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On January 15, outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed a nuclear cooperation accord with her United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The treaty, which to become law needs to be presented to the U.S. Congress, would help the Persian Gulf state become the first Arab country to develop a nuclear power sector. Along with last year's nuclear agreement with India, this treaty emphasizes a trend away from decades of U.S. policy dominated by the fear of nuclear proliferation. Not since the 1950s Eisenhower-era "Atoms for Peace" program has so much hope been placed in peaceful nuclear cooperation. Background The pact marks an astonishing diplomatic journey for the UAE and Shaikh Abdullah. Ten years ago in 1999, the shaikh, a son of the then ruler and a half-brother of the current UAE president, was an honored guest during a visit to Pakistan's unsafeguarded Kahuta uranium enrichment and missile facility. While there, he saw the prefabricated structures built in Sharjah, a member sheikhdom of the UAE, which were hiding the production line of the nuclear-capable Ghauri missile from U.S. satellites passing overhead. For a quarter century, until 2004, the UAE helped Pakistan elude Western export controls by serving as a vital transit point for Pakistan's purchases of nuclear-weapon-related parts and manufacturing equipment.

Cement and ready-mix companies in the UAE are gearing up for a massive opportunity for supplying cement and concrete for nuclear power plants in the UAE. The UAE is expected to award contracts estimated to be worth $40 billion (Dh147bn) to build several nuclear reactors. According to a senior industry official, the contract for nuclear power plants would be a blessing for cement companies already struggling with falling demand and reduced profits.

Cement and ready-mix companies in the UAE are gearing up for a massive opportunity for supplying cement and concrete for nuclear power plants in the UAE. The UAE is expected to award contracts estimated to be worth $40 billion (Dh147bn) to build several nuclear reactors. According to a senior industry official, the contract for nuclear power plants would be a blessing for cement companies already struggling with falling demand and reduced profits.

As American concerns rise over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the UAE yesterday was once again held up as a model for countries seeking to develop nuclear energy. In a Senate foreign relations committee hearing, high-level state department officials and an outside nuclear expert praised the UAE for agreeing to rigorous international inspections and a strict ban on enrichment and reprocessing technology. Such transparency, they said, was a welcome contrast to Iran, which just two weeks ago revealed a secret nuclear site near Qom. "They want to do it right; they have seen the example of Iran," Janet Sanderson, the deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, said of the UAE Government. "They are offering the international community an alternative example of how to move forward on peaceful nuclear power."

As American concerns rise over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the UAE yesterday was once again held up as a model for countries seeking to develop nuclear energy. In a Senate foreign relations committee hearing, high-level state department officials and an outside nuclear expert praised the UAE for agreeing to rigorous international inspections and a strict ban on enrichment and reprocessing technology. Such transparency, they said, was a welcome contrast to Iran, which just two weeks ago revealed a secret nuclear site near Qom. "They want to do it right; they have seen the example of Iran," Janet Sanderson, the deputy assistant secretary for Near Eastern affairs, said of the UAE Government. "They are offering the international community an alternative example of how to move forward on peaceful nuclear power."

US President Barack Obama on Thursday approved a civilian nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which some observers see as striking a contrast with Iran's defiant nuclear drive. Obama sent the deal, negotiated by the previous Bush administration to Congress, which must now decide within 90 days whether to block the pact, which provides for US-UAE cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear energy. His memorandum to the secretaries of state and energy, certifying that the deal was in US interests, did not mention US disquiet over a video of an Afghan merchant allegedly being beaten by a member of the UAE royal family, which raised human rights concerns in Congress.

The UAE and US signed an agreement for the exchange of civilian nuclear power capability today, in a groundbreaking deal held up by both countries as a model for the peaceful application of nuclear energy in the region. Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Foreign Minister, signed the deal - which is required for the transfer of nuclear materials and technologies - at a brief afternoon ceremony at the main headquarters of the US state department. If the agreement clears the US Congress, where some lawmakers have raised concerns, it will likely make the UAE the first Arab country with nuclear power as part of a multibillion-dollar effort to meet the country's rapidly growing demand for electricity.

The UAE denied last night that it was days away from awarding the largest ever energy contract in the Middle East for the development of a nuclear power plant. The denial was issued after industry sources said that the UAE was on the verge of naming a winner for the contract to build at least four reactors, which consultancy Eurasia Group estimates may cost as much as $40 billion (BD15bn). The consortium from France, which includes nuclear group Areva, GdF Suez, and Total, is in pole position to win the contract, sources said.

South Korea signed a US$20 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates to build four nuclear power plants in the oil-rich country, a deal expected to generate contracts for South Korean companies worth an additional $20 billion for decades to come, South Korea's presidential office said Sunday. The agreement marks South Korea's first nuclear power plant export deal. The biggest energy deal contracted ever either by South Korea or UAE was signed by a consortium led by South Korea's state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. shortly after a summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his UAE counterpart Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan here.

