UN: No evidence of Iraqi nuclear activity

Analyses of samples taken by UN inspectors in Iraq have so far not revealed any evidence of prohibited nuclear activity, a spokeswoman for the UN nuclear agency said today.

The results would be included in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s report that will be presented to the Security Council on Monday, said Melissa Fleming in Vienna

“The results so far have revealed no indication of prohibited nuclear activities at the locations where the samples were taken,” she said. “This is not the end. The inspectors take these samples continuously.”

David Donohue, head of the agency’s laboratory in Seibersdorf, east of Vienna, said 11 samples delivered before Christmas had been analysed.

Those samples were considered “high-priority,” he said, adding that eight samples delivered since were not considered as crucial.

“We will just do those in the next weeks or so,” he said. “We expect that there will be a steady flow of samples for the next months.”

The high-priority samples were cotton cloths that had been swiped at suspect sites. Using sophisticated technology, laboratory workers analyse the cloths to determine if there has been any nuclear activity at the swipe site, Fleming said.

The samples also were sent to a few other laboratories to ensure accuracy, she said. The other labs also found no evidence of illegal nuclear activity.