×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Saudi Arabia mulls nuclear cooperation with Pak: Report

Last Updated 04 May 2018, 03:13 IST

Though Saudi Arabia has a memorandum of cooperation with the US over building nuclear reactors for generating electricity, French website Intelligence Online reported that the Saudi royal family is divided over the issue with some heavyweights favouring a secret programme for military purposes with the help of Islamabad, daily Ha'aretz reported today.

The Gulf Kingdom's defence Minister Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, and the its former intelligence chief, Turki Bin Faisal, favour the preparation of a nuclear programme for military uses, in cooperation with a Sunni Muslim ally, Pakistan, which possesses dozens of atomic bombs, the report said.

Progressing towards this end, Pakistani nuclear scientists recently visited Saudi Arabia, as pilgrims to Mecca, making use of their visit for a work meeting with, among others, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, the head of the National Security Council and former ambassador to the United States, it said.

Bandar is considered to be among those encouraging the nuclear connection with Pakistan to put his country on a secret path to nuclear weapons.

He also reportedly visited Kazakhstan a few weeks ago and met with the directors of the state-owned company that produces uranium, Kazatomprom.

In contrast to the hawks, apparently there is also a group in the royal family, headed by Foreign Minister Saud al Faisal and Interior Minister Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, that opposes establishing a secret nuclear military programme reliant on Pakistan and prefers to be defended against Iran under the American nuclear umbrella.

Saudi Arabia reportedly funded Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme in return for Pakistan's promise to aid the monarchy in this area, if need be.According to a 2004 report, the Saudi deputy defence minister visited the Pakistani nuclear center in Kahuta, which produces bombs.

Meanwhile, Riyadh has an MoU with United States for setting up nuclear reactors for civilian purposes signed in 2008.

Washington is interested in selling Riyadh reactors for two reasons, fat contracts worth billions of dollars for the American nuclear energy industry and the somewhat covert aspect - supplying the reactors would allow it to keep close tabs on nuclear developments in Saudi Arabia.

The American administration is concerned that with a nuclear programme for civilian uses, Saudi Arabia would actually like to prepare the infrastructure so it could switch to producing nuclear weapons relatively quickly, should Iran possess such weapons.
Israeli and American intelligence estimate that Iran would be able to acquire nuclear capability by 2014 or 2015.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 08 September 2011, 10:24 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT