Jordan signs nuclear power cooperation pact with Turkey

Jordan, which plans to build its first nuclear reactor later this decade, yesterday signed an agreement with Turkey on cooperating to develop atomic energy. "Jordan will benefit from Turkey's distinguished experience in developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," Jordan's Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Khalid Touqan said in the capital, Amman. Touqan signed the accord with Zafer Alper, the head of the Turkish Atomic Energy Authority. Jordan relies almost entirely on imported energy and is turning to nuclear power to meet rising electricity demand.