IAEA asked to consider measures to ensure Israel does not attack 'peaceful nuclear facilities'.

• Position: International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA asked to consider measures to ensure Israel does not attack 'peaceful nuclear facilities'

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has again been asked by the General Assembly to consider "additional measures to ensure that Israel undertakes not to attack or threaten to attack peaceful nuclear facilities in Iraq or elsewhere".

The Assembly acted on 1 November by adopting its resolution 40/6 by a recorded vote of 88 in favour to 13 against (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Federal Republic of Germany, Iceland, Israel, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States), with 39 abstentions.

By the 26-Power text, the Assembly also asked the Security Council to take "urgent and effective measures" to ensure Israel's compliance with Council resolution 487. That resolution was adopted unanimously in 1981 after Israel's 7 June attack of that year on the Tammuz nuclear reactor in Iraq; Israel was called on to place all of its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards in accordance with that decision.

The Assembly approved an Iranian amendment to the text adding a provision strongly condemning "all military attacks on all nuclear installations dedicated to peaceful purposes, including the military attacks by Israel on the nuclear facilities of Iraq". The recorded vote on the amendment was 79 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with 50 abstentions.

The Assembly also considered that Israel had not yet committed itself not to attack or threaten to attack nuclear facilities in Iraq or elsewhere, including facilities under IAEA safeguards.

Reaffirming that Iraq was entitled to compensation for the damage it had suffered as a result of the Israeli attack, the Assembly urged Member States to provide necessary technical assistance to Iraq to restore its peaceful nuclear programme and to overcome damage caused by the Israeli attack.

States and organizations that had not yet done so were called on to discontinue co-operating with the assisting Israel in the nuclear field. The Conference on Disarmament was asked to continue negotiations with a view to an immediate conclusion of the agreement on the prohibition of military attacks on nuclear facilities.

Report: In a report (A/40/783) on implementation of Council resolution 487, the Secretary-General said he had asked Israel to inform him of action it had taken or envisaged to take regarding the Assembly's demand that it undertake not to carry out, in disregard of the...