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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

IAEA council meeting will discuss Syrian nuclear issue for first time

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) council meeting to be held at the end of November will include Syrian nuclear issue in its agenda, an IAEA high ranking official confirmed to Xinhua in Vienna on Monday.

This will be the first time for IAEA to include Syrian nuclear activities in the topics for discussion, which suggests IAEA may query the purpose of Syrian nuclear activities.

Meanwhile reports here said that IAEA has found some doubtful points yet to clarify at the establishment which was blew down by Israel in 2007. Some reports even suggested that IAEA has already found evidence for Syria's secret development of nuclear weapons.

Last September, Israel sent fighters to blow down an establishment at Syrian Al-Kibar, claiming it to be Syria's base of secret nuclear weapon development. The United States provided IAEA intelligence this May, confirming Israel's accusation. This establishment would be for developing nuclear explosive material Plutonium and put into operation shortly, according to the U.S. intelligence.

However, Syria keeps denying of any plan for nuclear weapons, on which IAEA has carried out investigations.

IAEA Director General Mohammed ElBaradei said at the IAEA council meeting in Vienna on Sept. 22 that according to analysis of sampling, IAEA has found no trace of nuclear material in Syria's Al-Kibar so far, but IAEA would continue probing the area.

(Source: ChinaView)

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