Egypt

To a large extent, Egypt’s ratification of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on 26 February 1981 reflects the determination of Egyptian leaders to develop nuclear power as an energy source. Egypt was one of the first developing nations to establish a nuclear programme; in 1955 it set up an atomic energy administration and by 1961 it had an operational 2-MW research reactor. Nonetheless, Egyptian planners continued to believe that nuclear reactors could serve the dual purpose of providing electricity and fresh water for land reclamation. In July 1980 Egypt’s Supreme Council for Energy issued a study that emphasized “the pressing and vital importance of the nuclear programme”. The speed with which Egypt signed nuclear co-operation agreements after its ratification of the NPT indicates the seriousness of its leaders’ commitment to a nuclear energy programme. Egyptian and Arab leaders had also come to recognize limitations to nuclear weapons.