Middle East Politics.Net » nuclear program

Syrian Nuclear Effort Confirmed

sanene — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:04:00 +0000

December 4th 2008, as samples were taken by western agents from the Orontes River in Syria, they confirmed Syria’s resumed nuclear program. According to these unidentified agents, the evidence found last month were presented to the IAEA as it indicated Syria’s nuclear activity. What makes matters worse for Syria is that these findings came after Syria declined to give UN officials access to three of its suspected nuclear sites. This is just the latest in Syrian circumventions of UN searches and avoidance of international questions about its nuclear aspirations.

Samuel Anene

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Syria Innocent Until Proven Guilty

sanajong — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 05:53:24 +0000

In a direct response to the U.S. and other Western nations’ continual condemnation of Syria, a member of the IAEA herself has explained how Israel has hindered the investigation into Syria’s nuclear program. She also reveals that there is no conclusive evidence against Syria. This means that Syria is, as of press time, innocent and eligible for aid.

This is not new news for those covering Syria and its continual claim of innocence. This comment from the IAEA should not come as a surprise, however due to continued speculation, it has become a statement that needed to be reiterated. Why is it still so hard to believe Syria – or is this just a general air of suspicion that the West as a whole has cast over the Middle East.

And what about Israel’s own non-compliance with IAEA rules and regulations?

Sade San A Jong

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Syria: No More Inspectors

Joshua Bark — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:30:03 +0000

Syria will not be allowing any more IAEA inspectors to investigate their country, officials have said. The last inspectors were allowed in June. Syria has said (and the IAEA confirmed) the agreement was that there would be one more inspection, but the IAEA has said that they think there are at least three other sites that may have connections to the site at which uranium samples were found.

Syria has insisted these findings do not prove any sort of nuclear program.

This agreement is interesting, as the IAEA agreed to one more inspection in order to gain access to Syria. The irony is that when the IAEA found something that warrants more inspections, they could not investigate further because of the initial agreement that actually let them investigate.

Joshua Bark

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Uranium Traces Found Near Site in Syria

Joshua Bark — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 00:13:35 +0000

According to The Telegraph (UK), diplomats in Vienna claim that the site of an Israeli attack in Syria, which the U.S. and Israel say was a facility for making nuclear weapons, had traces of man-made uranium.

After the blast, Syria prohibited inspectors at the site, instead dismantling it. However, traces of uranium were found near the site. The apparent existence of the program, with ties to North Korea, has angered Iran, which knew nothing about it.

If the story is confirmed, it would appear to further validate the Israeli attack as it backs up the intelligence they used to justify the action. Of course, others in the region have claimed that Israel’s nuclear arsenal gives them an advantage not allowed to many other Middle East states.

Joshua Bark

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Iran’s UN Ambassador on Negotiations over Nuclear Program

kcahoon — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:28:05 +0000

The New York Times has reported that Iranian United Nations ambassador, Mohammed Khazee, announced Monday at a meeting of the UN General Assembly, that six world powers, namely the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, have refused to respond to its proposal “for negotiations without preconditions, aimed at resolving its nuclear stand-off with the West.” One significant component of US presidential candidate Barack Obama’s foreign policy is his declaration that his administration would meet with hostile nations such as Iran without preconditions, which Khazee seems to agree would be more conducive to reaching a solution than imposing a fourth round of UN sanctions. Iran’s counter-offer to western demands for suspension of enrichment work in exchange for economic and political incentives, has not been formally rejected by these six nations, but has simply continued to be ignored. Khazee maintains that western insistence that Iran terminate its uranium enrichment program violates international law, and that these countries have no right to make such a demand. He also continues to insist that Iran has no intention of using its nuclear program to create atomic weapons, and has dismissed the intelligence reports that suggest otherwise as fabricated documents that the Iranian government has never seen. The International Atomic Energy Agency says, however, that they have no reason to believe that Iran is in fact not engaging in the manufacturing of atomic weapons.

Kayla Cahoon

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