UPDATES

The IAEA: countering proliferation at its convenience

Jul 5, 2011 | Daniel Meyerowitz-Katz

An alleged Syrian nuclear reactor was bombed in 2007

Four long years after Syria’s alleged nuclear program came to a sudden halt due to an [alleged] Israeli air strike, the international community is taking the Assad regime to task. As AP reports, the International Atomic Energy Agency has referred the program to the UN Security Council and it will be discussed next week. As for the delay, the report said that the IAEA had, in fact, been trying to gain access to the site since 2008:

The IAEA has tried in vain since 2008 to follow up on strong evidence that a site in the Syrian desert, bombed in 2007 by Israeli warplanes, was a nearly finished reactor built with North Korea’s help.

The resolution that reported Syria to the Security Council expressed “serious concern” over “Syria’s lack of cooperation with the IAEA Director General’s repeated requests for access to additional information and locations as well as Syria’s refusal to engage substantively with the Agency on the nature of the Dair Alzour site.”

What has sparked the IAEA to suddenly kick into gear on Syria? This excerpt is revealing:

Syria is already on the Security Council’s docket. The council on Thursday expressed united support for the U.N. peacekeeping force on the tense Syrian-Israeli border – even while remaining divided over any direct condemnation of Syria’s crackdown on peaceful demonstrators and human rights abuses.

So while Assad is too busy slaughtering his own people to care about his nuclear program and the rest of the world is finally becoming critical of a regime that has sponsored terrorism and suppressed its own people for decades, it appears that the IAEA figures it can slip this issue into the growing list of indictments. Ironically, this report comes just as Assad’s troops area making a strong push to recapture the city of Hama from Syrian rebels.

The IAEA did nothing to prevent Syria from importing North Korean nuclear technology and building a nuclear plant that was supposedly weeks away from becoming active. Apparently, however, it had to wait until the situation in Syria descended into near-civil war until it took any action, leaving it to Israel to deal with the actual threat of nuclear proliferation in Syria. If this is how the UN body charged with preventing proliferation deals with a rogue regime on the cusp of nuclear capability, it is small wonder that the Iranian nuclear program is still racing ahead.

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES


D11a774c 2a47 C987 F4ce 2d642e6d9c8d

Bibi in DC, the Houthi threat and the politicised ICJ opinion

Jul 26, 2024 | Update
Image: Shutterstock

Nine months after Oct. 7: Where Israel stands now

Jul 10, 2024 | Update
Palestinian Red Crescent workers from Al-Najjar Hospital in the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip (Image: Shutterstock)

Hamas’ impossible casualty figures

Mar 28, 2024 | Update
455daec3 C2a8 8752 C215 B7bd062c6bbc

After the Israel-Hamas ceasefire for hostages deal

Nov 29, 2023 | Update
Screenshot of Hamas bodycam footage as terrorists approach an Israeli vehicle during the terror organisation's October 7, 2023 attack in southern Israel, released by the IDF and GPO (Screenshot)

Horror on Video / International Law and the Hamas War

Oct 31, 2023 | Update
Sderot, Israel. 7th Oct, 2023. Bodies of dead Israelis lie on the ground following the attacks of Hamas (Image: Ilia Yefimovich/dpa/Alamy Live News)

Israel’s Sept. 11, only worse

Oct 11, 2023 | Update

RECENT POSTS

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan (centre) announces his request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders on May 20 (Screenshot)

AIJAC slams ICC decision to issue warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

International Criminal Court 2018

AIJAC slams ICC decision to issue warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

Screenshot 2024 11 20 At 4.49.05 PM

Australia out of step with US and other allies on UN vote: Joel Burnie on Sky News

UNRWA is portrayed as the “backbone” of Gaza aid efforts, but actually supplied only 13% of aid there over recent months (Image: Anas Mohammed/ Shutterstock)

An empire of perpetual suffering

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and PM Anthony Albanese have degraded our relationship with our most important Middle Eastern partner (Screenshot)

The consequences of Australia’s Mideast policy shifts since October 7

ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan (centre) announces his request for arrest warrants against Israeli and Hamas leaders on May 20 (Screenshot)

AIJAC slams ICC decision to issue warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

International Criminal Court 2018

AIJAC slams ICC decision to issue warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant

Screenshot 2024 11 20 At 4.49.05 PM

Australia out of step with US and other allies on UN vote: Joel Burnie on Sky News

UNRWA is portrayed as the “backbone” of Gaza aid efforts, but actually supplied only 13% of aid there over recent months (Image: Anas Mohammed/ Shutterstock)

An empire of perpetual suffering

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and PM Anthony Albanese have degraded our relationship with our most important Middle Eastern partner (Screenshot)

The consequences of Australia’s Mideast policy shifts since October 7

SORT BY TOPICS