IAEA can not check Israeli nuclear sites

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) acknowledges that the nuclear watchdog can not monitor and assess Israel’s undisclosed nuclear sites.

The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said on Friday that Tel Aviv had restricted the agency in examining its nuclear potentials.

Amano’s comments were made public in a report to the Vienna-based watchdog’s Board of Governors.

In his visit to Israel last month, Amano called on Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Tel Aviv, however, refuses to confirm it possesses a nuclear arsenal, estimated to be between 200 and 400 nuclear warheads. Israel is considered to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East.

Amano also said he has asked Israel to “place all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards,” AFP reported.

Meanwhile, the report expressed “concern about the Israeli nuclear capabilities,” and linked it to “concern about the threat posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons for the security and stability of the Middle East.”

Tel Aviv has rejected Amano’s comments, arguing that his report is politically motivated. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the IAEA intended to divert attention from Iran and Syria.

The international community, especially the Islamic nations, has been urging Tel Aviv to subject itself to nuclear inspections and to join the NPT.

The latest IAEA report also included more than 40 letters from IAEA member states in response to an April request by Amano for proposals on how to persuade Israel to sign the NPT.