Arab News runs this story about regional preparedness for a nuclear accident. It seems apparent that the Gulf region will be seeing more development of nuclear power, both with Iran’s projects and the likelihood that one or more of the Gulf States will be creating its own nuclear plants. The article cites Israel’s Daymona reactors as a concern, though nothing much has happened there over the past 40 years. Left unsaid here—though more than amply covered in other stories in the Arab media—is the possibility of contamination following a military attack on Iran’s developing facilities. The ambiguous (to be generous) nature of Iran’s plans add to the urgency of regional planning for a worst-case event.

Prepare for N-Emergency, Group Urges
Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Arab News

RIYADH, 19 April 2008 — The Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) has called for the establishing of a committee of experts to map out future strategies on how to deal with nuclear emergencies and radiation leaks in the region.

“It has become a must, as a regional organization to protect this region from different kinds of threats, to collectively prepare an action plan for radiation emergency so that the region would be able to overcome any radiation incident or leakage,” said ROPME, whose members include Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq, in a recently released report. Referring to the need to monitor the problem, the report said, “It is very vital because we have some nuclear warships and submarines transiting in our shores every now and then.”

The problem is further exasperated by the proximity of Israeli nuclear facilities at Daymona. A leak there would affect other countries in the region.

“Moreover, the Gulf countries are willing now to head toward the utilization of nuclear energy for electricity power plants beside other uses for this energy, which needs to be widely promoted,” said the report, adding that several meetings have been convened by ROPME to discuss the subject of nuclear radiation in the past.
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