Nuclear energy urged for Arabs

KHARTOUM, SUDAN - The head of the Arab League called on Arab states to work toward "entering the nuclear club" by developing atomic energy.

Amr Moussa's comments present a new concern for Western countries already trying to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions and fretting about a possible Mideast arms race. The remarks came as a surprise at an Arab League summit meant to tackle crises ranging from Iraq to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned Arab leaders that the Middle East faces one of its most critical periods.

"You are meeting today here while the whole Arab world and the region is witnessing turmoil," Annan said in a statement read by an envoy.

But Arab leaders seemed unlikely to take serious action. In private sessions before the summit, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari castigated Arab governments, saying their promises at the summit to help Iraq were "rhetoric."

The summit has already been hurt by low attendance. Ten heads of state from the league's 22 members stayed away, most notably Egypt's president and Saudi Arabia's king.

Moussa spoke to the gathered leaders at the opening of the summit, saying, "I would like to call on the Arab world to enter into the world of peaceful use of nuclear energy with all speed and momentum.

"This is a legal right ensured for all states that are party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said.

No Arab country is known to have a significant program for nuclear energy, and few have shown a drive to do so.

Moussa's call was likely to cause concern in the U.S. and Europe, which are pressing for UN action on non-Arab Iran's nuclear program. Washington accuses Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an accusation Tehran denies.

Meanwhile, even as Israelis voted in polls that could lead to imposing permanent borders with the Palestinians, Arab leaders promoted a 2002 land-for-peace offer based on withdrawal to Israel's 1967 borders.