Middle East Nuclear Powers, Middle East Nuclear Leasers…………..
“Oil powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have joined the race to gain nuclear energy, but in sharp contrast to nearby Iran, their ambitions are unlikely to worry the West. Sanctions are piling up against Opec member Iran as the international community seeks to force it to contain its nuclear activities. On Monday, the European Union is expected to adopt the latest set of measures. No-one disputes that Iran, in common with its fellow Middle Eastern oil producers, has an urgent need for more sources of power generation to prevent it burning fuel oil to meet surging domestic energy demand. The problem is the suspicion Tehran is on the road to building a nuclear bomb, whereas Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are credited with only wanting peaceful power. "We have no concern with these countries (Saudi, the UAE) developing conventional nuclear power," Luis Echavarri, director general of the Paris-based Nuclear Energy Agency, told Reuters. "It is something every country has the right to have. Everybody should have the benefit of this energy. This is more difficult for some countries than for others, but conceptually nuclear power is available for everyone."……”
The difference is that any Saudi and UAE nuclear program will not be ‘theirs’. They will finance the programs, they will be on their territory, they will benefit from the energy produced, but it will not be really ‘their program’. Not technically: they will be operated by Westerners. Saudi Arabia and UAE will give up any claim to the technology itself, to the knowledge, at least beyond a certain point, something the Iranians will not do (anymore than the French would do).
The Jordanians, bless their surly humorless hearts, are upset about getting the same treatment as the Saudis and the UAE from the West. They want full control and access to the technology. They will not get it, something that surely will not improve the dismal state of humor in Jordan.
Cheers
mhg
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