LONDON (AFP) – Britain and Jordan signed a nuclear cooperation pact here Monday, with Foreign Secretary David Miliband hailing the country's “transparent” approach to developing nuclear energy.

Miliband inked the deal with Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in the sidelines of a visit by King Abdullah II, saying Britain was committed to helping the energy-poor Arab country develop its civil nuclear program.
“If we are to move the world to a low-carbon economy, then nuclear power needs to be an important part of the energy mix,” Miliband said after the signing, while Prime Minister Gordon Brown met the Jordanian monarch.
“But it needs to be developed in a safe and secure way... Jordan’s nuclear power program is fully transparent making it a model for countries considering developing their own civil nuclear programs,” he added.
Jordan, which imports 95 percent of its energy needs, and several other Arab countries have announced plans for nuclear power programs.
In February Iraq's Electricity Minister Electricity Minister Karim Wahid invited France to help his country build a nuclear plant.
In March Jordan said four international firms have proposed to build a nuclear plant in the kingdom to help generate power and desalinate water.
Jordan's 1.2 billion tons of phosphate reserves are estimated to contain 130,000 tons of uranium, whose enriched form provides fuel for nuclear plants.
Photo: British Foreign Secretary David Miliband (L) speaks during a news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Joudeh after their meeting in Amman, Jordan in April 2009. (AFP/File/Khalil Mazraawi)