UN inspectors examine site of alleged Syrian nuclear facility
June 23, 2008
CBC News
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United Nations nuclear inspectors were in northeast Syria on Monday, examining the site of an alleged nuclear facility that was bombed by Israel nine months ago.
The visit is being held under secrecy, with foreign reporters barred from following the inspectors to Al Kibar in the middle of the Syrian desert.
There has been very little information about what is going on, the CBC's Nahlah Ayed said, reporting from nearby Beirut.
We are probably not going to hear any leaks about what they are finding, she added, noting that information will likely only be available when the UN International Atomic Energy Agency meets in Vienna in September.
She said sources have suggested that the inspectors might search water pipes and a water treatment plant in the area to determine if there is any nuclear material present or any sign that a nuclear facility was operating, or being built.
UN doubtful nuclear evidence will be found
IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who has condemned the Israeli raid, has expressed low expectations about what inspectors will find.
It is doubtful that we will find anything there now, assuming there was anything there in the first place, he said, according to Reuters.
U.S. intelligence suggests that Syria had nearly completed a plutonium-producing reactor at the site, possibly with the help of North Korea. The U.S. said the facility was part of a covert nuclear weapons program.
Syria has denied the allegations, saying the site was an ordinary military structure and did not violate the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Syrian officials have accused the United States of fabricating evidence in collusion with Israel.
Israeli warplanes bombed the site on Sept. 6 without warning. Only a month later did Israel and Syria admit the attack took place, and Syria has not shown any indication that it will retaliate.
After the bombing, Syria bulldozed the site, which will make the nuclear inspectors' jobs difficult, Ayed said.
Adding to their troubles will be the restrictions Syria has placed on their movements, Ayed said. The inspectors had hoped Syria would allow them access to three other sites they are interested in visiting, but Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied the request, saying the three sites are irrelevant to the investigation.