 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Vienna (AFP) Dec 23, 2010 The UN atomic watchdog has asked Myanmar to be allowed to visit a number of suspect nuclear sites and facilities, a source close to the agency said Thursday. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "has sent an official letter to Myanmar requesting access" to the sites, the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The source was not aware whether any response had been received as yet. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the IAEA's safeguards department, which has already sought details in recent months from the Southeast Asian country about a purported nuclear drive, had sent a letter to the ruling military junta. The watchdog's request for information comes at a time when the United States and some Asian countries have expressed heightened concern about military -- and possible nuclear -- collaboration between Myanmar and North Korea. Washington has suspected for years that Myanmar has a secret nuclear programme with the support of Pyongyang. According to recent diplomatic cables leaked by the the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, witnesses have reported suspicious activity as far back as 2004, with dockworkers and foreign businessmen saying they had seen evidence of alleged secret nuclear and missile weapons sites being built deep in the Myanmar jungle. The IAEA had decided to seek more information as the concerns were serious enough to warrant a request for access, the source said. According to the Wall Street Journal, Myanmar could face a tough international reaction if it rejects the IAEA request for audits of the purported nuclear sites. Nevertheless, officials and experts have expressed uncertainty over the country's atomic intentions, the newspaper added. A large portion of the equipment said to have been sought by Myanmar has non-nuclear uses, and defectors might have exaggerated the nation's nuclear ambitions for political reasons, it quoted proliferation analysts and former IAEA staffers as saying.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Outside View: Moving Pakistan from brinkWashington (UPI) Dec 22, 2010 To many observers, Pakistan has long been at the brink of an existential crisis, much of it due to a growing insurgency exacerbated by the war in Afghanistan. But now the economy is in crisis, too. The catastrophic floods have imploded the struggling economy raising the specter of frightening consequences. Compounding that crisis is uncertainty over IMF loans needed to sustain the econo ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
