Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

3 November – The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today called for its system of verifying nuclear non-proliferation to be urgently strengthened.

Presenting the IAEA's annual report to the General Assembly, Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei said that the Agency's verification system had come under pressure on several fronts over the last year. He cited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), where the IAEA has been unable to do any verification work since December last year.

He said it "would be prudent for both the UN and IAEA inspectors to return" to Iraq to update records on that country's nuclear activities and capabilities. He also said he would report to the IAEA's Board of Governors later this month on Iran, which has recently provided a declaration of its nuclear activities.

Mr ElBaradei also said more effort should be made to reduce conflicts and insecurity around the world so the incentive to use nuclear weapons - and other weapons of mass destruction - is reduced.

"A system of collective security that did not depend on nuclear weapons must be established, and the process of nuclear disarmament accelerated," he told the Assembly.