Iran Has Sanitised Suspected Nuclear Site: Opposition Group

NUKEWARS

AFP aerial file photo of Iran's Parchin nuclear energy plant.

London (AFP) Nov 24, 2004
Iran has moved quickly to "sanitise" a site in northeast Tehran alleged to be at the heart of its feared pursuit of nuclear weapons, an Iranian opposition group claimed Wednesday.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) also released the names of five top Iranian scientists whom it says must be quizzed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help determine Tehran's real nuclear intentions.

Speaking in London, senior NCRI member Farid Soleimani exposed the existence of the Centre for Development of Advance Defence Technology nine days ago in Vienna but said the top secret site now has been sealed off.

"According to our sources, the Iranian authorities moved almost immediately to sanitise the site" and seal off its three entrances in the Lavizan district of the Iranian capital, he told reporters.

"Interrogators and officers of the ministry of intelligence and security were among the first to come to the site," he said.

"They have barred all from leaving the site, pending an investigation into the source of the leak of sensitive information."

He added that "truck movements in and out of the site have been reported," suggesting that sensitive documents and equipment were being removed in an operation supervised by Defence Minister Ali Shamkahni.

Soleimani also revealed Wednesday the names of five top Iranian nuclear scientists whom he said should be questioned by IAEA experts looking into the extent of Iran's nuclear programme.

He said the five - Mohsen Fakhri-Zadeh, Fereydoon Abbasi, Mansoor Asgari, Mohammad Amin Bassam and Majid Rezazadeh - all had ties to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards.

"We think interviews with these people are essential to get to the bottom of this thing," he said.

Iran has denied the NCRI's claim that the site in northeast Tehran is being used for uranium enrichment, insisting that it has "no undeclared nuclear activities".

Iran also complained Wednesday that a draft resolution presented by European countries to the Vienna-based board of the UN's nuclear watchdog runs counter to their deal with Tehran on the suspension of uranium enrichment activities.

The IAEA's 35-nation board of governors is to meet Thursday to decide on the next step in the stand-off in the light of Iran's agreement to freeze its activities related to uranium enrichment.

The suspension was part of a deal with Britain, France and Germany, and made after Iran was threatened with being hauled in front of the UN Security Council for possible sanctions - something the United States has been pushing for.

All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.

NUKEWARS

Nuclear Watchdog Chief Advocates Tougher Non-Proliferation Treaty

Geneva (AFP) Oct 28, 2004
Tighter global controls on the export of nuclear material and technology must be included in a bolstered nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) up for debate next year, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday.

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