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The verification provided by Agency safeguards is a fundamental
An added merit is that it
constitutes a breakthrough in showing that international on-site
inspection can be accepted and can work. The shortcomings of the
safeguards system lie in its lack of universal coverage. Some 95% of
nuclear facilities outside the nuclear weaons States are under Agency
safeguards. Recently, the Government of Spain decided to sign the NPT
The decision of the Chinese Government to place some nuclear facilities
under IAEA safeguards is welcomed. This will mean that the on-site
inspection system will have been accepted by all recognized
nuclear-weapon States. But verified non-proliferation assurances stop
where the Agency's safeguards stop.
part of any non-proliferation commitmen
ments.
The introduction of nuclear power in developing countries has been
much slower than expected only 10-15 years ago. I have already mentioned
the state of the programmes in those third world countries which are
operating nuclear power plants, i.e., Argentina, Brazil, India, the
Republic of Korea, Pakistan and Yugoslavia. In addition, plants are
under construction here in China & Daya Bay and Qinshan, in Cuba and in
Mexico. Several countries, e.g., Egypt, Indonesia, and Turkey have
planned for nuclear power and even called for bids for plants, but have
not been able to start actual construction.
The Agency has a basic mandate to assist developing countries to
introduce nuclear power. A group of 20 senior experts from 15 developing
and industrial countries and the World Bank met last year at the IAEA to
take a fresh look at the problems and the prospects for nuclear power in
these countries. The group's report, which has just been published,
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