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Saudis' Request To Halt To Nuclear Monitoring Surprises IAEA
2005-06-14
Geostrategy-Direct
www.geostrategy-direct.com
LONDON - The International Atomic Energy Agency has approved a request from Saudi Arabia that would, in effect, end the monitoring of nuclear activities in the Arab kingdom.
Diplomatic sources said the agency was surprised by the Saudi request. They pointed out that in 2004 Saudi Arabia announced that it had no intention to acquire a nuclear reactor for energy production.
Western diplomatic sources said the IAEA decided to accept a Saudi request to significantly reduce monitoring. The sources said the agency agreed to recommend the Saudi request to the 35-nations of the IAEA's board, scheduled to meet on June 13.
If approved, Saudi Arabia would join more than 70 countries that enjoy IAEA's trust. These countries have not been required to report nuclear facilities to the agency until six months prior to operation.
The agency has asked IAEA board members to implement an arrangement that would reduce monitoring of Saudi nuclear activities to a minimum. The request to participate in the so-called "Small Quantities Protocol" means that Saudi Arabia would no longer be required to report the procurement of up to 10 tons of natural uranium, 20 tons of depleted uranium and a kilogram of plutonium.
Ten tons of natural uranium could be converted into fissile material required to produce two atomic bombs.
The Saudi request was submitted in 2004 during the agency's examination of Iran's nuclear program, which the United States asserted was meant to produce nuclear weapons. Saudi Arabia has remained silent on Teheran's program, but sources said Riyad has also been linked to the Pakistani nuclear network led by Abdul Qadeer Khan. Khan exported components and nuclear equipment to Iran, Libya and perhaps Syria.
In 2003, Saudi Arabia reportedly signed an agreement with Pakistan on nuclear cooperation. Neither country acknowledged the cooperation, said to have also included missile development.
Diplomatic sources said the United States has urged Saudi Arabia to shelve its efforts to sign the Small Quantities Protocol. They said Riyad has not responded.
Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
