Syria and weapons of mass destruction
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Syria has allegedly researched, manufactered, and possessed weapons of mass destruction.
Western non-governmental organizations have stated they believe Syria has an active chemical weapons program.[1][2][3] Syria is one of seven non-signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993,[4] though it has denied that it has chemical weapons.[5]
Syria is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and maintains a civil nuclear program. On September 6, 2007, Israel unilaterally bombed a site in Syria which it believed had hosted a nuclear reactor under construction. U.S. intelligence officials claimed low confidence that the site was meant for weapons development.[6] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the site in discussion was just "a military site under construction"[7] and that Syria's goal is a nuclear-free Middle East.[8] IAEA Director General ElBaradei said "there was uranium but it doesn't mean there was a reactor".[9] Syria has said it will voluntarily cooperate with the IAEA further if it isn't "at the expense of disclosing our military sites or causing a threat to our national security."[10]
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[edit] Chemical
Syria reportedly manufactures Sarin, Tabun, VX, and mustard gas types of chemical weapons.[11]
Syria is not a signatory to the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, one of seven nations to have rejected the CWC.
While Syria has not publicly admitted to its chemical weapons program, Syrian officials have stated that they feel it appropriate to have some deterrent against Israel's similarly non-admitted nuclear weapons program when questioned about the topic.
Independent assessments indicate that Syrian production could be up to a combined total of a few hundred tons of chemical agent per year.
[edit] Facilities
Syrian chemical weapons production facilities have been identified by Western nonproliferation experts at approximately 5 sites, plus one suspected weapons base:[12]
- Al Safir (Scud missile base)
- Cerin
- Hama
- Homs
- Latakia
- Palmyra
[edit] 2007 explosion
In July 2007, a Syrian arms depot exploded, killing at least 15 Syrians. Jane's Defence Weekly, a U.S. magazine reporting on military and corporate affairs, believed that the explosion happened when Iranian and Syrian military personnel attempted to fit a Scud missile with a mustard gas warhead. Syria stated that the blast was accidental and not chemical related.[13]
[edit] Biological
The site at Cerin is also associated with a potential biological weapons research or production lab. Few details are publicly known.
[edit] Nuclear
[edit] Open nuclear programs
Syria is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has repeatedly attempted to purchase small research type nuclear reactors from China, Russia, Argentina, or other countries. Despite these purchases being openly disclosed and IAEA monitored, international pressure has caused all these reactor purchases to be cancelled. Syria has open and IAEA monitored nuclear research programs including a Chinese made non-reactor miniature neutron source.[14]
On November 26, 2008 the IAEA Board of Governors approved technical aid for Syria despite unproven Western allegations that the country had a secret atomic program that could eventually be used to make weapons. China, Russia and developing nations, criticized Western "political interference" that they said undermined the IAEA's programme to foster civilian atomic energy development.[15] The top U.N. nuclear official also strongly rebuked Western powers for trying to deny the request, saying this shouldn't be done without evidence and merely on the existence of an investigation.[16]
[edit] Alleged nuclear reactor
[edit] Bombing of alleged reactor
On September 6, 2007, Israel bombed an officially unidentified site in Syria which it believed had been a nuclear reactor under construction.[17] It was further claimed that the nuclear reactor was not yet operational and no nuclear material had been introduced into it.[18] Top U.S. intelligence officials claimed low confidence that the site was meant for weapons development, noting that there was no reprocessing facility at the site.[6]
Western press reports asserted that the Israeli air strike followed a shipment delivery to Syria by a North Korean freighter, and that North Korea was suspected to be supplying a reactor to Syria for a nuclear weapons program.[19] On October 24, 2007 the Institute for Science and International Security released a report which identified a site in eastern Syria's Deir ez-Zor Governorate province as the suspected reactor. The report speculated about similarities between the Syrian building and North Korea's Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center, but said that it was too early to make a definitive comparison.[20] On October 25, 2007, Western media said the main building and any debris from it following the air strike had been completely dismantled and removed by the Syrians.[21]
After refusing to comment on the reports for six months, the Bush administration briefed Congress and the IAEA on April 24, 2008, saying that the U.S. Government was "convinced" that Syria had been building a "covert nuclear reactor" that was "not intended for peaceful purposes."[22] The briefing included releases of satellite photographs of the bombed site and overhead and ground level intelligence photographs of the site under construction, including the alleged reactor vessel steel shell before concrete was poured and of the alleged reactor head structure.[23]
[edit] Reaction to allegations
