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Saudis stick with oil, rule out nuclear energy
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SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, February 26, 2004
ABU DHABI ø Saudi Arabia has again ruled out the prospect that it
will develop nuclear energy.
Instead, the kingdom will continue to rely on oil and natural gas for
Saudi needs, officials said. They said the kingdom will continue to develop
nuclear research for industrial and medical purposes.
Dr. Khaled Al Eissa, deputy director of the Institute of Atomic Energy
Research, rejected reports that Saudi Arabia seeks nuclear weapons from
Pakistan, Middle East Newsline reported. Al Eissa, who is part of the state-owned King Abdul Aziz City for
Science and Technology, said nuclear research has been civilian and funded
mostly by local industries including Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corp.
and the state-owned Saudi Aramco.
Al Eissa said major institutions such as the King Faisal Specialist
Hospital and Research Center, the Armed Forces Hospital and the Saudi-German
Hospital have employed nuclear technology or radio isotopes for diagnosis
and therapy. He said the kingdom has drafted a plan to double the network of
radiation monitoring centers to 30 by 2006.
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