JERUSALEM (JTA) — The head of Israel’s nuclear agency invited the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect its Soreq nuclear research center.
Dr. Shaul Chorev, head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, during a speech Wednesday to the IAEA’s General Conference in Vienna said that Israel has formally asked the IAEA to conduct a safety assessment at Soreq, Ynet reported.
Chorev said an inspection "will benefit all concerned in Israel, including the general public. It will also manifest the operation of Israel’s nuclear centers according to high safety standards which are compatible with IAEA standards," according to Ynet.
Soreq is under IAEA inspection. The nuclear reactor at Dimona, which is rumored to produce nuclear weapons, is closed to the outside. Israel neither confirms nor denies that it possesses nuclear weapons.
Chorev said that Israel opposes the plan to hold a conference later this year on Middle East nuclear disarmament, calling it "futile," according to Ynet. The conference is favored by the Obama administration, according to reports.
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