Egyptian Journalists Call to Develop Nuclear Capabilities

In a recent Egyptian TV program, TV host Tamer Amin said that Egypt would "join the nuclear club and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Journalist Abdel-Halim Qandil said that there was a need for an "independent, nuclear, and just Egypt." The program aired on Rotana Masriya TV on January 18, 2014.

Following are excerpts:

Egyptian TV host Tamer Amin: I have another piece of information related to Al-Sisi's plan. As I said, I've learned that General Al-Sisi's aides and friends are studying this plan. From what I was told, the plan has three main components. Perhaps there are more, but these are the ones I've been told about. The first component is the building of an Egyptian nuclear reactor.

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We will use nuclear energy, which is the language of the modern age. We will join the nuclear club and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. We do not want to produce a nuclear bomb, but we want a nuclear Egypt, a radioactive Egypt.

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Egyptian journalist Abdel-Halim Qandil: What we want, in a nutshell, is for Egypt to be independent, nuclear, and just.

Tamer Amin: Independent, nuclear...

Abdel-Halim Qandil: Right. And just. It is very important for Egypt to be independent, because even the nuclear program we were talking about requires independent decision-making.

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We are talking about Egyptian nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, because this is not about obtaining a nuclear bomb or about nuclear energy alone. All this goes with the territory. What is essential to any nuclear program is the establishment of an enormous scientific base. It leads to the manufacture of machines. It helped in the development of the space program, and so on.

Therefore, we have an opportunity. We should consider Egypt to be one great workshop. As for the comprehensive industrialization under the title of a "nuclear Egypt," we must realize the depth of the linkage between weapon development and the civil industry.

Tamer Amin: Exactly.

Abdel-Halim Qandil: [Nuclear industry] is the engine that will be able to run this country.

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