DUBAI, 2 November 2007 — Gulf states are willing to set up a body to provide enriched uranium to Iran to defuse Tehran’s stand-off with the West over its nuclear plan, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal told a magazine yesterday.
“We have proposed a solution, which is to create a consortium for all users of enriched uranium in the Middle East,” Prince Saud told the Middle East Economic Digest (MEED).
“The US is not involved, but I don’t think it (would be) hostile to this, and it would resolve a main area of tension between the West and Iran,” he told the London-based weekly. “(We will) do it in a collective manner through a consortium that will distribute according to needs, give each plant its own necessary amount, and ensure no use of this enriched uranium for atomic weapons,” Prince Saud said, according to MEED’s website.
Speaking yesterday during a visit to Britain, the prince said Iran was considering the offer of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which envisages building a plant in a neutral country. “We believe it should be in a neutral country — Switzerland, for instance,” said Prince Saud. “Any plant in the Middle East that needs enriched uranium would get its quota. I don’t think other Arab states would refuse. In fact... other Arab countries have expressed a desire to be part of the proposal.
“They (Iran) have responded that it is an interesting idea and they will come back to us. We hope the Iranians will accept this proposal. We continue to talk to them and urge them not only to look at the issue from the perspective of the needs of Iran for energy, but also in the interests of the security of the region.”
There was no immediate comment on the proposal from Tehran, which has consistently refused to heed UN demands to halt its own nuclear enrichment.
The six Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain) have announced plans to start their own nuclear energy program. Several countries in the region have said they are looking to nuclear energy to help them meet growing demand for electricity.
Later yesterday, Prince Saud briefed the media about the visit of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to Britain. He said the king’s four-day visit that ended yesterday offered the two countries an opportunity to compare views and discuss regional and international issues.
About the Kingdom’s efforts to fight terrorism, Prince Saud said Saudi Arabia had taken a number of steps to counter the menace, but its total eradication would take time.
He also stressed the importance of international coordination in this matter including the setting up of an international center to fight terrorism.
On the situation in Iraq, Prince Saud said there was global consensus on the need to guarantee security and stability in Iraq without compromising the country’s sovereignty and independence. He warned against dividing Iraq on ethnic lines.
Prince Saud stressed the need for finding a solution to the core issues in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute in the upcoming peace conference in the United States.
