Syria renews call for nuclear-free Middle East at IAEA conference

Syria has renewed its call for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction, urging all nuclear-related facilities in the region to be placed under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.

Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani made the remarks on September 14 in a video address to the 70th session of the IAEA General Conference, Caliber.Az reports per Syrian media.

Al-Shaibani said Syria’s position was in line with the 1995 resolution calling for the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East.

He also said Syria was seeking to develop peaceful nuclear applications in areas including cancer treatment, agriculture, water-resource management, scientific research and electricity generation to support the country’s recovery.

Al-Shaibani reaffirmed Syria’s readiness for transparent cooperation with the IAEA, noting that Syrian authorities had granted the agency access on August 18 to a nuclear facility in the northeastern province of Deir ez-Zor that was struck by the Israeli Air Force in 2007.

“The 73 metric tons of natural uranium discovered there are currently under IAEA supervision and will remain secure in Syria,” he emphasised. “These nuclear materials pose no threat.”

Turning to regional developments, al-Shaibani accused Israel of violating Syria’s sovereignty, the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and international law through attacks on Syrian territory.

He called for international diplomatic pressure to halt the attacks and said regional stability required a return to the 1974 agreement and the full withdrawal of the occupying force to the lines that existed before December 8, 2024.

By Sabina Mammadli