Baradei for fresh efforts towards N-disarmament

The Assembly reaffirmed its confidence in the IAEA, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and appealed to member states to continue to support the Agency8217;s indispensable role in 8220;encouraging and assisting the development and practical application of atomic energy for peaceful uses8221;.

Presenting his annual report, ElBaradei told the Assembly that, given the groundswell of global interest in nuclear power and increased potential risk associated with the spread of sensitive technology 8211; the time had come to develop a new framework for using nuclear energy, which took into account both lessons learned and the current reality.

Such a framework, he added, should include action to achieve robust technological innovation in nuclear power and applications, a multinational framework for the fuel cycle to assure supply and curb proliferation risk, and universal application of comprehensive safeguards and the Additional Protocol as the standard for nuclear verification.

On the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle, the Agency had examined proposals for creating an actual or virtual reserve 8220;fuel bank of last resort8221; to assure the nuclear fuel supply, converting a national facility into an international enrichment centre, and constructing a multinational enrichment facility under Agency control.

8220;Controlling nuclear material is a complex process, yet, if we fail to act, it could be the Achilles heel of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,8221; Elbaradi said.

Given that, he proposed an incremental approach to moving forward that included, first, the establishment of an equitable system for supply assurance, and, next, bringing under multinational control any new operations for uranium enrichment and plutonium separation.

The nuclear non-proliferation and arms control regime continued to present a broad set of challenges, he said, adding effective verification must be supported by four essential elements: adequate legal authority; state-of-the-art technology; access to all relevant information; and sufficient human and financial resources.

ElBaradei noted that the Additional Protocol is an instrument that enabled the Agency to draw credible conclusions about both the peaceful nature of a country8217;s declared nuclear programme, and also the absence of undeclared facilities.

However, to date, just over half of the 162 States with safeguards agreements had brought additional protocols into force.

Calling for swift progress towards nuclear disarmament, he favoured deep cuts in existing arsenals, downgrading of alert levels for deployment of nuclear weapons and reviving of multilateral disarmament efforts.