Posted on 06/29/2004 12:25:41 PM PDT by knighthawk
IAEA chief says Iranians admit site at Lavizan Shiyan was former research and development military site.
MOSCOW - Iran has admitted that a site, alleged by the United States to have been used for developing weapons of mass destruction, was a "former research and development military site," UN nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei said Tuesday.
"Our inspectors went yesterday to Lavizan (the suspected military site). The Iranians said it was a former R and D military site," ElBaradei said in Moscow, where he is due to meet with President Vladimir Putin.
The Iranians said that the site at Lavizan Shiyan, a Tehran neighborhood, "was used as a physics institute and later on for biotechnology R and D," ElBaradei said.
He said there was a radiation body counter at the site "in case of a nuclear accident." He said the body counters, which measure radiation contamination for humans, could have been US-made.
"I believe so, we are investigating," he said.
ElBaradei said his International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not determined if the site was for weapons development or peaceful purposes, but did point out that body counters are generally used for peaceful purposes.
"Our business is to make sure that the work at Lavizan was not nuclear related," he said.
The IAEA inspectors had taken environmental samples at Lavizan "we are continuing to clarify that this site was not nuclear related. We are pleased with the Iranian cooperation," ElBaradei said.
The United States claims that Iran is hiding an atomic weapons program and has urged the IAEA to cite Tehran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions.
Ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.