two sides have made pragmatic and earnest efforts,” according to Long Yongtu, chief negotiator of the PRC Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation. The PRC and the US conducted the current round of talks last Thursday and Friday, the report said. Long and his US counterpart Robert Cassidy held a one-hour closed-door meeting on the afternoon of April 26. The time for the next round of negotiations will be discussed and announced by the two sides later, Long said.

China Daily (“BE AS GOOD AS YOUR WORD,” 4/26/99, A4) published a commentary saying that without “obvious results” as Xinhua News Agency said, the new round of negotiations on the PRC’s WTO entry in Beijing was, more or less, an attempt to keep up the momentum after Premier Zhu Rongji’s visit to North America. According to the commentary, that the conditions now are ripe for the PRC to take its place in the WTO is the common view of many, as testified by the increasingly wide support the PRC enjoys. The commentary pointed out that as a developing country, however, the PRC cannot make more commitments than its actual national strength can afford. It has made as many substantial concessions as it can in its WTO entry bid, the commentary said. According to the newspaper, one thing is clear: the consensus Premier Zhu and President Clinton reached that the two countries are to conclude the WTO negotiations as soon as possible should be based on the principle of equality and mutual benefit. “We hope the US administration will be as good as its word in WTO negotiations,” the commentary said.

China Daily (“WU: WTO DEMANDS MUST BE PRACTICAL,” 4/28/99, A1) reported that PRC State Councilor Wu Yi warned US negotiators on April 27 that “a brinkmanship policy will not work.” Wu, a top leader in the PRC’s negotiations on entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO), urged the US to “treasure” the concessions and promises the PRC has made during bilateral negotiations on access. “Some negotiators are reaching out for a yard after being given an inch,” she said when meeting a delegation of the Financial Women’s Association of New York in Beijing on April 27. “They are demanding conditions that are impractical and unacceptable for China,” she said. However, she stressed that the PRC is willing to cooperate with the US, adding that “the country is a huge market for the US and both economies complement each other.”

4. PRC-Japanese Economic Relations

People’s Daily (“ZHU RONGJI MEETS WITH JAPANESE GUESTS,” Beijing, 4/27/99, A4) reported that while meeting Shinozawa Kyosuke, president of Japan’s Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) in Beijing on April 26, PRC Premier Zhu Rongji said that Japanese loans to the PRC benefit both countries. Zhu appreciates OECF’s good cooperation with the PRC regarding Japan’s granting of loans to the country. He said this is an important buttress for Sino-Japanese friendship and cooperative relations. Shinozawa agreed that loans to the PRC are of benefit to both countries.

5. Japan-US Defense Cooperation

People’s Daily (“FM SPOKESMAN COMMENTS ON NEW JAPAN-US MILITARY GUIDELINES,” Beijing, 4/28/99, A4) reported that the PRC is “deeply concerned” by the passage of acts on April 27, by the lower house of Japan’s Diet, regarding the New Japan-US Defense Guidelines. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said, “ignoring strong concerns of its neighboring countries, including China, Japan has rushed headlong to create and approve a bill aimed at strengthening military cooperation with the US.” The initiative will cause new complications and have an adverse impact on regional security, he told the regular news briefing. The PRC has, time and again, clarified its position on the issue through various channels, and the Japanese have made solemn commitments in this regard, Sun said. “We demand that Japan strictly abide by its commitments, take practical actions and handle Taiwan-related issues properly by following the principles enshrined in the Sino-Japanese Joint Declaration and Japan-China Peace and Friendship Treaty,” the spokesman said. He urged the Japanese not to do anything to infringe on China’s internal affairs or damage Sino-Japanese relations.

IV. Press Releases

1. DPRK Potato Project

On Wednesday, April 28, 1999, 100 metric tons of Russet Nugget potato seed will be loaded onto a Tower Airlines 747 at Denver International Airport for the DPRK. The shipment is part of a larger pilot initiative newly launched by a consortium of eight US humanitarian relief and development agencies. The loading of the potato seed should begin at approximately 2:00 PM MDT Wednesday afternoon, and the plane, which is being contracted by Skylink USA on behalf of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is due to depart around 5:00 PM MDT. This pilot initiative consists of a total of 1,000 metric tons of potato seed that has been purchased by the eight US relief agencies and will be distributed on farms throughout several provinces in the DPRK. Additionally, a 100,000 metric ton food for work program, with commodities provided by USAID and the US Department of Agriculture, will both support the potato seed initiative and be targeted to the neediest areas of the country. The 100,000 metric tons of food marks the first bilateral aid given by the US to the DPRK. Agencies involved in this undertaking are Adventist Development and Relief, Amigos Internacionales, The Carter Center, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Church World Service, Korean American Sharing Movement and Mercy Corps International. For more information, please contacts: CARE – Rita Stone-Smith (404-681-2552, ext. 250); Catholic Relief Services – Tom Price (410-625-2220, ext. 3615); Church World Service – Roger Rumpf (660-747-9889); Korean American Sharing Movement – Jong Park (FAX 301-585-7565); Mercy Corps International – Nancy Lindborg (202-463-7386); The Carter Center – Michelle Riley (404-420-5128).

2. Commission Hearing on Nonproliferation

On Thursday, April 29, the Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), chaired by the Honorable John M. Deutch, will hold a hearing to take testimony from various experts. The hearing will take place in Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building. The public is welcome to observe. Four panels of witnesses will testify. The schedule includes; 9:30am: Assessment of the Threat Posed by WMD: John Lauder, CIA Non-Proliferation Center; Neil Gallagher, FBI National Security Division. 10:30am: Former Senior Government Officials Ashton B. Carter, Charles Curtis, Victor Gilinski, and Frank Wisner. 1:00pm: Congressional Panel: Senator Pete V. Domenici, Senator Richard G. Lugar, Senator Sam Nunn (tentative). 2:00pm: Outside Experts: Joe Cirincione, Carnegie Endowment; Thomas McInerney, BENS; Amy Sands, Monterey Institute; Fourth witness to be determined.

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