asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What assessment they have made of the CIA claim that the Government of Syria were developing a nuclear weapon capability with help from the Government of North Korea.

My Lords, the CIA briefed Members of the Senate and House intelligence committees and the media on this issue on 24 April and showed a video that appears to support the assessment that Syria was building a nuclear site with North Korean co-operation. These concerns demonstrate the importance of the additional safeguard measures that the IAEA has repeatedly requested all countries to adhere to.

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Does he recognise the scepticism that is bound to exist about such a report based on US intelligence assessments, given that they have been so very wrong in the recent past about similar issues? Does he share the belief that this report underlines the importance of greater diplomatic engagement with Syria, particularly by the United Kingdom, France and Germany?

My Lords, my noble friend is well aware that we have a golden rule in government not to comment on intelligence assessments. Much more prominent figures than I on both sides of the Atlantic have ignored this rule at their peril. Let me just say that I put great faith in the IAEA, which has agreed to assess the evidence and to provide an objective judgment on whether what the report purports to show is correct. I would add that officials here in the United Kingdom are very impressed by the evidence they have seen.

As to the second point, yes, this proves the need for intensified diplomatic effort.

My Lords, I do not want to put the Minister in any peril about these matters, but is it not the case that when the CIA was pressed at the briefing on whether this was a nuclear weapons development with a potential for creating fuel for weaponisation it said that it had “low confidence”—I think that was the phrase—in that assessment. That was of course jargon for it did not have a clue about whether it was going to be weaponised or not. Do not the real questions concern whether the IAEA was involved in assessing the civil nuclear potential of this site at all, whether the Israelis had any contact with the IAEA, and what contact they had with the United States before they decided to knock it out?

My Lords, the IAEA has made it clear that it was not aware of the allegations about this site or indeed of the evidence presented last week until then. Clearly, the IAEA has a lot of catching up to do to process this material and to judge what it does not represent.

My Lords, have the Government of Syria agreed to allow the IAEA to inspect the site and to give it full access to everything the Syrian Government might or might not have been doing at that site? Will he also clarify what would be the legal position of the Syrian Government in respect of the non-proliferation treaty and in respect of any safeguard agreements it has with the International Atomic Energy Agency if it turned out that it had indeed had a covert nuclear programme at that site?

My Lords, Syria is required to give access to the IAEA as a signatory to the NPT and, similarly, if it has been preparing a secret nuclear weapons site it is evidently completely in breach of its NPT undertakings. Again, we need to wait for the IAEA assessment.

My Lords, the Minister will be aware of the unhappy coincidence that this information was released by the CIA just after former President Carter had told us all that Syria wanted to open discussions with the United States and in the context of well-founded reports in Washington that the Turkish Government have been attempting to help the Syrians and the Israelis to talk directly. Can the Minister reassure us that the Government are in favour of inclusive talks on these Middle East problems and not of excluding particular parties, which seems to be what many within the Bush Administration wish to do.

My Lords, obviously the noble Lord would not expect me to comment on the coincidences he refers to, but I can confirm that the United Kingdom Government remain strongly in favour of inclusive peace talks. Indeed, we were one of those who pressed hard for the Syrians to be included at Annapolis.

My Lords, does the Minister agree that, irrespective of the CIA’s accusations, there is mounting evidence of at least the ambiguity that surrounds the intentions of Syria in relation to nuclear development? Does he accept that that goes some way to explaining why the state of Israel does not have an incandescent enthusiasm for signing a non-proliferation treaty and ceasing to be a nuclear power?

My Lords, I agree with the noble Lord’s concern. This represents potentially a major breach of the NPT and a major threat to international affairs, but it must wait until the assessment is made. I would say to the noble Lord and to the state of Israel that it is precisely because Syria is a party to the NPT that we have an international means of verification available to us. As a party to the treaty, Syria must allow international inspections in order to confirm or refute the charge that it has a weapons programme under development.

My Lords, what are the obligations of a member of the IAEA to bring to the attention of the agency evidence of a breach of the NPT, and why was it necessary to delay from 7 September last until this April before that information was made available?

My Lords, press reports show that Dr El Baradei, the director-general of the IAEA, raised some of the same concerns. We will have to wait to see the exchanges between him and the United States on that. I cannot pretend to be privy to the precise obligations, but, as I understand it, this kind of information should be brought to the IAEA by its members in a timely way.