Uranium/Iraq/Cuba

Manuel Cereijo

INTRODUCTION

Types of Uranium

Natural uranium- uranium that contains 99.3% of the isotope uranium-238 and 0.7 % of the fissionable isotope uranium-235

Low enriched uranium- uranium that contains the isotope uranium 235 in a concentration less than 20% and higher than 0.7%. Most commercial reactor fuel has been enriched to 3-5% of uranium 235

Highly enriched uranium- uranium that contains the isotope uranium-235 in a concentration above 20%. Highly enriched uranium is used in research reactors, naval propulsion reactors, and weapons.

Depleted uranium-uranium with less than 0.7% of the isotope uranium-235

What is Uranium enrichment?

Uranium enrichment is a critical step in transforming natural uranium into nuclear fuel or weapon grade uranium. Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of uranium 235 while decreasing the concentration of uranium 238.

Aluminum-clad cylinders or rods are essential in the production of enriched uranium

Cuba

Since the early 1980s, Cuba started an intensive search for atomic minerals in its territory. The objective was to provide these materials to the nuclear industry of Cuba. The department is the DMBA, Departamento de Materiales Basicos. The department found uranium at the Northwest of Pinar del Rio, called the Hierro-Mantua ore.

Later, in the early 1990s, Cuba was able to obtain Yellow Kake (55% U308). One of the two experimental nuclear reactors in Cuba is located at the CIN, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, of Pedro Pi, Southwest of La Habana. This reactor is capable of converting U238 to Uranium 235 or Plutonium 239, basic primary components of an atomic bomb.

Cuba/Iraq

Due to international regulations, Iraq cannot purchased aluminum clad rods in the world market. Neither has Iraq the manufacturing facilities in place to produce them. However, Cuba does.

Cuba has a large manufacturing plant-Planta Mecanica- that has the capacity, technology, and raw material to manufacture these kind of specialized aluminum rods, so much needed by Iraq to develop its nuclear weapon capabilities. Fuel element assemblies methods include welding, swaging, pinning, including box-type elements and cylindrical element assemblies.

Planta Mecanica is located north and west of the city of Santa Clara, in the center of Cuba. For the last few years its production has been dedicated to specialized needs for the biotechnology industry, as well as the nuclear related industry. Planta Mecanica has been a key factor in the development of Cuba’s biotechnology industry, as well as in assisting Iran with the equipment and machinery needed to develop its biotechnology industry, and that Iran cannot purchase in the world market.

For the last two years, a large part of Planta Mecanica production facilities has been dedicated to satisfy Iraq’s nuclear centers needs.

APPENDIX

SUMARIO

ARMAS DE DESTRUCCION MASIVA

CUBA’s CHEMICAL WARFARE CAPABILITIES

Chemical warfare is the use of poison gases and other toxix chemicals to kill or incapacitate an enemy. Modern nerve gases and chemical warfare agents are a by-product of insecticide research. They are composed of organic chemicals known as organophosphorus compounds that inhibit the production of cholinesterase.

Cuba initiated its first steps in chemical warfare during the Wars in Africa. Cuba learned its manufacturing, maintenance, and use from the Vietnamese, and the PRC. Later on, by the former Soviet Union. Small and efficient plants can turn out chemical weapons by the ton. These plants are scattered in Cuba, but mainly in La Habana, Central Cuba, near Sancti Spititus, and in Santiago de Cuba.

Chemical weapons usually cause burns, asphyxiation, and neurological damage. Cuba has developed, in conjunction with the PRC, a very effective neurological damaging gas.  They have also developed, with the assistant of the former Soviet Union, a nerve gas called Novichok. This gas is five times as deadly as conventional nerve gases. It is purported that 40,000 tons of Novichok is enough to kill all human life on earth.

Of course, the use of chemical weapons is limited by the excessive bulk of the chemical agents. Weather, winds and the practical limitations of dispersal would generally limit chemical weapons to use against concentrated targets. Chemical weapons can be very effective against troop concentrations, military facilities, and highly populated areas.

Intelligent sources strongly suspect that  Cuba has worked on, and developed the following:

NERVE AGENTS

Tabun (GA)-cholisterase inhibitor

Sarin (GB)-cholinesterase inhibitor

Soman (GD)- cholinesterase inhibitor

Yellow Rain-Unknown compound that causes bleeding and rapid death, may include mycotoxins produced by the genus Fusarium fungi-Tropical Medicine Institute.

Novichok-A choline sterase inhitor. Affect human genes.

BLISTER AGENTS

Mustard- (H, HID, HS)-causes skin and membrane inflammation. Blindness

Phosgene Oxime (CX)-destroys skin and membrane tissue

BLOOD AGENTS

A blood agent is absorbed into the body through the lungs where it is then picked up by the blood.

Arsine Trihydride (SA)-causes gasping and choking, asphyxiation

Hydrogen Cyanide (PB)-Penetrates current issue U.S. military gas masks. Causes convulsions, gasping, choking. Cuba and Irak worked together on this chemical agent

OTHERS

Buzz (13Z)- Hallucinogenic LSD derivative

Blue X- Incapacitates humans for 8-12 hours.

PLANTA MECANICA

La planta mecánica del ICID está equipada con modernas máquinas de control numérico para la producción de las partes mecánicas de los equipos médicos y otros dispositivos.  

Corte               
Troquelado       
Plegado           
Frezado           
Torneado          
Termoformado   
Punteado         
Corte circular    
Soldadura         
Pintura 
Fosfatado         

Located at Santa Clara province, a privilege place for communications, and at a distance of 256 km from Havana City, PLANTA MECANICA is one of the most important factory complex of mechanic constructions in Cuba.

PLANTA MECANICA, makes projects and construct on their own or by third parties license, machinery, equipment and spare parts for sugar, metallurgy, mining, electric, chemical, oil industries, biotechnology industries, aluminum rods and hydraulic works.

Productions of PLANTA MECANICA for the sugar industry: Cleaning stations, grinding mills, equipment for discharge and transportation of sugar cane, grinding train, centrifuges, parts and pieces, besides complete turnkey plants for grinding sugar cane.
For the Metallurgy industry, PLANTA MECANICA has produced machinery and equipment, furnaces, rolling mills, conveyors, turnkey casting workshops for continuos emptying.

En the cement brand, refractory and mining, PLANTA MECANICA produce: machinery, equipment, parts and pieces, as well as complete turnkey plants.

PLANTA MECANICA guaranty: technological metallic structures for the highest level and assumes the construction of bridges.

Address: Zona Industrial Apdo. 29 (50100), Santa Clara, Villa Clara, Cuba
Phones: (53-422) 91889, 91205. Telex: 041172.
Fax: (53-422) 91198, 91690.
E-mail: plantamec@esivc.colombus.cu

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