Washington: Syria a model to emulate in fulfilling its commitments to prevent nuclear proliferation

The United States Mission to the United Nations Office and International Organizations in Vienna welcomed the decision by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to close the non-compliance file concerning Syria and remove the country from the list of non-compliant states, affirming that the Syrian government has provided a model to be emulated in fulfilling its international commitments related to nuclear non-proliferation.

In a statement published by the mission on its official website yesterday, U.S. Permanent Representative to the International Organizations, Preston Wells Griffith, said: “This is a historic day for Syria and for the IAEA. Fifteen years have passed since the Board concluded that Syria was in non-compliance with its safeguards agreement under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), following the failure of the former Assad regime to declare its secret nuclear program, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor in Deir ez-Zor. For most of those fifteen years, the Assad regime engaged in lies and obfuscation to evade accountability, with effective support from some members of this Board.”

Griffith added that the current Syrian government has ushered in a new era of cooperation, transparency, and compliance, praising the leadership of President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the policy pursued by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump toward the new Syrian government, which paved the way for the decision taken by the Board of Governors.

He pointed to the progress achieved through cooperation between Syria and the Agency, emphasizing that the Syrian government’s swift action and its steps to adopt and fully implement its international commitments on nuclear non-proliferation provide a model for meeting standards of transparency and accountability. He noted that Syria disclosed to the Agency in July last year a site containing nuclear materials that had not been previously declared, and that the Agency verified the presence of approximately 73 tons of natural uranium metal, all of which are now under its safeguards.

He further noted that Syria submitted the required nuclear material accountability reports and the site-specific design information questionnaire, considering that the presence of fuel rods made of natural uranium metal constitutes irrefutable evidence that the former regime was working to establish an undeclared reactor at the Deir ez-Zor site.

Griffith explained that the IAEA Director General and a team of senior inspectors visited the Deir ez-Zor site last August and observed excavation works carried out by the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission in coordination with the Agency. He noted that inspectors identified cooling infrastructure consistent with nuclear reactor specifications, and that Syria submitted to the Agency the facility’s design information questionnaire, classifying it as an out-of-service reactor.

He indicated that the United States welcomed the Agency’s assessment, which concluded that, based on the information and access provided by Syria, it was able to clarify and resolve outstanding safeguards issues previously reported to the Board of Governors. The U.S. also welcomed the Director General’s statement that Syria has taken concrete measures to address the non-compliance of the former regime by submitting complete and accurate reports in accordance with its safeguards agreement under the NPT.