ANALYSIS ON IRAQI ATTEMPT TO PROCURE FURNACES (S NF)

Created: 7/19/1990

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

0

l

Nearand South Aaian Affair*

SUBJECT:

Assistant to th. DDI Cor Kuclaar Proliferation Analysis on Iraqi Attempt to Procura FurnacesT)

use for ths furnaces, is tit}

2. Bassd on thair specifications, we belisva tha furnaces couldused to process uranium or plutonlun ccanpourida into fonts suitable for nuclear weapons, buthavs no Indication iraq currar.tly^haa sufficient material available,. Although other non-nuclear end-uses are possible, w* doubt th* furnace will baelated, for awutufactuxIng prosthetics from titanium. Moreover, cheaper materials axe more available for developing, prosthetics tryar.ttygp^^.

i n tn 1

believ* Iraq gives high priority to acquiring acapability to countar parcslved military throats from Iranand Baghdad's othar"purchasingcovertela--atror.gly suggesteapons Th*s* procuraaiant efforts are essential to Iraq's abilitya nuclear weapon, -tfi VP}-

Saddaun Husayn's close confidant, ttusayn KaasXX ol

- riving force in Baghdad's long-rang* missile, chaaaical, and biological weaponsto be in charge of tha nuclear procureaMint effort. The nuclear network--partarger milltary procurscMnt *ffort controlled by Rajid's Ministry of Industry and

DATE:4

Military Industrialization (MIKI) and his SptcUl Security organlxation--uaet Iraqi public ssetorinttrnttional front eotapanltt, foreignnd probably .van tha Iraqi Atomic Energy Comiajion.

Tha Iraqi! currently ara focutsing on procurement of enrichment and

ng technology and materiel, aM diagnostic wipeaant. r

5. Th* entity aaahing to procure th* furnaces, tha Ministry of Industry and Minerals, la probably th* sam aa MXMZ. raqi Industrialar* reorganized and Husayn Kamll al-Majld was named head ofinistry of Industry and Minerals. Since then, however, this ministry has been subsumed into MINI and probably no longar exists. Iraq nay be using the Ministry's old natta--which does not highlight itt militaryan *ffort to avoid raiaing suspicion about th* *nd-us* of th* requested equipment. f)

Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for

International Security Affairs Principal Acting Secretary of 8tata for

Politco-Military AffaTrT Under Secretary for Export Administration Assistant Secretaryse for

International Security Affairs Chief. Export Control Branch

Original document.

---

---