RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 13 The top international nuclear official said while in Saudi Arabia that a plan for Gulf countries to develop nuclear energy must include a decade of training.Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said after a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, "building up national expertise that will be ready and able to use this technology ... will be vital." He said the countries will need to train nuclear experts as well as study nuclear energy feasibility and sites, Gulf Daily News reports.The GCC is made up of Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.Last year, the group decided to explore nuclear power as an option for meeting increased energy demand.The GCC says it wants nuclear energy to supply its growing demand for electricity, and allow it to sell more oil and natural gas.Copyright 2007 by UPI
