State Secretary Waldner meets IAEA Director General Amano

Vienna, 8 February 2012 – „The close cooperation between Austria and the IAEA in Vienna underscores the significance we – and the international community – attribute to this agency", said State Secretary Waldner at a work meeting he had with the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano.

Their talks focused on highly charged issues, such as concerns over a possible secret nuclear weapon programme in Iran, as well as the efforts to learn the right lessons from the nuclear reactor accident in Fukushima in 2011.

„It is the task of the IAEA to show those countries who wish to pursue a civilian use of nuclear energy the safest way for man and nature to achieve it. At the same time, it is necessary to prevent this technological progress from being abused to manufacture weapons of mass destruction. The IAEA must have enough inspectors and sufficient monitoring technology", stressed the State Secretary. „The IAEA, however, is all too often not granted adequate inspection powers, so that secret weapons programmes may remain undetected. Or, the regrettably non-binding safety recommendations are not implemented, resulting in a risk of radiation accidents. Even before Fukushima, Austria has backed all efforts to develop and implement the highest safety standards", said Waldner.

The IAEA began its activity in Vienna in 1957. It represents the only global organisation on issues of nuclear energy, and the largest of all Agencies in the United Nations system based in Vienna. Since radioactive radiation following accidents or nuclear weapons explosions does not stop at borders, a "nuclear power free" Austria has a great interest in enabling the IAEA to carry out reliable controls worldwide.

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