Syria hails IAEA move to close nuclear file as 'historic'

Syria's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday welcomed the International Atomic Energy Agency's consensus decision to close outstanding issues on the country's nuclear file and remove the matter from the board's agenda, calling the resolution a diplomatic victory for the transitional administration.

Consensus resolution

The ministry described the resolution as an "important diplomatic and legal achievement for Syria," saying it reflected Damascus' success in building consensus within the IAEA Board of Governors. "This closes a chapter that has lasted for years and opens new prospects for international cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy," the ministry said in a statement carried by state media.

Officials emphasized that the new administration has adopted "transparency, cooperation and respect for international obligations as a consistent approach since the country's liberation" from Bashar al-Assad's rule. The IAEA Board of Governors formally ended the noncompliance finding against Syria on Wednesday after the completion of technical and legal requirements, according to the state-run Alikhbaria broadcaster. Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, told the board on Monday that inspectors had achieved a "historic breakthrough" after the new Syrian administration provided required information and granted access to previously restricted sites.

Verification of legacy sites

In August, IAEA inspectors verified several tons of undeclared nuclear materials remaining from the Assad era at a facility in Deir ez-Zor province, Grossi announced during a visit to Damascus. A confidential report circulated to member states indicated that the former regime had failed to declare nuclear materials, facilities and types of activities required under Syria's comprehensive safeguards agreement with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mudar al-Akaleh, head of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission, said in August that Damascus had worked to provide all technical requirements needed to assess nuclear materials and waste linked to the former government. The commission has coordinated closely with the Foreign Ministry in recent months to address the legacy of undeclared nuclear activities, according to agency documentation.