UN denies Russia’s claims that it blocks inspectors’ access to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

EUROPEAN PRAVDA – MONDAY, 15 AUGUST 2022, 22:28

The UN has denied Russia’s allegations that the UN Secretariat is blocking International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) access to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which remains under the control of Russian occupying forces.

Source: European Pravda, quoting Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General

Details: Dujarric said that in the past few days various Russian officials have made repeated comments that the UN Secretariat was cancelling or blocking visits from the IAEA to the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

Quote from UN Secretary-General’s spokesman: "I want to clarify a few points. First, the IAEA is a specialised agency that acts in full independence in deciding how to implement its specific mandate.

Second, the UN Secretariat has no authority to block or cancel any IAEA activities.

Third, in close contact with the IAEA, the UN Secretariat has assessed that it has in Ukraine the logistics and security capacity to be able to support any IAEA mission to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from Kyiv, should both Russia and Ukraine agree."

Background: A total of 42 countries have called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia NPP, stressing that their presence there poses a threat to the safe operation of the nuclear plant.

On Thursday, 11 August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a warning over ZNPP; he called for withdrawing any military personnel and equipment from the plant and refraining from any further deployment of forces or equipment to the site. Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has joined the calls to demilitarise the zone around the ZNPP.

Meanwhile, Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, did not support the offer to create a demilitarised zone around the Zaporizhzhia NPP.

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