Bahrain heads efforts to prepare for fallout from quake-damaged reactor

http://www.geostrategy-direct.com/geostrategy-direct/secure/2013/05_08/3.asp

 

Bahrain heads efforts to prepare for fallout from quake-damaged reactor

ABU DHABI — Bahrain has been pressing for the Gulf Cooperation Council to establish a nuclear safety group to counter the prospect of a reactor disaster in neighboring Iran.

Officials said Bahrain, the GCC state closest to Iran, has been pressing the other five Gulf Arab members, to take measures to respond to any nuclear reactor accident in Iran. They said the most likely prospect was a major earthquake that could damage Iran's 1,000 megawatt reactor at Bushehr, struck by two major tremors in April.

"This motivates us to quickly cooperate to draft the required recommendations, including the serious repercussions that could affect the safety of GCC states," Interior Minister Rashid Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa said.

Bahrain's lobbying was seen at the meeting of GCC interior ministers in Manama on April 23. Rashid and others reviewed assessments of another major earthquake striking the area around Bushehr, which could result in a massive radiation leak throughout the Gulf.

"A state of worry and apprehension has prevailed over the past weeks in the Arabian Gulf due to the earthquakes which hit Iran and were felt by citizens and residents in the GCC countries," Rashid said. "This raised concern over the probability of Bushehr nuclear power plant being affected and will have an impact on environmental safety in the Arabian Gulf region."

In mid-April, two earthquakes that stemmed from Iran sent tremors throughout several GCC states, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. In one case, thousands of people were evacuated from office towers in Manama.

Officials said the GCC was urged to lobby for intervention by the International Atomic Energy Agency, denied access to several Iranian nuclear facilities. They said any response to the earthquakes in Iran must be decided by GCC leaders.

Kuwait has also called for GCC efforts to intensify civil defense and alerts of a major earthquake. Both Bahrain and Kuwait contain large Shi'ite populations and reported Iranian-linked espionage and operational cells over the last two years.

Bahrain has also been lobbying for a GCC police force as part of increased security cooperation. Rashid said such a force would comprise a center for the gathering of intelligence and information on fugitives and those deemed threats to the region.

"We need to move towards closer cooperation and unity in words and deeds," Rashid said.