South Korea signed a US$20 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates to build four nuclear power plants in the oil-rich country, a deal expected to generate contracts for South Korean companies worth an additional $20 billion for decades to come, South Korea's presidential office said Sunday. The agreement marks South Korea's first nuclear power plant export deal. The biggest energy deal contracted ever either by South Korea or UAE was signed by a consortium led by South Korea's state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. shortly after a summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his UAE counterpart Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan here.

Korea signed a US$20 billion deal with the United Arab Emirates to build four nuclear power plants in the oil-rich country, a deal expected to generate contracts for South Korean companies worth an additional $20 billion for decades to come, South Korea's presidential office said Sunday. The agreement marks South Korea's first nuclear power plant export deal.

"A barrage of domestic news reports have highlighted the Dec. 27 Korea-United Arab Emirates (UAE) contract, pointing out that a Korean consortium is scheduled to design, build and operate nuclear power plants for the Middle East country's energy program for the next 60 years. As the first case of Korea's export of nuclear technology, there is no doubt that the multibillion-dollar contract is a major economic, technological and diplomatic achievement for the country, which built its first commercial nuclear plant in 1978. However, a closer look at foreign media reports, including those from the UAE, indicates that the deal is not as lucrative as projected by the domestic reports. One of the most glaring discrepancies between domestic and foreign reports is the exact size of the contract procured by the Korean consortium - led by the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) - to provide four APR1400, a Korean-made nuclear power unit that has yet to make a domestic debut. Following a decision that selected Korea over France as the winner of the largest-ever energy deal awarded in the Middle East, the Emirates News Agency reported that "the value of the contract for the construction, commissioning and fuel loads for four units equaled approximately $20 billion, with a high percentage of the contract being offered under a fixed-price arrangement.""

The United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday signed a deal to cooperate in civilian nuclear energy, which Washington says contrasts with Iran's defiant nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her UAE counterpart Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nayhan signed the document laying out what the US called "the legal framework" for civil nuclear cooperation under international controls. "We applaud the UAE's commitment to the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation in its pursuit of nuclear power," Rice said during the signing ceremony with Sheikh Abdullah.

The cost of building a nuclear plant in the UAE currently amounts to $10 billion (Dh36.73bn) in case it is a turnkey project, according to Stephen Thomas, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Greenwich Business School. He was speaking on the sidelines of the conference of the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies yesterday. Thomas said the UAE would need about 42,000 megawatts of electricity by 2020, adding that the country has made a plan to generate 16,000MW through nuclear energy. At the moment, the cost of one kilowatt of nuclear energy is no less than $6,000, and practical studies are unanimous that this cost might double over the coming years, he said.

A videotape of a heinous torture session is delaying the ratification of a civil nuclear deal between the United Arab Emirates and the United States, senior U.S. officials familiar with the case said. Videotape allegedly shows al Nahyan torturing an Afghan grain dealer. Videotape allegedly shows al Nahyan torturing an Afghan grain dealer. Click to view previous image 2 of 3 Click to view next image In the tape, an Afghan grain dealer is seen being tortured by a member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi, one of the UAE's seven emirates. The senior U.S. officials said the administration has held off on the ratification process because it believes sensitivities over the story can hurt its passage. The tape emerged in a federal civil lawsuit filed in Houston, Texas, by Bassam Nabulsi, a U.S. citizen, against Sheikh Issa bin Zayed al Nahyan. Former business partners, the men had a falling out, in part over the tape. In a statement to CNN, the sheikh's U.S. attorney said Nabulsi is using the videotape to influence the court over a business dispute.

Egypt may be the focus of Russia's attempt to sell its nuclear wares abroad. But Egypt's neighbours are also desperate to acquire atomic energy, with the UAE and Jordan also looking at ways of developing the technology. Despite Western calls for non-proliferation in the Middle East - with fear that Iran's acquisition of a nuclear bomb could trigger an arms race - Britain, France and the US are among the countries helping to supply the know-how and material for nuclear reactors. In the UAE, the US signed a deal to develop a nuclear reactor on the understanding that the country, which has strong trade ties with Iran, will not produce its own nuclear fuels. Britain signed an agreement with Jordan, Israel's energy-poor neighbour.

The president of the energy-hungry United Arab Emirates has signed a law regulating the development of a civilian nuclear program, clearing the way for construction of a nuclear power plant with help from the United States. Washington has promoted its plan to help the Emirates' develop peaceful nuclear power as a model of the kind of cooperation it would like to achieve with Iran, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is using a civilian program as a cover to develop an atomic weapons capability. The United Arab Emirates, which is just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is among those Arab nations wary of Iran's nuclear work. UAE President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed into law the regulatory framework for building "a peaceful nuclear energy sector," the country's official news agency reported Sunday.

