Syria rejects IAEA nuclear inspectors to visit military sites

LONDON (worldtribune.com) -— Syria has refused to allow international nuclear inspectors access to its military bases. The regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad said it would block attempts by the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect military facilities.

The IAEA has asked to examine at least three Syrian military sites as part of the agency's investigations into Damascus's nuclear program.

""We would like to underline that my government is cooperating with the agency in full transparency and will follow suit all along the way,"" Syrian Atomic Energy Commission director Ibrahim Othman said. ""However, this cooperation will not in any way come at the expense of exposing our military sites or causing a threat to our national security.""

In an address to the IAEA assembly on Oct. 3, Othman dismissed allegations by Western states that Syria was concealing a nuclear weapons program. He cited praise by IAEA director Mohammed El Baradei of Syrian cooperation. Syria has also sought to join the 35-nation board of governors.

""We regret statements by some countries calling on us to show more transparency,"" Othman said. ""I would like you here to recall what

[El Baradei] said, namely that Syria has cooperated and complied with implementation of the measures agreed to by the agency.""

In September 2007, the Israel Air Force destroyed a suspected plutonium production facility at Kibar in northwestern Syria. In June 2008, the Assad regime permitted an agency team to take test samples from Kibar.

Three months later, IAEA said it could not find evidence of nuclear activities but sought additional information. Syria has declared one nuclear facility to IAEA.

The Syrian refusal comes amid a heightened alert by the Syrian military along the border with Lebanon. Arab diplomatic sources said Syria has increased security around key buildings and government offices in Damascus.