Saudi Arabian Nuclear Technology Experiments Are Strictly Peaceful, Ambassador Says

Saudi Arabia is conducting nuclear technology experiments that have nothing to do with weapons, the country’s ambassador to Kuwait said in remarks published yesterday, though he apparently misunderstood the purpose of the research (see GSN, April 19).

“The kingdom is not seeking to possess nuclear weapons,” Ambassador Abdul-Aziz al-Fayez told the Al-Qabas daily in Kuwait.

Experiments at the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology in Riyadh involve “the field of nuclear energy,” he said, according to the Associated Press.

However, the facility said in a prepared statement that the ambassador had “misinterpreted the actual activities” being conducted.

Rather than seeking to produce energy, the research involves the use of nuclear techniques in sectors such as agriculture, health, cancer therapy and the medical field, according to the statement (Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Nov. 15).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.