From: "Mark" 

It's way past time for Russia and China (and Europe) to get serious about
Iran. 

"Rich Gauszka"  wrote in message
news:454bf0aa$1{at}w3.nls.net...
> Well instead of sand we may now have a bunch of fused glass in the Middle
> East
>
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2436948,00.html
> Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE and Saudi Arabia seek atom
> technology
> THE SPECTRE of a nuclear race in the Middle East was raised yesterday when
> six Arab states announced that they were embarking on programmes to master
> atomic technology.
>
>
>
> The move, which follows the failure by the West to curb Iran's
> controversial nuclear programme, could see a rapid spread of nuclear
> reactors in one of the world's most unstable regions, stretching from the
> Gulf to the Levant and into North Africa.
>
> The countries involved were named by the International Atomic Energy
> Agency (IAEA) as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Tunisia and the
> UAE have also shown interest.
>
> "If Iran was not on the path to a nuclear weapons capability you would
> probably not see this sudden rush [in the Arab world]," he said.
>
> The announcement by the six nations is a stunning reversal of policy in
> the Arab world, which had until recently been pressing for a nuclear free
> Middle East, where only Israel has nuclear weapons.
>
> Egypt and other North African states can argue with some justification
> that they need cheap, safe energy for their expanding economies and
> growing populations at a time of high oil prices.
>
> The case will be much harder for Saudi Arabia, which sits on the world's
> largest oil reserves. Earlier this year Prince Saud al-Faisal, the Foreign
> Minister, told The Times that his country opposed the spread of nuclear
> power and weapons in the Arab world.
>
> Since then, however, the Iranians have accelerated their nuclear power and
> enrichment programmes.
>
>

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