[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 46 (Monday, April 25, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                      NUKEM, INC., OF STAMFORD, CT

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, on June 29, 1993, Senator McCain and I 
introduced the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation Amendments of 1993, a 
bill to revise and add to the National Defense Authorization Act for 
fiscal year 1993. At our request, our Dear Colleague letter was printed 
in the Congressional Record along with our statements introducing the 
amendment. On pages S8241-2, appendix A of our letter, ``List of 
Foreign Suppliers to Iraq's Nuclear Weapons Technology and Material,'' 
was published and included a reference to a German company, Nukem, 
which was alleged to have supplied U\235\ fuel pins and centrifuge 
materials. This information was compiled from a number of open sources; 
the particular reference to Nukem was obtained from a Washington Post 
article of August 17, 1990, which restated an erroneous report which 
had appeared earlier in the German magazine, Der Spiegel.
  Senator McCain and I regret that the listing we had published in the 
Record contained erroneous information pertaining to Nukem. We were 
unaware that the Washington Post printed a correction to its August 17 
report on August 25. We have reviewed the detailed explanation provided 
by Nukem to the Washington Post in a letter dated August 23, 1990, from 
Davis R. Robinson, Esq., to the Washington Post managing editor. This 
explanation led the Post to publish a correction to the August 17 
article on page A-2 of the August 25, 1990, edition. In order to 
correct the record on this matter, I request that a copy of the August 
25, 1990, correction be inserted in the Record immediately following 
these and Senator McCain's remarks.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I wish to express my regret for the 
erroneous inclusion of Nukem in a list of companies which had allegedly 
supplied equipment and technology to Iraq to assist in its efforts to 
develop nuclear weapons. I join Senator Lieberman in apologizing to the 
officers and employees of Nukem for this inadvertent error on our part.
  At the same time, I would note that the list of suppliers of 
equipment and technology to Iraq in support of their extensive efforts 
to acquire weapons of mass destruction is extensive and alarming. The 
legislation we introduced, the Iran-Iraq arms non-proliferation 
amendments, is designed to deter companies from cooperating in these 
efforts in the future and to ensure that other governments work with 
the United States to prevent the development of weapons of mass 
destruction by Iran or Iraq.
  Unfortunately, the legislation has not yet been enacted. Senator 
Lieberman and I are concerned about the continuing efforts of Iraq and 
Iran to build up their offensive military capabilities, which could 
lead to regional instability and a threat to the current fragile peace 
in the Middle East. Therefore, we intend to continue to push for the 
additional sanctions contained in the Iran-Iraq arms non-proliferation 
amendments during this session of Congress.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Aug. 25, 1990]

                              Corrections

       An article on Aug. 17 incorrectly reported information 
     about exports to Iraq by the German company NUKEM. NUKEM did 
     not sell or deliver uranium to Iraq in 1989, and NUKEM has 
     never delivered uranium to Iraq appropriate for the 
     production of nuclear weapons. In addition, NUKEM is not the 
     subject of any investigation or accusation by public 
     prosecutors in West Germany with respect to any such sales.

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