Guterres cares deeply
Europe’s largest nuclear plant has come under constant shelling in recent weeks, raising fears of a potential nuclear disaster.
Emphasizing his continued grave concern about the situation, the head of the United Nations again warned that any damage to Zaporizhzhia, or any other nuclear facility in Ukraine, would have could lead to a disaster on a large scale.
“All steps must be taken to avoid such a scenario. Common sense and cooperation must guide the way forward. Any action that could jeopardize the physical integrity, safety or security of a nuclear plant is unacceptable,” he said.
Non-military perimeter
The Secretary-General stressed that efforts to re-establish the factory as a purely civilian infrastructure are crucial.
“As a first step, Russian and Ukrainian forces must commit not to engage in any military operations towards or from the factory site. The Zaporizhzhia facility and its surroundings should not be a target or a platform for military operations,” he said.
The second step would require securing an agreement on a demilitarized perimeter.
“Specifically, that would include the commitment of the Russian forces to withdraw all personnel and equipment from that perimeter and the commitment of the Ukrainian forces not to move there. The plant operator must be able to carry out his or her responsibilities and communication must be maintained”.
The Secretary-General calls for a commitment to assist the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency.IAEA) stationed at the factory.
After months of negotiations, a 14-member team from the nuclear watchdog arrived there last week. The two will remain at the site, which has been under Russian control since the early days of the conflict.
“I am confident that the IAEA experts currently deployed to Zaporizhzhia will be able to carry out their work without hindrance and contribute to the long-term nuclear safety and security of the plant. We all contribute to the success of their important mission,” he said.
IAEA’s ‘historic’ mission
IAEA Director Rafael Mariano Grossi, who led the mission, described it as “historic”. The fact that employees are there, he added, is “unprecedented”.
Citing the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl and Fukushima, as well as the conflict in Iraq, he recalls that although agency inspectors went through “difficult circumstances,” the consequences were always the same.
“We in this case have a historical, moral imperative to prevent something from happening. And by establishing this presence, agreeing to a special security and safety zone… we have the opportunity to prevent this from happening. ”
Unsplash / Yehor Milohrodskyi
Dnieper hydroelectric plant in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
‘Fire Play’
The mission report, released Tuesday, makes specific recommendations to address the seven pillars of nuclear safety that Grossi outlined at the beginning of the war.
While the first pillar calls for not violating the physical integrity of nuclear facilities, “this happened and continues to happen,” he said.
“The blows this facility has received and that I personally can see and judge alongside my experts are simply unacceptable. We are playing with fire and something very, very catastrophic could happen,” he warned.
The report proposes to establish a nuclear safety and security zone that would be limited to the perimeter and the plant itself.
Other recommendations call for the removal of all military vehicles and equipment from the site’s nuclear buildings, and to ensure a clear and regular return of accountability to personnel, in addition to re-establishing the environment. “appropriate” workplace.
