ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
I have the honour to convey the attached communication, dated
11 August 1998, which I have received from the Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
I should be grateful if you would bring the text of the letter from the
Director General to the attention of the members of the Security Council.
(Signed) Kofi A. ANNAN
of the Security Council
Further to my message to you which was delivered on Thursday,
6 August 1998, I wish to confirm that the International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) is carrying out a limited implementation of its ongoing monitoring and
verification (OMV) plan, within the restrictions imposed by Iraq, and is
awaiting instructions from the Council on how to proceed further.
In this context I would draw your attention to paragraph 21 of my July
status report to the Council (document S/1998/694), which states that "the
effectiveness of the implementation of the IAEA OMV plan is critically dependent
upon the full exercise of the rights of access enshrined in the plan. Any
diminution of, or interference with, those rights would greatly reduce the level
of assurance provided through its implementation."
Iraq's refusal to cooperate in any activity involving investigation of its
clandestine nuclear programme makes it impossible for IAEA to exercise a
fundamental right, described in my July status report. Paragraph 43 of that
report records that IAEA will continue, in the context of its OMV, to
investigate, through the follow-up of any new information that comes to its
knowledge, the remaining questions and concerns relevant to Iraq's clandestine
nuclear programme, as well as any other aspect of that programme and to destroy,
remove, or render harmless any prohibited items that may be discovered through
such investigations.
Moreover, as stated in paragraph 8 of the October 1997 progress report of
the IAEA Director General to the Council (S/1997/779), "the carrying out of
joint IAEA/UNSCOM multi-disciplinary inspections at 'capable' sites on a regular
basis continues to contribute to the effectiveness of the OMV to detect any
attempt by Iraq to conduct activities proscribed by Security Council
resolutions." The restrictions imposed by Iraq have resulted in the
discontinuation of the "implementation of a joint programme of inspection of
Iraqi sites which, in the judgement of IAEA/UNSCOM, are deemed to have
capabilities suitable for conducting work on some aspect of weapons of mass
destruction".
It follows from the above that the limited activities currently undertaken
in Iraq by IAEA, under the restrictions imposed by Iraq, fall far short of full
implementation of the OMV plan and result in a significantly reduced level of
assurance than would be provided through the full implementation of that plan.
I would be grateful if you would bring the text of the present letter to
the attention of the Security Council.
(Signed) Mohamed ELBARADEI
