VIENNA: The United Nations nuclear watchdog has discovered traces of uranium in Syria during its investigation into a building destroyed by Israel in 2007.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has long believed the site was probably an undeclared nuclear reactor.
The government of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad claimed the Deir al-Zor site was a conventional military base.
The agency concluded in 2011 that the building was very likely a secretly constructed reactor that Damascus should have declared.
It has been attempting since then to reach a definitive conclusion through renewed investigative efforts.
Under a renewed push last year, the IAEA collected environmental samples at three unnamed locations allegedly related to Deir al-Zor.
The agency found a significant number of natural uranium particles in samples taken at one of the three locations.
Analysis indicated that the uranium was produced as a result of chemical processing rather than occurring naturally.
The term natural indicates the uranium was not enriched, though the report did not draw conclusions about the traces’ significance.
The current Syrian authorities indicated that they had no information that might explain the presence of such uranium particles.
The Islamist-led government granted the IAEA access to the concerned site again in June this year to take more environmental samples.
At a meeting the same month between IAEA chief Rafael Grossi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria agreed to cooperate with the agency through full transparency.
Grossi asked for Syria’s help in returning to Deir al-Zor itself in the next few months to conduct further analysis.
The IAEA plans to access relevant documentation and talk to those involved in Syria’s past nuclear activities.
The report stated the agency is still planning to visit Deir al-Zor and will evaluate results from environmental samples taken at the other site.
Once this process is completed and results evaluated, the agency hopes to clarify outstanding safeguards issues related to Syria’s past nuclear activities.
This could potentially bring the long-running investigation to a close. – Reuters