Post by Shadow on Sept 13, 2005 18:04:39 GMT -5
Rense
By Jeff Zeleny
Chicago Tribune correspondent
9-11-5
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- More than 60 dangerous and deadly bacterial strains that are a legacy of the former Soviet Union's elaborate biological weapons program were transferred Friday to the United States from Azerbaijan as part of the two countries' joint fight against the threat of biological terrorism.
Copies of the strains, including bacteria that cause plague and anthrax, left Baku aboard a U.S. military aircraft in a mission cloaked in secrecy. The pathogens were scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware by Saturday, officials said, and government scientists will begin their analysis next week in Washington.
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who concluded the agreement here with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, said the data would be "important in the war against terror and combating biological warfare." The sharing, Lugar said, also adds fresh and unique strains to a library of worldwide pathogens to help swiftly diagnose an international plague or prevent a disease outbreak.
The transfer of the strains is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which the U.S. has used to forge relationships with former Soviet republics to reduce nuclear, chemical or biological threats.
The U.S. formalized a biological agreement with Azerbaijan in June. Under the deal, the United States provides money to help the country improve security for its pathogens to prevent theft that could lead to bioterrorism.
By Jeff Zeleny
Chicago Tribune correspondent
9-11-5
BAKU, Azerbaijan -- More than 60 dangerous and deadly bacterial strains that are a legacy of the former Soviet Union's elaborate biological weapons program were transferred Friday to the United States from Azerbaijan as part of the two countries' joint fight against the threat of biological terrorism.
Copies of the strains, including bacteria that cause plague and anthrax, left Baku aboard a U.S. military aircraft in a mission cloaked in secrecy. The pathogens were scheduled to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware by Saturday, officials said, and government scientists will begin their analysis next week in Washington.
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, who concluded the agreement here with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, said the data would be "important in the war against terror and combating biological warfare." The sharing, Lugar said, also adds fresh and unique strains to a library of worldwide pathogens to help swiftly diagnose an international plague or prevent a disease outbreak.
The transfer of the strains is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which the U.S. has used to forge relationships with former Soviet republics to reduce nuclear, chemical or biological threats.
The U.S. formalized a biological agreement with Azerbaijan in June. Under the deal, the United States provides money to help the country improve security for its pathogens to prevent theft that could lead to bioterrorism.