BERLIN, June 22: Egypt is hoping to extract uranium from the Sinai peninsula with Chinese help with the aim of enriching it and making long-range missiles, Die Welt reported on Saturday quoting western intelligence sources.

The newspaper said Cairo denies such plans and that the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) said it was unaware of such developments.

But the paper said there were increasing signs that Cairo was seeking to build nuclear wepaons.

It carried a picture of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his last official visit to China in January, during which, according to Die Welt, a cooperation accord between the two countries was signed on the “peaceful use of atomic energy”.—AFP