Washington, November 18: The United States on Tuesday said it hopes for a reasonable explanation from Syria on how traces of uranium were found at a nuclear research reactor in Damascus.
“That’s what we want: a credible explanation,” said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.
“We want them to open up what the IAEA is asking them to open up in terms of access to sites and access to information,” Kelly said.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed to AFP earlier Tuesday its inspectors were in Damascus after a report from the agency said it doubted Syria’s initial explanation.
Asked about any possible consequences to situation, Kelly said it would “depend on the response” from Syria to the IAEA’s requests.
Samples taken at the so-called Miniature Neutron Source Reactor in August 2008 confirmed the presence of “particles of anthropogenic natural uranium of a type not in Syria’s declared inventory,” according to the international nuclear watchdog.
Damascus argues that it is under no obligation to provide further information on certain locations because of their military nature.
But the IAEA decided to carry out a new inspection of the reactor.
“The agency will continue its verification activities to confirm Syria’s statements within the authority available to it and subject to the cooperation provided by Syria,” it said in the report.
The discovery of the uranium traces at the reactor raised eyebrows because the IAEA is already investigating allegations that Syria had been building an undeclared nuclear reactor in a remote desert site called Dair Alzour until Israel illegally bombed it in 2007.
Israel is the only country in the Middle East that actually has nuclear weapons.
Observers say due the strong Jewish and pro-Israel lobbies in the US and some European countries, these countries have taken a hypocritical stance in relation to nuclear issues in the region.
—Agencies