HL Deb 20 June 1994 vol 556 cc1-2WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) has established beyond doubt and to the satisfaction of Her Majesty's Government that it was not the case that technical and safety considerations required the removal of the fuel rods from the North Korean reactor.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

In his address to the UN Security Council on 3rd June, the IAEA Director General said that in the Agency's opinion there were no technical or safety reasons why North Korea had to start discharging its 5 megawatt reactor in May. He also stated that there was no reason why the discharging operation could not have been suspended at any time, in order to maintain the possibility of the IAEA undertaking its required measurements at some future date.

Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the IAEA has established beyond doubt and to the satisfaction of Her Majesty's Government that the procedures proposed to them by the relevant North Korean authorities (see Summary of World Broadcasts: Far East/2017 D/2–3, 8 June 1994) are insufficient for the eventual measurement of the fuel rods if and when North Korea fully cancels its notice of withdrawal from the NPT, on completion of the "package deal" agreed by North Korea and the United States 12 months ago.

Baroness Chalker of Wallasey

Yes. In his report to the IAEA Board of Governors on June 7, which we fully support, the IAEA Director General said that North Korea's proposal that agency inspectors could take measurements of the fuel rods at a later date was not viable. The North Korean proposal would not allow the agency to verify independently where different rods had been located in the reactor, which would In turn prevent the agency from verifying whether plutonium had been diverted from the reactor in previous years.