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U.S. Report Finds IAEA Safeguards Lacking
Nuclear experts believe that it remains possible for countries to conceal a nuclear weapons program from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in a report released yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2003) The report also found that roughly two-thirds of Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty party states have not yet brought the Additional Protocol to their IAEA safeguards agreement into force. The Additional Protocol allows the agency to conduct more intrusive inspections. Also, safeguards are hamstrung or not applied to nations that possess small amounts of nuclear material or do not have a finalized safeguards agreement. The agency is also faced with a looming work force shortage “caused by the large number of inspectors and safeguards management personnel expected to retire in the next five years,” according to the report. Finally, the agency lacks a system to measure the effectiveness of safeguards systems is detecting illicit nuclear activities, the report states. The United States in 2004 contributed $45.3 million to support IAEA safeguards, accounting for more than 34 percent of the agency’s budget in that sector. Other U.S. agencies provided $27.2 million in technical support. Reliance on voluntary contributions from the United States and other nations is expected to continue, according to the report, despite the agency’s budget increase. The agency does not have an adequate way to gauge long-term resource needs, according to the GAO report. The report said that the agency had increased efforts to help countries better protect nuclear materials and sources, secure radioactive materials and improve terrorism response. Most of these efforts have been funded through the $36.7 Nuclear Security Fund, which relies on voluntary contributions. The report found, however, that relying on voluntary contributions creates “budget challenges” and some State Department officials are concerned that the agency cannot measure the program’s effectiveness. The report recommends the agency: eliminate or reduce agreements that handcuff IAEA authority to put in place new safeguards in countries with small amounts of nuclear materials; find more effective ways of evaluating the effectiveness of the safeguards; and make changes that allow for better recruiting and retention of personnel (U.S. Government Accountability Office report, Nov. 7). Senator Norm Coleman (R-Minn.), the lawmaker who requested the GAO inquiry, yesterday called the report “troubling,” the Associated Press reported. “The concerns raised by GAO … need to be addressed immediately to ensure the IAEA remains a key component of global security,” he said (Associated Press, Nov. 7).
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