Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Kingdom to buy reactor from France


The Jordan Times

AMMAN (JT) - Prime Minister Nader Dahabi on Monday said Jordan would soon buy a nuclear reactor from a French company to supply the Kingdom with electrical power. During a meeting with the head of the Jordanian-French Parliamentary Friendship Committee, Olivier Jardé, and members of the panel, the premier said France will be helping Jordan in uranium enrichment and training of cadres.

On May 30, Jordan and France signed a cooperation agreement to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, signalling the start of an ambitious project which will provide an alternative source of energy for the Kingdom, which imports nearly all its energy needs.

Under the multi-pronged deal, France will help the Kingdom develop a nuclear programme to generate electricity and power water desalination plants, in exchange for uranium mining rights in the southern region.

Jordan has also struck deals in the field of nuclear cooperation with the UK, US, Canada and China. Another agreement is expected with Russia.

During the meeting yesterday, Dahabi said the stalemate in the Middle East negotiations, the Union for the Mediterranean launched recently by France and the nuclear deals Jordan signed with Paris give special significance to His Majesty King Abdullah’s visit to France this week.

He told the delegates that Jordan appreciates the role France plays in activating the Middle East peace negotiations, stressing that Paris, individually or as the current president of the European Union, has the potential to play a more influential role in Middle East peace efforts and other regional issues.

Referring to the Union for the Mediterranean conference held in France last month, Dahabi said Jordan is looking forward to invest in the newly established body to improve its ties with Euro-Mediterranean countries, especially France. The premier said further French investments in Jordan are welcome.

France ranks first among European countries in terms of the volume of its investments in Jordan, which exceed 1 billion euros.

For his part, Jardé underlined the role parliamentarians can play in fostering bilateral relations between the two countries.

On Sunday, Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali called on France, during a meeting with the delegation, to support the peace process in the region as it currently chairs the European Union. Minister of State for Media Affairs and Communications Nasser Judeh also met with the visiting delegates and underlined the importance of King Abdullah’s scheduled visit to France.

The King is expected in France as part of a tour that included Russia and Turkmenistan.

Comment: No comment from Israel on this-why?

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