IAEA approves nuclear aid to Syria over US objections
By ICEJ News
26 Nov 2008
After three days of deadlocked debate, the International Atomic Energy Agency at mid-week approved technical aid for a Syrian nuclear reactor despite suspicions that the country was building a secret plant that could have produced fissile material needed to make atomic weapons. The decision came over the objections of the US and its allies, who pointed to an unfinished probe by the UN nuclear monitoring agency that recently produced soil samples and other evidence indicating Damascus was indeed constructing a covert nuclear plant at al-Kibar. The site was allegedly bombed by Israel last year and was then covered over by Syrian authorities. With Iran pressing hard for the nuclear threshold, Syria now joins as many as eight other Arab states who have recently indicated they intend to pursue 'peaceful' nuclear programs.
After three days of deadlocked debate, the International Atomic Energy Agency at mid-week approved technical aid for a Syrian nuclear reactor despite suspicions that the country was building a secret plant that could have produced fissile material needed to make atomic weapons. The decision came over the objections of the US and its allies, who pointed to an unfinished probe by the UN nuclear monitoring agency that recently produced soil samples and other evidence indicating Damascus was indeed constructing a covert nuclear plant at al-Kibar. The site was allegedly bombed by Israel last year and was then covered over by Syrian authorities. With Iran pressing hard for the nuclear threshold, Syria now joins as many as eight other Arab states who have recently indicated they intend to pursue 'peaceful' nuclear programs.
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