Sunday Observer
Seylan Merchant Bank
Sunday, 3 July 2005  
The widest coverage in Sri Lanka.
World
News

Business

Features

Editorial

Security

Politics

World

Letters

Sports

Obituaries

Oomph! - Sunday Observer Magazine

Junior Observer



Archives

Mihintalava - The Birthplace of Sri Lankan Buddhist Civilization

Silumina  on-line Edition

Government - Gazette

Daily News

Budusarana On-line Edition

 


US Senate votes to revive US nuclear weapon program

WASHINGTON, Saturday (AFP) The US Senate moved Friday to revive a controversial weapons research program aimed at enabling the US military to conduct precision nuclear strikes against hardened underground facilities, including those suspected of storing weapons of mass destruction.

By a vote 53-43, senators defeated an amendment sponsored by California Democrat Dianne Feinstein that would have prohibited use of government funds to study the feasibility of the so-called Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, also known as the "bunker-buster" bomb. The failure of the measure means leading US nuclear research laboratories will in all likelihood receive in fiscal 2006 four million dollars for continued work on the bomb that was interrupted last year under intense international and domestic criticism.

The action came ahead of a Group of Eight industrial nations summit in Scotland, where nuclear proliferation issues are expected to dominate the security agenda.

Senator Feinstein insisted expert data available to her indicated that there could no such thing as a "clean" nuclear strike and any use of a "bunker buster" would result in massive radioactive contamination and substantial loss of life.

On top of that, she argued, the program will make it harder for the United States to persuade other countries like Iran or North Korea to foreswear their nuclear ambitions.

"In essence, these policies encourage other nations to develop their own nuclear weapons thereby putting American lives and our national security interests at risk," the senator said. "We are telling the world, when it comes to nuclear weapons, do as we say, not as we do."

But the "bunker-buster" program enjoys strong support of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who has been personally lobbying for funds for the penetrator and wrote to the energy secretary early this year about the need "to revitalize the nuclear weapons infrastructure."

www.singersl.com

One Unit Four colour Sheet-fed Offset Printing Machine

http://www.mrrr.lk/(Ministry of Relief Rehabilitation & Reconciliation)

www.Pathmaconstruction.com

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.peaceinsrilanka.org

www.helpheroes.lk


| News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security |
| Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries | Junior Observer |


Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager


Hosted by Lanka Com Services