IAEA: Syria Stalling Inspectors” Visit To Bombed Site
A formal request by the International Atomic Energy Agency to Syria for allowing its delegation to visit the suspected nuclear site bombed by an Israeli air strike on September 6 has not been yet accepted.
Damascus was stalling the approval of the IAEA. delegations” visit by demanding more details on the proposed inspection, Reuters news agency quoted diplomats in Vienna as saying.
Syrian atomic energy chief Ibrahim Othman held talks on the issue with ElBaradei in Vienna on May 9, but the two did not agree on the timing or nature of a visit, diplomats familiar with the issue said.
The international nuclear watchdog responded to a letter from Syria several days ago asking for more details on the trip, one diplomat said adding that the agency is now waiting for Damascus”s response.
IAEA Chief Mohamed ElBaradei said on May 7 that he hoped to be able to give more details "in the next few weeks" on whether a Syrian facility, bombed by Israel last year, was an undeclared nuclear reactor.
Syria”s ambassador to the U.N. said late last month that Damascus had "nothing to hide" and would extend its full cooperation to the IAEA. Damascus has said the bombed site was only a disused military building in its eastern desert that had no nuclear link.
Meanwhile, U.S. envoy to the IAEA Gregory Schulte said on Wednesday that the Syrian authorities "have a lot of explaining to do," as the bombed Syrian facility was not a typical power or research reactor.