Comment open secret (Score 2, Informative) 352
Doesn't exactly come as a surprise. And make no mistake, for some of these countries a nuclear power plant will only be the first step on the road to nuclear weapons.
Saudi-Arabia has already for some time tried to get their hands on atomic weapons. For more details read this. They also financed Pakistan and exchanged scientists. The former Saudi defense minister Prince Sultan met with the father of the Pakistani A-bomb Quadir Khan in May 1999 at his nuclear reasearch labs. Crown prince Abdallah offered cheap oil in exchange for nuclear weapons at a state visit end of 2003 (washington post reported on this end of 2003).
nukes need a delivery mechanism, so they try to take care of that too. In All-Sulayil they erected launching silos, allegedly they already have some pakistani Ghauri-rockets. For sure they already possess middle-range (2500 km) Dong-Feng-3. In May 2005 Saudi-Arabia asked the IAEO to "limi" their inspections, at June 16 2005 they signed an agreement to the effect that there will be no surprise inspections.
In my eyes Saudia-Arabia having nukes would be much more dangerous than Iran. Iran never waged war or was as aggressor starting a war (though financing terrorist and supporting groups taking hostages) and is in this region a 20th century country - good infrastructure, good education and NO monarchy/dictatorship with an absolutist leader/sheik/king. Saudi-Arabia in contrast spreads hate, finances terrorists on a large scale - of these guys i would be afraid.
Saudi-Arabia has already for some time tried to get their hands on atomic weapons. For more details read this. They also financed Pakistan and exchanged scientists. The former Saudi defense minister Prince Sultan met with the father of the Pakistani A-bomb Quadir Khan in May 1999 at his nuclear reasearch labs. Crown prince Abdallah offered cheap oil in exchange for nuclear weapons at a state visit end of 2003 (washington post reported on this end of 2003).
nukes need a delivery mechanism, so they try to take care of that too. In All-Sulayil they erected launching silos, allegedly they already have some pakistani Ghauri-rockets. For sure they already possess middle-range (2500 km) Dong-Feng-3. In May 2005 Saudi-Arabia asked the IAEO to "limi" their inspections, at June 16 2005 they signed an agreement to the effect that there will be no surprise inspections.
In my eyes Saudia-Arabia having nukes would be much more dangerous than Iran. Iran never waged war or was as aggressor starting a war (though financing terrorist and supporting groups taking hostages) and is in this region a 20th century country - good infrastructure, good education and NO monarchy/dictatorship with an absolutist leader/sheik/king. Saudi-Arabia in contrast spreads hate, finances terrorists on a large scale - of these guys i would be afraid.
