WASHINGTON -- Syria has continued to obstruct a U.N. investigation into activities once carried out at a suspected nuclear reactor site destroyed by Israel two years ago, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated in a report issued today (see GSN, Sept. 8).
(Nov. 16) -
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei, shown last month, said in a report today that Syria has not cooperated with an agency investigation into the country's alleged nuclear activities (Samuel Kubani/Getty Images).
Syria has only permitted the agency to inspect the remains of the alleged nuclear facility on one occasion since the 2007 airstrike. Inspectors uncovered uranium traces during the visit, but Damascus has maintained that no nuclear activities were being carried out at the facility.
In an Oct. 23 letter, the agency asked Damascus for information including details on the facility's design and on Syrian attempts to acquire dual-use materials. In addition, the U.N. nuclear watchdog repeated its request to re-examine the site of the bombed building as well as any location where remains from the facility are in storage.
Syria has suggested that uranium traces found at the site were remnants of Israeli munitions used in the 2007 bombing; the agency again requested any information Syria has that could back up the claim. "To date, Syria has not provided any information to this effect," according to the report prepared by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei for the agency's 35-state Board of Governors. Israel has also proved unhelpful on resolving the matter, the report indicates.
Still, "Syria has not yet provided the cooperation necessary to permit the agency to determine the
origin of the anthropogenic natural uranium particles found in samples taken at the Dair Alzour site," the report states.
"Syria has also not provided information or access that would allow the agency to confirm Syria’s statements regarding the non-nuclear nature of the destroyed building on the ... site, or to determine if, as alleged, any functional relationship existed between that site and three other locations," the report states. "Nor has Syria substantiated its claims regarding certain procurement efforts that, in the agency’s view, could support the construction of a reactor."
"The director general urges Syria to cooperate with the agency in its verification activities so
that, in accordance with its mandate under Syria’s safeguards agreement, the agency is able to ensure
that safeguards are applied to all source and special fissionable material subject to that agreement," the report says.
ElBaradei called on Damascus to work with his agency to establish protocols for sharing information relevant to the probe "while protecting military and other information considered by Syria as
sensitive."
The U.N. nuclear watchdog noted, though, that Syria's nuclear safeguards agreement "places no limitation on agency access to information, activities or locations simply because they may be military-related."
ElBaradei also urged "other states, including Israel, which may possess information relevant to the agency’s verification, including information which may have led them to conclude that the installation in question at the Dair Alzour site had been a nuclear reactor, to make such information available to the agency."
The IAEA Board of Governors is scheduled to meet next week.