Sultanate Takes Part at International Conference for Obtaining Civil Nuclear Energy

Paris, March 9 (ONA)- The Sultanate took part at the International Conference on Obtaining Nuclear Energy for Civic Purposes which was held in Paris on 8^th and  9^th March 2010. The Sultanate's delegation to the conference was led by Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry and Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Peaceful Nuclear Technology.

     In a statement to Oman News Agency (ONA), Sayyid Badr said that the conference being organized by the French government in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and supported by the Economic Cooperation and Development Organization and the French Nuclear Energy Agency (FNEA) aims at discussing a number of issues related to the use of nuclear energy for power generation, which is still a big challenge for the developing countries in particular, which intend to construct nuclear installations in a bid to meet their needs for electricity. These needs include training human resources, finance, designing and operation of the nuclear installations, developing the infrastructure and the proper legal framework.

     He added that the conference discusses the various aspects of international cooperation in civil uses of nuclear energy and the future prospects for the nuclear energy on the medium and long terms.

     On the sidelines of the conference, Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamoud al Busaidi, Secretary General of the Foreign Ministry met with the Secretary General of the French Foreign Ministry and a number of officials at the French Nuclear Energy Commission and French International Atomic Energy Agency. He discussed with them means of future cooperation between the Sultanate and France in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

      During the meetings, Sayyid Badr pointed out that the Sultanate's needs at this stage are training of human resources being the base for the benefiting from the nuclear energy to serve the development process, seeking the assistance of assorted expertise to integrate the necessary infrastructure for the use of nuclear energy in different fields including power generation, water desalination and the nuclear applications in health, agriculture, industry, environment and management of water resources management.

     The French side welcomed admission of a number of Omani citizens to the programmes organized by the French Institute for Sciences and Nuclear Technologies. These programmes allow them to obtain the MA degree in the different disciplines of sciences and nuclear technologies. The French side also welcomed developing a framework for nuclear cooperation between the Sultanate and France by striking a cooperation agreement between the two governments.

     The French President Nicolas Sarcozi earlier opened the conference and urged the World Bank, the European Bank for Construction and Development and other development banks to finance the civil nuclear projects.

     The Sultanate's delegation to the conference included Ahmed bin Nasser al Mahrazi, the Sultanate's ambassador to France, Professor Hajj Suleiman Sharif, Head of the Peaceful Nuclear Technology Office at the Foreign Ministry and representatives from the National Economy Ministry and the Public Authority for Electricity and Water.

---Ends/MS/