Photo: SERGEI SUPINSKY / AFP / Getty Images
The director of the International Atomic Energy Organization (IAEA), Mariano Grossi, urged Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday to allow the deployment of its experts to the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, occupied by Kremlin troops, so that they can inspect the plant’s nuclear material.
Before the subcommittee on Security and Defense of the European Parliament, the Argentine diplomat explained that his “concern” regarding nuclear safety in Ukraine focuses on this plant, the largest of Europe, after the situation in Chernobyl has “stabilized”, and stressed that “there are a number of activities that experts must do there and they are not allowed to do it”.
“The nuclear plant carries out activities that require, from time to time, physical inventories and supervision tasks within (the plant). Without that we cannot assure the international community where the nuclear material is or what happens to it”, he argued.
Grossi stressed that recently he was able to “quickly deny” that Ukraine was developing nuclear weapons “simply because it was possible to objectively confirm that there were no deviations in the nuclear material”.
But he added that “not being able to go to inspecting the possibility of accusations or doubts in the future is a real danger” and “something that must be taken into consideration with all seriousness”.
“I have told our Ukrainian colleagues and I am in permanent contact with the experts and the Russian government (…). I have told them that they have to allow the IAEA experts to go to Zaporizhia”, he insisted.
The director of the OEIA even described the situation as “schizophrenic” because Ukraine and Russia allow a mission of experts to the plant but only “under their flag”, so he is looking with both parties for some format that allows them to attend to your teams that is to the liking of kyiv and Moscow.
In addition to inspecting radioactive material, Grossi pointed out that the agency must supervise possible conflicts that may arise from the fact that the plant continues to operate with Ukrainian experts, but also Russians whose role “ is not totally clear”.
“It is something that goes against any principle of security (…) There are potential disagreements, frictions and conflicting instructions and you really don’t want to have that in an installation as complex and sophisticated as u a nuclear plant”, he pointed out.
Regarding Chernobyl, the Argentine remarked that “the situation seems to have stabilized” and, although the IAEA’s conclusions suggest that radiation levels “experienced increases” this did not lead to a “dangerous” scenario.
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