Jordan, France Open Meeting on Nuclear Cooperation

October 5, 2008

Text of report in English by official Jordanian news agency Petra- JNA website

Paris, Oct. 5 (Petra) Jordanian and French officials on Sunday opened their

first meeting to discuss areas of nuclear cooperation.

Discussions covered five major topics: extricating and mining uranium, nuclear

energy plants, nuclear fuel cycle, training and qualifying relevant cadres and

securing funds needed to carry out nuclear programmes.

The meeting was held in implementation of the executive cooperation protocol

signed between Jordan and France on August 27, and in presence of His Majesty

King Abdullah II and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Jordan was represented to the meeting by Finance Minister Hamad Kassasbah,

President of Jordan Nuclear Energy Commission (JNEC) Khalid Tuqan, Jordan’s

Ambassador to France Dina Qewar, International Cooperation Commissioner Kamal

Al-Araj, and JNEC Nuclear Fuel Cycle Commissioner Nidal Zu’bi.

On September 30, the Jordanian government and the French giant Areva signed an

agreement to explore uranium in central Jordan.

In a related development, a Jordanian delegation led by Tuqan took part in the

ministerial meeting of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) held in

Paris on October 1 in presence of 22 of GNEP member countries in addition to

delegates representing 22 countries either planned to join GNEB or as observers.

Tuqan also headed Jordan’s delegation to the 52nd session of International

Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference held in Vienna during Sept.

Originally published by Petra-JNA website, Amman, in English 1508 5 Oct 08.

Topics: Arms control, Nuclear technology, Energy policy, Environment, Politics, Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, Nuclear reprocessing, Areva, Nuclear fuel, Energy in the United States, Nuclear Threat Initiative, Jordan