UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday urged Russia and Ukraine to commit to stopping military activities near or from the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant and to secure an agreement for a demilitarized perimeter.
At a Security Council meeting on the situation at the nuclear plant, called by Russia, Guterres declared that the United Nations secretariat “proudly endorsed” the “critical mission” of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Zaporizhia, but He stressed that he remains “seriously concerned” about the situation in and around these Ukrainian facilities, which are occupied by Russian troops.
“Any action that could endanger the physical integrity or safety of the nuclear power plant is unacceptable. All efforts to restore the plant as a purely civilian infrastructure are vital.”Guterres said.
In this regard, the UN Secretary General requested a commitment from the Russian forces to withdraw all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter, and a commitment from the Ukrainian forces not to enter that area.
Guterres took the opportunity to regret that, last month, the X Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons failed to reach a consensus.
“The final document sought to address the issue of the safety of nuclear power plants in areas of armed conflict, including in Ukraine. But the Conference was unable to reach a consensus to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen the Treaty,” said the former Portuguese Prime Minister. . Minister. .
Hours before the Security Council meeting, the IAEA released its report on the visit to the Zaporizhia plant, in which it demanded the establishment of a “safe zone” around that Ukrainian nuclear plant, in order to avoid a serious accident .
Before the diplomatic missions present in the Security Council, the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, presented details of the report and said that “they are playing with fire.”
Detailing seven pillars of what he considers essential for the safety of the facilities, Grossi said that the first – the one dedicated to the physical integrity of the plant – “has been compromised and continues to be.”
“I have seen this personally and it is unacceptable. They are playing with fire and something catastrophic could happen. That is why we are asking for a security zone to be created at the Zaporizhia plant, ”he declared by videoconference.
The second pillar mentioned by Grossi is that all plant systems and equipment must be fully operational and operating normally.
“But we saw that they are operating under difficult circumstances, with military equipment in various areas,” he said.
Plant staff are also working under difficult circumstances, and the AEIA recommends that workers be allowed to return “to their normal routine of responsibility and authority”, including receiving family support.
The fourth pillar mentioned by Grossi was the need for an external power source: “it is crucial, because without it, the plant could lose crucial functions, including the cooling of the reactors. Without this, we could have a nuclear accident,” he warned. .
Grossi also drew attention to the need for uninterrupted logistics and transport chains, given that at stake is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant which, “at this industrial level”, requires a constant flow of equipment, but was interrupted by the war.
Sixth, the Argentine diplomat pointed out that the plant’s radiation monitoring equipment, essential for measuring its radiation levels, was affected by the conflict.
Finally, the director of the AEIA warned that, to function properly, the plant needs continuous and reliable lines of communication with the Ukrainian regulator and other organizations. However, “we have seen repeatedly that these lines have been interrupted,” he said.
Rafael Grossi, who led the inspection visit, said that it was “a historic mission” and that it “allowed an impartial and technical report of the situation.”
“Previous missions were to pick up the pieces, but this mission was to stop something terrible from happening,” he said.
This is the third Security Council meeting on the Zaporizhia plant, following meetings on the issue on August 11 and 23, both requested by Russia.
The Russian ambassador to the UN regretted that the IAEA report did not point out the responsibility of Ukraine, which Moscow accuses of having bombed the nuclear power plant.
“We regret that in your report… the source of these attacks is not directly named,” said Vasily Nebenzya, who considered this report a “confirmation” that the “only threat” to the site came from “bombing and sabotage.” by the Armed Forces of Ukraine”.
Nebenzya also welcomed the IAEA’s decision to establish a permanent presence at the Zaporizhia plant.
On the other hand, and as expected, Western diplomats pointed the finger at the responsibility of Russia, which occupies the place.
“Despite Russia’s music and dance here today to avoid acknowledging responsibility for its actions, Russia has no right to expose the world to unnecessary risk and the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe. Worse still, this is an entirely created situation.” by Russia,” said US Ambassador for Special Political Affairs Jeffrey DeLaurentis.
“The international community asked Russia to avoid the nuclear plant. Instead, Russian troops attacked and seized the facility, putting the IAEA’s Seven Pillars of nuclear security at risk.”
Source: TSF
