The North Korea-Syria Nuclear Connection, Again
by Richardson ~ April 1st, 2008. Filed under: North Korea, Nuclear Proliferation, Six-Party Talks, Syria.Another rumor in the saga, per the Asahi Shimbun:
An Israeli airstrike against Syria last September targeted a nuclear-related facility that was under construction with technical assistance from North Korea, according to Israel’s prime minister.
Japanese government sources said over the weekend that the Israeli leader, Ehud Olmert, briefed Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda about the attack during summit talks in Tokyo on Feb. 27.
The U.S. in recent bilateral talks reportedly gave Pyongyang a list of North Korean officials involved in the supply of nuclear technology to Syria, a suspicion the North denies.
A high-level diplomatic source on Monday said that the U.S. obtained the list of officials including nuclear engineers, who were involved in the supply of nuclear technology to Syria, through various intelligence networks. This persuaded the U.S. that the North Korea-Syrian nuclear connection did exist.
It’s all plausible, but nothing is confirmed. From what’s been reported, also nothing illegal, assuming no verboten materials exchanged hands.
Related posts:
- Al-Jazeera: USAF Bombed Syrian Nuclear Site
- North Korea Inspired Syrian Reactor Site, Before and After
- More on the Isreal-Syria Bombing Saga: “Mole” Took Pics
- Has Syria Confirmed an IAF Attack on a Nuclear Facility?
- A Plausible Syria-North Korea Nuclear Scenario: Reactor
- Israeli Intel on Syria, North Korea Sparks Bush Admin Debate
- East Asia Intel: Israel Hit North Korean Missiles in Syria
- Speculation on the North Korea-Syria Nuclear Connection
April 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Are you sure that such a transfer wouldn’t violate the IAEA Safeguards treaty? I haven’t researched the issue, but I don’t think either Syria or North Korea is a made member of the IAEA.
Also, any transfers occurring after October 2006 would violate U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718, Paragraph 8(c) of which states:
The facility appears to have been under rapid construction as of September 2007, with plenty of North Koreans (scientists?) on hand to assist (by transferring technology?). Obviously, it’s not easy to produce proof beyond a reasonable doubt if Syria and North Korea won’t cooperate, but I think there’s enough to make a reasonable inference that North Korea violated this resolution.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
My statement’s caveat;
I should have preceded that with, “From what’s been credibly reported…” since most of the sources on this topic so far I don’t deem as entirely credible on this issue.
As to 1718, I suppose it depends on whether or not it was actually a “nuclear-related facility” or not.
I don’t doubt something nasty was going on there. But, again, while most reporting is plausible, and both those cited it the post above are, yet nothing confirmed. If the U.S. were to release some intel on the matter, well that would be a different story.
In the end, it may not even matter if they were sending over blocks of plutonium to Syria; no one is calling them on all the things that are already confirmed, so one more mystery doesn’t amount to much.
April 2nd, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I agree that the reports have been all over the place. It’s not a case I would take to a jury. But the reports do seem to be settling on the idea that it was a reactor being built with North Korean technological assistance … with some unspecified materials possibly having changed hands as well. Assuming that North Korea transferred nuclear technology and nothing more, however, I think it would still violate 1718.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 am
[...] expected allow North Korea to skirt around allegations it helped Syria develop a nuclear facility despite Israeli Prime Minister Barack’s recent admission to Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda, as well as avoid declaring it’s nuclear program. Joongang picks up the story: [...]