Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Egypt and Russia have agreed on nuclear energy cooperation.

Officials said the Kremlin agreed to help Egypt launch an ambitious
nuclear energy program over the next year. They said the program stipulated
a string of nuclear energy reactors, starting with a facility along the
coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

“There will be a Russian delegation to lay out the details of these
issues as soon as possible,” Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Hatem
Saleh said.

Officials said the Egyptian-Russian agreement was reached during the
visit to Moscow by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in mid-April. They said Morsi, who led a large delegation, discussed nuclear and other energy cooperation as well as ways to increase trade.

Saleh said the first phase of the Egyptian nuclear program was the
development of the nation’s first nuclear energy reactor at Dabaa, near the
port city of Alexandria. He said Russia’s state-owned Rosatom would help
prepare Dabaa, stalled for more than 25 years amid a budget shortfall, local opposition and objections by the United States.

“We spoke on this issue and agreed that the Russians will help us in
conducting studies at the Dabaa nuclear station and to develop the
experimental reactor in Anshas,” Saleh said on April 22.

Officials said Russia intended to head the Dabaa reactor project.
They said the Morsi regime, faced by an economic crisis, was seeking loans
from Arab allies as well as Moscow.

“We have reached no conclusion on that loan,” Saleh said.

  Dabaa nuclear reactor, Egypt turns to Moscow to restart stalled nuclear energy program, Hatem Saleh, Mohammed Morsi, Rosatom, Vladimir Putin