Egypt May Develop Nuclear Weapons
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Courtesy Of: Natural Resources Defense Council
1/5/2007 9:44:00 AM
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
SHARM E-SHEIK, Egypt, Jan 5, 2007 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that while his country does not want nuclear weapons, it must have the ability to defend itself against nuclear states.
Mubarak said Iran's work to attain nuclear capability is the cause of great concern for Egypt, YNetNews reported Friday.
"Egypt's stance is clear," the president said. "We declared this stance in Baghdad in the early 1990s in the presence of then (Iraqi) President Saddam Hussein: The Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction -- atomic, biological and chemical.
"We don't want nuclear arms in the area but we are obligated to defend ourselves. We will have to have the appropriate weapons. It is irrational that we sit and watch from the sidelines when we might be attacked at any moment," Mubarak said.
The statement appears to be a reversal from Egypt's previous assurances that its nuclear program would be aimed solely at combating the country's deficiency in fuel and natural gas reserves.
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