CAIRO, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's son, who some see as a successor to his father, says Egypt should pursue a nuclear energy program.
In a carefully worded political speech, Gamal Mubarak, an assistant secretary-general of the governing National Democratic Party, said: "The whole world -- I don't want to say all, but many developing countries -- have proposed and started to execute the issue of alternative energy. It is time for Egypt to put forth, and the party will put forth, this proposal for discussion about its future energy policies, the issue of alternative energy, including nuclear energy, as one of the alternatives," The New York Times reports.
He did not say whether his proposal called for Egypt to buy nuclear fuel from abroad to power its reactors under international inspection, or develop its own capacity, the report said.
The younger Mubarak also was quoted as saying, "We do not accept visions from abroad that try to dissolve the Arab identity and the joint Arab efforts within the framework of the so-called Greater Middle East Initiative."
His speech was widely applauded by the nation's political elite, the report said. Some Egyptian analysts rejected suggestions the proposal might pose a threat to the West.
