According to Reuters, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yuki Mitsuda, stated at a joint press conference with Syrian transitional government Foreign Minister Bashir Gemayel on the 18th that several tons of nuclear materials were discovered at a location reported to the agency by Syria recently.
As this news was announced, the new Syrian government has promised to cooperate with that agency. The highest Syrian diplomat stated on the 13th that Syria intends to develop a peaceful nuclear program and plans to place any nuclear materials it possesses under international safeguards.
Grosi highly praised Syria for its “bold decision” regarding the unpublicized location mentioned in the report, stating that Syrian cooperation is of “great importance”.
Grosi said, “We are talking about tons of nuclear materials that could be used for evil purposes. Syria has decided to open this site to inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency. These materials will be inventoried and brought under the international safeguards system.”
In addition, Groci visited a site in eastern Dairuzur that has been closed for 18 years. The International Atomic Energy Agency had suspected that a nuclear reactor was hidden there.
In September 2007, a facility in the desert of Deir Zour province in eastern Syria was attacked by air force. The International Atomic Energy Agency determined in 2011 that this location was “highly likely” to be an undeclared nuclear facility.
The former Syrian government insisted that it was merely a conventional military facility. It was not until March 2018 that Israel officially acknowledged the launch of the raid and claimed that it had destroyed a nuclear facility that was in the final stages of construction.
Grosi said at a press conference in Damascus, “My team and I have entered the interior of the Dizul site, and currently very thorough excavation and exploration work is underway there.”
Syria's new leadership has expressed intentions to develop nuclear energy.
Syrian Foreign Minister Sheikh Kanaan Hinnawi said of this cooperation: "According to technical evaluations, Syria determines that these materials do not pose any threat... They will continue to be stored by Syria, and will continue to be under the supervision of that agency."
