Greenpeace in 'nuclear disaster' warning
By Gillian Tett in London
Published: June 25 2003 5:00 / Last Updated: June 25 2003 5:00
Environmental activists from Greenpeace yesterday handed over to US forces in Iraq alleged abandoned radioactive material, and accused the military administration of failing to prevent a "nuclear disaster" in the region.
The US made no initial comment on the incident, involving canisters of radioactive "yellow-cake" from the Iraqi nuclear complex at Tuwaitha, about 25km south of Baghdad.
Greenpeace said the canisters, containing uranium oxide concentrate, had been looted from the site since the US-led war and abandoned nearby, threatening to spread radiation.
Officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been granted limited access to the Tuwaitha complex, which was visited a number of times by its inspectors before the war. Yesterday they completed a three-week mission to Iraq: no details have been released of their findings.
The apparent release of radioactive material is likely to fuel criticism of the US over continued insecurity in Iraq. But the Greenpeace allegations also come as the IAEA skirmishes with the US military administration over Washington's refusal to let the Vienna-based watchdog analyse the risks from potentially hazardous radioactive material in Iraq.
Radioactive material is found in many modern industries, ranging from the oil sector to health. Iraq is believed to have tapped multiple sources of such material in recent years.
The IAEA had initially hoped to use its visit to investigate the status of 3,000 barrels of low-enriched uranium which Iraq was using for industrial purposes, as well as monitor an estimated 1,000 additional radioactive sources in Iraq, of which some 400 lie around Tuwaitha. It was also hoping to survey the health and safety risks posed to the population by the abandoned nuclear material.
The US permitted the IAEA to check on the status of the low-enriched uranium as this was legally required under international nuclear treaties. However, it blocked IAEA attempts to conduct the second two operations.
The US government is believed to have trained personnel who could conduct this research. However, diplomats and environment activists say this does not appear to have been done.
"If this had happened in the UK, the US or any other country, the villages around Tuwaitha would be swarming with radiation experts and decontamination teams," complained Mike Townsley of Greenpeace.
© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2003.
