CND's Press Round-Up - 13th April 2021
Posted: 13th April 2021
Dear all,
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
The U.S. distances itself from the Natanz cyber-attack whilst opinion polling in Canada records huge majorities for Canadian participation in the TPNW.
Natanz Nuclear Plant Cyber-Attack
The political fallout from Sunday’s Israeli cyber-sabotage on an Iranian nuclear facility continues. Reuters reports that the Biden administration is briefing that it had no involvement in the attack. The White House Press Secretary also refused to be drawn on questions as to who might be behind the attack. An unnamed U.S. intelligence source is quoted as saying the attack is unlikely to revise substantially Iranian policy.
Amos Harel has a piece in the Israeli paper Ha’aretz which provides the domestic political context for Sunday’s cyber-attack on Natanz. Coalition talks between Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and smaller right-wing continue, whilst the Prime Minister’s trial for corruption offences is ongoing. Inter-agency competition between Mossad, Shin Bet and the IDF is also a problem from the Israeli perspective. Harel also speculates whether the U.S. was given prior notice of the cyber-attack.
Canadian Support for the TPNW
According to polling of the Canadian public paid for by the Hiroshima Nagasaki Day Coalition, around three-quarters of Canadian people support the country signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. The Catholic Register reports that substantial majorities were also recorded in support of public institutions divesting from companies that are involved in the production of nuclear weapons, with slightly more than 70% of those polled supporting this. Canada under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has refused to engage in the TPNW process.
Russian Space Defence Policy
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given a speech to mark the 60th anniversary of manned space flight in which he says that ‘In the new, 21st century, Russia must uphold its status of a leading nuclear and space power because the space sector is directly linked with defence’. Putin also said that more than 50,000 people under the age of thirty-five are employed in the space industry in Russia.
Anti-War
A concerted diplomatic effort may produce some benefit in Iran’s attempt to access its own funds frozen by South Korea, whilst the crisis in Eastern Ukraine continues to produce diplomatic strain.
South Korea-Iran Diplomacy
Al Jazeera carries a report on the visit to Iran by the South Korean Prime Minister Chung Sye-kun to discuss the possible release of $7 billion of Iranian money earned through oil export. Iranian frustrations over the freezing of the funds have been mounting, with a South Korean vessel being seized in January for ‘environmental pollution’. (The ship was released last Friday as a confidence building measure.)
Russia-Ukraine Relations
The Ukrainian and Russian presidents have been unable to speak to each other directly, with the former saying his request to do so was denied, CBS News reports. This comes along with speculation that there could be as many as 80,000 Russian troops massed on the Ukraine’s eastern border. The Kremlin has said it would be interested in four-party talks also involving France and Germany.
China-Taiwan Relations
The Guardian reports that Monday saw the largest Chinese incursion into Taiwanese airspace in a year, with 25 military jets breaching the island’s defence zone. This follows on from the announcement on Friday that the U.S. State Department is intending to make it easier for U.S. officials to meet Taiwanese ones, in a move seen as aggressive to China. China made 380 overflight incursions into Taiwanese airspace last year.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament