IAEA Inspects Syrian Reactor For Second Time After Discovering Uranium

November 17, 2009 3:55 p.m. EST

Vienna, Austria (AHN) - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has inspected a Syrian reactor for the second time on Tuesday. The visit was prompted by the agency's explanation about uranium particles found there.

The agency is trying to ascertain if the country is engaging in a covert nuclear program, and whether a site in the desert bombed by Israel in 2007 was really a secret nuclear facility.

The reactor located in Damascus is reportedly a small one used for scientific purposes. According to a report released on Monday by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei "the results do not support Syria's earlier explanation for the origin and presence of the particles."

This week's report when read is far different than one released in August which portrayed as being cooperative with regard to the Damascus reactor. However upon news of what the report contained Syrian officials changed their stories and now say the traces of uranium found are connected to experiments and imported material that the IAEA had not been informed about.

The Miniature Neutron Source Reactor or MNSR as it is often called is already under IAEA safeguards. Because of its status inspectors routinely visit the site.