Saudi Arabia Rejects Call for Full IAEA Inspections

Saudi Arabia is insisting it has a right to sign the Small Quantities Protocol that allows for less intrusive international nuclear inspections, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, June 14).

The European Union has been pushing for full International Atomic Energy Agency nuclear inspections in Saudi Arabia. 

An EU diplomat said Saudi Arabia was asked for “a gesture of good faith” by allowing full inspections to proceed after signing the protocol. However,  Riyadh Arabia “was only ready to make such a gesture if other signatories to the [Small Quantities Protocol] made such gestures also,” the diplomat said.

The diplomat said EU countries see the Saudi’s response to the proposal as preliminary (Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times, June 14)

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