Egyptian minister calls for nuclear bill draft

Egyptian Minister of Electricity Hassan Younis has called on the parliament to draft a bill to regulate peaceful nuclear affairs in the country, the official news agency MENA reported Friday.

At a meeting with officials of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Younis said he expected the draft law to be finalized soon and referred to the parliament.

Younis also touched upon the role the National Center for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control could play at the coming stage, saying the Center should be independent enough to monitor nuclear stations with high efficiency.

Younis also called for upgrading quality control measures at the Center and for finding a new class of nuclear scientists capable of coping with the Egyptian peaceful nuclear program, according to MENA.

Egypt started very limited nuclear technological research in 1957, but its nuclear program was frozen in 1986 in the aftermath of the accident at the Soviet Chernobyl nuclear plant in the same year.

Also in 1968, Egypt signed the international nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and officially supports the elimination of nuclear weapons in the region.

Both Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his son Gamal Mubarak said during a three-day conference of the ruling National Democratic Party, which began on Sept. 19, that Egypt would continue developing nuclear energy program.

Source: Xinhua