By NNN-SANA,
Vienna : Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei has said that the IAEA has no legal right to deny Syria, as requested by some Western countries, from getting assistance in a nuclear power project.
In a closed session of the IAEA Committee for Technical Assistance and Cooperation on Monday, ElBaradei expressed his objection to the stances of these Western countries, affirming that any IAEA member country has the full right stated by its membership.
He pointed out that countries and people are innocent until proven otherwise, and that investigating a country does not mean it is guilty, saying, “We must be very careful when talking about an investigation…as there are things called allegations and investigations, and then there is decisive evidence of innocence or guilt.”
On the first day of the three-day session, ElBaradei called for approving the special support project for the Syrian nuclear energy project, stating that Syria, as a member of the IAEA, must not be denied its rights as long as it was never proven that Syria is after nuclear weapons.
Press reports said China, Russia and other developing countries in the IAEA Board of Governors rejected the political interference by some Western countries in the UN-affiliated IAEA programmes on assistance to peaceful nuclear energy projects.