Syria denies it blocks IAEA checks on alleged nuclear site

Sep 25, 2008, 16:07 GMT

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.'