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Egypt hopes to head ‘Arab nuclear family’
Sunday, November 04, 2007
By Alain Navarro
Egypt has emerged at the forefront of a new push by Arab nations to build nuclear power plants in the volatile Middle East even as the West is locked in a standoff with Iran over its atomic drive.
President Hosni Mubarak announced on Tuesday that Egypt planned to construct a series of nuclear power plants, relaunching a programme shelved 20 years ago following the Chernobyl disaster.
Egypt’s move follows similar announcements by other Arab nations including the oil-rich Gulf states and former international pariah state Libya - despite growing tensions between Iran and the West over its own nuclear programme. “There is an internal political dimension to the decision by Mubarak, who is telling Iran that they will not allow Tehran to be the sole regional power to control the atom,” said Antoine Basbous, director of the Arab World Observatory based in Paris.
Cairo’s announcement that it would seek nuclear capabilities to ensure its future energy security while ruling out any military ambitions, received the immediate backing of Iran’s arch-foe Washington.
“It is a right for all Arabs,” Mubarak thundered at the Arab summit in Riyadh in March, sparking talk it was time for an “Arab nuclear family”. Among those seeking nuclear power are Algeria, Jordan, Libya, the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council including OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
GCC heads of state are due to report on the feasibility of a regional nuclear programme at their annual summit in Qatar in December. The United States has 103 nuclear power stations, followed by France with 59, Japan with 55 and Russia with 31 fully operational facilities and seven being built. Asia is also investing heavily in atomic energy and experts argue that should an alliance develop between Egypt and China - and possibly including Russia - this could weaken Washington’s ties to Cairo, its traditional ally. While Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world with 76 million people, and energy-poor Jordan could justify the switch to nuclear energy, the choice is more difficult for the Gulf countries, sitting on huge oil and gas reserves.
“It is Iran’s desire to accelerate its suspect nuclear programme that has encouraged its Arab neighbours to push forward and pursue a nuclear course,” said Basbous. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which vie for leadership of the largely Sunni Muslim Arab world, have never hidden their concerns over the nuclear ambitions of Iran - a Shiite power - and its influence in Iraq.afp
Daily Times
Sunday, November 04, 2007
By Alain Navarro
Egypt has emerged at the forefront of a new push by Arab nations to build nuclear power plants in the volatile Middle East even as the West is locked in a standoff with Iran over its atomic drive.
President Hosni Mubarak announced on Tuesday that Egypt planned to construct a series of nuclear power plants, relaunching a programme shelved 20 years ago following the Chernobyl disaster.
Egypt’s move follows similar announcements by other Arab nations including the oil-rich Gulf states and former international pariah state Libya - despite growing tensions between Iran and the West over its own nuclear programme. “There is an internal political dimension to the decision by Mubarak, who is telling Iran that they will not allow Tehran to be the sole regional power to control the atom,” said Antoine Basbous, director of the Arab World Observatory based in Paris.
Cairo’s announcement that it would seek nuclear capabilities to ensure its future energy security while ruling out any military ambitions, received the immediate backing of Iran’s arch-foe Washington.
“It is a right for all Arabs,” Mubarak thundered at the Arab summit in Riyadh in March, sparking talk it was time for an “Arab nuclear family”. Among those seeking nuclear power are Algeria, Jordan, Libya, the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council including OPEC powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.
GCC heads of state are due to report on the feasibility of a regional nuclear programme at their annual summit in Qatar in December. The United States has 103 nuclear power stations, followed by France with 59, Japan with 55 and Russia with 31 fully operational facilities and seven being built. Asia is also investing heavily in atomic energy and experts argue that should an alliance develop between Egypt and China - and possibly including Russia - this could weaken Washington’s ties to Cairo, its traditional ally. While Egypt, the most populous country in the Arab world with 76 million people, and energy-poor Jordan could justify the switch to nuclear energy, the choice is more difficult for the Gulf countries, sitting on huge oil and gas reserves.
“It is Iran’s desire to accelerate its suspect nuclear programme that has encouraged its Arab neighbours to push forward and pursue a nuclear course,” said Basbous. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which vie for leadership of the largely Sunni Muslim Arab world, have never hidden their concerns over the nuclear ambitions of Iran - a Shiite power - and its influence in Iraq.afp
Daily Times
its a step
