The United States on Friday signed a nuclear cooperation deal with the United Arab Emirates, making it the first such deal the U.S. has signed with a Middle Eastern country.
The deal, named the "123 Agreement" after Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act, was signed in Washington by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nayhan.
After signing the deal, bin Zayed said that the agreement benefits both countries, adding that it reflects the strong relationship between the US and the UAE.
"Under the terms of this agreement, the UAE will gain access to significant capabilities and experience in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. This will allow the UAE to develop its civilian nuclear program to the highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation. The agreement will also open opportunities for US firms to be active participants in the UAE nuclear energy program," he added.
The deal is a part of UAE's plans to invest in nuclear energy, and the oil-rich nation has already signed deals to build several nuclear power plants in the country.
"We are a country that is very rich in its oil and gas, but we do look forward that we have a program, a nuclear, peaceful program that could sustain our future needs," said bin Zayed.
Meanwhile, Rice described the deal as "a powerful and timely model for the region," saying that the UAE's decision to import, rather than produce, the fuel required for its proposed nuclear reactors "almost" eliminates the proliferation risks.
"We applaud the UAE's commission -- commitment to the highest standards of safety, security and nonproliferation in its pursuit of nuclear power," Rice said.
Earlier, UAE had agreed not to reprocess the used fuel from its nuclear reactors, there by eliminating the possible diversion of the reprocessed fuel for military purposes.
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