Syria secretly tried to build nuclear reactor, UN watchdog says
IAEA secretary general unequivocally confirms suggestions made in previous watchdog reports that the structure hit allegedly by Israel in 2007 could have been a reactor under construction.
By The Associated Press Tags: Israel news Syria Iran nuclearThe head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday for the first time that Syria had tried to secretly build a nuclear reactor, after years of speculation by the international community.
The target allegedly destroyed by Israeli warplanes in the desert area of Dair Alzour in September 2007 was actually a reactor under construction, said Yukiya Amano, the secretary general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
 |
Suspected Syrian nuclear facility reportedly bombed by Israel in 2007. |
| Photo by: Archive |
Syria denies that the bombed building had any nuclear uses and rejects allegations that it is conducting secret atomic activities.
Previous IAEA reports have suggested that the structure hit could have been a reactor, but Amano's comments on Thursday were the first time the agency has said so unequivocally.
For over two years, Syria has refused IAEA follow-up access to the remains of the complex that was being built at Dair Alzour. U.S. intelligence reports said it was a nascent North Korean-designed nuclear reactor intended to produce bomb fuel.
Inspectors found traces of uranium there in June 2008 that were not in Syria's declared nuclear inventory, heightening concerns. Syria stonewalled IAEA attempts to follow up that visit.
In early April, however, the IARA carried out an agreed inspection of another Syrian plant, as part of its wider inquiry into U.S. intelligence suggesting Syria location tried to build a nuclear reactor at another suited to producing plutonium for atomic bombs.
Syria, which denies any nuclear weapons ambitions, agreed with the IAEA the months prior that its inspectors could travel to the Homs acid purification plant, where uranium concentrates, or yellowcake, have been a by-product. In the event that yellowcake is further processed, they could be used as nuclear fuel. Syria says the plant is for making fertilizers.
The IAEA saw the April visit as a possible positive step, even though the United States said the gesture would not be enough to address allegations of covert atomic activity.
Syria, an ally of Iran, whose nuclear program is also under IAEA investigation, denies ever concealing work on nuclear weapons and says the IAEA should focus on Israel instead because of its undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Why Facebook Connect?
Comment on Haaretz.com articles with your Facebook login, and share your thoughts on your own wall.
- Latest
- Most Viewed
- Most Rated
- Open all
Wiping Israel off the map won't be easy,but since Syria and Iran treat own people like hostages,they won't have any problem to sacrifice them to achieve their dream of Jew free Middle East.
All this talk of nukes? Why the concern? At the rate baby Assad is going, won't be many of you left to really care or respond! And don't worry - ibn Obama has decided to mull-ah a response to your deaths. And the Brits went even a step further and have disinvited the Syrian ambassador from the "royal" wedding. I must say - that is a rather extreme action for the Brits.
There is no reason for them not to have a nuclear reactor if they want one.
Assad kills his own people, lies about developing the bomb, had a father who was a mass murderer. What did you think the factory was? Making Marzipan?
Chocolate factory, indeed.
Syria would have been smarter to build underground 10 small reactors like used on submarines or ice breakers and used Thorium and carbon rods, using small amount of uranium or plutonium only for initial start up.
He's going to need it when he has to eat his hat. I still remember his insistent denials that the Syrian site was not a nuclear reactor. As for the peanut gallery that claims Syria has a right to build a nuclear reactor two comments. First: Syria signed the nuclear NPT agreement, that means that any nuclear site needs to be under the observation of the IAEA. This plant was not, and means that Syria was in breach of its treaty duties. In addition, Syria was using North Korea to build the plant. NK is already under sanction due to its own activities, and is banned from spreading nuke technology around the globe. Second: Israel, has never signed the NPT, so its plant is not under the requirements of the treaty.
Yes, by signing NPT Syria has the right to build nuclear reactors, and to be assisted in that effort by the major players in NPT such as Russia or USA. The Russian-built Bushire plant in Iran is a classic example of an NPT-sponsored project. Building a clandestine (not notifying IAEA) reactor is a direct violation of non-proliferation committments that Syria made when it signed NPT. So is interfering with or denying IAEA inspections. Clear enough? Syria lied to and spit in the face of the various institutions it committed to. Kind of like Syria running for a seat on UNHRC.
An "Islamic bomb" already exists and it seems as if the west's policies in the region are designed to promote its proliferation. Behind America's clumsy foreign policy, of course, are Israeli interests, as usual. Israel has probably bombed its last "unequivocally could have been" nuclear facility.
Israel is upset not because Iran and Syria can have nukes but because its sole monopoly on nuke possession in Middleast has been broken, and with that goes its ability to bully and threaten others uncheckedl's nuclear capability forever.
