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Iran Tries to Open up Several Secret Plants: US Representative to the IAEA (interview)

Politics Materials 9 June 2008 17:12 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, 9 June /corr. Trend G.Ahmadova, D.Khatinoglu/ Interview of Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, the U.S. Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, with Persian Department of Trend

- What do you think about calling by Iran the facts of IAEA on  Iran's intention to make the nuclear weapon as a "faked and unjustified report"?

In the report that Director General presented information that his inspectors have gathered from multiple sources, over multiple years that suggest that Iran has a list of plants recently engaged in work related to building nuclear weapons. And Director General himself said this with a matter of serious concern. At the meeting itself the Iranian ambassador Soltani tries to divert the attention from this, he try to challenge the information, he try to challenge the integrity of IAEA inspectors. But the Board members were not distracted and they are shared the serious concern of M.AlBaradei, and that Iran need to cooperate. The expectations of IAEA Board are very clear - Iran needs to fully disclose its past weapons related works and to allow the IAEA inspectors to verify that facts.

- Director General of the IAEA said that Iran prevented the agency to investigate some nuclear plants. What do you think, is there any assumption for working of secret nuclear plants, except of well-known nuclear locations in Iran?

Iran tries to open up a several secret plants, the places like Isfahan and Natanz. All members of the Board avoid whether could be other undeclared activities in Iran and this the part of reason why the Director General as called on Iran to implement the Additional Protocol that gives IAEA inspectors additional information and additional accepts.

They see that Iran is developing enrichment in the building in violation of Security Council resolutions. But I think that we all worried about what might be happening or what might have happened elsewhere. Particularly with all the information that the agency has gathered on procurement and studies, engineering and testing on nuclear weapons research developments. - Azerbaijan is planning to build a first research (scientific) nuclear rector with IAEA in 2009. How US can support to such kind of initiative of Azerbaijan?   

In general US strongly support the peaceful use of nuclear technology all across the world. We use the largest potentialities of technical cooperation here in Vienna at the IAEA. We make biggest suggestions for using nuclear technologies in every sphere that many countries use to producing electricity. But critical countries commit to highest standards of non-proliferation safety and security. And that what most countries are doing. Unfortunately it is very small number countries, countries like North Korea, like Iran, like Syriat all the commitment under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

- Israil insists that he has bombed the nuclear plant of Syria last year. US produced some evidence to IAEA over this nuclear plant. How is going on negotiations of the IAEA with Syria over this issue?

The Director General announced this week that Syria had agreed to a visit by IAEA inspectors in 2 weeks. At the Board meeting countries across the world called on Syria to provide for cooperation. The Syrian ambassador continued to claim that Syria doesn't have a plan or a project to acquire nuclear technology, even for peaceful purposes. We are waiting to IAEA inspectors to go in and verifying with dislocation and meeting throw no other undeclared nuclear activities in Syria. In our judgments this is very clearly nuclear reactor and very similar to the reactor in North Korea in Younbyon. And the North Korean reactor Younbyon used to produce petroleum force nuclear weapons. Syria has a lot of explaining to do. I strongly support the IAEA inspectors and their job and I suspect that at September Board Iranian Nuclear programme will be on the on the agenda.

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