By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
The United States has signed an accord with Jordan aimed at supporting the peaceful development of the kingdom's nascent nuclear program, the U.S. Embassy said Sunday.
The agreement comes at a time of heightened tensions over Iran's controversial nuclear program, which the U.S. suspects is a cover for weapons development - a charge Tehran denies.
Jordan and several other Sunni Arab countries have recently announced plans to develop peaceful nuclear programs.
U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman and Jordanian Minister for Scientific Research Khaled Toukan signed Sunday's memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of a nuclear energy summit in Vienna.
Under the agreement, the two countries will work together to develop requirements for appropriate power reactors, fuel service arrangements, civilian training, nuclear safety, energy technology and other related areas, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
Jordanian King Abdullah II announced his intention to develop a peaceful nuclear program in January, saying alternative energy sources were needed to generate electricity and desalinate water in the kingdom.
Jordan has signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and has long called for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.
Last month, Toukan said nuclear energy would constitute 30 percent of the energy produced in Jordan by 2030 and convert the kingdom into an energy exporter, based on studies his ministry conducted.
Jordan's energy czar Khaled al-Shraydeh has said the country possesses the uranium needed to develop the program. The country is estimated to have 80,000 tons of uranium, and its phosphate reserves also contain some 100,000 tons of uranium.
The U.S. said it is working with other nations under the partnership program to encourage use of nuclear energy to meet growing electricity demands and to enhance energy security while promoting nuclear nonproliferation.
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