Turkey ratifies agreement with US on civilian nuclear cooperation

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News
Monday, July 10, 2006

The Cabinet has approved a civilian nuclear power agreement that was signed with the United States in 2000 but not implemented until now, the Anatolia news agency reported yesterday.
The ratification of the deal was published in yesterday's Official Gazette.
Under the deal the United States would provide nuclear power to Turkey while building in safeguards for the nonproliferation of weapons, the Official Gazette said.
Turkey plans to build three nuclear power plants by 2015 and the United Nations' International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon begin work with Turkish energy authorities to coordinate a safe and proper start for the nuclear program.
During his visit to Ankara last week, IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei lent support for Turkey's nuclear project, saying its decision to build nuclear power plants was a logical one given its growing energy needs and limited amount of natural energy sources.
In June 2005, Turkey and the United States signed a cooperation agreement, consolidating the two countries' efforts in working to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Late in May, Turkey hosted a joint military exercise in the eastern Mediterranean as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), which U.S. officials have described as a demonstration of “a determination to stop missile and nuclear technology from reaching” Turkey's neighbor Iran and other countries.
Since it was first proposed by U.S. President George W. Bush in May 2003, the number of countries supporting the PSI exceeds 70, and several others cooperate on an informal basis. Turkey declared its support for the initiative in December 2003.
Under the PSI participants agree to take effective measures to interdict the transfer or transport of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems and related materials. The PSI envisions states working cooperatively, employing their national capabilities to develop a broad range of legal, diplomatic, economic, military and other tools to interdict shipments of such items.