The president of the energy-hungry United Arab Emirates has signed a law regulating the development of a civilian nuclear program, clearing the way for construction of a nuclear power plant with help from the United States. Washington has promoted its plan to help the Emirates' develop peaceful nuclear power as a model of the kind of cooperation it would like to achieve with Iran, which the U.S. and its allies suspect is using a civilian program as a cover to develop an atomic weapons capability. The United Arab Emirates, which is just across the Persian Gulf from Iran, is among those Arab nations wary of Iran's nuclear work. UAE President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed into law the regulatory framework for building "a peaceful nuclear energy sector," the country's official news agency reported Sunday.

Proposed Agreement for Cooperation Between the Government of the United States of America And the Government of the United Arab Emirates Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy

Pakistan's defence attache in the UAE says a nuclear arms race will follow the Nuclear Suppliers Group decision to lift a three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India. "I can foresee a nuclear arms race between the two countries and even China," Pakistani Embassy Defence Attache Khawar Hussain told Gulf News in an exclusive interview.

The United States said on Wednesday it was very concerned by video of a member of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi allegedly torturing an Afghan man, footage that could stall a civilian nuclear deal with the United Arab Emirates. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the department was consulting with Congress about the agreement, which could be blocked if an outcry over the video grows. The deal could be worth billions of dollars to U.S. energy companies that build and operate nuclear power plants.

Should the United States sell advanced civilian nuclear reactors to a Middle East country that doesn't seem to need them? A country that can keep pumping oil for the next 100 years, that has a pipeline to a vast natural gas field next door and enough desert for a solar panel array of biblical proportions? No, it's not Iran. It's the United Arab Emirates, that federation of seven states, proposing the efficient and safest nuclear-generating program money can buy. It intends to purchase third-generation nuclear reactors from France, the United States, South Korea or Japan to power and air-condition its glittering desert cities and use the surplus heat to desalinate its drinking water at the same time. And it's in the U.S. national interest to help the UAE do it, as counterintuitive as that may seem to the American right wing, the green wing or nonproliferation hawks.

The United Arab Emirates has informed the United Nations that the law it has passed recently on the peaceful use of nuclear energy was an important step to embody a peaceful nature to all aspects of its nuclear program which will come into commercial operation in 2017, adding that the move is aimed at benefiting from nuclear program for peaceful purposes, particularly in generating electricity and improving medical and industrial services. Addressing the First Committee on "Disarmament and International Security" during the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ahmed Al-Jarman, outlined his country's stance on current development on global security. He said the holding of the present 64th session of the General Assembly coincides with a number of positive developments and encouraging initiatives which have taken place in the area of disarmament, most notably of which is the agreement reached in the Disarmament Conference held last May on the program of work of the Conference after a decade of deadlock.

The United Arab Emirates has informed the United Nations that the law it has passed recently on the peaceful use of nuclear energy was an important step to embody a peaceful nature to all aspects of its nuclear program which will come into commercial operation in 2017, adding that the move is aimed at benefiting from nuclear program for peaceful purposes, particularly in generating electricity and improving medical and industrial services. Addressing the First Committee on "Disarmament and International Security" during the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ahmed Al-Jarman, outlined his country's stance on current development on global security. He said the holding of the present 64th session of the General Assembly coincides with a number of positive developments and encouraging initiatives which have taken place in the area of disarmament, most notably of which is the agreement reached in the Disarmament Conference held last May on the program of work of the Conference after a decade of deadlock.

The United States formally signed a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, hailing it as a "new bargain" that could help prevent the spread of dangerous atomic technology. Stocks "This is a new bargain for the Middle East region and the United States welcomes and applauds the UAE's decision," Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary for arms control, said at the signing ceremony. The pact, which President Barack Obama approved in May and sent to Congress for a 90-day review period, is potentially worth billions of dollars to General Electric Co (GE.N) and Westinghouse Electric, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp (6502.T).

The United States formally signed a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, hailing it as a "new bargain" that could help prevent the spread of dangerous atomic technology. Stocks "This is a new bargain for the Middle East region and the United States welcomes and applauds the UAE's decision," Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary for arms control, said at the signing ceremony. The pact, which President Barack Obama approved in May and sent to Congress for a 90-day review period, is potentially worth billions of dollars to General Electric Co (GE.N) and Westinghouse Electric, a subsidiary of Toshiba Corp (6502.T).

It's the first step toward widespread Korean export of today's most promising clean energy source. Korea now has some of the world's most efficient, cutting-edge plant designs. It might seem strange for a bunch of nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates that aren't even built yet to be all over the evening news in Korea, but that's exactly what happened last month.

It's the first step toward widespread Korean export of today's most promising clean energy source. Korea now has some of the world's most efficient, cutting-edge plant designs. It might seem strange for a bunch of nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates that aren't even built yet to be all over the evening news in Korea, but that's exactly what happened last month.