Amman - Jordan and Canada on Tuesday signed an agreement for cooperation in the sphere of peaceful uses of the nuclear energy, president of the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) Khalid Toukan said.

The accord concluded between the JAEC and the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) is a follow-up for the memorandum of standing that was signed between the two sides in June, he added.

"Under the agreement, the AECL will extend all possible assistance to Jordan in the areas of building nuclear reactors for peaceful uses such as electricity generation and water desalination as well as nuclear security, planning of nuclear radiation and protection of environment," Toukan said.

The accord also provides for manpower training and the extraction of uranium in Jordan, he added.

This is the fourth nuclear cooperation agreement to be signed by Jordan with nuclear countries. Similar accords were concluded with France, China and South Korea.

Jordan and other Arab countries came to show interest in developing their own nuclear programmes after Iran adamantly pushed ahead toward the possession of nuclear technology. (dpa)