Rivals Israel, Syria reveal atomic power ambitions

PARIS -- Is the Middle East about to go officially nuclear?

Dual announcements Tuesday by bitter rivals Israel and Syria that they want to pursue atomic power plants could complicate the diplomatic storm over Iran's nuclear program and fuel a widening web of suspicion across the Middle East.

In a region where few trust each other to keep a nuclear program peaceful, Israel, which is widely thought to have a secret nuclear weapons program, is unlikely to accept Syrian assurances its program is civilian. Looming in the background, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates also have ambitions to develop nuclear power.

Israel's Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau dodged regional politics in announcing his country's intentions at a nuclear energy conference in Paris, painting them instead in earth-friendly tones.

"We need this energy source because it is environmentally clean," Landau said on the sidelines of the conference. Nuclear fission contributes far less to global warming than the burning of coal, but it worries many because of the risks of long-term waste storage and proliferation of potentially deadly nuclear technology.

Building atomic power plants would enable Israel to reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuels and meet its long-term energy needs. Such construction also could increase pressure on Israel to open its facilities to inspectors with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which would shine a spotlight on an area the country has long kept secret.

The Jewish state is used to being accused of nuclear hypocrisy. It demands a nuclear-free Iran when no one doubts Israel has nuclear weapons of its own.

Charges of double standards could intensify, making it harder for Israel to argue that Iran must open all its facilities to world scrutiny.

Landau said his country would open any nuclear power plants to international inspections, but said "we don't see a reason" to allow inspectors into sites that are thought to house Israel's nuclear weapons, or to sign the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The situation also could complicate U.S.-led efforts to level a new round of U.N. sanctions against Iran for refusing to cooperate with nuclear inspectors.

Tehran said its uranium enrichment activities are peaceful but many world powers suspect the Islamic republic is seeking weapons.

Syria, meanwhile, has its own nuclear ambitions.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faysal Mekdad, also at the Paris conference, said his country would like to consider alternative energy sources, "including nuclear energy," to meet rising demand.

So far those dreams appear distant. Syria has little know-how or money to invest in building nuclear power plants, which are enormously expensive. They do, however, reflect rising regional interest in the technology.

The United States is providing financing and training for nuclear power plants in Jordan. The United Arab Emirates in December awarded a South Korean consortium a contract to build energy-producing nuclear reactors.

Egypt has two small nuclear reactors used for research and is pursuing power-producing reactors.