South African nuke moves alarm US - They know they are next

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=282838&area=/insight/insight__national/

South African support for Iran held firm this week as a United Nations deadline for Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment programme expired, potentially triggering sanctions by the UN Security Council or the United States and its allies.

A flurry of diplomatic activity followed last week’s visit to Pretoria by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottak, and the renewed insistence by South Africa on Iran’s “inalienable right” to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. snip

Iran is high on the agenda of President Thabo Mbeki’s meeting next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced this week.

South Africa’s response, guided by complex domestic and geopolitical considerations, contained little to please the US. Local officials stress that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) decision to report its concerns about Iran’s programme to the UN Security Council was -- in a departure from precedent -- reached by majority vote, not consensus. They say Iran has no legal obligation under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to engage in further “confidence-building measures”.

Instead, Pahad stresses in apparent reference to George W Bush’s administration, proposals were made “to impose restrictions on the inalienable right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes {including} a cap on new enrichment and reprocessing facilities”.

South Africa’s sensitive diplomatic moves dovetail with the development of plans to expand the capacity of the local nuclear industry.

The timing of Friday’s announcement by Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica that South Africa was considering restarting uranium enrichment has not escaped Western diplomats. But the government insists that there is no connection between backing for Iran, activism around the Non-Proliferation Treaty and South Africa’s plans to expand its nuclear energy capability.

[nosillies]

1. If Iran's nuclear production is like ZA's, no problem

You never know when you'll have power or not. I wonder of they're still having outages like they did this summer.

[warrens]

3. Cheney logic

We have to drill Alaska and the Gulf to pieces, because the world is running out of oil. Why does Iran need nuclear power when there is plenty of oil?

He has said both things, repeatedly.

[tuvor]

2. The elephant in the room that few care to mention...

Who the hell is the American government, with 10,000 armed nukes of its very own, to tell other countries what they can do to with their nuclear ambitions?

Oh, yeah...They're the government with the 10,000 armed nukes.

Sorry, I didn't see an elephant after all.

[walkon]

4. Argentina, Brazil, South Africa

Many countries are expanding plans for building nuclear reactors for energy. Another sign of impending oil crisis (peak oil)?

[NNN0LHI]

5. I think the US invasion and occupation of Iraq did it n/t

[eccles12]

14. Yep, it was a wake up call to any nations with leaders with any sense at

all. Arm yourself and fight back lest you become the next destroyed and occupied territory.

[madrchsod]

6. i wonder who is helping them develop the bomb

could it be israel? just wondering

[BrotherBuzz]

16. That be what I hear in the rumor mill

dating back to 1979 with the rumored joint South African-Israeli test. Talk about blowback or unintendeed consequences. :shrug:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/israel/nuke-test.htm

[applegrove]

7. Well - when you are building castles in the sandbox... and one child

will not allow anyone else to use the bucket.... you go and get your own cup so you too can build.

[insanerepubs]

8. Didn't

South Africa have an extensive nuclear program at one time....?

[applegrove]

9. I have no idea. According to the DU - Brazil wants the mushroom too.

[NNN0LHI]

10. APARTHEID South Africa had the extensive nuclear program

Back when they were in cahoots with Israel.

Don

[eccles12]

13. And the US never raised an eyebrow. Hmmm...."Let freedom ring..."

Any sovereign nation should be able to develop nuclear technology any way they want to. If you don't want nukes to be used against you, behave yourself and treat other nations with a little respect and you won't have to worry!!!

[htuttle]

12. Yes

They voluntarily dismantled it before they signed onto the NPT in 1991.

http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/rsa/nuke/index.html

[roamer65]

11. South Africa could have nukes quickly

I remember reading that the white minority gov't actually did have a program and was believed to have working "devices". Much of Israel's nuke program is believed to have been knowledge transfer from the old South African program. As the reality of an ANC government got closer, the white minority government killed the program and got rid of the bombs. I'm sure the know-how still exists in SA.

[NNN0LHI]

15. Report: SA, Israel carried out nuclear test in 1979

http://www.mg.co.za/articlepage.aspx?area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__international_news/&articleid=272257

Israel and South Africa carried out a nuclear test on an offshore platform in the northern Antarctic in 1979, according to a newly disclosed United States document, Yediot Aharonot newspaper said on Friday.

The document, released at the request of the security studies centre at Georgetown University in Washington, says a mystery explosion detected on September 22 1979 by a US satellite was a nuclear test.

Prepared for the White House in December 1979, it said Israel and South Africa, then under apartheid rule, were cooperating on military issues, including nuclear research.