But nothing indicates that Syria's nuclear program (if there was ever one) aimed at weapons. Syria will soon run out of oil, and it needs cheap energy like every one else.
Israel is upset because absolute barbarians, people who have no qualms about killing, even their own, might get their hands on devastating weapons. There is a world of difference between rational and moral states like Israel having such weapons, which they obviously haven't used but could be used in the event of catastrophe, and totally insane, viscous and out of control states having those weapons. To add to the danger, terror groups could much more easily get their hands on that technology. Mark my words Tony, the Arabs of the world will regret, more than anyone else, that they get nukes. Just like suicide bombing has turned out to be a curse in Arab nations, so to, on a much more profound scale, will nukes.
And Eurabia should be free of states headed by "kings and queens" and have OFFICIAL state religions like Denmark
And they also have a stable government and are not crazy!
... And then they constructed the whole bomb building ... and then comes DanUk and says they did invite IAEA... No, idiot. They didn't and we bombed it. To whom do you want to tell your stupid tales? You're happy you found a place to publish your lies....
in tolerating Israel to own all WMD illegally and outside the watch of international bodies. It is shear criminality to allow Israel to behave irresponsibly and pursue Iran, and Syria because the US hate those regimes.
Israel is perceived as being much less likely to actually use the weapons, which is what counts.
current Islamofascist Religious Regime of Iran whose President Ahmedinejad did so frequesntly in speeches to Iranian students, at Friday Prayers in Teheran and in public statements to the media. So Did their "usefull idiot" Syria. Furthermore no one vere proved that Israel has Nuclear weapons or other chemical and biological weapons. The allegation by Moslem countroies and in particualr Iranian Islamofascist Republic keeps on repeating lies about Israels Nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destructions. Iranian spread, lies, pure lies and only lies about Israels WMD arsenals and predicted that it Iran will remove the "Zionist Entity" from the ME. If Iaranian attack will be imminent we will destroy the destructive capabiliies of Iran using software.
Allegations that Syria has a nuclear program surface every now and then deriving ultimately from Israeli or US sources, or ones that can be influenced by the US, such as the IAEA. No specifics are ever included, leaving the credulous to conclude that nuclear weapons are involved. Well, this reader is not a fool, and is getting tired of the nuclear refrain.
Ivan, i would like a 2nd opinion
How are Israeli nuclear facilitys ? Under IAEA eye ? Yes, no ?
Wow.........it's taken the the Good For Nothing Org., U. N almost 4 years to come to their cences and why ...? because Syria is no longer in their good books.
No one is permitted to make nuclear weapons. Not being an NPT member does not mean certain attack. Look at Israel, North Korea, India, and Pakistan; no one attacks their nuke sites. No war is ever justified. People create wars to satisfy their own agenda
You might recall that UN recognition was followed by a massive war that was won with 0 help from the UN. The truth of the matter is whether the UN would have recognized Israel or not, it would have come into existence.
Hello....it's 2011 not 1948
Israel already existed a few thousand years ago. All the UN did was to confirm it..
This is our neighbour. The naive will perish, the realistic, vigilant and the little bit paranoid will survive.
...the syrians about plutonium and so on. Assad don´t want to talk about many things - that´s the name of the baathist, repressive police state game. He tried to keep this site (and other similiar facilities) a secret, but someone found it and did a good job. And btw - I hate hasbara. I´m not into that. Hasbara (and your anti-hasbara-war) is for losers. I just go for facts, pragmatism, constructive reasoning and compromises. Shalom.
Please save us your ignorance.
I guess the embarrassment of getting their last one blown up by us wore off...maybe we can reacquaint them with how it feels
ISRAEL CAN NOT continue to act as a vandals defying the international legality. ISRAEL HAS HAD A NUCLEAR MONOPOLY in the region for several decades. You cannot hide or ignore the truth, the double standards.
..and israel didn't even try to get it (the nuclear arsenal) because it got it stuffed in its mouth by the europeans and the americans.
Israel should destroy its nukes before settlers control the bomb. Once that happens, the ME will become nothing but a glowing field of glass. Israel is the only country that has illegally nuclear weapons, so Iran has also right to have nuclear arms to stop Israel.
Firstly, regarding the settlers, I assure you that they would never be allowed to control "The Bomb". Secondly, Iran has a religious theocracy in power and the Iranian government (but not the people) has repeatedly demonstrated a desire to remove Israel in any way possible. If Israel has nuclear weapons, it would be only as a defensive measure, in order to prevent others from attacking her citizens. And why shouldn't Israel protect her citizens with all she's got, after all the hell the Jews have been through? I am neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian. It's true that the Palestinians have suffered a whole lot because of Israel. However, their attitudes towards Israelis (such as the 2000 Ramallah lynching) troubles me.