The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano has urged Iran to grant its inspectors immediate access to the Parchin nuclear facility, in order to obtain the required clarifications.
Delivering opening remarks at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on Monday, Amano called on Iran to "engage with us without further delay on the substance of our concerns."
Touching upon his report on the implementation of nuclear safeguards in Iran, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog noted that despite the intensified dialogue between the Agency and Iran since January, the no concrete results have been achieved so far. This is frustrating because, without Iran's full engagement, we will not be able to start the process to resolve all outstanding issues, including those concerning possible military dimensions to its nuclear program, he told the meeting.
He said it is "a matter of concern that activities which have taken place since February 2012 at Parchin will have an adverse impact on our ability to undertake effective verification there." Amano said that despite Iran's rejection in a letter dated 29 August 2012 that the allegation of nuclear activities at the Parchin site was 'baseless,' "the activities observed further strengthen our assessment that it is necessary to have access to the location at Parchin without further delay in order to obtain the required clarifications."
The nuclear agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement. However, Iran is not providing the necessary cooperation to enable us to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities, Amano said.
He urged Iran to take steps towards the full implementation of all relevant obligations in order to establish international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program. He expressed hope that, as a result of IAEA's intensified dialogue with Iran, concrete, tangible results will be achieved without further delay.
The IAEA chief said he also remains seriously concerned about the nuclear program of North Korea. He termed statements by the Communist government about uranium enrichment activities and the construction of a light water reactor as "deeply troubling." He reminded that the Agency has not been able to implement any safeguards in the country since April 2009.
Significant progress has been made in the construction of a light water reactor, one of two undeclared facilities at Yongbyon. However, without access to the site, the Agency is unable to assess either the design features of the reactor, or the likely date for its completion. It has no new information with regard to an undeclared centrifuge enrichment facility, and remains unable to determine the facility's configuration or operational status.
The Agency offered its readiness to play an essential role in verifying Pyongyang's nuclear program. He repeated his call on North Korea to fully comply with its obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions, and with the NPT, and to cooperate promptly and fully with the Agency.
Amano noted that one year after its adoption, significant progress has been made in the implementation of the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety. Possible safety weak points at nuclear power plants have been identified, IAEA peer review services have been strengthened and emergency preparedness and response capabilities have been improved. IAEA undertook a systematic review of its Safety Standards, taking into account lessons learned to date from the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
Turning to nuclear energy, Amano said it remains clear from the Agency's latest projections that nuclear power will remain an important option for many countries, despite the Fukushima Daiichi accident. IAEA's new projection is for nuclear power capacity to grow by at least nearly 25 percent from current levels to 456 gigawatts by 2030.
Established users such as China, India, South Korea and Russia are expected to remain the main centers of expansion.
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