Britain signed a preliminary nuclear cooperation deal with Jordan on Sunday, as the desert kingdom scrambles to meet growing energy needs and find alternative sources of power to desalinate water.

"The memorandum will pave the way for signing a cooperation agreement between the two countries later this year," Khaled Tukan, head of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission told reporters.

He said Britain and Jordan agreed to cooperate on "promoting the establishment of a reliable source of nuclear fuel for future civilian light water nuclear reactors" in the kingdom, which imports around 95 percent of its energy needs. ... Read full article