GCC States Begin To Take Precautions Against Nuclear War Or Plant Radioactive Leaks.

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BEIRUT - The six Arab Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states have begun to take precautions against the possibility of radioactive leaks from Iran's atomic reactor of Bushehr or a military confrontation between the Shi'ite theocracy of Tehran and US-led forces across the Persian Gulf. The gas-rich emirate of Qatar appears to be among the first of these states to be taking such measures.

In Kuwait, an official tells APS precautionary measures have been taken by the emirate already. The source notes that the nuclear plant at Bushehr is closer to Kuwait than to Tehran. He says his government, like the other five GCC states, is hoping for a quick diplomatic solution between Iran and the US - the latter offering a "carrots and sticks" package to Tehran. But he agrees with Kuwaiti analysts that the risks of military confrontation are still high.

Qatar is executing an early warning plan against nuclear emergencies. Officials at the Supreme Council for the Environment and Natural Resources (SCENR) on June 14 said Qatar was adopting an integrated programme aimed at preparing the country to "face up to all kinds of nuclear and radioactive-related emergencies".

The Arabic daily al-Sharq on June 15 said. "The plan covers accidents aboard nuclear-operated naval vessels and radioactive bombs, nuclear radiation accidents and emergencies such as the loss or theft of radioactive sources used in various industrial and medical fields in Qatar". Al-Sharq quoted SCENR Secretary-General Khaled al-Ali as saying the programme also aimed at dealing with cross-border incidents such as nuclear reactor accidents like the 1986 Chernobyl disaster.

The plan was drawn up by experts from the UN's Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ali said the IAEA will cover the building costs while the SCENR will cover the costs of the operation centres.

The initiative comes under the umbrella of Law No 31/2002 which envisaged the creation of an emergency plan to protect the emirate from nuclear threats. The initiative coincided with Qatar's growing concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the risks posed by the development of such programmes to the GCC region.

A press release issued the SCENR indicated that Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant to be on stream in 2007 - which is closer to Kuwait, Qatar and the other GCC states than to Tehran - and nuclear powered aircraft carriers crossing the Gulf waters were among the major threats. Ali was reported as saying the SCENR had already started implementing the first part of the plan.

In the first phase, six stations have already been set up at border guard and security posts across Qatar, while two other mobile stations have been equipped with digital maps which measure radioactivity doses and detect affected areas. The SCENR has set up a crisis management centre and an emergency preparedness review mission.

In the second phase, the SCENR will set up seven additional land stations and eight sea stations to supervise water desalination plants and prevent pollution in case of a nuclear accident. In this phase, full-fledged warning centres would be set up at the SCENR and at the National Defence and Crisis Management Centre (NDCMC).