Israel Matzav

Surprise: Syria won't cooperate with the IAEA

Reuters reports on complaints by the IAEA that Syria has not let the nuclear regulator have access to the bombed-out al-Kibar nuclear reactor in two years. The report also says that Syria has not allowed access to three other potential nuclear sites.

In a confidential report obtained by Reuters, the IAEA said that it has not been allowed to inspect the site for two years.

"With time, some of the necessary information may deteriorate or be lost entirely," wrote IAEA chief Yukiya Amano in the report.

The site in question is the same site bombed by Israeli Air Forces exactly three years ago, in September of 2007.

...

The IAEA has already said earlier this year that some illicit atomic activity had taken place at the site, when it reported that inspectors found uranium traces during a 2008 visit to the site. IAEA now wishes to re-examine the site and take samples from rubble removed immediately after the air strike.

In the report, Amano urges Syria to cooperate in respect to Dair Alzour, and also calls on Syria to allow the IAEA access to three other Syrian sites under military control whose appearance was altered by landscaping after inspectors requested access to them.

But don't worry - no one will force Syria to cooperate or anything like that. In fact, the Obama administration wants to reward them with an ambassador who can submit useless protests instead. What could go wrong?

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:31 PM