Vienna - A Syrian diplomat denied Thursday that his country
was blocking an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) probe into
an alleged secret nuclear reactor that was bombed by Israel in 2006.
On the sidelines of an IAEA board meeting in Vienna, Syrian
Ambassador Mohammad Badi Khattab told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa his
authorities had agreed with the nuclear agency to wait for final
results of a first visit IAEA visit to the site in June before
considering 'further developments'.
An IAEA spokesman did not comment on Khattab's assertion.
The United States criticized Syria on Wednesday evening for its
lack of cooperation on allowing more investigations by nuclear
inspectors.
'Syria's failure to cooperate with inspectors in a full and timely
manner is a matter of serious concern,' US Ambassador Gregory Schulte
said, according to a copy of his statement that was made available to
journalists on Thursday.
'It's the International Atomic Energy Agency, not the American
Atomic Energy Agency', Khattab said in reaction to the US statement
and its call on the IAEA to issue a full report on Syria by November.
According to Western diplomats, several agency members were
disappointed that IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei provided
them with only a very brief oral report this week. According to
ElBaradei, inspectors had not found any evidence of nuclear materials
at the al-Kibar site so far.
Officials close to the IAEA said that samples were also still being
analyzed for graphite, a material used in nuclear reactors.
One official said that rather than highlighting the Syria issue, it
was the organization's goal to 'keep lines of communication clear'
with Syria, because inspectors wanted to make further visits, possibly
at additional sites.
In April, the US provided the IAEA with photographs and other
evidence indicating Syria had nearly completed the undisclosed reactor
in the desert before Israeli warplanes bombed the site.
More recent satellite photos show that the site was razed and a new
structure was erected after the air attack.
Khattab reiterated his country's claim that al-Kibar was a
conventional military installation.
The diplomat added that US efforts to prevent a discussion among
IAEA members about Israel's nuclear weapons capabilities amounted to a
'double standard.'
USA
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