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CONTENTS:

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK:

1. World
2. Africa
3. Americas
4. Asia Pacific
5. Europe
6. Middle East
7. South Asia
8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare
9. Finance
10 Human Rights
11. Law and Legal Issues
12. Transportation
13. Weapons of Mass Destruction
14. Recently Published

FEATURE ARTICLE:
North Korean Nuclear Aspirations and Apprehension

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

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1. World

The World Bank reports HIV/AIDS "causes far greater long-term damage to national economies than previously assumed, for by killing mostly young adults, the disease is robbing the children of AIDS victims of one or both parents to love, raise and educate them, and so undermines the basis of economic growth over the long haul. This suggests that a country like South Africa could face progressive economic collapse within several generations unless it combats its AIDS epidemic more urgently." Read this important report at http://www.worldbank.org/aids and for additional background see https://terrorismcentral.com/Newsletters/2002/120102.html

The UN Security Council heard the latest 90-day report from the Counter-terrorism committee, calling for increased cooperation to combat proliferation of unconventional weapons materials and to conduct counter-terrorism measures in accordance with international law.

This year's International Red Cross Red Crescent (ICRC) "World Disaster Report" features ethical dimensions in humanitarian aid, including discussions of disasters and war, famine, forced migration, the impact of aid and whether it reaches those in need, and so on. http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2003/

Following the deaths of Saddam Hussein's two elder sons, violence against occupation forces in Iraq rose sharply. This may be a short-term reaction, depending largely on the speed with which security can be established, and provide a foundation against which the infrastructure can more readily be established and humanitarian aid continue without interruption. The furore over the deaths of Uday and Qusay will not long obscure the need for rapid and effective reconstruction.
The effectiveness of the newly established Coalition Provisional Authority will also be crucial. Check out their web site at http://www.cpa-iraq.org

The controversy over intelligence prior to the war in Iraq remains a significant issue in the UK and US. (Details below.) Jason Burke writes the "Ghost of al-Qaeda left out of story: Links between Saddam and the terrorist group were cited among reasons to prosecute a war". http://observer.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4720893,00. Critics and other investigators will no doubt pay close attention to the impact of the war in Iraq on the war on terrorism.

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2. Africa

The first countries to have peer reviews by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will be Ghana and South Africa.
Fifteen tourists, most German, who were kidnapped in Algeria five months ago are still missing. Amid rumors they were taken to Mali, a German diplomat has arrived in Mali to investigate.

Burundi rebel Forces for the Defense of Democracy (FDD) released three members of parliament they had kidnapped last month. The rebel forces have reaffirmed their commitment to the ceasefire and peace negotiations and anticipate a full summit with the government within three weeks. Despite this, an FDD militia ambushed and looted a passenger vehicle, killing eight.

Five ethnic militias in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo have agreed to disarm and demobilize. The representatives of rebel groups RCD-Goma and MLC that had refused last week to take their oath of office and join the transitional government have now done so, following a revision to the pledge of allegiance and held the first cabinet meeting. Despite this progress, there was another savage massacre in the northeast in which 22 people -- mostly women and children -- were killed and mutilated. Arms trafficking is also continuing, and insecurity continues to pose difficulties for aid agencies.

The Eritrea-Ethiopia border demarcation is now scheduled to begin in October.

Ghana's parliament renewed the state of emergency in the north, first established in March 2002, to help contain fighting between rival clans.
Ivory Coast peacekeepers have helped contain violence, but the UN points to the use of mercenaries and child soldiers as well as the spread of small arms as issues that must be resolved in order to build a lasting peace.

Conditions in Liberia have deteriorated further as rebel troops advance on two fronts to the capital Monrovia and international peacekeepers have not been deployed. President Charles Taylor has agreed to US plan for buffer zone between his forces and the rebels, but this seems a moot point as the rebels continue to advance. More than a thousand people have been killed in the last week and many more injured. The US embassy was shelled and a mortar attack on a church compound housing 2,000 refugees killed 15 and injured dozens. Food and water shortages are acute. US marines were flown in to protect the embassy and President Bush has authorized a small force to take up positions off the coast, but their mission is as yet undefined. Regional African peacekeepers have assembled without a date for deployment. Any such deployment is feasible only with logistical support from the US.

In Malawi, the five men whose arrest on suspicion of belonging to al Qaeda and subsequent hand-over to US authorities led to serious riots last month, have turned up in Sudan, apparently cleared of charges. Details have not been forthcoming.

