CND's Press Round-Up - 20th April 2021
Posted: 20th April 2021
Dear all,
Please find today’s press round up below. Thank you to all for their continued help and support.
Nuclear Weapons
Discussions in Vienna continue to appear to be making progress, though this will be partially dependent on the separate Iran-IAEA talks. In other news, the newest nuclear-powered British submarines has been rolled off at Barrow.
Iran
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the Iranian government have begun discussions on the detected presence of uranium traces at unauthorised locations in the country, according to Reuters. The talks were agreed as part of a successful effort to avoid a motion of censure on Iran at the IAEA’s Board of Governors. The talks, which began yesterday, focus on three sites where processed uranium was found in the last two years.
U.S. President Biden has welcomed the indirect talks in Vienna between his country and Iran, but has caveated that by saying he believes the Iranian decision to enrich uranium to 60% is ‘unhelpful’ and contrary to the JCPoA. CNN reports that Biden told a press conference that it was too early to tell whether the Vienna diplomatic push might ultimately result in the U.S’s return to the JCPoA.
In related news, Russia’s representative to the Vienna talks said that they are now moving to the drafting of documents stage this week, according to the Associated Press. Mikhail Ulyanov said that ‘Practical solutions are still far away, but we have moved from general words to agreeing on specific steps towards the goal’. Both U.S. and European sources also made initial positive signals.
New Nuclear Submarine
The fifth of seven Royal Navy nuclear-powered Astute-class submarines, HMS Anson, has been rolled out from the Barrow yard, according to the UK Defence Journal. The nuclear-power submarine will be armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Spearfish torpedoes. The remaining two Astute-class submarines are expected to be by completed by 2025.
Anti-war
There appears to be no end in sight to the crisis on the eastern Ukrainian border despite renewed diplomatic efforts, whilst the German Defence Minister continues to campaign for militarised army drones.
Russia-Ukraine Relations
Joint talks between Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia have thus far been unsuccessful at assuaging tensions relating to an alleged build-up of troops on Ukraine’s eastern border, according to U.S. government media. The EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Josep Borrell warned a dispute on the border could ‘spark’ a wider confrontation. The EU says that around 100,000 Russian troops have been moved to the border with Ukraine. A ceasefire brokered last summer between the Ukrainian state and Russian-supported separatists has collapsed over the past number of weeks.
The EU has said however that it has no plans to impose further sanctions on Russia as a body over the crisis.
German Drones
The CDU Defence Minister of Germany, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, has said she wants the German military to have access to armed drones, according to DefenseNews. This comes after the decision of a Bundestag committee that the Eurodrone should remain ‘weaponless’ for the present. The committee also wants to more accountability over the costings of the joint French-German drone project. The Eurodrone project is one of a range of Franco-German joint military technology projects, with others including the Future Combat Air System and the Main Ground Combat System.
Nuclear Power
Nuclear Waste Disposal-UK
The North West Evening Mail has published a letter by CND activist Philip Gilligan opposing plans to transport, store and process ‘higher-activity waste’ from the Atomic Weapons Establishment at the Sellafield site. The full letter can be found here.
With best wishes,
Michael Muir
Press and Communications Officer
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament