Alleged reactor
Photo: AFP
US: Alleged Syrian reactor had no peaceful uses
American ambassador at IAEA says all data indicate that alleged Syrian reactor bombed by Israel in 2007 was not configured for energy production, ill-suited for research purposes
The United States' ambassador at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Friday in Vienna that the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor that Israel bombed in 2007 seems not to have been intended for peaceful purposes.
The suspect al-Kibar site in Syria's eastern desert was not configured for energy production, was located in a remote area and was ill-suited for research purposes, Ambassador Gregory Schulte told the 35 countries represented on the IAEA's governing board.
IAEA Meeting
Associated Press
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Last week, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei issued a first report on Syria, in which he did not draw conclusions but noted that the features of the building were similar to what may be found at a reactor.
Inspectors of the Vienna-based agency also found a significant amount of uranium particles when they visited al-Kibar for the first time in June.
In a joint statement, the EU said the report was "troubling in many regards."
In April, the US provided the IAEA with intelligence indicating Syria had almost completed construction of the reactor, possibly with help form North Korea.
"Given the gravity of this situation, we join other Board members in strongly supporting the IAEA's continued investigation and encouraging Syria's authorities to grant all access requested to facilities, individuals, and information," Schulte said.
Syria has stated that al-Kibar was a conventional military installation, and that the uranium found was part of munitions used in the Israeli attack in September 2007.
The country has so far not allowed further IAEA inspections.
