The agreement was signed in Vienna by HE Ambassador Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Permanent Representative to the IAEA and Special Representative for International Nuclear Cooperation, and Dr Mohamed El Baradei, the IAEA’s Director General.
“This is an important step for the UAE and another demonstration of our nation’s commitment to complete operational transparency and the highest standards of non-proliferation,” Ambassador
Al Kaabi said.
The IAEA describes the safeguards systems as ‘a confidence-building measure, an early warning mechanism’, in its work to ensure that nuclear programmes are not used for nuclear weapons purposes.
Among other measures, the Additional Protocol establishes a procedure for snap inspections of nuclear facilities, and provides guidelines for allowing inspectors access to facilities and information.
The obligations that stem from the Additional Protocol and other international instruments will be taken into account in the upcoming nuclear law and regulations in the UAE.
Following the UAE’s acceptance of the model Additional Protocol text developed by the IAEA, the UAE submitted a request for approval in February to the IAEA’s Board of Governors. Last month the Board approved the text and authorised the Director General to sign it with UAE.
The nation’s commitment to non-proliferation is detailed in the Policy of the UAE on the Evaluation and Potential Development of Peaceful Nuclear Energy, a document released in April 2008. One of the main pillars of the policy is the decision to forgo enrichment and reprocessing of nuclear
fuel.
