IAEA / AMANO

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano told the Agency’s Board of Governors that it was necessary to “nearly double the staff resources devoted to verification” in Iran’s nuclear programme. IAEA

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:35
• Production Date: 24 January 2014
• Asset Language: Original
• Corporate Name: INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY - IAEA
• Subject Topical: NUCLEAR SCIENCE
• Geographic Subject: IRAN
• MAMS Id: U140124b

Description

STORY: IAEA / AMANO
TRT: 1.35
SOURCE: IAEA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 24 JANUARY, VIENNA, AUSTRIA

Shotlist

1. Various shots, AIEA meeting
2. Med shot, delegates
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General:
“We will need to nearly double the staff resources devoted to verification in Iran. We will need to significantly increase the frequency of the verification activities which we are currently conducting. Our inspectors will need access to additional locations. We will have to acquire and install more safeguards equipment and analyze more samples. And the volume of analytical work and reporting will increase.”
4. Med shot, delegates
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Yukiya Amano, IAEA Director General:
“This additional effort will result in increased costs to the Agency, which we estimate at around six million Euros over the next six months. We expect to cover around 500,000 euros of the extra costs within the Department of Safeguards through re-prioritization of our work, re-scheduling of activities and re-allocation of staff. But the Agency will still need additional extra-budgetary contributions of some 5.5 million euros for the six-month period. I call upon countries which are in a position to do so to make the necessary funding available.”
6. Wide shot, AIEA meeting

Storyline

IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano today (24 Jan) told the Agency’s Board of Governors that it was necessary to “nearly double the staff resources devoted to verification” in Iran’s nuclear programme. AIEA.

Amano convened this special meeting of the Board of Governors to consult with the Board regarding the request by Iran and the E3/EU+3 for the Agency to undertake monitoring and verification of nuclear-related measures in Iran in relation to the Joint Plan of Action.

In his statement, he said “we will need to significantly increase the frequency of the verification activities which we are currently conducting. Our inspectors will need access to additional locations. We will have to acquire and install more safeguards equipment and analyze more samples. And the volume of analytical work and reporting will increase.”

Amano added “this additional effort will result in increased costs to the Agency, which we estimate at around six million Euros over the next six months. We expect to cover around 500,000 Euros of the extra costs within the Department of Safeguards through re-prioritization of our work, re-scheduling of activities and re-allocation of staff.”

In that sense, he explained that the Agency would still need additional extra-budgetary contributions of some 5.5 million Euros for the six-month period.

Amano stressed “I call upon countries which are in a position to do so to make the necessary funding available.”

He asked the Board to endorse the Agency undertaking monitoring and verification in relation to the nuclear-related measures set out in the Joint Plan of Action, subject to the availability of funds.

Amano underlined “this will be a further important step towards achieving a comprehensive solution to the Iran nuclear issue. But there is still a long way to go.”

He also noted “we will continue our regular work of implementing safeguards in Iran, which will be presented in detail in my quarterly reports.”

At the March Board, he will report on implementation by Iran of the six practical measures agreed in the Joint Statement on a Framework for Cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which was signed by Iran and the Agency last November.
In that regard, he expects to identify the next measures envisaged under the Framework; adding in “I hope that all of the work undertaken by the Agency will provide an important contribution to advancing the resolution of the Iran nuclear issue and will lead to further positive developments.”

On 24 November 2013, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States agreed on a Joint Plan of Action with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Plan is aimed at achieving “a mutually-agreed long-term comprehensive solution that would ensure Iran’s nuclear programme will be exclusively peaceful.”

Iran is to undertake a series of “voluntary measures” over a period of six months.