Russian Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov said Thursday the countries of the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have the right to have access to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. "Certainly we are in favour of respecting the right of the faithful members of Non-Proliferation Treaty to have access to peaceful use of nuclear energy," he told reporters referring to the GCC's decision in December to pursue nuclear energy technology.
Russian "President (Vladimir) Putin proposed a while ago the creation of a multilateral enrichment centre that would be … certified by the (UN International Atomic Energy) Agency," he said following talks with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan.
"The enrichment would provide fuel to all member countries of the Non-Proliferation Treaty which implement the demands of the IAEA agreement. I'm sure that Gulf countries would act in this aim and under full control of the IAEA," he added.
Putin on Monday, during a landmark visit to Saudi Arabia, offered to help the kingdom develop a nuclear energy programme, a matter to which Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said Riyadh does not object.
During a summit in Riyadh two months ago, the GCC decided to pursue nuclear energy technology in accordance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and other international protocols.
Russia is building a nuclear reactor in Iran amid a standoff with the West, which suspects the Islamic republic is seeking nuclear weapons, a charge denied by Iran.
The Gulf Cooperation Council groups six pro-Western Gulf states: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Source: Agence France-Presse
