Iran Press/Middle East: IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said on Friday that there was nothing secret about Saudi Arabia’s nuclear reactor and that Riyadh had informed the agency about its plans as early as 2014.
He also noted that the Vienna-based UN body had encouraged the Arab kingdom to sign a comprehensive safeguards agreement, according to which the IAEA ensures that nuclear material is not being used for building nuclear weapons, AFP reported.
“We have proposed to Saudi Arabia to rescind and replace it by the full-fledged comprehensive safeguards agreement,” the IAEA chief said during a press conference in Washington.
Amano, however, noted that the Saudi authorities had not yet responded to the agency’s request,
“They didn't say no, they didn't say yes, and they are now giving thoughts. We are waiting,” he said, adding, “For now, they don't have the material, so there is no violation.”
The IAEA head also revealed that Saudi Arabia might bring in nuclear material “by the end of the year,” although he cautioned that nuclear projects often get delayed.
Recently-released satellite images have revealed that the contentious Saudi nuclear reactor is nearing completion on the outskirts of Riyadh, as a heated controversy is underway in the US over what Democrats say is President Donald Trump’s rush to approve nuclear projects with the oil-rich Arab kingdom.
The US nuclear deal with Saudis, however, is assumed to be lucrative enough to match the money-driven politics of the American president, a businessman-turned-politician who is not afraid of overstepping boundaries for more dollars. 101/211/202
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