THE OIL IS RUNNING OUT AINT IT ? U.S. Signs Nuclear Deal With United Arab Emirates

Senior officials from the United States and the United Arab Emirates signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement today during a broader meeting of Arab nations in Bahrain, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, March 24).

The deal accompanies a trend of growing interest in nuclear power by the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which consists of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (see GSN, Jan. 30).

“We really want to be a good example for the region,” said UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan during a signing ceremony with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“I know that you will be,” Rice said. “The UAE is a very responsible partner” (Agence France-Presse I/Yahoo!News, April 21).

To ease potential proliferation concerns, the Middle Eastern nation would abstain from building any uranium or plutonium facilities, sites that could be modified to produce nuclear weapon materials, Sheikh Abdullah said yesterday.

“In an effort to limit the danger of proliferation, the UAE government has also adopted a policy renouncing the development of any domestic enrichment or reprocessing capabilities in favor of long-term arrangements for the external supply of nuclear fuel,” he said (see related GSN story, today; Agence France-Presse II/Yahoo!News, April 20).

[link to www.nti.org]