U.N. nuclear inspectors have uncovered substantial evidence suggesting Syria was building a covert nuclear reactor before Israel bombed the facility 14 months ago, but they declined to issue a formal conclusion in a report circulated today (see GSN, Nov. 18).
(Nov. 19) -
The International Atomic Energy Agency released reports on Syria and Iran today.
The report by International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei details his inspectors' investigation into the site, which U.S. officials have described as a nearly operational reactor designed with North Korean assistance to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons (see GSN, April 25). The agency assessment draws upon a June visit to the facility, satellite photos taken over the past seven years and laboratory analysis of soil and air samples. ElBaradei distributed the four-page document today to the 35 nations comprising the agency's Board of Governors, which is scheduled to discuss the issue next week.
Despite the suggestive evidence, ElBaradei and other officials have urged observers not to jump to conclusions.
“The jury is out and we are working busily to resolve what sort of installation it was, whether it was nuclear or military, as the Syrians have claimed," a senior official close to the U.N. nuclear watchdog said today. On that question, "you have to wait for a while."
Based on the satellite imagery, the report indicates that construction began in 2001 on the alleged reactor, which was destroyed by an air attack in September 2007. Afterward, Syria razed the site and constructed another structure over the old one, raising Western suspicions that Damascus was trying to conceal the nature of the original plant.
As the suspect building was being erected, it took on characteristics that are very similar to nuclear plants.
"Its containment structure appears to have been similar in dimension and layout to that required for a biological shield for nuclear reactors, and the overall size of the building was sufficient to house the equipment needed for a nuclear reactor of the type alleged," the report says.
Water piping and pumps found nearby are "adequate for a reactor of the size referred to in the allegation," the report adds.
Also, the report questions the timing of some of Syria's "landscaping activities."
"Analysis of satellite imagery taken of these locations indicates that landscaping activities and the removal of large containers took place shortly after the agency's request for access," the report says.
Natural Uranium Found
That activity might have hidden some of the most damning evidence of all: samples of uranium that turned up in soil samples.
“There was quite a lot of landscaping after cleaning the place, so most of these particles were found in places where there was no landscaping," the senior official said today.
Some soil samples included "a significant number of natural uranium particles," the report says, ending media speculation about the nature of the material. Experts had questioned whether the uranium had been enriched or depleted, but the report makes clear it was neither.
Furthermore, the uranium was clearly processed and was not in a chemical form found in nature. It was man-made, the report says.
“This type of material should not be there. It’s not part of [the] declared inventory of Syria," the senior official added.
Natural uranium is the fuel used by a North Korean reactor that U.S. officials have claimed served as the design basis for the alleged Syrian reactor.
The finding would also appear to undermine Syrian claims that the uranium must have been part of the Israeli weapons used to destroy the site. Some antitank ammunition uses depleted uranium to penetrate thick armor, but defense experts have told Global Security Newswire that they are unaware of depleted uranium being used in air-delivered bombs (see GSN, Nov. 12).
“Not one single depleted uranium particle has been found so far," the senior official said.
ElBaradei asked for greater cooperation from Syria in his report, which describes the nation's refusal to provide documents describing the bombed facility, which officials in Damascus have claimed was a non-nuclear military site. The report also says that Syria has so far denied requests for agency inspectors to visit three sites which could be related to the alleged reactor.
ElBaradei also criticized the United States and Israel for deciding not to provide the agency with information about the suspected reactor before it was destroyed.
"The agency was severely hampered in discharging its responsibilities ... by the unilateral use of force and by the late provision of information concerning the building," the report says.
The Rebuilt Site
Syria has built a new structure where the old one was bombed, but the senior official refused to describe it in detail.
“I can tell as a former army solider what is inside, but I cannot tell to you," the official said.