The Council of GCC Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has held a meeting, presided over by the Kingdom of Bahrain's Permanent Representative in Vienna and discussed the potential hazards and ramifications of Iran's earthquake and consequential aftershocks on Bushehr nuclear plant last Tuesday (April 9, 2013) and the hazards of the Great Earthquake which hit Pakistan-Iran border region on Tuesday 16 April 2013 which was felt in a number of GCC member States. At the beginning of the meeting, Bahrain's permanent representative, Ambassador Dr. Abdul-Kareem Bu Cheeri emphasized that there are real dangers which threaten the Arabian Gulf region in the aftermath of recent events and developments connected with Iran's nuclear reactor in Bushehr. He cited the GCC countries' readiness to cope with any potential eco-disaster resultant from any nuclear radiation from Bushehr reactor. At the end of their meeting, the GCC Ambassadors at IAEA submitted a collective letter to the IAEA Director General in which they expressed the GCC member States' concern lest a nuclear accident occurs as a result of earth tremors in Bushehr nuclear plant and requested the IAEA to move quickly and to work with the Islamic Republic of Iran according to transparency and nuclear safety standards. They also agreed to meet with the IAEA Director General in the upcoming days to deliver the same message and convey the common stance of the GCC countries regarding this important issue.
