U.N.: Uranium traces found in Syria

By Hala Gorani
November 17, 2008
CNN
Original Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/17/syria.uranium/ http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/17/syria.uranium/

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has said his agency found traces of man-made uranium at a site in eastern Syria bombed by Israeli aircraft in September last year.cid:image001.gif@01C948B5.1EBBE2C0 \* MERGEFORMAT
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors collected soil samples from the Al-Kibar site last June. ElBaradei is expected to release a report this week on his agency's findings, but said that he can confirm that processed uranium was indeed discovered at the site.
ElBaradei added the findings do not necessarily mean the Syrians were building a reactor and cautioned against rushing to judgment. 
But he urged more transparency from the Syrian government in its dealings with the IAEA and deplored the unilateral Israeli bombing of the Syrian site.
Syrian authorities have reacted angrily to accusations they were building a nuclear reactor. 
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moualem suggested that any trace of uranium unearthed at the military site in eastern Syria came from Israeli bombs.
The official confirmation from the IAEA chief comes a few days after U.N. sources leaked some of the results of the watchdog's analysis of soil samples taken from the bombed Syrian site.