Syria Today | Syria: IAEA analysis faulty, no graphite found

Syria: IAEA analysis faulty, no graphite found

Syrian Ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha said Syria is “not afraid” of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) investigation into its alleged nuclear programme and criticised media leaks of the nuclear watchdog’s ongoing work related to the country.

“What has been released to the media indicates that there are some pushy forces that are trying to politicise the work mechanism of the IAEA,” Moustapha told Syria Today on February 23. “We should note the importance of stopping some countries’ announced and unannounced interfering and commenting on the IAEA. It gives more credibility to the agency if some powers stop speaking on behalf of it. Syria is cooperating with the body and we are not afraid of the investigation’s results.”

Syria has also denied reports that IAEA inspectors found graphite at Al-Kibar, a site in the Syrian desert under investigation by the nuclear watchdog for US-alleged covert nuclear activity.

Syria’s nuclear chief Ibrahim Othman also said the discovery of further uranium traces at the site was not as significant as leaked reports by unnamed UN officials associated with the IAEA were maintaining, suggesting the agency’s analysis was faulty, Western media outlets reported on February 24. Othman also reportedly told a closed technical meeting of the agency in Vienna that Syria has built a missile facility at the site in question.

The comments come in the wake of a report presented to the atomic agency’s 35-nation board in mid-February that reportedly shows soil samples taken from Al-Kibar contain graphite traces which had been found around the site and near a water treatment plant 5km away. It also says that 40 more instances of processed uranium particles had been discovered, adding to the 40 already registered in the IAEA’s first report conducted three months ago, Reuters news agency reported.

Israel bombed Al-Kibar in September 2007, but refuses to publicly disclose its reasons for doing so. In May 2008, the US released satellite imagery and alleged the site was a covert nuclear reactor under construction with North Korean assistance. Damascus denies the allegations and maintains the site was a disused military facility. IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has criticised Israel and the US for not making their information available sooner.

In November 2008, the first IAEA report said that traces of uranium had been found at the site which had “similar features” to those of a nuclear reactor. It did not exclude the possibility that the complex was being used for purposes unrelated to nuclear activity.

Syria claimed at the time that the traces of uranium had come from the missiles Israel used to destroy the site, but the latest report says this scenario is unlikely, according to Reuters.

Othman also dismissed the IAEA’s finding that the uranium particles did not come from Israeli munitions.

“That is an explanation we do not accept,” Othman told reporters after a briefing at the IAEA’s board of governors. “Chemical analysis can be played with the way you like. Always in laboratories there can be errors, anyone knows that.”

The IAEA has called on Syria to be as transparent as possible in the investigation and provide additional access to other locations, materials and equipment alleged to be related to the Al-Kibar site.

Othman repeated that Damascus will not allow any more IAEA visits to the country on the grounds that the inspections will involve military sites beyond the writ of the UN nuclear watchdog.

“We will continue to cooperate with the IAEA according to the safeguards agreement we signed,” he said.