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The Jordanian government on Monday played down any immediate fear of contamination from neighbouring Israel's aging Dimona nuclear plant and stressed that radiation levels were normal. "Until now, no abnormal levels for industrial radiation, which is the harmful radiation, have been observed," government spokeswoman Asma Khodr said at her weekly press conference. Israel's nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu, in comment published Sunday, said the Middle East was at risk of a "second Chernobyl" in the event of an accident at his country's 40-year-old Dimona plant. Jordan should test residents in the border regions with Israel to be sure they have not already been exposed to radiation and administer the necessary medication, he said. Khodr acknowledged that the prospects of a radiation leak from Dimona due to an explosion or accident were a cause for concern in Jordan but stressed the kingdom was taking the necessary precautions. Jordan supports calls to create a nuclear-free zone in the region and to ensure international monitoring of atomic energy activities, she said. The director of Jordan's nuclear energy agency, Ziad Qudah, meanwhile, said his organisation operated three centres for radiation detection through continuous monitoring, as well as four early-warning centres. "Results so far show that Jordan's air is not polluted with any nuclear radiation", Qudah told the press conference. The issue "does not concern Jordan alone. In case of a nuclear catastrophe, Israel and the whole region will be affected before it affects Jordan," the official said. Despite Israel's longstanding policy of "strategic ambiguity" on its nuclear programme and a lack of international monitoring, most foreign experts believe the Jewish state has an arsenal of up to 200 nuclear warheads. All rights reserved. Copyright 2003 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Quick Links
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