IAEA examining satellite photos of Syrian site Updated
posted at 12:08 pm on October 19, 2007 by Bryan
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We’ll need a watchdog to watch the “watchdog.”
VIENNA, Austria - U.N. experts have received satellite imagery of the site struck last month by Israeli warplanes and are analyzing it for signs that it might have been a secret nuclear facility, diplomats said Friday.
ADVERTISEMENTOne of the diplomats indicated that the photos came from U.S intelligence. Two others said the images, which have been studied by experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency since being received on Thursday, do not at first examination appear to substantiate reports that the target was a nuclear installation, but emphasized that the images were still under examination…
Since the Sept. 6 bombing, news media have quoted unidentified U.S. officials as saying that the airstrike hit some sort of nuclear facility linked to North Korea, which is now in the process of dismantling its nuclear weapons program. On Friday, The Washington Post cited American officials as saying the site in Syria’s eastern desert near the Euphrates River had characteristics of a small but substantial nuclear reactor similar to North Korea’s facility.
The investigation by the IAEA — the U.N. nuclear watchdog — is crucial because it is the first instance of an independent and respected organization looking at the evidence and trying to reach a conclusion as to what was hit.
I guess that depends on what you mean by “independent” and “respected.” I don’t find the IAEA to be either one.
We have the possibility of a he said-she said being set up here, with the US and Israel claiming that the site was nuclear and the IAEA/UN/Syria saying not so. The UN’s already played a dubious role in the affair, but the US has the whole Iraq-WMD debacle to live down. Who will the world believe?
Update: Soccer Dad has report of Syria cleaning up the site that Israel struck.
Syria has begun dismantling the remains of a site Israel bombed Sept. 6 in what may be an attempt to prevent the location from coming under international scrutiny, said U.S. and foreign officials familiar with the aftermath of the attack.
Based on overhead photography, the officials say the site in Syria’s eastern desert near the Euphrates River had a “signature” or characteristics of a small but substantial nuclear reactor, one similar in structure to North Korea’s facilities.
The dismantling of the damaged site, which appears to be still underway, could make it difficult for weapons inspectors to determine the precise nature of the facility and how Syria planned to use it.
Uh, yeah.
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Enough said.
sunny on October 19, 2007 at 12:12 PM
So why can’t the UN say to Syria that “we want to come and visit the site”?
conservnut on October 19, 2007 at 12:13 PM
Fixed that for ya.
James on October 19, 2007 at 12:14 PM
The UN is neither independent or respected. They -are- in fact clueless and corrupt.
The Israelis don’t just go blow things up unless a threat to them exists. As well they should, as should -we-.
dogsoldier on October 19, 2007 at 12:14 PM
As for me, I would believe Israel at every corner. But I am a part of the Zionist conspiracy so I probably don’t count. The world will believe the UN and Syria because who would ever believe those Zionists???
And considering where I’ve always maintained Iraq’s WMD’s ended up - hint: starts with an “S”, ends with a “yria”, mayhaps Israel found Saddam’s stash too next to North Korea’s?
mjk on October 19, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Incompetent comes to mind…
elgeneralisimo on October 19, 2007 at 12:14 PM
Half our country won’t believe the United States, so I’m a bit skeptical about who the world will believe.
BadgerHawk on October 19, 2007 at 12:15 PM
A toothless watchdog doesn’t scare anyone.
Especially when it never even effin’ barks.
omnipotent on October 19, 2007 at 12:15 PM
If it looks like a plant, bomb it…anything close is good enough for me. Let them learn to build something that is obvious, I don’t even want our men (or Israelis) to waste the time of analyzing. All countries should know, if you build in secret, it raises suspicions…duuuuh.
And in case the Dems haven’t noticed, by their count, our children do not have enough health insurance to pay for the letting of a nuclear bomb in New York. But to them, a terrorist state is worth more than our children.
right2bright on October 19, 2007 at 12:15 PM
I like the front page thumbnail. The IAEA seal in the background looks like big Beezlebub horns on El-Baradei.
see-dubya on October 19, 2007 at 12:16 PM
Really, one guy with a Geiger counter could determine real quick if it was a nuke site. So in all its moaning has Syria ask for the UN to come and see it?
conservnut on October 19, 2007 at 12:17 PM
Get rid of the UN…Romney for President!
davenp35 on October 19, 2007 at 12:19 PM
Interesting that the article does not mention that Syria was elected as Deputy Chairman of the General Conference for the IAEA this year.
