I"A MOVES TO STRENGTHEN NUCLEAR INSPECTION AGREEMENTS, SETS UP COMMITTEE TO COMPLETE DRAFT PROTOCOL
Press Release
IAEA/1303
IAEA MOVES TO STRENGTHEN NUCLEAR INSPECTION AGREEMENTS, SETS UP COMMITTEE TO COMPLETE DRAFT PROTOCOL
19960617 VIENNA, 14 June (IAEA) -- The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this month acted to strengthen its nuclear inspection regime by establishing a Committee to draw up the draft model protocol to supplement its safeguards agreements with non-nuclear-weapon member States. The Committee, which will define areas of additional access by inspectors to information and to nuclear-related locations, was established during the Agency's recent regular session at Vienna from 10 to 14 June."This latest and welcome step clearly provides the necessary momentum and reflects the desire of IAEA member States, in the light of experience gained in Iraq and elsewhere in recent years, to reinforce the IAEA's ability not only to verify declared nuclear inventories and States' adherence to non- proliferation pledges, but also to detect indications of activity that could be indicative of a possible violation of such undertakings", IAEA Director- General Hans Blix said.
The Board affirmed that additional information, acquired through such means as the taking of environmental samples and increased physical access, would strengthen the Agency's ability to detect undeclared nuclear material and activities. It emphasized that the new measures should strike a balance between the Agency's need for information and access, with the State's need to protect its legitimate interests and to respect its constitutional obligations. Implementation of those measures should also be subject to strict rules of confidentiality by the Agency, with regard both to information received and to the entire verification process.
It was also the Board's view that all States must cooperate in order to strengthen the Agency's ability to detect undeclared nuclear material and activities in an effective manner and to increase the efficiency of the safeguards programme. It welcomed the expressed willingness of the nuclear- weapon States to consider how best to contribute to implementation of the strengthened programme.
The newly established Committee will begin its work in early July under Board Chairman Joost van Ebbenhorst Tengbergen (Netherlands). It is to submit a progress report in September and its final report at the Board's session in December.
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