Tehran 'to consult about enrichment in neutral nation'

Riyadh: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told Dow Jones Newswires he will consult with other Arab countries on a plan to enrich uranium outside the region in a neutral country such as Switzerland.

"We will be talking with our [Arab] friends," he said in exclusive comments to Dow Jones Newswires on the sidelines of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries' heads of state summit in Saudi Arabia.

Under a proposal put to Tehran by the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a multinational consortium established by GCC would provide enriched uranium to power plants in Iran, the Middle East Economic Digest reported earlier this month, citing Saudi Arabia's Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal.

Removing fears

The facility would produce nuclear fuel that the consortium would supply to Iran and other Middle East countries looking to build their own nuclear power programmes. "We believe it should be in a neutral country - Switzerland, for instance," Prince Saud was quoted as saying.

The plan would allow Iran to develop its nuclear energy programme while at the same time removing fears it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.