Morocco has begun the trial of the first 52 out of 700 suspected Islamic radicals connected with the Casablanca suicide bombings in May.

Peace and President Fradique de Menezes have returned to Sao Tome and Principe after an agreement with last week's coup leaders that includes amnesty for the coup plotters, creation of a government of national unity, greater transparency of oil wealth, and other terms to improve

governance.
Somalia's peace talks are scheduled to move to the third and final phase beginning next week.

Sudan's peace process, after making considerable progress, has stalled. There will be negotiations over a new date to resume talks.

Former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin remains in critical condition in hospital in Saudi Arabia. Ugandan officials have said if he returns to the country he will be arrested.

Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change has ended their boycott of parliament in order to attempt to renew dialog with the ruling Zanu-PF.

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3. Americas

Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner has continued his clean-up efforts by annulling a decree that had previously banned extradition of military officers. Spain has requested the extradition of 45 and France one.

Canada and Iran have stepped up the diplomatic attacks over the death and burial in Iran of Canadian/Iranian journalist Zahra Kazemi, who was killed in custody in Iran by a severe blow to the head. Iran has raised the death in Canada of Iranian Kayvan Tabesh, killed when he was apparently resisting arrest. Canada withdrew its ambassador. Iran has arrested five members of the security services.

Canada's Supreme Court imposed a gag order as it considers the first case in which the constitutionality of the new anti-terrorism law.

For a personal story of Colombia's war and the fate of child soldiers, see Scott Wilson's article "A Hard New Life Inside the Law: Colombian Ex-Rebel Fights to Forget Haunting Memories of Childhood" in the Washington Post, July 27 http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A51010-2003Jul26

Cuban leader Fidel Castro gave a speech marking the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Cuban revolution in which he criticized the EU as an agent of the US. The EU has considered economic sanctions following recent human rights abuses in Cuba. The Cuban vessel intercepted by the US coast guard has been repatriated to Cuba, including the hijackers, following guarantees they would not be executed, a fate suffered by three earlier hijackers. It is rare for the US to return Cuban refugees.

Guatemala's former military leader Jose Efrain Rios Montt has again been banned from standing for president, leading to violent protests by his supporters.

Peruvian intelligence leader Vladimiro Montesinos is featured in an excellent report by Thomas Catan, "The sins of Montesinos" in the Financial Times issue of July 26-7.

A US Congressional investigation into intelligence preceding the September 11 attacks finds multiple failures, including that better information sharing could have disrupted, though not prevented, the attacks and recommends creating a cabinet-level intelligence position. The complete report is available at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/creports/911.htm

The US Department of Justice Inspector General investigated more than a thousand complaints of civil rights abuses committed in implementing the Patriot Act. Of these, some three dozen were found to be credible and are being investigated further. The alleged abuses range from beatings and threats to planted evidence.

US officials have agreed that British and Australian detainees held at Guantanamo Bay will not be executed.

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4. Asia Pacific

Australian forces have arrived in the Solomon Islands to help local officials restore law and order and, according to Prime Minister Howard, to ensure they do not become a haven for terrorists or drug traffickers. Australian detainees held at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay will not be executed.

Burma's continued detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was the leading topic of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their meetings with the EU. In a joint statement, ministers demanded her release and that moves towards reconciliation be resumed. In the face of widespread criticism, the Burmese junta released 91 members of Suu Kyi's party.

Cambodians are voting in parliamentary elections that have been called fair and less violent than usual. The ruling party is expected to win again.

Hong Kong will issue a revised antisubversion bill in September that will meet some of the demands of the protestors who have demonstrated against the current bill in huge numbers.

Indonesia has continued its attack against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) into the third month, with at least 600 dead and no end in sight. With the province under military rule, travel is difficult and there has been a major clampdown on news organizations, but reports of severe human rights abuses, including extra-judicial killings of civilians, have been reported.

Japanese troops in Iraq later this year will be the first forces in a war zone since 1945. The deployment has been highly controversial.

The Philippines brought a peaceful conclusion to a 19-hour protest by a group of nearly 300 army and navy soldiers, including 70 officers accusing the government of corruption, including complicity with terrorist organizations. The renegades took over Manila's prestigious Glorietta shopping center including its residential apartment block, with several hundred hostages including the Australian ambassador, and wired the complex with explosives. After negotiations, the rebels returned to their barracks and the five ringleaders would be prosecuted.

