Six Arab states plan nuclear programs
THE spectre of a nuclear race in the Middle East was raised at the weekend as six Arab states announced they were embarking on atomic technology programs.
The move, which follows the failure by the West to curb Iran's controversial nuclear program, could see a rapid spread of nuclear reactors in one of the world's most unstable regions, stretching from the Gulf to the Levant and into North Africa.
The countries involved were named by the International Atomic Energy Agency as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Tunisia and the UAE have also shown interest.
All want to build civilian nuclear power plants, as they and the Iranians are permitted to under international law. But the rush to nuclear power has raised Western suspicions that the real intention is to acquire nuclear technology that could be used to make the first Arab atomic bomb.
"Some Middle East states, including Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Saudi Arabia, have shown initial interest in using nuclear power primarily for desalination purposes," the deputy director-general of the IAEA, Tomohiro Yamaguchi, told the business weekly Middle Digest.
He said the agency had held talks with the governments involved, and that the IAEA's technical advisory program would be offered to help them with studies into creating power plants.
Mark Fitzpatrick, an expert on nuclear proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it was clear the sudden drive for nuclear expertise was to provide the Arabs with a security hedge.
"If Iran was not on the path to a nuclear weapons capability, you would probably not see this sudden rush," he said.
The announcement by the six nations is a stunning reversal of policy in the Arab world, which had been pressing for a nuclear-free Middle East, although Israel already has nuclear weapons.
Egypt and other North African countries can credibly argue they need cheap, safe and clean energy for their expanding economies and growing populations at a time of high oil prices.
The case will be much harder for Saudi Arabia, which sits on the world's largest oil reserves.
The Times
El Organismo Internacional de Energía Atómica informó que esa agencia ha sido notificada por cuatro países árabes que desean desarrollar programas civiles de energía nuclear, de acuerdo con el diputado general Tomihiro Taniguchi. Los países interesados son Egipto, Arabia Saudita, Marruecos y Argelia.

El señor Taniguchi dijo que la agencia ya ha tenido discusiones preliminares con estos gobiernos y ha manifestado que les ofrecerá ayuda técnica. Los países mencionados usarán la energía nuclear para plantas de desalinización de agua.

Otros dos países que han manifestado interés son Túnez y Emiratos Árabes Unidos. La ley internacional permite el uso de energía nuclear para la generación de electricidad bajo la supervisión del Tratado de No Proliferación Nuclear como lo hace Irán.

El anuncio significa un giro en la política del mundo árabe, que mantenía una agenda de un Oriente Medio libre de tecnología nuclear. Los países del Norte de África pueden argumentar la necesidad de la tecnología nuclear para la generación de electricidad, pero ese argumento es más difícil de usar para los países del golfo Pérsico, que son ricos en recursos energéticos.