§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information he possesses on current uranium mining in Iraq and on future Iraqi potential to convert natural uranium yellowcake to weapons grade material.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonIraq is a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty and has concluded a full-scope safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under which its nuclear facilities must be regularly inspected. Iraq extracts uranium as a by-product of the processing of phosphates to make fertilisers at Al Qaim close to the border with Syria. Since uranium ore (yellowcake) is not subject to safeguards inspections we are unable to state the total amount produced. No additional deposits of uranium ore have been identified within the country.
If Iraq wishes to produce enriched uranium it would require a facility to convert the yellowcake into a form suitable for enrichment and also an enrichment plant. We have no evidence of the existence of such facilities and, should it build them, Iraq would be obliged to declare them for safeguards inspections under its agreement with the IAEA.