Health Minister Lydia Mutsch attended the 59th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna today to present the EU statement under the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The General Conference is being held from 14 to 18 September 2015, assembling the 164 Member States to address the major issues in the use of nuclear energy, particularly with regards to non-proliferation, a matter referred to by Minister Mutsch in her EU statement.
Minister Mutsch emphasised the need to support the role of the IAEA in promoting non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, and in veriyfing that nuclear materials are not employed for non-peaceful matters.
She went on to congratulate the IAEA on behalf of the European Union with regards to the agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue between Iran and the countries of the US, Russia, China, France, UK and Germany, stating "its full implementation [...] will provide the international community with the necessary assurances on the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme and will contribute positively to regional and international peace and security".
By contrast, Lydia Mutsch was critical of the IAEA report on the Fukushima nuclear accident, presented on the sidelines of the General Conference, saying "UN agencies will have to continue to analyse the long-term health impacts on populations".
Photo by Ministry of Health (Lydia Mutsch)
