Don’t Bomb Iran

Jordan aims to develop nuclear power for ‘peaceful purposes’, says Jordan’s king to Israeli media. Explaining a major change of policy, he said ‘the rules have changed on the nuclear subject throughout the whole region’ … ‘after this summer, everyone is going for nuclear programmes’. He announced talks with the West on nuclear development, as have Egypt and the six states in the Gulf Cooperation Council in recent weeks. Some analysts think this interview with Haaretz is a sign to Israel to address its nuclear weapons, some think it a warning to Iran.

excerpts from Jan 20 Haaretz article
King Abdullah to Haaretz: Jordan aims to develop nuclear power
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent:

“But, the rules have changed on the nuclear subject throughout the whole region. Where I think Jordan was saying, ‘we’d like to have a nuclear-free zone in the area,’ after this summer, everybody’s going for nuclear programs.

“The Egyptians are looking for a nuclear program. The GCC [Gulf Cooperation Council] are looking at one, and we are actually looking at nuclear power for peaceful and energy purposes. We’ve been discussing it with the West.

“I personally believe that any country that has a nuclear program should conform to international regulations and should have international regulatory bodies that check to make sure that any nuclear program moves in the right direction.”