Add another scandal to the list. But who gives a shit about NATIONAL SECURITY any way......
"The information that we are passing on to you is not to be
conveyed to third parties, including the U.S. Congress," Mr.
Chernomyrdin said. "Open information concerning our
cooperation with Iran is obviously a different matter, and we
do no[t] object to the constructive use of such information. I
am counting on your understanding."
A classified analysis acompanying the letter stated that
Russian assistance "if not terminated, can only lead to Iran's
acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability
washtimes.com
Letter shows Gore made
Russian deal
By Bill Gertz
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
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Vice President Al Gore Vice President Al Gore, at the
urging of Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin,
agreed to keep secret from Congress details of Russia's
nuclear cooperation with Iran beginning in late 1995.
In a classified "Dear Al" letter
obtained by The Washington
Times, Mr. Chernomyrdin told
Mr. Gore about Moscow's
confidential nuclear deal with Iran
and stated that it was "not to be
conveyed to third parties, including
the U.S. Congress."
But sources on Capitol Hill said
Mr. Gore withheld the information
from key senators who normally
would be told of such high-level
security matters.
The Gore-Chernomyrdin deal, disclosed in a letter labeled
"secret," appears to violate a provision of the Nuclear
Non-proliferation Act, which requires the Clinton
administration to keep congressional oversight committees
fully informed of all issues related to nuclear weapons
proliferation.
The Chernomyrdin letter on nuclear cooperation with Iran
follows a report in the New York Times last week showing
that Mr. Gore reached a secret deal with Russia several
months earlier that appears to circumvent U.S. laws requiring
the imposition of sanctions on Russia for its conventional arms
sales to Iran.
That arrangement also was kept secret from Congress,
raising concerns among some lawmakers that the
administration may be hiding other secret deals.
Gore spokesman Jim Kennedy said: "It's obvious that the
motivation for this leak is political."
The letter "simply appears to be part of the overall United
States effort to encourage the Russians to break off or limit
their nuclear relationship with Iran," Mr. Kennedy said in a
statement last night.
The Dec. 9, 1995, letter on Iranian nuclear cooperation
states that the two leaders' discussions as part of a special
commission had resulted in "clarity and mutual understanding"
on the matter.
The letter said there were "no new trends" in Moscow's
sale of nuclear equipment to Iran since a 1992 agreement. It
also states that Russia and the United States would seek to
prevent the "undermining of the nuclear arms non-proliferation
program."
Mr. Chernomyrdin said Moscow's program of building a
nuclear reactor in Iran would be limited to training technicians
in Russia, and the delivery of "nuclear fuel for the power plant
for the years 2001 through 2011."
"The information that we are passing on to you is not to be
conveyed to third parties, including the U.S. Congress," Mr.
Chernomyrdin said. "Open information concerning our
cooperation with Iran is obviously a different matter, and we
do no[t] object to the constructive use of such information. I
am counting on your understanding."
A classified analysis acompanying the letter stated that
Russian assistance "if not terminated, can only lead to Iran's
acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability."
"Such a development would be destabilizing not only for
the already volatile Middle East, but would pose a threat to
Russian and Western security interests," the analysis stated.
Russian promises to limit cooperation with Iran's nuclear
program have been undermined by numerous U.S.
intelligence reports showing Moscow is providing
nuclear-weapons-related equipment to Tehran outside the
scope of its declared limits, according to U.S. officials.
A senior State Department official, Robert Einhorn, told a
Senate subcommittee hearing earlier this month that Russian
nuclear assistance is a "persistent problem" and that Russian
companies linked to the government are providing Iran with
"laser isotope separation technology" used to enrich uranium
for weapons.
Asked about the letter, congressional aides close to the
issue said they knew nothing about the details that the Russian
leader gave Mr. Gore. "All this nuclear cooperation is
sanctionable," said a senior congressional aide.
The secret Gore-Chernomyrdin dealings have become an
issue in the presidential election campaign.
Texas Gov. George W. Bush stated during a campaign
stop in Michigan last week that the reported deal on Russian
arms transfers to Iran was "a troubling piece of information."
He demanded an explanation from the vice president.
An earlier Gore-Chernomyrdin agreement, also obtained
by The Washington Times, reveals that the United States
would not impose sanctions on Russia required under U.S.
law in exchange for Moscow's promise to end arms sales to
Iran.
That agreement, called an "aide memoire" and signed by
Mr. Gore and Mr. Chernomyrdin on June 30, 1995, required
Russia to halt all arms sales to Iran by Dec. 31, 1999.
In exchange, the United States promised "to take
appropriate steps to avoid any penalties to Russia that might
otherwise arise under domestic law . . .," says the agreement,
labeled "secret."
The aide memoire also states that the United States would
"pursue steps that would lead to the removal of Russia from
the proscribed list of International Traffic in Arms Regulations
of the United States" — which limits U.S. arms and
defense-related technology sales.
A third classified letter, from Secretary of State Madeleine
K. Albright, indicates that Russia is not living up to its
promise to halt conventional arms deliveries to the Iranians.
Mrs. Albright stated in a Jan. 13 letter to Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov, also labeled "secret," that "Russia's
unilateral decision to continue delivering arms to Iran beyond
the Dec. 31 deadline will unnecessarily complicate our
relationship."
"I urge that Russia refrain from any further deliveries of
those arms covered by the aide memoire; provide specific
information on what has been delivered, what remains to be
shipped and anticipated timing; and refrain from concluding
any additional arms contracts with Iran," Mrs. Albright stated.
She added that the United States had lived up to its
commitment in the 1995 Gore-Chernomyrdin aide memoire,
including removing Russia from the list of nations limited by
munitions-export controls.
In the "Dear Igor" letter, Mrs. Albright stated that "without
the aide memoire, Russia's conventional arms sales to Iran
would have been subject to sanctions based on various
provisions of our laws."
The 1992 Iran-Iraq Nonproliferation Act requires the
imposition of sanctions for "destabilizing" arms sales to either
country. A 1996 amendment to the 1962 Foreign Assistance
Act also requires sanctions on nations that provide lethal
military assistance to a nation designated as a state sponsor of
terrorism. Iran is on the State Department's terrorism sponsor
list.
Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Mississippi
Republican, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Chairman Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republican, wrote to
President Clinton on Friday asking about the 1995 aide
memoire.
"Please assure us . . . the vice president did not, in effect,
sign a pledge with Victor Chernomyrdin in 1995 that
committed your administration to break U.S. law by dodging
sanctions requirements," they stated.
Senate aides said the administration failed to notify the
Senate about the specific arrangements to cover up for
Russian arms sales.
National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger said on
Sunday, contrary to Mrs. Albright's classified letter, that U.S.
sanctions did not apply to Russia |
