Indian mines on US secret list
Washington, Dec. 6: Two little known chromite mines in Orissa and Karnataka, besides a factory in Gujarat that manufactures critical chemotherapy drugs are among global “key infrastructures” which could pose a danger to America’s national security if they come under terrorist attack, an US cable released by WikiLeaks has revealed.
The classified state department cable dated February 18, 2009, asks its diplomatic posts to update a secret list of key infrastructures across the globe which are vital to America’s national security interests and needs to be protected from any terror attacks.
The secret list includes only three infrastructure projects from India —Orissa (chromite mines), Karnataka (chromite mines) and Generamedix Gujurat Chemotherapy agents — the cable said.
“Loss” of these infrastructures in foreign countries “could critically impact the public health, economic security, and/or national and homeland security of the United States,” it underlined.
The highly secretive American list, which has now appeared in the public domain, include undersea cables, key communications, ports, mineral resources and firms of strategic importance in countries from the United Kingdom to New Zealand, Africa, the Middle East and China.
A Siemens factory in Germany does “irreplaceable production of key chemicals” while a Canadian hydroelectric plant is termed as a “critical irreplaceable source of power to portions of North-east US.
A German company making treatment for plutonium poisoning.
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