Myanmar is set to sign an agreement on Tuesday that grants the International Atomic Energy Agency a wider scope in carrying out inspections in the formerly reclusive Southeast Asian country, Reuters reported on Monday.
By signing the so-called Additional Protocol, officials in the Myanmar capital of Naypyidaw are agreeing to permit IAEA officials to carry out surprise examinations of sites that are not necessarily declared to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.
The fact that Myanmar is on the verge of inking the Additional Protocol is a sign of just how significantly circumstances have changed from a few years ago, when the country was under strong international sanctions for its past anti-democratic actions and human-rights abuses. Myanmar also was suspected of engaging in illegal-weapons trade with North Korea that possibly included covertly setting up a nuclear program.
Beginning in 2011 with the installation of a civilian-led government, Myanmar has undertaken a number of democratic reforms. It has sworn to never develop nuclear weapons and promised to cut military ties with Pyongyang. These steps and other disclosures have led the United States to relax sanctions over Myanmar.
The Additional Protocol "equips the IAEA with important additional measures that provide for broader access to information about the state's nuclear program, increased physical access by IAEA inspectors and improved administrative arrangements," the U.N. watchdog said in a statement.
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http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/myanmar-to-ink-deal-allowing-more-iaea-oversight-2/
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