The Solomon Islands government has welcomed the Australian peacekeeping force, although opposition politicians have called it a return to colonialism. Troops have begun destroying illegal weapons.

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5. Europe

France has denied that it tried to negotiate the release of Ingrid Betancourt who was taken hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).

In Georgia, the UN Observer Mission for the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict reports that while discussions of economic cooperation and refugee return have made progress, the core political issue of the future status of Abkhazia has not been addressed.

An Italian judge has indicted five Tunisians suspected of links to al Qaeda. Meanwhile, the 1982 killing of Roberto Calvi, Italian financier known as "God's banker" has been reviewed by court-appointed forensic experts. The death, originally deemed a suicide, has been found to be murder. Four people may now face trial in connection with his death, connected to organized crime and many other organizations.

Kosovo's capital, Pristina, was hit with two bomb blasts, one against the District Court and one at a police station, but there were no injuries. There have been other such attacks.

In Chechnya, Russian troops and rebels clashed, killing 6 on each side.

The Spanish resorts of Alicante and Benidorm each suffered an explosion at a hotel. Basque separatist group ETA warned of the attacks, but the bombs went off earlier than suggested and 12 people were injured. This attack launched ETA's annual summer bombing campaign, intended to damage the tourist trade and hence the economy. In Navarra, an ETA bomb outside a courthouse injured one. There were two other bombs with no injuries.

US officials have agreed that British detainees held at Guantanamo Bay will not be executed.

Northern Ireland's republican political party Sinn Fein has come in for criticism after launching a new web site selling sectarian products including a T-shirt featuring a sniper. http://www.sinnfein.ie

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6. Middle East

Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met with US President Bush. They discussed the need to stop terrorist attacks and also measures Israel needed to undertake to build confidence. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visits Washington this week. As a goodwill gesture prior to his visit, Israel's cabinet has voted to release up to 100 Islamic militants and withdraw from two more towns.

Iran's UN representative has expressed support for signing the additional protocol of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. There has been united pressure from the US, EU, Russia and Australia urging cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran and Syria have again been the subject of a US warning. President Bush said the US may take action against those who continue to support terrorism or take actions that hamper peace in the region. Both countries have dismissed claims they harbor terrorists.

Israel's largest human rights organization, the Association of Civil Rights, has accused Israeli soldiers and the military leadership of cruelty and widespread human rights abuses, including extra-judicial assassinations and the use of human shields.

The withdrawal line between the Lebanon and Israel remains calm but tension remains high, largely due to "persistent Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and the Hezbollah anti-aircraft fire directed towards Israeli villages". This report was made to the UN and recommends a 6-month extension of the UN monitoring force.

Saudi Arabia has arrested 16 people in an alleged al Qaeda cell, thus foiling attacks planned against key installations. Saudi authorities have angrily denied allegations in the US congressional report about the September 11 attacks, that Saudi Arabia assisted the hijackers and failed to cooperate with the investigation.

Syria has reduced its troop presence in Lebanon by about a thousand soldiers, to 15,000.

In the West Bank, an Israeli soldier shot dead a 4-year old Palestinian boy and wounded his two sisters, aged 6 and 7. An inquiry has been opened.

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7. South Asia

Afghan fighters suspected to be loyal to the Taliban engaged in a battle with US-led troops, killing approximately 43 fighters. Fighting between rival factions has also continued. Pakistan's embassy in Kabul has reopened, less than two weeks after it was ransacked.

Bangladesh is concerned about India's plan to divert major rivers south. This matter of survival is likely to be referred to a UN appeal.

The Indian Supreme Court has said all citizens should be bound by a common civil code. The current constitution allows people to follow their own religious laws.

In Indian-administered Kashmir, Indian soldiers killed 11 suspected militants and 5 unarmed Bangledeshis trying to pass into India. The next day attacks on an army base killed eight Indian soldiers. In other attacks, a grenade thrown by suspected Islamic militants, missed its army patrol target and instead injured 15, another grenade blast killed 7 Hindu pilgrims and in a gunbattle near the Pakistan border, Indian soldiers shot dead four militants.

In Nepal, security forces clashed with Maoist rebels, killing one rebel.

In Sri Lanka, the Norwegian special envoy is holding talks to resurrect the peace process that stalled after Tamil Tiger demands for greater administrative powers in the north and east.

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8. Cyberterrorism and Information Warfare

Customers of South Africa's ABSA Bank were victims of a serious e-banking fraud, in which an estimated R500,000 was stolen from account holders. A man has now been detained on ten counts of fraud and theft.

