UN AGENCY SAYS IT IS FACING 'STALEMATE' WITH IRAN OVER NUCLEAR PROGRAMME

The head of the United Nations atomic watchdog warned today that the agency has reached a deadlock with Iran over most aspects of its nuclear programme as he urged the country to credibly answer the international community's concerns over potential military dimensions to the programme.

Mohamed ElBaradei, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told a meeting of the agency's 35-member Board of Governors that although Iran had cooperated on some issues, such as improving safeguards at a fuel enrichment plans, "on all other issues? there is stalemate.

"Iran has not suspended its enrichment-related activities or its work on heavy water-related projects as required by the Security Council, nor has Iran implemented the Additional Protocol [of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty]," Dr. ElBaradei said at the board meeting, held at IAEA headquarters in Vienna.

He called on Iran "to respond fully to all the questions raised by the agency in order to exclude the possibility of there being military dimensions to its nuclear programme.

"To this end, it is essential that Iran substantively re-engage with the clarify and bring to closure all outstanding issues, including the most difficult and important questions regarding the authenticity of information relating to the alleged weaponization studies, by granting the agency access to persons, information and locations."

Dr. ElBaradei said that if Iran does not implement the Additional Protocol, the IAEA "will not be able to provide credible assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear activities in Iran, especially given Iran's past record of failing to declare material and activities."

Iranian authorities must also clarify their future intentions regarding the nuclear programme, he stressed.

"This is essentially a question of confidence-building between Iran and the international c
ommunity through comprehensive dialogue and other measures. I call on all parties to begin this dialogue as soon as possible and urge Iran to respond positively to the recent United States initiative in this regard," said Dr. ElBaradei, referring to an offer of talks.

Elsewhere in his report to the board, the Director General also said he was dismayed by allegations of some Member States that information concerning Iran's nuclear programme had been withheld from the board by the IAEA secretariat, calling them "politically motivated and totally baseless."

Turning to Syria, he said that while authorities in Damascus had cooperated with the IAEA over its verification activities at the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor, they have not yet granted the agency access to information, locations, equipment or materials concerning a destroyed building at Dair Alzour, which has been alleged by some to be the site of a nuclear reactor.

"I urge Syria to cooperate with the agency in its verificatio
n activities related to the nature of the Dair Alzour site. It is in Syria's interest to enable the agency to corroborate its statements. I also call on other States which may possess information relevant to the agency's verification to make such information available."

UN NUCLEAR WATCHDOG’S BOARD AGREES TO €25 MILLION BUDGET HIKE FOR 2010

The United Nations nuclear watchdog's board has approved an almost €25 million increase in the agency's 2010 budget enabling the watchdog to continue its work.

The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/">IAEA) will receive over €318 million in its regular <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/News/2009/board030809.html">budget next year, with the biggest funding boost going to work in nuclear security and safety, technical cooperation, nuclear power and nuclear applications.

The IAEA Board of Governors also agreed to a capital investment fund to support major infrastructural spending, during its meeting at the agency's headquarters yesterday.

"The risk of terrorists obtaining nuclear or radioactive materials and using them in a potentially devastating attack will grow if the highly inadequate staffing and funding of our nuclear security activities are not dealt with," the outgoing IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei told the Board at its 15 June meeting.

In addition, a commission of experts has found that the IAEA needs €80 million upfront to deal with its dilapidated infrastructure, Mr. ElBaradei pointed out at the June gathering of the Board of Governors, which comprises of 35 member States.

Along with a 2.7 per cent real growth increase and a 2.7 per cent price adjustment, the budget also contains a number of cost-cutting measures, according to a news release issued by the IAEA.

The approved draft resolution of the budget for 2010 is slated to be taken up for adoption at the IAEA General Conference in September.

UN ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY’S BOARD GATHERS TO DISCUSS UPCOMING BUDGET

With the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog having warned recently that funding limitations are a major obstacle to verification, the body's board is meeting in Vienna today to discuss its upcoming budget.

Taous Feroukhi, the chairperson of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), called for a special meeting to discuss and take action on the 2010-2011 budget and programme of work.

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has said in recent weeks that calls for zero growth in the body's budget are untenable given the scope of work the IAEA must do.

"Our ability to maintain an independent nuclear verification system and detect possible diversion of nuclear material and undeclared nuclear activities is already at risk because, for example, our analytical laboratories are outdated and we lack sufficient access to satellite imagery," he told the Board of Governors, comprising 35 member States, in June. "Without additional funding, this situation can only get worse."

Mr. ElBaradei also warned that dramatic staff shortages in the IAEA's nuclear safety programme opens up the possibility that another disaster such as the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear tragedy could occur again.

"The risk of terrorists obtaining nuclear or radioactive materials and using them in a potentially devastating attack will grow if the highly inadequate staffing and funding of our nuclear security activities are not dealt with," he added in his address to the Board's 15 June meeting.

Further, the Agency's capacity to help developing countries facing security challenges will be eroded unless more resources are made available, the outgoing Director General stressed.

A commission of experts, Mr. ElBaradei pointed out, has found that the IAEA needs € 80 million upfront to deal with its dilapidated infrastructure.

"The Agency can continue to struggle on with growing restrictions and increasing risk, watching the quality of its services erode, or, with adequate funding, it can make an effective contribution to non-proliferation, nuclear security and the scourges of poverty, hunger and disease," he said.

Last month, the Board selected Yukiya Amano, a Japanese diplomat with a lengthy record of working on disarmament and non-proliferation issues, as the next head of the Agency.

