The head of the UN atomic watchdog agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, on Monday pressed for a global reserve of nuclear fuel to safely meet growing worldwide demand for nuclear energy.In a report on his agency’s activities to the UN General Assembly, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief said his agency was weighing a proposal for “an actual or virtual reserve fuel bank of last resort under IAEA auspices” for supplying nuclear fuel.With the Iranian nuclear issue in mind, he said the IAEA was also looking at proposals to convert “a national facility into an international enrichment centre” or “the construction of a new multinational enrichment facility under IAEA control.”Tehran is refusing to heed UN Security Council demands that it halt uranium enrichment, arguing that it is entitled to pursue enrichment as a signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Equitable system: In his report to the UN, the IAEA chief proposed “an equitable system” to supply nuclear material, followed by steps to “bring any new operations for uranium enrichment and plutonium separation under multinational control.” He noted that there are 439 nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries, supplying just over 15 percent of the world’s electricity. Half of the 30 reactors now being built were in developing countries, he said.
But he said, “no amount of US irrational policies will be able to dissuade us from pursuing our legitimate rights to nuclear energy and interests.”