The US Federal Trade Commission reports on its first prosecution for "phishing", a scam in which " hijacked corporate logos and deceptive spam [are used] to con consumers out of credit card numbers and other financial data". http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/07/phishing.htm

The Fraud Advisory Panel calls on the British government to "clarify the situations in which data-sharing between both public sector and business organisations is lawful in order to help combat rising levels of identity theft". They have published a new report, "Identity Theft: do you know the signs?" that provides guidance to detect, prevent and deal with identity fraud. They say, "The total number of identity frauds increased dramatically from 27,270 in 2001 to 42,029 in 2002 according to CIFAS. A Cabinet Office report states that the British economy suffers a loss of GBP 1.3 billion per year as a result of identity fraud. http://www.fraudadvisorypanel.org/newsandviewsreleases.html

In the US, a Gartner Group survey finds a 79 percent increase in identity theft among adults, affecting more than 7 million people. http://www4.gartner.com/5_about/press_releases/pr21july2003a.jsp

The US Department of Homeland Security reached its 30-day internal deadline for hiring a new director for the cybersecurity division -- without finding one. With the position reduced from a presidential advisor to an internal staff role, it is less appealing to highly qualified people in industry.

Microsoft has issued another critical security alert, warning of flaws in DirectX that can be used to run hostile code that allows the hacker to take over the machine. It affects nearly all versions of Windows. A group in China released code that exploits the flaw, making it imperative to download and install the necessary patch.

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9. Finance

FATF-XIV was held in Berlin, where delegates shared information on their investigations, including new loopholes and techniques.
http://www1.oecd.org/fatf/FATDocs_en.htm

The US has imposed symbolic trade sanctions against the North Korean Changgwang Sinyong Corporation for selling missiles to Yemen.

Switzerland has frozen approximately $1.5 million in the bank accounts of two associates of Liberian President Charles Taylor. This was done in connection with the Special Court for Sierra Leone's war crimes indictment and arrest warrant.

The US Department of Justice has released new money laundering statistics
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/mlo01pr.htm

(Note: Finance now incorporates narcoterrorism)

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10. Human Rights

The ICRC "World Disaster Report 2003" focuses on the relationship between humanitarian aid and ethics: "The 'war on terror' is changing the landscape in which humanitarian organizations operate. What ethical dilemmas and moral trade-offs do humanitarians face in an increasingly politicized environment? Is aid really reaching those in greatest need? Do we even know where humanitarian needs are greatest? What are the key principles to help to guide aid programming in the field? Soldiers and commercial contractors now play a major part in disaster relief and recovery. How should humanitarian organizations deal with this new reality?" http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2003/

The UN Human Rights Panel and other human rights groups have called the executions in Uzbekistan of six people whose cases were pending before the Panel a "grave breach" of the Optional Protocol. The six were executed before a requested stay had even been reviewed.

Possible human rights abuses by UK and US troops in Iraq are under investigation.

A Zimbabwean police officer serving with the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo has been withdrawn from duties following allegations he was involved in torture in Harare, but the UN mission says it is unable to take any further action because he did not commit crimes in Kosovo. Further actions are being considered at UN headquarters.

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11. Law and Legal Issues

Santiago Arrospide ("Santi Potros") and Rafael Caride Simon, both members of the Basque separatist group ETA, were convicted in Spanish court for the 1987 car bomb in Barcelona that killed 21 and injured 45. The two leaders were sentenced to 790 years in prison.

Alfredo Astiz, the "blond angel of death" in Argentina's Dirty War was arrested on Friday. France has asked that he be extradited in connection with the 1977 murder of two French nuns.

Monica Bedi, associated with a series of bomb attacks in Bombay in 1993, is on trial in Portugal with her colleague Abu Salem Ansari. India has applied to the high court for Bedi's extradition. The two countries do not have an extradition treaty and an earlier request to a lower court had been rejected.

Sabri Benkahla, accused by US federal authorities of belonging to an al Qaeda cell in Virginia, has been freed on bail. He is the fourth of eleven suspects released before the trial.

Colonel Yuri Budanov has been found guilty of the kidnapping and murder of an 18-year-old Chechen woman. The Russian military court stripped him of rank and awards and sentenced him to ten years in jail. He had previously been found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity, a ruling that outraged human rights groups already critical of military abuses in the republic.

