ABSTRACT
Safeguards were needed because of the spread of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and of the fact that nations can use or misuse peaceful nuclear plants to make nuclear weapons. Safeguards began modestly in early 1950s when United States, reversing its earlier policy, started to export research reactors and their fuel to ‘friendly’ countries and required them to accept United States controls and inspection to verify ‘peaceful use’. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) assigns to the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) the cardinal role of verifying that the non-nuclear weapon states party to the NPT are fulfilling their obligation not to divert their peaceful nuclear activities to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. IAEA safeguards had been in operation for nearly 10 years before the NPT came into force. The main strength of IAEA safeguards is that in every case they are applied after the voluntary decision of the government concerned.