RushBaby on October 19, 2007 at 12:24 PM
And with Syria dismantling the bombed site, nothing will be left for IAEA inspectors.
Nukes? What nukes? There’s no evidence of nukes. Just like there’s no evidence of the hundreds of trucks going from Iraq to Syria in the last days before the war. Well, except for all the satellite photos of the convoys.
Meryl Yourish on October 19, 2007 at 12:25 PM
Now now Meryl, how could you possible cast such disparaging aspersions on the sterling characters of the UN or Syria? /snark
doriangrey on October 19, 2007 at 12:56 PM
The numbers vary depending on the source but my understanding is that America funds the U.N. to the tune of about 15 billion a year. I say we cut that by 5 billion next year and see if the U.N. gets any better. If not, we cut by another 5 billion the following year and see if that has any positive results. If not, the next year we cut all U.N. funding, the U.N. is nothing without the United States.
Maxx on October 19, 2007 at 1:01 PM
I don’t really care what the IAEA thinks. They’re useless anyway.
CP on October 19, 2007 at 1:01 PM
Now there’s a thought, though I might just prefer skipping to year three.
CP on October 19, 2007 at 1:03 PM
Anyone get the sense that Syria doesnt want the UN or anyone else poking around to see if they might have some Saddam ex wmds ?
William Amos on October 19, 2007 at 1:09 PM
Heh heh heh ya think……
doriangrey on October 19, 2007 at 1:12 PM
Atleast they didn’t go to the UN for a year before they attacked. Let Israel go get saddam’s WMD’s
tomas on October 19, 2007 at 1:42 PM
“Site”??? Don’tcha mean *crater*? bwahahaha
Tony737 on October 19, 2007 at 2:06 PM
You know what’s killing me about the naysayers… they point out that it would have been “years” before the site would have been able to build nuclear weapons.
Um. That’s the whole effing point of destroying it now, morons.
Meryl Yourish on October 19, 2007 at 3:01 PM
Maxx on October 19, 2007 at 1:01 PM
That would be great…. till the Dhimmicraps pass the LOST Treaty and Jorge Arbusto signs it. Then the UN wont need our governments money they will be able to tax us for all they need.
mrfixit on October 19, 2007 at 3:18 PM
What are the Google Earth coordinates?
slp on October 19, 2007 at 3:20 PM
That nuclear plant in the desert is now the worlds largest glass plant.
right2bright on October 19, 2007 at 3:23 PM
Don’t worry everybody. As soon as Syria has finished cleaning up the site, they will give Mohammad Al-Baradei a call and invite the IAEA to inspect whats left, and everything will be fine. Just you watch.
Jimmy the Dhimmi on October 19, 2007 at 3:55 PM
Where’s the uproar from the hit? hmmmm.
Then of course Putin is all over, over there obviously up to no good. The time to nail all this stuff is now. Its only going to get more complicated and worse.
johnnyU on October 19, 2007 at 10:14 PM
I know it. I’ve been trying to get Allah or someone at HotAir to run a post or two on the LOST Treaty but so far no luck. It’s a very serious matter, more important than Shamnisty was. And my understanding is that it will come up for a vote in the Senate sometime soon. If it would pass the treaty will give authority over all the oceans to the U.N., that would be an abomination. Not only that but as you say, for the first time the U.N. would have the power to tax.
Giving the corrupt and dangerous U.N. the power to tax, I can’t imagine anything more insane.
Maxx on October 20, 2007 at 12:56 AM
I think pootie poot’s been jetting around the area rattling sabres because of the spectacular failure of the supposedly state of the art anti-aircraft systems Russia sold to all of them.
Israel cut through them like a ghost. Thus the relative silence and lack of outrage from syria and the region. They realize just how vulnerable they really are.
Goes for iran too.
techno_barbarian on October 20, 2007 at 12:10 PM