国际英语新闻：IAEA agrees to create international nuclear fuel bank

VIENNA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved on Friday an U.S. proposal on the establishment of a Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) Bank run by the agency.

According to the plan passed at the IAEA board meeting, the agency will be the owner of the LEU in the bank, which will be located in one or more Member States that is prepared to act as a host state.

The plan says LEU from the IAEA LEU bank will be supplied to Member States that experience a nuclear fuel supply disruption due to exceptional circumstances, and is unable to secure supply from the commercial market.

A statement from the EU representative to IAEA said the EU Council of Ministers had decided to support the establishment of an IAEA (LEU) Bank, and declared its readiness to make a substantial financial contribution to support the proposal.

However, the plan has met opposition from some developing countries. They worry that a nuclear fuel bank could undermine their right to acquire their own nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Some countries are also concerned with the possibility of fuel supply being controlled by western powers and used for political purposes.

Hu Xiaodi, the Chinese envoy to IAEA, told the board meeting that while the objective of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons should be promoted, Member States' right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy should not be affected.