President of King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy Dr. Hashim Yamani met Dr. Khalid Toukan the President of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission in his office in Amman. Dr. Hashim Yamani was accompanied by the City’s Vice-President Dr. Walid Hussein Abolfaraj. During the meeting, various aspects of cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear energy were discussed.

They affirmed the strength of the neighborly relationships that tie up the two brotherly countries, and their endeavors to enhance the mutual cooperation and cordial relations existing between the two countries. In the meantime, both sides stressed their desire to establish a comprehensive cooperation in the field of peaceful utilization of nuclear energy for the best interest and welfare of the citizens of both countries.

The meeting was followed by the signature of a Convention on bilateral cooperation in the nuclear field, the draft of which was approved by the Saudi Council of Ministers who authorized K.A.CARE to negotiate and sign the Convention.

The Convention aims at boosting mutual cooperation encompassing exchange of information, organization of scientific seminars and courses, exchange of staff working areas of scientific and technical characters and providing them with the necessary training, formation of ad hoc joint working groups targeted at application of specific studies or projects, exchange of nuclear and other materials, equipment and technologies and transport and re-transport thereof, and running studies on siting, building and operation of nuclear installations within frontiers.

The Convention also aims at coordination of licensing procedures for building and operation of nuclear installations within the boundary areas, exchange of information in this respect, coordination of nuclear safety and radiation protection within nuclear installations inside boundary areas, exchange of relative experience, carrying out joint studies on the assessment of environmental impacts of the nuclear plants. The Convention has also addressed the establishment of a joint, early-warning networks and systems to monitor and detect dadioactive levels in the environment, and, consequently, to lay down joint plans for emergency readiness and response. The Convention also involves coordination of the efforts and potentialities of both sides in this concern, provision of joint periodical training in connexion with such plans, planning for and financing, and implementation of joint research projects. Furthermore, the Convention also addresses the question of drafting mechanisms targeted at the coordination of policies governing granting related patents and utilization thereof.