Strengthening of International Nuclear Inspection Regime -- IAEA Board of Governors Moves to Finalize Detailed Provisions

At its regular mid-year meeting in Vienna (June 10-14), the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gave a green light to moving ahead to finalization of increased rights and responsibilities for the Agency's safeguards inspectorate.

Having considered a Secretariat document, the Board agreed to establish a Committee presided over by the Chairman of the Board to draw up for its consideration a draft model protocol designed to supplement existing safeguards inspection agreements between the IAEA and non-nuclear weapon Member States, defining inter alia the nature of additional access to information and to nuclear-related locations for the Agency's inspectors.

The Board acknowledged that additional information, including 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 on the one hand and the State's need to protect its legitimate interests and to respect its constitutional obligations on the other. It further emphasized that implementation of these measures should be subject to strict rules of confidentiality to be observed by the Agency, with regard both to information received and to the entire process of verification.

The Board further considered that, in order to strengthen the Agency's capability to detect in the States concerned undeclared nuclear material and activities in an effective manner and increase the efficiency of the safeguards programme, cooperation is needed from all States. In this connection, it welcomed the willingness expressed by the Nuclear Weapon States to consider how best to contribute to the implementation of the strengthened programme under consideration.

The Committee will begin its work in early July under current Board Chairman Ambassador Joost van Ebbenhorst Tengbergen of the Netherlands, report progress to the Board when it next meets in September, and report the outcome of its work to the Board at its December meeting this year.

Commenting on the Board's action, IAEA Director General Hans Blix said: "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."