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Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem (Archives)
Last update - 23:19 12/11/2008
Syria: IAF to blame for uranium traces at suspected nukes site
By The Associated Press
Tags: Israel News, IAF, Syria 

Syria's foreign minister suggested on Wednesday that Israel Air Force bombs may have been the source of uranium traces diplomats from the United Nations nuclear agency said were found a suspected nuclear site in Syria.

Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem said the leaks by the UN diplomats about the traces found at the site were politically motivated and aimed at pressuring Syria.

Unnamed diplomats at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency have said samples taken from a suspected nuclear site allegedly bombed by Israeli planes last September contained uranium combined with other elements that merit further investigation.
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"These media leaks are a clear-cut signal that the purpose was to pressure Syria. This means that the subject is not technical but rather political," Moallem said at a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.

"No one has ever asked himself what kind of Israeli bombs had hit the site, and what did they contain?" Moallem said, adding that the United States had similar acts of using bombs containing depleted uranium in Iraq and Afghanistan.


The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment on the matter.

Washington is a harsh critic of Syria, accusing it of not doing enough to prevent cross-border infiltration by militants into Iraq and of destabilizing Lebanon, another neighbor.

An October 26, U.S. commando raid into Syria near Iraq's border further added to the tensions. U.S. officials have said a prominent Iraqi militant was targeted. Syria said the raid killed eight Syrian civilians.

Syria is still technically at war with Israel although both have in recently months held indirect peace talks through Turkey.

The latest nuclear accusations against Syria were disclosed by unnamed
diplomats at the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. They have said samples taken from a suspected nuclear site bombed by Israeli planes last year contained uranium combined with other elements that merit further investigation.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Tuesday his agency is taking allegations of a secret Syrian atomic program seriously and urged Damascus to cooperate fully with his investigation. He also urged other nations with information that could help the investigation to share what they know.

ElBaradei declined to comment on what the diplomats had said, telling
reporters during a visit to the Czech capital of Prague only that his agency still has a number of questions linked to the allegations.

The U.S. has said the facility was a nearly completed reactor that - when on line - could have produced plutonium, a pathway to nuclear arms.

Moallem said the original U.S. contention was that the alleged Syrian
reactor was under construction, and not operational. So the question is: From where the traces of enriched uranium came?

Syria has previously denied any covert nuclear program, and al-Moallem said Wednesday Damascus was waiting for ElBaradei's report to respond.

IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said Tuesday the latest findings on Syria were still being drafted and our assessment and evaluation is still under way. Once the process is finished, the report will be submitted to the IAEA Board of Governors ahead of its next meeting, which is scheduled to take place November 27-28.


