Posted by NEWS on 15/6/2005, 21:15:02 RIYADH, June 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Saudi Arabia has denied reports on having banned nuclear facilities, the Saudi Okaz newspaper reportedon Tuesday. The kingdom remained loyal to all international agreements on nuclear weapons and all Saudi nuclear facilities are complied with the international system of safeguards, Saleh al-Adl, Saudi representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Council of Governors was quoted as saying. In a statement to the newspaper, the Saudi official said that a Saudi plant for producing medical isotopes was used only for therapeutic and medical purposes at King Faysal Hospital in the capital. Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil country located in the tense Middle East, is not believed to pose a nuclear threat, but there have been reports that in a crisis the kingdom could use its financial influence to get nuclear technology, or even weapons, which were also denied by Riyadh. Rejecting an European Union request for full nuclear inspectionsover the weekend, Saudi Arabia insisted on its right to sign a Small Quantities Protocol (SQP), which has been used since 1971 to make inspections less burdensome in nations with small nuclear programs. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei, who just won a third term Monday, said Tuesday that thisprotocol has severely limited investigations by the UN nuclear watchdog and has been identified "as a weakness of the safeguards system" of inspections.
Riyadh denies reports on having banned nuclear facilities
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