ElBaradei lashes out at Israel over bombed suspect site in Syria

Jun 18, 2009, 10:20 GMT

Vienna - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei lashed out at Israel Thursday for its lack of cooperation in uncovering the truth about an alleged nuclear reactor in Syria.

Israeli bombed the suspect al-Kibar nuclear site in 2007 without first informing the IAEA. Israel has since urged the Vienna-based agency to thoroughly investigate, but has not heeded the IAEA's calls for sharing intelligence information.

'We would appreciate that you would stop preaching to us,' ElBaradei told Israeli ambassador Dan Ashbel at a meeting of the IAEA's governing board, according to a participant.

The bombing was a 'clear violation of international law,' he said.

The United States has provided the nuclear agency with intelligence suggesting Syria was close to finishing work on a reactor that was not declared to the IAEA.

Syria has so far only permitted one visit by IAEA inspectors at the bombed site and claims al-Kibar was a conventional military installation.

Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, but has never confirmed it. The country is not part of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that limits the global spread of nuclear weapons.

'You are not even a member of the regime to tell us what to do,' ElBaradei said.