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Syria Exemplifies Challenge of Detecting Nuclear Proliferation

[Washington Post] Joby Warrick - Syria went to extraordinary lengths to conceal its undeclared construction of a plutonium-producing nuclear reactor from spies in the sky and on the ground, according to a draft report by independent nuclear experts briefed by Bush administration officials. "This case serves as a sobering reminder of the difficulty of identifying secret nuclear activities," the Institute for Science and International Security concluded. U.S. and Israeli officials have said the facility was a nearly completed nuclear reactor built with North Korean help and fitted with a false roof and walls that altered its shape when viewed from above. Syrian engineers went to "astonishing lengths" to hide cooling and ventilation systems, power lines and other features that normally are telltale signs of a nuclear reactor, wrote authors David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector, and Paul Brannan. "The current domestic and international capabilities to detect nuclear facilities and activities are not adequate to prevent more surprises in the future," the report warned.
2008-05-12 01:00:00
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