Saudis dismiss 'nuke' report

The report said Riyadh had been considering the "strategy paper"

Saudi Arabia has strongly denied a report in a British newspaper which said that it was considering acquiring nuclear weapons.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not considering acquiring a nuclear bomb or nuclear weapons of any kind," the Saudi Embassy in London said in a statement.

"There is no atomic energy programme in any part of the kingdom and neither is one being considered," the statement said.

On Thursday, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported that Saudi Arabia had embarked on a strategic review that included acquiring nuclear weapons.

Without naming its sources, the newspaper reported that a so-called "strategy paper" being considered "at the highest levels" in the Saudi capital Riyadh set out three options:

• to acquire a nuclear capability as a deterrent

• to maintain or enter into an alliance with an existing nuclear power that would offer protections

• to try to reach a regional agreement on having a nuclear-free Middle East

The Guardian report said that it was not known whether Saudi Arabia has taken a decision on any of the three options.