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      1.   Its usual expect,came from the wrongdoe, an twist from evidences 15:03  |  JP 12/11/08
      2.   The most obvious answer 15:20  |  Clickfool 12/11/08
      3.   US gives isreal uranium coated amunition 15:38  |  mystery solved 12/11/08
      4.   Of course, Israel responsible. Who if not? 15:48  |  Israeli citizen 12/11/08
      5.   The foreign minister might be embarassed 15:52  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      6.   Depleted uranim enriched uranium are two very different things 16:00  |  Israeli 12/11/08
      7.   Not bombs Clickfool 16:04  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      8.   Tobi 16:08  |  Israeli citizen 12/11/08
      9.   mark your wrong about DU 16:17  |  Reza Shah 12/11/08
      10.   Israeli - foot in mouth disease 16:27  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      11.   Reza Shah - US DU munitions 16:38  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      12.   US said there was no uranium there 16:43  |  zaz 12/11/08
      13.   DU munitions and the press 16:54  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      14.   Zaz, the Bush Party Line on the site 17:21  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      15.   Syria is after the Golan hence, nukes.. 17:32  |  Clint 12/11/08
      16.   Electronics were interfered with after bombing 17:43  |  Clint 12/11/08
      17.   For Mark Lincoln # 7 17:58  |  Clickfool 12/11/08
      18.   For Mark Lincoln again # 7 18:00  |  Clickfool 12/11/08
      19.   Israeli citizen? did your country not invade syria 18:41  |  and bomb the sight? 12/11/08
      20.   another pre-emptive strike? 18:57  |  shoot first 12/11/08
      21.   Everybody is missing the point... 19:03  |  Michael 12/11/08
      22.   Michael from san fran you are wrong 19:11  |  Syria Eagle 12/11/08
      23.   weren`t there peace talks going on at the time 19:20  |  between syria 12/11/08
      24.   i wanted to visit syria too!! thanks george and zio-state 19:25  |  i won`t be 12/11/08
      25.   Clickfool - so what? 19:47  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      26.   # 19 - When did Israel invade Syria? 19:55  |  ChanahS 12/11/08
      27.   Syrian Eagle - does the posibility of Syria 19:59  |  ChanahS 12/11/08
      28.   Clickfool - Reports of DU Bunker Busters 19:59  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      29.   depleted uranium ammunitions is used 20:03  |  Kuwaiti 12/11/08
      30.   ChanahS? how do you think the site was bombed 20:11  |  if you did not 12/11/08
      31.   For Mark Lincoln # 25 and #28 20:57  |  Clickfool 12/11/08
      32.   THAT MEANS ISRAEL NUKED SYRIA? 21:39  |  Joey 12/11/08
      33.   Clickfool - "My guess is ...` 21:56  |  Fish 12/11/08
      34.   Why Didn`t Israel or the USA Seek an IAEA Investigation Prior... 22:04  |  Reader 12/11/08
      35.   Good question... 22:27  |  Maureen Ann 12/11/08
      36.   harmless DU or deadly U-235 ? 23:33  |  moshe 12/11/08
      37.   On the wrong track 23:40  |  Peter Williams 12/11/08
      38.   Clickfool I was aware of that article 23:54  |  Mark Lincoln 12/11/08
      39.   Reader, the investigation is not over 00:00  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      40.   Maureen Ann 00:22  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      41.   Eglin Steel, named for the USAF Air Armaments Center 00:30  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      42.   Hahaha, Clickfool the Gullible 00:32  |  Ruth 13/11/08
      43.   # 33 Reader - Excellent point 01:05  |  zaz 13/11/08
      44.   Whre they Lebanon DU traces came from 01:06  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      45.   I agree zaz, but consider 01:28  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      46.   Before anyone suggests that DU is used as 01:42  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      47.   Foiled again, just like the roadrunner!!! 01:43  |  ballistic 13/11/08
      48.   Finally, a plug for a little known museum 01:45  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      49.   IAEA irked at `premature` Syria nuclear disclosures 01:53  |  reuters 13/11/08
      50.   #3, MYSTERY SOLVED, sounds plausible thanks 02:09  |  VIPER 13/11/08
      51.   #37 Mark Lincoln. I know nothing of bombs, but... 02:18  |  Maureen Ann 13/11/08
      52.   #37, MARK LINCOLN 02:27  |  VIPER 13/11/08
      53.   reuters - the critical line 02:38  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      54.   Maureen Ann 50 04:49  |  ChanahS 13/11/08
      55.   MAureen Ann 04:53  |  Mark Lincoln 13/11/08
      56.   Viper off center 05:05  |  Dr Noam 13/11/08
      57.   #45 I`m curious, Mark Lincoln 05:35  |  Johnboy 13/11/08
      58.   Maureen- Ann, viper & Johnboy 10:15  |  BrigGen Smythe (Ret) 13/11/08
      59.   it does not matter if israel was the source of anything in the 17:39  |  glenna 13/11/08
      60.   #58, BRIG GEN, still not answering MY post 00:43  |  VIPER 14/11/08
      61.   #60 Don`t bother, VIPER 03:01  |  Johnboy 14/11/08
      62.   Israel needs to do what it`s gotta do;they are blamed regardless 04:49  |  glenna 14/11/08
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