IAEA urges UAE to conclude nuclear waste policy

ABU DHABI Dec 14 (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog urged the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday to quickly draw up a plan for radioactive waste management as the major oil exporter prepares to build four nuclear reactors.

The UAE sits across the Gulf from Iran which is at odds with Western powers over its own nuclear programme. The IAEA suggested in November that Iran atomic activities had military dimensions. Iran insists its programe is for peaceful purposes.

"The UAE should conclude and implement a national policy and strategy for radioactive waste management as soon as possible," the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The UAE government should also clarify roles and responsibilities of emergency response organisations as soon as possible," the statement said.

An international team of nuclear safety experts assembled by the IAEA completed a 10-day review of the UAE's regulatory framework for nuclear safety and radiation protection.

The experts are expected to submit a final report to the UAE's Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) in about three months.

"The team was impressed by the speed with which the UAE developed its regulatory framework and established a new regulatory body," Carl-Magnus Larsson, the head of the experts team, said.

The UAE, an OPEC member, awarded a $20 billion contract to a South Korean led consortium to build the four nuclear reactors that will produce 5,600 MW of energy. The first nuclear plant will be ready in 2017. (Reporting by Stanley Carvalho; Editing by Mahmoud Habboush)