DUBAI (IPS) - In a Middle Eastern atmosphere that has just buried the controversy related to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and ripe with the United States and Europe pressuring Iraq to come clean on its nuclear programme, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is showcasing how nuclear technology can be used for peaceful and productive purposes.

The UAE signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as early as 1996, and is now pursuing the use of nuclear technology in the fields of water desalination and medicine.