U.S. Renews Atomic Trade Talks With Jordan

U.S. Renews Atomic Trade Talks With Jordan

The United States last week carried out a fresh round of civilian atomic trade talks with Jordan, the Jordan Times reported (see GSN, Feb. 17).
Bilateral negotiations on a pact that would permit U.S. firms to export atomic materials and technology to Jordan were hobbled in 2008 when Amman refused to agree to the U.S. condition that it surrender the right as a Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty member state to enrich uranium, according to previous reporting. The Arab nation possesses large reserves of natural uranium, which can be refined for use as nuclear reactor fuel or nuclear-weapon material (see GSN, Sept. 29, 2010).