Russian diplomats call not to use IAEA inspections to settle scores with Syria

04 March 2021

 

The member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency Board of Governors must stop politically motivated attempts to use its verification activities to settle scores with Syria, the RF delegation said in a statement on Wednesday.


The Russian side is confident that there is no reason to keep the Syrian issue on the agenda of the IAEA Board. "Member states should abandon politically motivated attempts to use IAEA verification activities to settle scores with Damascus," the Russian mission said in a statement posted on Twitter.


"The IAEA has reported repeatedly over the years that Damascus is in full compliance with its safeguards obligations. Regular inspections are carried out at declared nuclear facilities. There are no signs of diversion of declared nuclear material to unauthorized purposes," the Russian delegation stressed.


Rafael Grossi, IAEA Director-General, had earlier stated his readiness for constructive negotiations with Syria about the facility destroyed near the city of Deir ez-Zor in 2007, which, according to the agency, "very likely" could have been an undeclared nuclear reactor.


Bashar Jaafari, Syria's Permanent Representative to the UN, has previously rejected claims that an undeclared nuclear reactor in the Syrian Arab Republic was allegedly destroyed by the Israeli Air Force in 2007. He also stressed that no one had ever provided evidence that there was in fact a nuclear reactor near the city of Deir ez-Zor that had been bombed.

 

 

GSV "Russia - Islamic World"

Photo: Creative Commons

Based on materials from TASS