Vienna, June 5 (SANA) A delegation from the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission held discussions with technical teams from the United States, Canada and several other countries regarding arrangements to replace the highly enriched fuel of Syria’s Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) with low-enriched fuel during meetings held at the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
Chairman of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission Mudar al-Okla told SANA on Thursday that the technical meetings, which lasted for a week and concluded Thursday, included extensive discussions on mechanisms for replacing the reactor’s nuclear fuel as part of efforts to reactivate scientific and research activities at the facility.
Al-Okla said the replacement of the reactor core reflects Syria’s full commitment to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and its implementation in support of the peaceful and safe uses of atomic energy.
He added that the process would open new opportunities for training and qualifying young Syrian specialists and enhancing their expertise in cooperation with the IAEA, helping improve operational efficiency and align activities with international standards governing scientific research and the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.
The Syrian Atomic Energy Commission noted that the MNSR is a Chinese-built, low-power research reactor with a capacity of approximately 30 kilowatts that Syria acquired in the 1990s.
The reactor remains subject to continuous IAEA safeguards and periodic environmental sampling. The commission stressed that the fuel replacement process is part of Syria’s ongoing commitment to international nuclear safety and security standards and to the principles of nuclear non-proliferation.
IZ/Rk