On November 19, 2008 an IAEA report stated that "a significant number of natural uranium particles" produced as a result of chemical processing were found at the Al Kibar site;[24] however, the IAEA did not find sufficient evidence to prove Syria is developing nuclear weapons.[25] Some American nuclear experts have speculated about similarities between the alleged Syrian reactor and North Korea's Yongybon reactor[26] but IAEA Director General ElBaradei has pointed out that "there was uranium but it doesn't mean there was a reactor".[9] ElBaradei has shown dissatisfaction with the United States and Israel for only providing the IAEA with photos of the bombed facility in Syria,[27] and has also urged caution against prematurely judging Syria's atomic program by reminding diplomats about false U.S. claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.[28] Russia, China, Iran, and non-aligned countries have also supported giving Syria nuclear guidance despite pressure from the United States.[28]
Joseph Cirincione, an expert on nuclear proliferation and head of the Washington-based Ploughshares Fund, commented "we should learn first from the past and be very cautious about any intelligence from the US about other country's weapons."[29] Syria has denounced "the fabrication and forging of facts" in regards to the incident.[30]
IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei criticized the strikes and deplored that information regarding the matter had not been shared with his agency earlier.[6] Syria has declined to let the IAEA visit other military sites the United States recently made allegations about, arguing it fears that too much openness on its part would encourage the U.S. to push for years of relentless international scrutiny.[31] Syria has said it will voluntarily cooperate with the IAEA further if it isn't "at the expense of disclosing our military sites or causing a threat to our national security."[10]
The Non-Aligned Movement has called for the establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in the Middle East and called for a comprehensive multilaterally negotiated instrument which prohibits threats of attacks on nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.[32] The Gulf Cooperation Council has also appealed for a nuclear weapons free Middle East and recognition of the right of a country to expertise in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.[33] The IAEA has also approved a resolution urging all Middle East nations to renounce atomic bombs.[34]
[edit] Delivery systems
In addition to potential aircraft and artillery delivery systems, Syria has several hundred Scud model B, C, and D missiles, and perhaps a thousand SS-21 missiles.
[edit] References
- ^ Syria Special Weapons Guide at globalsecurity.org, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ Syria Profile at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ Syria and WMD Incentives and Capabilities, Syria Magnus Normark, Anders Lindblad, Anders Norqvist, Björn Sandström, Louise Waldenström, Swedish Defense Research Agency report FOI-R--1290--SE, June 2004, ISSN 1650-1942
- ^ OPCW: States that have neither signed nor acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention
- ^ BBC: Syria denounces US 'lies'
- ^ a b c IAEA slams U.S. for withholding data on alleged Syrian nuclear reactor
- ^ AFP (04/27/2008): Syria president denies building nuclear reactor
- ^ Daiji Sadamori, “Assad: Syria Not Seeking to be Nuclear State,” Asahi Shimbun, 27 October 2006
- ^ a b BBC: Syria nuclear clues 'not damning'
- ^ a b BBC: Syria rebuffs nuclear inspectors
- ^ Syria Chemical Weapons at globalsecurity.org, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ Special Weapons Facilities at globalsecurity.org, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ The Sunday Herald: HOW CLOSE WERE WE TO A THIRD WORLD WAR? What really happened when
- ^ Syria - Nuclear Weapons Programs at globalsecurity.org, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ METimes: IAEA seeks compromise over Syrian nuclear aid issue: diplomats
- ^ Nuclear Threat Initiative: ElBaradei Lashes Critics of Syrian Nuclear Aid Request
- ^ 06 September 2007 Air strike at globalsecurity.org, accessed Oct 24, 2007.
- ^ IAEA: Statement by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei regarding Syria
- ^ N. Korea, Syria May Be at Work on Nuclear Facility, Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, Thursday, September 13, 2007; Page A12
- ^ SUSPECT REACTOR CONSTRUCTION SITE IN EASTERN SYRIA: THE SITE OF THE SEPTEMBER 6 ISRAELI RAID?, David Albright and Paul Brannan, October 23, 2007
- ^ Photos Show Cleansing of Suspect Syrian Site, William J. Broad and Mark Mazzetti, New York Times, accessed Oct 25, 2007.
- ^ Statement by the Press Secretary
- ^ Cryptome: Syrian Alleged and North Korean Reactor Photos
- ^ IAEA: Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic (November, 19, 2008)
- ^ Xinhua: IAEA finds insufficient evidence for Syria's nuclear weapons development
- ^ Warrick, Joby (2008-11-19). "Bombed Syrian Site Appears to Have Been Nuclear Reactor". Washington Post. http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/~r/wp-dyn/rss/world/index_xml/~3/r4id8Aqix_U/AR2008111902312.html. Retrieved on 2008-11-19.
- ^ Xinhua News: "IAEA chief: Report on Syrian nuclear plans needs more time"
- ^ a b Star Tribune: UN nuclear agency chief urges caution against Syria by recalling false claims against Iraq
- ^ The Guardian: US claims North Korea helped build Syria reactor plant
- ^ Syria rejects U.S. allegations on existence of nuclear activities
- ^ Diplomats: Syria to Block IAEA From Probing Suspected Nuclear Sites
- ^ XV Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (July 2008): Statement on the Islamic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Issue
- ^ The Closing Statement Of the Twenty-Seventh Session of the Supreme Council of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (December 2006)
- ^ International Herald Tribune: IAEA calls for non-nuclear Mideast in heated vote
