Global Security Newswire

The International Atomic Energy Agency is reviewing assertions made in a new report by a dissident Burmese group that Myanmar is establishing a nuclear weapons program, agency head Yukiya Amano said yesterday (see GSN, June 4).

"We have seen the related articles in the media and we are now assessing the information," Amano told journalists in Vienna at the start of this week's meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors. "And, if necessary, we will seek clarification from Myanmar."

Myanmar is a state party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and an IAEA member.

Reports of Myanmar's nuclear ambitions and possible collaboration with North Korea were publicized in 2009, though last week's report contains the most detailed assertions to date. The report was based on documents and images smuggled out of the country by a former Burmese military officer. The Democratic Voice of Burma determined that Myanmar had sought out nuclear technology and know-how but had far to go in potentially developing a weapon.

Myanmar has yet to deny or affirm suspicions about its nuclear activities (Reuters I, June 7).

The U.S. State Department on Friday urged the military junta that rules Myanmar to obey the U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting the purchase of North Korean weaponry, the Yonhap News Agency reported.

"We continue to encourage Burma to meet its international obligations, including those in the area of nonproliferation," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said. "We share international concerns for Burma's intentions and its relationship with North Korea. And we expect Burma ... to live up to their international obligations. We continue to watch transactions between North Korea and Burma" (Hwang Doo-hyong, Yonhap News Agency, June 4).

The IAEA Board of Governors is also likely this week to hold discussions on Israel's widely suspected nuclear arsenal, al-Jazeera reported (see GSN, May 11).

The board last discussed Israel's atomic activities in 1991. Jerusalem follows a decades-long policy of neither confirming nor denying that it possesses nuclear arms.

Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, praised the anticipated discussion: "U.S., Canada and [the] European Union preferred not to discuss Israel's nuclear capability, but they joined the consensus because they had no other choice."

In recent weeks, Amano has requested that IAEA members consider how to persuade Jerusalem to sign onto the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and to permit IAEA monitoring of the nation's nuclear sites. Yesterday, he said 17 of 151 members had submitted responses to his request.

Amano also ignored Tehran's request that his agency give the same attention to Israel's nuclear program as it does to Iran's effort (see related GSN story, today; al-Jazeera, June 7).

He is scheduled to issue a report on Israel in September, Reuters reported.

"The reports on Iran and Israel are not of the same nature," Amano said.

Israeli diplomat Ehud Azoulay said Jerusalem would probably issue a statement on the matter later in the week. "This discussion is continuing over time, it is not new for us," he said (Sylvia Westall, Reuters II, June 7).

Amano also gave the Board of Governors an update on the agency's probe into suspected Syrian nuclear activities which he said had not seen much progress as Damascus has barred IAEA inspectors from accessing the site of the former Dair Alzour facility -- destroyed by Israel in a 2007 bombing raid -- and other requested sites, according to an IAEA release (see GSN, June 1).

"As a consequence, the agency has not been able to make progress towards resolving the outstanding issues related to those sites. It would also be helpful if Israel shared with the agency any relevant information which it may possess in this regard," Amano told the board in released remarks.

The agency director general said IAEA monitors had been allowed in recent months to physically inspect Syria's Miniature Neutron Source Reactor and that Damascus had supplied details on its earlier undisclosed conversion of uranium and irradiation efforts at the source reactor, along with clarifications on why traces of anthropogenic natural uranium were found in the country.

"Syria subsequently submitted inventory change reports concerning the newly declared nuclear material. The information provided by Syria is still being assessed," Amano said, adding, "I urge Syria to cooperate with the agency on all issues in a timely manner and to bring into force an Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement to enable the agency to verify the correctness and completeness of Syria's declarations" (International Atomic Energy Agency release, June 7).