Sheikh Thamer was speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on the sidelines of a three-day workshop held by the apparatus in cooperation with NATO and the Emergency Nuclear and Radiation Committee, in which a team of NATO experts are taking part.
The vice president said the NATO team of nuclear experts would be briefed on Kuwait’s emergency plans so as to be evaluated by them, noting that the National Security Apparatus was the point of contact between NATO and state bodies.
Moreover, Sheikh Thamer said the delegation was invited by Kuwait to benefit from the organization’s expertise on dealing with nuclear radiation, especially with the presence of nuclear technology in the Middle Eastern region.
He explained that due to Kuwait’s small size, "any radiation can pose a grave threat to national security and safety," adding that "radiation can spread over large areas as was the case with the Russian Chernobyl reactor catastrophe in 1986." More than 60 percent of NATO’s member states suffered from Chernobyl’s radiation, he said, and "the experience of NATO in this area is unsurpassed by any other."
On the workshop, he said it was aimed at briefing the 14 participating state authorities with NATO expertise, and for the Kuwaiti side to acquaint the NATO team with its emergency plans in the event that the country came under the effect of radiation.
Sheikh Thamer explained that the radiation committees of the Health Ministry and the Civil Defense Department cooperated in placing a plan for the country which "has not yet been tested but will be evaluated by the NATO team of experts." A detailed report on the positive and negative aspects of the plan will be presented, he said.
The radiation prevention strategy is followed by the National Security Apparatus and involves the ministries of interior, defense and health, as well as the National Guard and Civil Defense Authority, he added.
"We hope to engage in further training and workshops with NATO to increase the efficiency of our radiation combat plans," he said.