Lieutenant M'hamed Ould Didi, a Mauritanian army officer alleged to have been involved in planning last month's failed coup, has been extradited from Senegal, where he had fled, to Mauritania where he will be tried in a civil, not a military, court.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith is in custody in Iran for his alleged role as a leading member of al Qaeda. Iran has rejected an extradition request by Kuwait.

Ali Imron, the fourth accused suspect connected with the October 2002 Bali bombings, is on trial in Indonesia. He has admitted building one of the two bombs.

Michael McKevitt, alleged leader of the Real IRA, is on trial in Special Criminal Court in Dublin, accused of directing terrorism and membership in an illegal organization. He denies the charges and, upon resumption of the trial this week, he fired his legal team and now refuses to leave his cell or participate in a "political show trial".

John Edward Anthony McNicholl was arrested in Pennsylvania US and deported to the UK on suspicion of involvement in the 1976 killing of a Northern Ireland police officer.

Sheikh Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayyed and Mohammed Moshen Yahya Zayed, suspected of links to al Qaeda, may be extradited to the US. A German court has agreed to the extradition based on the guarantee they would not be tried by a military or any other extraordinary court, but the extradition must be approved by the government.

Darko Mrdja pleaded guilty to one count of murder as a violation of the laws or customs of war and another count of inhumane acts and, as part of a plea bargain, the prosecution withdrew one count of extermination as a crime against humanity. Mrdja was involved in a cliff-edge massacre of more than 200 non-Serb men in August, 1992.

Lynn F. Stewart, an attorney who defended Abdel Rahman and other terrorists, has had the major charge of providing material support to terrorists dismissed, though she still faces two lesser charges. In the July 27 issue of The New York Times, Adam Liptak writes of similar cases in "Defending Those Who Defend Terrorists".

Simon Vallor, convicted of transmitting the Gokar, Redesi and Admirer computer viruses that attacked 27,000 computers in 42 countries, has failed to have his 2-year prison sentence reduced.

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12. Transportation

The International Maritime Bureau has released its quarterly report, finding that "Piracy against the world's shipping surged in the first half of this year, with a record 234 attacks reported and violence against seafarers escalating.... A total of 16 seafarers were killed in piratical attacks during the period, 20 were reported missing, and 52 were injured. Numbers taken hostage more than doubled to 193". Indonesia is again the most dangerous region.
http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/news_archives/2003/piracy_report_second_quarter.asp

H.D.S. Greenway asks "How Safe Is Boston Harbor? Living with hazardous cargo in the age of terrorism", in The Boston Globe magazine, July 27. http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2003/0727/coverstory.htm

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13. Weapons of Mass Destruction

Following a satisfactory recommendation by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found that the "Indian Point emergency preparedness is satisfactory and provides reasonable assurance of adequate protection". The plant, located 30-miles north of New York City, has been controversial because of the high population density and local plant opponents intend to challenge the decision.
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2003/03-099.html

The EU is establishing a European Centre for Disease Control to fight serious health threats and coordinate efforts in the event of a biological attack. The recent SARS outbreak drove this initiative.

Dr. Ivan Walks reports on "Preparing Your Organization For a Terrorist Attack" in the Summer 2003 issue of Disaster Recovery Journal. http://www.drj.com

The US Pentagon conducted a large-scale exercise testing nuclear, biological and chemical emergency response. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2003/n07252003_200307251.html

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14. Recently Published

Warren Bass, "Support Any Friend: Kennedy's Middle East and the Making of the U.S.-Israel Alliance" Oxford University Press

Milt Bearden and James Risen, "The Main Enemy: The Inside Story of the CIA's Final Showdown with the KGB" Random House

Aleksander Hemon, "Nowhere Man" Doubleday/Picador (novel based on experiences in Sarajevo)

Timothy J. Paris, "Britain, the Hashemites and Arab Rule 1920-1925: The Sherifian Solution" Frank Cass

Simon Schama, "A History of Britain: The Fate of Empire 1776-2000" Miramax/Hyperion

Peter Stothard, "Thirty Days: A Month at the Heart of Blair's War" Harper Collins

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FEATURE ARTICLE: North Korean Nuclear Aspirations and Apprehensions, by Joyeeta Choudhury

North Korea's nuclear aspirations have stirred international apprehension. Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called North Korea the most important nuclear threat to the world. George Tenet, Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) said that, " The recent behavior of North Korea regarding its longstanding nuclear weapons program makes apparent to all the dangers Pyongyang poses to its region and to the world. This includes developing the capability to enrich uranium, ending the freeze on its plutonium production facilities, and withdrawing from the Nonproliferation Treaty. If, as seems likely, Pyongyang moves to reprocess spent fuel at the facilities where it recently abrogated the 1994 IAEA-monitored freeze, we assess it could recover sufficient plutonium for several additional weapons."

