The United States and Egypt agreed today to a program that will enable Egypt to acquire two nuclear plants that will develop more than half the power presently generated by the Aswan High Dam. An agreement on the two reactors which will cost $1.2 billion and, it is understood, will be financed to a large extent by the United States, was initialed at the State Department by Secretary of State Henry A, Kissinger and Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy.
Kissinger observed that the agreement “captures perhaps to a greater extent, more than any other event during this historic visit (of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat) the spirit of cooperation between our two nations” and is “testimony to the common commitment to peace in the area” (The Middle East). Twenty years ago, the U.S. refused to finance the giant dam at Aswan which was subsequently built by the Soviet Union.
The agreement with Egypt today was specifically tied to any future agreement the U.S. may enter into with Israel to provide that country with a nuclear power plant. The agreement states that ” it is the intention of the United States that at such time as negotiations are completed, the same safeguard provisions and special measures will be included in both the U.S. cooperation agreements with Egypt and Israel respectively. If certain provisions are modified or altered in one agreement, It is the intention of the United States government to introduce such modifications or alterations in the other agreement.”
U.S. officials said that neither Israel nor Egypt would have any veto since the U.S. will proceed on an agreement with one party if there is undue delay by the other. A high American authority explained to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the agreement with Egypt was concluded first because the Egyptians were prepared to move more rapidly.
When Israel indicates it is ready to go ahead, the U.S. is prepared to go just as fast or faster, the authority, said, He said that Israel has accepted the concept of equal treatment with Egypt on the concept of safeguards and pointed out that the agreement applies only to equipment supplied by the U.S, Fahmy hailed the agreement as “the first agreement of its kind signed in the Middle East with the U.S.” and said Egypt “is looking forward to more cooperation with the U.S.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
