GERMANY: HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY SAYS THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT IRAQ HAS REVIVED ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMME
Record ID:
647608
GERMANY: HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY SAYS THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT IRAQ HAS REVIVED ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMME
- Title: GERMANY: HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY SAYS THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT IRAQ HAS REVIVED ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAMME
- Date: 2nd September 2003
- Summary: (U4) BERLIN, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 2, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS, JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER, AND MOHAMMED EL BARADEI, HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) WALKING TO MICROPHONES 0.12 2. SCU CAMERAWOMAN FILMING 0.18 3. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMMED EL BARADEI, HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA), TALKING ABOUT IRAN, SAYING: "I hope they will sign it very soon. They told me last week that they have taken a decision to conclude the protocol. The protocol is a standard agreement. It had been signed by eighty countries so once a decision has been taken by a state to conclude the protocol, I hope that this should not take a very long time to conclude. I would also hope that Iran, until they sign and ratify the protocol, act as if the protocol is in force. Because the more transparency we see in Iran, the more confidence we can create that their programme is dedicated to peaceful purposes." 0.54 4. SCU CAMERAMAN FILMING 0.58 5. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMMED EL BARADEI, HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) SAYING: "But the Middle East is a region of high instability and that is why we would like to see the Iranian issue concerned about Iran settled as soon as possible because we do not want to add fuel to the fire, so to speak, in the Middle East." 1.12 6. WIDE OF FISCHER AND EL BARADEI 1.16 7. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOHAMMED EL BARADEI, HEAD OF THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY (IAEA) SAYING: "Again, we have been out of Iraq since the war. I cannot really say anything about what Iraq has or does not have, nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction. We have not finished our job when we left Iraq. I would like to go back and complete the job. However, I will be surprised if Iraq were to, if we were to discover that Iraq has an active nuclear weapons programme because indications when we left were that they did not revive their nuclear weapons programme." 1.49 8. SMV CAMERA PEOPLE FILMING 1.52 9. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (German) JOSCHKA FISCHER, GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYING: "We also discussed general issues and the danger of nuclear weapons proliferation and which possibilities exist in the twenty-first century to create security. The talks were very open and we will continue to have the closest of contacts. These issues regard European security, the security of our country and the entire region, including global stability." 2.25 10. SMV EL BARADEI AND FISCHER SHAKING HANDS AND WALKING AWAY 2.31 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 17th September 2003 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Reuters ID: LVA2JRC9KJ1HZ2BY6TET2477AKN5
- Story Text: Head of International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed El Baradei
says he would be surprised if Iraq has active nuclear weapons programme.
Speaking at a news conference in Berlin on Tuesday (September 2)
the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammed
El Baradei said there was no indication that Iraq had revived its
nuclear weapons programme.
"I cannot really say anything about what Iraq has or does not have,
nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction," El Baradei said.
"We have not finished our job when we left Iraq. I would like to go
back and complete the job. However, I will be surprised if Iraq were to,
if we were to discover that Iraq has an active nuclear weapons programme
because indications when we left were that they did not revive their
nuclear weapons programme," he added.
He also expressed hope that neighbouring Iran would sign a nuclear
weapons non-proliferation treaty soon.
"They told me last week that they have taken a decision to
conclude the protocol. The protocol is a standard agreement.
It had been signed by eighty countries so once a decision has
been taken by a state to conclude the protocol, I hope that this
should not take a very long time to conclude."
"I would also hope that Iran, until they sign and ratify the protocol,
act as if the protocol is in force," El Baradei said.
He was speaking at a joint news conference with German
Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None