Egypt fears being group with the like of Iran and Syria if a U.N. investigation into traces of highly enriched uranium found in the country is not brought to a swift end, according to what officials explain as a secret report from the country's nuclear agency. The particles enriched close to the levels necessary to arm nuclear missiles have been under study since being detected by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2007 and 2008. Egypt, a U.S. ally in the Middle East, has said the particle originate from abroad and were unintentionally imported, but the agency is unsatisfied with that answer.
The IAEA first disclosed that it was probing Egypt in May 2009, in a limited report obtained by the AP. The reports said traces of low-enriched uranium also were found at the site Inshas, northeast of Cairo, where Egypt's two small research reactors are located. Both high- and low-enriched uranium can be used to make radio isotopes, which have application in medicine and scientific research. The newest report, shared in part with The Associated Press, seemed to reflect a rising sense that Yukiya Amano, who replaced Mohamed ElBaradei in December as IAEA chief, has less acceptance than his predecessor for nations under nuclear scrutiny that use delay plans to undermine investigations.
A senior representative familiar with IAEA probes of all three countries said that the implication of the find in Egypt continue worrying, because they could point out past undeclared experiments with technology that could be used in a weapons program. Still it is unclear how old the fabric is. If the traces were unknowingly imported on containers with radio isotopes, as Cairo says, and they originate from decades ago, then the IAEA is likely to deem the case closed. Iran and Syria, in contrast will remain high priorities. The agency is trying to influence both to stop stonewalling its labors follow up on concrete intelligence that they are irritating to hide attempt to develop nuclear weapons programs doubts Tehran and Syria deny.
The IAEA first disclosed that it was probing Egypt in May 2009, in a limited report obtained by the AP. The reports said traces of low-enriched uranium also were found at the site Inshas, northeast of Cairo, where Egypt's two small research reactors are located. Both high- and low-enriched uranium can be used to make radio isotopes, which have application in medicine and scientific research. The newest report, shared in part with The Associated Press, seemed to reflect a rising sense that Yukiya Amano, who replaced Mohamed ElBaradei in December as IAEA chief, has less acceptance than his predecessor for nations under nuclear scrutiny that use delay plans to undermine investigations.
A senior representative familiar with IAEA probes of all three countries said that the implication of the find in Egypt continue worrying, because they could point out past undeclared experiments with technology that could be used in a weapons program. Still it is unclear how old the fabric is. If the traces were unknowingly imported on containers with radio isotopes, as Cairo says, and they originate from decades ago, then the IAEA is likely to deem the case closed. Iran and Syria, in contrast will remain high priorities. The agency is trying to influence both to stop stonewalling its labors follow up on concrete intelligence that they are irritating to hide attempt to develop nuclear weapons programs doubts Tehran and Syria deny.
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