Mr. Amano, currently Japan's Ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna and a member of the IAEA Board of Governors, will becomes the fifth Director General of the Agency when Mr. ElBaradei steps down at the end of November.
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CANCER FIGHT IN DEVELOPING WORLD GETS BOOST FROM JOINT UN INITIATIVE

CANCER FIGHT IN DEVELOPING WORLD GETS BOOST FROM JOINT UN INITIATIVE
New York, May 26 2009 7:00PM
Two United Nations agencies are launching a joint initiative aimed at strengthening and accelerating efforts to fight cancer in developing countries, using their respective strengths in the areas of health and radiation medicine.

Cancer is projected to be among the leading causes of deaths worldwide, with more than 70 per cent of all fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO), which has teamed up with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the Joint Programme on Cancer Control.

"In low- and middle-income countries, cancer overwhelmingly affects the poor. This has huge implications for human suffering, health systems, health budgets and the drive to reduce poverty," said WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who signed the new agreement with <"http://www.iaea.org/NewsCenter/PressReleases/2009/prn200908.html">IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.

"The IAEA has long provided radiation technology and expertise to developing countries, but radiotherapy alone cannot halt the growing global cancer crisis," said Mr. ElBaradei.

"The Joint Programme with WHO underlines our conviction that only through combined effort and collaboration can we bring hope and relief to those whose lives are threatened by cancer."

The new initiative will set the stage for the two agencies to work together, building on their areas of expertise to create a more coordinated and robust approach to combating cancer in poor countries.

In a related development, Dr. Chan has appointed Nancy Goodman Brinker, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control.

Ms. Brinker, a former United States Ambassador to Hungary, businesswoman, health care advocate and philanthropist, will raise awareness of the need for comprehensive cancer control policies, with an emphasis on poor countries.

"The disease burden has shifted from wealthier to less affluent countries, and her advocacy will help in building awareness in low- and middle-income countries," said Dr. Chan.
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UN ATOMIC WATCHDOG CHIEF WELCOMES US, RUSSIAN NON-PROLIFERATION COMMITMENTS

The head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today said he is greatly encouraged by the commitment made by the leaders of the United States and Russia to reduce their nuclear arsenals.

Under the Joint Statement of President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia and President Barack Obama of the US, the countries will take concrete steps to fulfil their obligations under the UN-backed Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which forms the foundation of the world's nuclear non-proliferation regime.

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said he believes the commitment by the leaders to, among other steps, negotiate a treaty to end the production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons and strengthen efforts to secure these arms demonstrates leadership and moves the world beyond the Cold War mentality.

The Joint Statement, he said, could also generate momentum towards the universal adherence to comprehensive safeguards agreements.

Mr. ElBaradei noted that he shares the views of Mr. Medvedev and Mr. Obama regarding the need for a verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

He also said that he supports the two presidents' commitment to pursue a diplomatic solution with Iran that would both allay the international community's concerns and guarantee its right to a peaceful nuclear programme.
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CONSTANT VIGILANCE ON NUCLEAR RISKS CRITICAL, HEAD OF UN ATOMIC AGENCY SAYS

CONSTANT VIGILANCE ON NUCLEAR RISKS CRITICAL, HEAD OF UN ATOMIC AGENCY SAYS
New York, Mar 2 2009 4:00PM

Nuclear safety worldwide is steadily improving but the risk of accidents or malicious acts can never be eliminated and there is no room for complacency, the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency said today.

"Vigilance and continuous improvement are key, both at existing nuclear facilities and at new facilities being planned in a growing number of countries, Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said as he opened the Board of Governor's meeting of the organization today in Vienna.

Introducing IAEA's Nuclear Safety Review for the Year 2008, he added "The drive to introduce, or expand the use of, nuclear power always needs to be matched by a strong commitment to safety and security as indispensable enablers of nuclear technology."

To keep up, he said, the agency must focus on improving its Incident and Emergency Centre to enhance capabilities to respond to a large accident, and must provide more effective support for Member States, especially those who have recently embarked on nuclear power projects.

According to the IAEA's current Nuclear Technology Review, 2008 was a paradoxical year for nuclear power, being the first year since 1955 in which not a single new power reactor came on line, but also seeing construction start on no fewer than ten new reactors, the highest number since 1985, the year before the Chernobyl accident.

At the same time, growth targets for nuclear power were raised in China and the Russian Federation, and the ending of restrictions on India's nuclear trade should allow an acceleration of its planned expansion of nuclear power.

In the United States, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has now received combined licence applications for 26 new reactors, while the Department of Energy submitted a formal application to build and operate the long-planned high-level waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

The number of Agency technical cooperation projects on energy planning accelerated this year from 29 to 41 and there were also significant increases in the number of projects on uranium exploration and mining and on introducing nuclear power.

In April, China will host an International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century, organized by the Agency with the support of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental organisation of industrialised countries.

In regard to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, Mr. ElBaradei said that in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Agency has continued to monitor and verify the shutdown status of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities.

All of the fuel rods discharged from the experimental reactor remain under Agency containment and surveillance, he said.

In Iran, he said that the Agency was unable to make any progress on the remaining issues that give rise to concerns about possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme because of "lack of cooperation by Iran."

"Unless Iran implements the transparency measures and the Additional Protocol, as required by the Security Council, the Agency will not be in a position to provide credible assurance about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran," he reiterated.

On Syria, he said that further analysis of the environmental samples taken from the Dair Alzour site has been carried out, revealing additional particles of uranium which had been produced as a result of chemical processing.

Syria has stated that the particles came from the missiles used to destroy the building, which Israel has denied, he said, noting that the Agency's current assessment is that there is a low probability that the uranium was introduced by the missiles.

In subsequent communications, he maintained, Syria's responses to some of the Agency's questions were only partial, adding that "the Agency expects Syria to provide additional information and supporting documentation about the past use and nature of the building at the Dair Alzour site, and information about procurement activities."
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