By Xinhua
Brussels : The Dutch government is exploring the possibility of banning Iranian students in the country from studying courses involving nuclear technology, according to media reports Friday.
The Dutch education ministry has confirmed that universities, colleges and research institutes have been warned against giving Iranian students access to information on nuclear technology.
A ministry spokesman told Dutch news agency ANP Friday that a letter urging caution was sent out in September, which is in line with a UN resolution designed to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities.
He said that the education, foreign affairs and justice ministries are currently looking at the idea of imposing a ban on Iranians to study nuclear technology in the Netherlands. The immigration service is also involved in the talks.
The ministry’s statement followed Thursday’s media revelation that Twente University of Technology in the eastern city of Enschede is refusing admission to all Iranian students, saying it cannot guarantee that they will not attend lectures on nuclear technology. Three students have been excluded so far.
Eindhoven University, one of the three technology universities in the Netherlands, said it would leave it up to the Dutch intelligence service to assess the risks on an individual basis.
“We cannot take the responsibility,” a spokesman told Dutch paper De Volkskrant.