UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The UN nuclear chief stressed on Tuesday that the world is lucky that a nuclear accident did not occur in Ukraine and called on Moscow and Kiev to commit to preventing any attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and to make other commitments “to avert the danger of a catastrophic incident.
Rafael Grossi reiterated to the UN Security Council what he told the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in March: “We are rolling a dice and if it continues, one day our luck will be gone. ‘will exhaust’.
The IAEA director general said avoiding a nuclear accident is possible if five principles are observed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where fighting on seven occasions, most recently last week, interrupted critical power supplies, “the last line of defense against a nuclear accident”. ”
Grossi “respectfully and solemnly” called on Ukraine and Russia to abide by the principles, saying IAEA experts in Zaporizhzhia would start monitoring and he would publicly report any violations:
— Prohibit attacks from or against the plant, in particular by targeting reactors and spent fuel storage areas.
— Prohibit the storage of heavy weapons or the presence of military personnel that could be used for an attack.
— Ensure the safety of an uninterrupted off-site power supply to the plant.
— Protect “all structures, systems and components” essential to the operation of the plant against attacks or acts of sabotage.
— Do not take any action that undermines these principles.
Grossi called on the 15 members of the Security Council to support the five principles, stressing that they are “to the detriment of no one and in the interest of all”.
Kremlin forces took control of the plant after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposes any proposal that would legitimize Russian control.