U.S. Questions Need for Arab Nuclear Study

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday questioned a plan by Arab nations to study the possibility of establishing nuclear power programs, Reuters reported (see GSN, Dec. 15).

The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council last week announced it would begin the study, leading some nuclear proliferation experts to warn of a nuclear arms race in the region.  The council consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

“One would have to wonder about the need of some states for nuclear power given their own energy resources,” Rice said.  “It’s one thing for a state to be running out of natural gas in 34 years, which is the case of Egypt” (see GSN, Sept. 25). 

“It is quite another for the state to be the moist oil-rich state in the world,” she said, speaking of Saudi Arabia.

Still, “there is no reason not to discuss it,” she added (Arshad Mohammed, Reuters, Dec. 16).

Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti official defended the planned study, saying it was entirely peaceful and was not a response to the Iranian nuclear crisis.

“The decision was not a reaction to the behavior of any country,” said Foreign Minister Mohammad al-Sabah.  “This reflects the GCC’s deep conviction that the use of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes is the absolute right of every country as long as it fully complies with international charters for the use of nuclear energy.”

Al-Sabah said the group of nations has asked the International Atomic Energy Agency about supporting the nuclear study (The News (Pakistan), Dec. 18).

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