CONTRARY TO PRESS CLAIM, IAEA IS NOT AWARE OF ANY

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNVIE VIENNA 000492 SIPDIS STATE FOR ISN, NEA, IO, PA E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/28/2014 TAGS: ENRG KNNP IZ SUBJECT: CONTRARY TO PRESS CLAIM, IAEA IS NOT AWARE OF ANY PLANS BY IRAQ TO REBUILD NUCLEAR FACILITIES Classified By: Ambassador Glyn Davies, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) Safeguards Operations B Section Head Max Aparo and senior inspector Mohammed Lamari told MsnOff that the IAEA was unaware of any plans by Iraq to rebuild nuclear facilities. Haaretz internet news service had published an article October 28 indicating that Iraq had approached the IAEA for approval to rebuild nuclear facilities. Aparo told MsnOff that the last meeting between the Agency and Iraqi officials was in September 2009, where the topic of discussion was scrap material remaining at Tuwaitha Location C and not prospects for new facilities. MsnOff asked whether the press piece could be a reference to Technical Cooperation projects. Aparo said this was not likely but that he would need to check with the TC Department. Aparo indicated he would apprise MsnOff of any news, while noting he welcomed any further information the U.S. may obtain as well. ¶2. (C) According to the restricted-access TC Pride database, Iraq has no relevant ongoing projects to revitalize nuclear facilities on a national level, nor has Iraq requested any new TC projects for consideration by the November 2009 Technical Assistance and Cooperation Committee. This is not surprising given that such projects would be subject to WMD sanctions. Iraq is a participant in an interregional project on management of nuclear facilities (human capacity building, education, training). We cannot rule out informal approaches by Iraq to the TC Department or the Department of Nuclear Energy but on October 29 we queried three further Secretariat contacts independently and each avowed no knowledge of any Iraqi initiative of this type. DAVIES