A specialist centre to monitor radiation levels in Bahrain will be operational in the kingdom next year.

The National Centre for Radiation will be managed by the Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) and work in tandem with the country's National Disaster Committee, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The news comes as crunch talks continue between Iran, the UK, the US, Russia, China, France and Germany over Iran's controversial nuclear power programme.

SCE chief executive Dr Adel Al Zayani said Bahrain was only 300 km from Iran's nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which puts it in the high risk zone in the event of a natural disaster.

"The government has approved establishing this specialist radiation detection centre that will be set up by 2014," he confirmed.

"It will monitor, analyse and control the radiation levels across Bahrain."

The Bahrain centre will employ specialised staff and experts would be recruited to work closely with their GCC counterparts.

"I would also like to mention here the Supreme Council for Environment is also pushing for a separate law to control radiation level and are finalising all the requirements to submit it to the authority concerned for approval," said Dr Al Zayani.

The GCC raised concerns about potential radiation leaks from the Bushehr plant after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Iran in April, killing more than 60 people.

The aim of the Bahrain centre is to provide advanced radiation warnings in the event of a nuclear disaster.

"There is a boom in the use of nuclear energy for industries, agricultural, medical and other purposes, which also means safety and security should be maintained," said Dr Al Zayani.

He revealed the plan on the sidelines of a five-day workshop entitled export control and radiation monitoring measures against illicit nuclear trafficking.

Around 50 participants from the GCC, Sudan, Tunisia, Iraq and officials from the Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA) and US Department of Energy are taking part in the event, at the Mšvenpick Hotel. - TradeArabia News Service