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New Zealand Statement
Thank you Mr Chairman
New Zealand would like to thank the Director General for the report before us on the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic. We would also like to thank DDG Heinonen and the Safeguards team for the technical briefing they provided on the report last week.
New Zealand is concerned that Syria has not yet provided the cooperation necessary to permit the Agency to determine the origin of the anthropogenic natural uranium particles found in samples taken at the Dair Alzour site. We regret that Syria has also not provided the information or access needed to allow the Agency to confirm Syria’s statements regarding the non-nuclear nature of the destroyed building at Dair Alzour, or to determine if any functional relationship existed between that site and the three other locations.
We regret that Syria has continued to decline the Agency’s request for substantive discussions and to assert that it has no obligation to provide more information under its Safeguards Agreement. In this regard we note the Agency’s conclusion that the Safeguards Agreement between Syria and the Agency places no limitation on Agency access to information, activities or locations simply because they may be military related.
New Zealand calls on Syria to be more cooperative and transparent in its provision to the Agency of information about, and access to, the Dair Alzour site and the three other locations.
Mr Chairman
My delegation notes that the results from the additional samples taken by the Agency during the July 2009 physical inventory verification at the MNSR did not indicate the presence of anthropogenic natural uranium particles in either the standard reference materials or on the shielded transport container which Syria had identified as possible sources of the uranium particles.
New Zealand is concerned that the alternatives identified by Syria as possible sources of the anthropogenic natural uranium particles include small quantities of imported, but previously undeclared, commercial uranyl nitrate. We understand from the technical briefing provided by Massimo Aparo of the Safeguards Department, that in accordance with Syria’s Safeguards Agreement, the uranyl nitrate should have been declared on import.
We note that the Agency carried out an inspection at the MNSR on 17 November for the purposes of taking samples of the yellowcake and the uranyl nitrate, and taking environmental samples at the locations where the materials are stored and where they were used. We look forward to the results of this analysis, and call on Syria to provide the requested information concerning the yellowcake, the uranyl nitrate and any other uranium-containing materials which may have been the source of anthropogenic natural uranium particles.
New Zealand also encourages all other States which may possess information relevant to the Agency’s verification to make such information available to the Agency.
[Finally Mr Chairman, New Zealand would support the call by Canada and Australia for the public release of the report on Syria.]
Thank you Mr Chairman
