This Article is From Jun 07, 2009

Israel slams IAEA over Iran nuke

Israel slams IAEA over Iran nuke
Jerusalem:

Israel has accused the United Nations nuclear watchdog of "impotence" in dealing with alleged illegal nuclear activities in Iran and Syria.

"The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report shows the incompetence of the IAEA in exercising full and effective control over Iran because of the country's refusal to cooperate," said the Israeli Atomic Energy Agency.

"This document proves that the international community and Israel can not rely on the IAEA when it comes to Iran," it said on Saturday.

"The weakness currently being shown by the international community allows countries such as North Korea to ignore its warnings, and the lessons are drawn by Iran."

The Israeli agency also said the IAEA report "reinforces suspicions that Syria is trying to conceal the proof of its secret nuclear activities at Deir ez-Zor" in the east of the country.

On Friday, a senior official close to the Vienna-based agency said the IAEA had not made any progress in its probes into activities in Iran and Syria.

Iran was still defying the UN Security Council and has so far amassed 1,339 kg of low-enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6), the IAEA said in a restricted report.

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