Statement by Ambassador Gregory L Schulte
Permanent U.S. Representative to the IAEA
Vienna, November 21, 2008 Earlier this week, Director General Mohamed ElBaradei released reports on the IAEA’s investigation of Iran and Syria. The Director General reports that Iran continues to enrich uranium – this despite the absence of an obvious civil requirement. At the same time, Iran refuses to explain its past activities relevant to fashioning highly enriched uranium into nuclear weapons. This is deeply troubling. It is deeply troubling because Iran’s actions violate multiple resolutions of the IAEA Board and the UN Security Council. It is deeply troubling because it is only a small step from the low enriched uranium that Iran is now stockpiling to the highly enriched uranium that Iran would need to build a bomb. This week’s report on Syria is the first written report on the IAEA’s investigation. At the September meeting of the IAEA Board, the Director General said that he would issue a written report if he has something of substance to report. Reading the report makes clear that he does. Indeed the report raises real, substantive concerns that deserve careful consideration by the IAEA Board and continued investigation by the Agency’s inspectors. The Director General’s report reinforces the assessment of my government that Syria was secretly building a nuclear reactor in its eastern desert and thereby violating its IAEA safeguards obligations. The report sharply contradicts a number of Syria’s claims and catalogues Syria’s repeated refusal to answer IAEA questions. We strongly support the IAEA’s continued investigation and encourage Syria’s authorities to give Agency inspectors necessary access to facilities, individuals, and information. The IAEA needs to understand what Syria was building in secret then buried under meters of earth and a new building. The IAEA also needs to be confident that there are no other undeclared activities in Syria. Syria is not Iran, and we do not seek to make Syria into Iran. But this requires Syria to cooperate with the IAEA. We hope that it will not adopt the tactics of hindrance and unhelpfulness that Tehran has so finely honed and that remain so evident in the Director General’s latest report. The IAEA Board will consider both of these reports at its meeting next week. We expect Board members to call on both countries to cooperate with the IAEA and meet their international obligations. | 