Leaders of six Gulf state announced that they would develop a joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes. The leaders made the announcement in a statement issued Sunday at the end of the two-day 27th Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit.
The GCC comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The six oil-rich Arab states said they were considering the possibility of creating a shared atomic program, stressing that the "states of the region have a right to possess nuclear technology for peaceful purposes."
GCC Secretary-General Abdul-Rahman al-Attiya said that the joint nuclear program would abide by international treaties and be subject to external scrutiny.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal dismissed speculation that the GCC's decision to seek nuclear technology would heighten regional tension.
"We will develop nuclear technology openly, rather than clandestinely. We don't want atomic bombs," he said, adding: "It's not a threat... It is an announcement so that there will be no misinterpretation for what we are doing."
The Gulf leaders also reaffirmed their support for a peaceful settlement to Iran's nuclear crisis, and called on Tehran to focus on environmental issues, and cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The United States and other Western states claim that Iran is secretly developing atomic arms, a charge Iran strongly denies.
GCC members also said they wanted a region free of weapons of mass destruction, and called on Israel to renounce nuclear weapons and allow international inspection of all its atomic facilities.
The Riyadh-based GCC was established in 1981 to improve the coordination and cooperation among its member states and promote regional integration.
Agencies
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