UN agency ends Syria nuclear noncompliance finding
Syrian Atomic Energy Commission says decision follows 18 months of technical, diplomatic efforts, paving way for expanded peaceful nuclear cooperation
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors decided Wednesday to end the noncompliance finding on Syria’s nuclear obligations after the completion of technical and legal requirements, according to media reports.
Syrian state television Alikhbariah reported that the board adopted a resolution ending Syria’s noncompliance status under its safeguards agreement associated with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
“This strategic achievement is the result of intensive national and diplomatic efforts managed by the Syrian state with confidence and competence over a year and a half,” it said, the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission said in a statement, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The commission reaffirmed its commitment to international standards and full transparency, while maintaining Syria’s sovereign right to develop nuclear technology for national development.
It said the removal of the noncompliance status carries strategic significance because it formally reaffirms Syria’s right to develop and use nuclear science for peaceful purposes on its territory under the comprehensive safeguards agreement, including in radiation medicine, agriculture and scientific research.
The commission also said the decision closes a long chapter in which the nuclear file had been used as a means of political pressure, and ends efforts to impose restrictions or sanctions on that basis.
It described the resolution as international recognition of Syria’s approach and highlighted “unprecedented cooperation” by the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission, including full technical and logistical assistance for international verification and the placement of all discovered materials under safeguards and monitoring.
The decision will also pave the way for research grants, training fellowships and exchanges of advanced expertise with other countries, supporting domestic technological and health development, the commission added.
Verification of former regime’s nuclear activities
In August, Syrian Atomic Energy Commission head Mudar al-Akaleh said Syria was moving toward closing the noncompliance file and expanding peaceful nuclear applications.
He said the commission, in coordination with the Foreign Ministry, had worked in recent months to provide all technical requirements needed to assess nuclear materials and waste linked to the former regime, in accordance with international safeguards and the IAEA’s legal framework.
Speaking in Damascus on Aug. 18, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the presence of “several tons of nuclear materials” remaining from the era of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Deir ez-Zor province, adding that inspectors had been granted access to the site.
An IAEA report circulated to member states and leaked to the media said agency inspectors conducted verification and investigative work at various sites in Syria during August.
The report said the site visits revealed that the Assad regime had failed to declare nuclear materials, facilities and types of activities that should have been reported under Syria’s comprehensive safeguards agreement with the NPT.
On Monday, opening a meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, Grossi said the agency made a “historic breakthrough” after Syria’s new administration provided required information and allowed access to the Deir ez-Zor facility and other sites.
He said the agency has been able to clarify and resolve the questions concerning the outstanding safeguards issues related to Syria’s past nuclear activities.
