. MINISTER FOR  FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE NEWS RELEASE

No. M57 Date 8 May 1991

AUSTRALIAN JOINS TEAM TO SEARCH FOR IRAQ'S NUCLEAR MATERIALS

A senior member of the Australian Safeguards Office, Mr John  Bardsley, will join a team of experts assigned by the

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to locate and remove  materials in Iraq which could be used to develop nuclear  weapons.

Mr Bardsley is the second Australian to join the international  effort to destroy, remove or render harmless Iraq's weapons of  mass destruction.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Senator Gareth  Evans, and the Minister for Primary Industries and Energy, Mr  John Kerin, announced today that the Vienna-based IAEA had

asked the Australian Government to make Mr Bardsley available  to be part of a team which will carry out the first nuclear  inspections in Iraq since the Gulf War.

The team will seek to verify Iraq's declarations of its  holdings of nuclear material, inspect its nuclear facilities  and develop a plan for the destruction, removal or rendering  harmless of items and material which could be used in nuclear  weapons.

The IAEA was asked to carry out its work in Iraq by the United  Nations Security Council pursuant to Security Council  Resolution 687 which set the terms for a permanent ceasefire  in the Gulf War. Resolution 687 required Iraq to submit a

list of its nuclear weapons or nuclear weapons-usable material  or related facilities to the Secretary-General within 15 days  and place all nuclear weapons-usable material under the  exclusive control of the IAEA for custody and removal.

Senator Evans and Mr Kerin underlined Australia's strong  support for the safeguards activities of the IAEA and the  Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as the key elements of the  nuclear non-proliferation regime.

They said the request from the IAEA to have Mr Bardsley join  its team was a credit to Mr Bardsley and the Australian

Safeguards Office. It was also further acknowledgement of  Australia's expertise in the field of arms control and  disarmament and active contribution to preventing the

proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Australia is a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which  met in the Hague in March to tighten nuclear export controls,  and has led a campaign internationally to establish fullscope

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safeguards on the necessary conditions for new nuclear supply.  Australia is also a member of the IAEA Board of Governors.

Mr Bardsley is expected to leave for Vienna at the weekend  before travelling on to Iraq.

On 2 May, Senator Evans announced that Dr John Gee, a senior  officer' of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, had  been appointed to head the United Nations Special Commission  Working Group established to coordinate and oversee the  destruction of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons.

Biographical details of Mr Bardsley are attached.

* * *

JOHN BARDSLEY - BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

John Bardsley is Head of the International Safeguards Section,  Australian Safeguards Office.

He has extensive experience in international safeguards  matters:  Â·

.  He is currently a member of the IAEA's (International Atomic Energy Agency) Standing Advisory Group on Safeguards Implementation (SAGSI), a group of world  experts appointed by the IAEA's Director-General.

.  He has worked for three years as a safeguards inspector  for the IAEA ( 1973/76), and was provided to the IAEA by  the Australian Government for two years as a Cost Free  Expert (1984/86).

.  He has represented Australia in numerous international meetings.

Mr Bardsley*s professional background is in metallurgy:

.  His experience includes five years R&D on plutonium  metallurgy with the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

.  He joined the former Australian Atomic Energy Commission  in 1962. .

.  He has been a senior member of the Australian Safeguards  Office since 1976.

' V

- v  DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE  .

CANBERRA A-C.T. 2600

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NOTE FOR THE MEDIA AUSTRALIA^

9 M ay 1991

AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR EXPERT TO G O  TO IRAQ

Mr John Bardsley, a senior m em ber of the Australian Safeguards O ffice, will be  leaving Australia this weekend to join an International Atom ic Energy A gency  Team. The team  will be going to Iraq to  locate and rem ove materials which  might be used to develop nuclear weapons.

Mr Bardsley will be available to talk to the m edia a t 9.30am tom orrow in the DeÂ­ partm ent of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

All media welcom e.

* press release and Mr Bardsley's biographical details are a tta ch e d

