CAIRO: Due to the sophisticated nature of operating nuclear power, any Egyptian program is at least a decade away, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed ElBaradei said.
“Nuclear power requires very sophisticated infrastructure. Right now, it will take [Egypt] 10 years to build it, he added, speaking at a dinner held in his honor Tuesday by the British Egyptian Business Association.
“The agency is working with Egypt very closely to make sure that if Egypt were to start operating nuclear power, it has to start operating at higher safety and security and I underline particularly safety. As we know, the safety culture in Egypt is not one of our highest strengths, he added.
On another note, he highlighted the gap between Egypt’s rich and poor, saying it must not continue as poverty is the biggest threat to global security.
“I went to one of the slums in Cairo, he said. “It really pains you immensely to see fellow human beings living in sub-human conditions . In Cairo, there are 8 million people out of 15 million who live in slums . That is a blot on our conscience. Governance is key. Governance means rule of law, means human rights, economic opportunities and human development.
“We cannot continue to live in ghettos as we do; the rich living in one part, the poor living in another, ElBaradei added.
ElBaradei also said that it was imperative to reach out to those who hold opposing political viewpoints whether the Muslim Brotherhood domestically or Iran on the global arena.
“You need to reach out, even if you disagree with a certain political view.
The so-called [Muslim] Brotherhood, I need to talk to, I need to talk to everyone because there is no other way to try and understand that we have one country.
The IAEA chief said that the abject poverty faced by a huge proportion of the world population was the biggest threat to peace and security, and also blasted the international community for standing by with idle hands while Israel launched a 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip last December.
“It is foolish to think we could ever have peace and security in a world where 2 billion people can’t cover their basic needs. Poverty is the most lethal weapon of mass destruction. Inequity is one issue we need to address; to address it is part of our institute [mandate], he said.
“We have left so many conflicts to fester for decades. It is not possible to think that for 60 years we could not find a solution [to the Palestinian issue].
The issue has been mismanaged by all parties, including the Arabs and the Israelis, he added.
“The ones who ended up suffering are the poor Palestinians, who continue after decades to live in tents and squats, same with Kashmir [as well as] the Korean issue.
“When we look at Gaza which I call a slaughterhouse, irrespective of who is right or wrong, we in the international community allowed more than 1,000 people to die, and more than 1.5 million innocent civilians to be quarantined, ElBaradei said.
The IAEA chief, a joint Noble laureate with the agency he has led since 1997, inevitably broached the subject of Iran’s nuclear ambitions but declared that he was more optimistic that a solution might be reached with new US President Barack Obama in office.
“The Iran issue is fundamentally a security issue. The solution to the Iranian issue is through dialogue. Unfortunately we didn’t have this in the past few years. The policy of the previous US administration was not leading to a solution, ElBaradei said.
“We now have Barack Obama who expressed his readiness to have a direct dialogue with Iran, without preconditions. This is the way to go; it’s a question of trust, he said, “Trust is not going to be built by applying sanctions; trust will be built by putting all your grievances on the table and trying to find a solution.
“The Arabs have to be part of this dialogue and an Iranian security structure without the Arabs being part of it will not be complete. Unfortunately, the Arabs are keeping their distance and are not trying to voice their concerns.
“There is a lot of concern about the Iranian program and Iran still has a lot of work to do with the IAEA to clarify concerns about the nature of its program.
