Egypt: Iran Should Reassure West On Nuclear Issue

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (AP) — A spokesman for Egypt’s leader says Iran has the right to peaceful use of nuclear technology but needs to be up front about it.

The spokesman says Iran should not give Western nations the justification to “drag the region down a dangerous slope” by its lack of transparency and flexibility.

The comments came after a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Saudi King Abdallah in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

Mubarak’s spokesman noted the case of Saddam Hussein, who didn’t adequately refute claims over Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 that toppled him.

Iran has refused to comply with repeated international demands to halt nuclear enrichment, a process that can be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons or nuclear energy.