VIENNA: Russia is warning that a US strike on Syria’s atomic facilities might result in a nuclear catastrophe and is urging the UN to present a risk analysis of such a scenario.
The warning comes from Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Alexander Lukashevich. He said in a statement Wednesday that a strike on a miniature reactor near Damascus or other nuclear installations could contaminate the region with radioactivity, adding: “The consequences could be catastrophic.”
IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor told the AP in an e-mail Thursday that her agency is ready to “consider the questions raised” by Lukashevich if it receives a formal request to do so from Moscow.
Russia’s Interfax news agency says that Moscow intends to bring up the issue at next week’s 35-nation IAEA board meeting.
Russia: Strike on Syria could mean nuke disaster
Russia: Strike on Syria could mean nuke disaster