At this time, North Korea claims to have reprocessed all its 8000 plutonium rods. This fuel could be used to develop their own weapons arsenal or as an export, generating much needed foreign currency. This program is a major set back to nuclear non-proliferation.

Other nations have also indicated an increased tendency to acquire weapons of mass destruction. It can be used as deterrence, a strategic capability, or a direct threat. North Korea has openly advocated its nuclear weapons program to deter the US and says it would only renounce the program if the US changes its attitude towards North Korea. North Korea has already supplied missiles, some legitimate and others potentially to rogue to states or terrorist outfits. As Tenet described, " North Korea also continues to export complete ballistic missiles and production capabilities along with related raw materials, components, and expertise. Profits from these sales help Pyongyang to support its missile and other WMD development programs, and in turn generate new products to offer to its customers."

The North Korean program has been developed with the complicity of a few other nations, primarily China and Pakistan. David E. Sanger wrote in The New York Times, "[T]he North provided General Musharraf with missile parts he needs to build a nuclear arsenal capable of reaching every strategic site in India. In a perfect marriage of interests, Pakistan provided the North with many of the designs for gas centrifuges and much of the machinery it needs to make highly enriched uranium for the country's latest nuclear weapons project, one intended to put at risk South Korea, Japan and 100,000 American troops in Northeast Asia".

In "Pakistan and North Korea connection" B Raman member of the National Security Council of India, writes "During the last three or four years, Pakistani nuclear scientists and engineers have been working in North Korea, and North Korean missile experts in Pakistan. Since September, 2001, the increased and still increasing cash flow into Pakistan from the US, the European Union and Japan has enabled the military regime to pay for the North Korean missiles and related technology in hard currency."

The alliance between North Korea and Pakistan is based on the principle of barter. Pakistan in its run-up to acquire superior power over India developed its nuclear program with help from China. The US imposed sanctions against Pakistan and so there was no overt source for that nation to acquire uranium for developing its nuclear weapons program, so Pakistan found it a useful alternative to turn towards North Korea, which had uranium in abundance. North Korea made an alliance with the Pakistan for technology and return of uranium.

The North Korean - Pakistan Nuclear alliance violates international nonproliferation agreements, but there is another dimension. Pakistan is both a major ally of the US in the "War on Terror" and at the same time, a partner of North Korea in its nuclear program. Pakistan has used technology supplied by the US for combating terrorism instead to deliver goods to North Korea. As Sanger reports, " Last July, American intelligence agencies tracked a Pakistani cargo aircraft as it landed at a North Korean airfield and took on a secret payload: ballistic missile parts, the chief export of North Korea's military. The shipment was brazen enough, in full view of American spy satellites. But intelligence officials who described the incident say even the mode of transport seemed a subtle slap at Washington: the Pakistani plane was an American-built C-130. It was part of the military force that President Pervez Musharraf had told President Bush last year would be devoted to hunting down the terrorists of Al Qaeda, one reason the administration was hailing its new cooperation with a country that only a year before it had labeled a rogue state."

Such relationships and the movement of nuclear materials could create an even more direct threat should nuclear material find its way into the hands of terrorists. The presence in Pakistan of militant Islamic groups openly opposed to the western interests is no secret. Lack of security is one avenue, but a direct sale between North Korea and terrorist organizations is also a possibility -- one with catastrophic consequences.

A great challenge faces the world community and particularly the US. We all desire peace and the world cannot afford to linger over such a crisis. An urgent resolution is most desired, including Pakistan as well as North Korea and other regional powers. As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in his remarks on the 50th anniversary, "resolving the nuclear and related security issues has got to be the most pressing priority. A diplomatic solution is imperative. It is also a realistic possibility. There is a strong international consensus that the Korean Peninsula should be free of nuclear weapons."

For the proper resolution of this conflict, we have to take note of the resources and support that North Korea is getting and also what made it to take such stand. Conflict resolution requires that we see the problem in its totality. A peaceful resolution of is always more effective than any threat or use of force.

In the meantime, the threat continues to increase. Watch for possible activity on the occasion of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on September 9 (1948).

Joyeeta Choudhury, Junior Research Fellow, Indian Council for Philosophical Research

Additional resources: