Jordan seeks to establish own nuclear programme
BEN LYNFIELD JERUSALEM
JORDAN is seeking to establish its own nuclear programme "for peaceful purposes", according to the country's king, Abdullah.
In an interview with an Israeli newspaper, the king spoke openly about desires for a Jordanian nuclear programme for the first time and said discussions were already under way with western countries.
"The rules on the nuclear issue in our region have completely changed," King Abdullah said.
"The Egyptians are striving for their own nuclear programme and so, too, the Persian Gulf countries."
Although Jordan would prefer to see a Middle East free of nuclear weapons "every desire we had on this has changed", he said.
King Abdullah's declaration of nuclear intent follows a December announcement by Saudi Arabia and five other Gulf countries that they intend to establish a peaceful nuclear programme and a September announcement by Egypt that it will revive its long-dormant nuclear power programme for peaceful purposes.
Although none of the Arab countries has said so openly, Israeli analysts believe that concern over the prospect of an Iranian nuclear bomb is behind their sudden surge of desire for nuclear power.
Iran, which says its research is for civilian purposes, has refused to suspend uranium enrichment activities despite the imposition of limited United Nations sanctions last month
Israel, widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal of its own, is worried about Iran's programme given statements by its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, that the Jewish state should be wiped off the map.
Critics of Israel holding a nuclear arsenal say this threatens regional stability and gives the Iranians a justification for pursuing nuclear technology.
Adnan Oudeh, a former adviser to the Jordanian monarch, said Jordan needed nuclear power in order to "build a competitive economy".
"Jordan has the human resources for this, we have the scientists," he said. "The problem for us is economic, but we are in need [of nuclear power] more than the other Arab countries because we are a country without a power supply."
Mr Oudeh stressed that Jordan had been a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty for more than 30 years and that it had signed and adhered to a peace agreement with Israel. The treaty allows countries to build nuclear power stations under international supervision.
However, Gerald Steinberg, a political scientist at Bar Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said he did not believe Jordan actually intended to embark on a nuclear programme.
"It makes no sense," he said. They don't have those kind of energy requirements and won't for generations to come."
Rather, King Abdullah's comment should be seen as "pressure on the international community to take the Iranian threat seriously".
Web links
Israeli Government
gov.il
Haaretz
haaretzdaily.com
Jerusalem Times
jerusalem-times.net
Related topic
Middle East conflict
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This article: news.scotsman.com
Last updated: 20-Jan-07 01:24 GMT |
