Dubai:
The UAE and US have signed a bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear energy cooperation, which will allow the gulf state to minimise its dependence on other nations to import natural gas for electricity generation.
According to the UAE's official news agency, WAM, the agreement was signed between Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to the US and American state department officials.
The pact has been sent to the US Congress for review, which will have 90 days to amend or reject it, before it can come into force.
The so-called "123 Agreement" establishes a legal framework for commerce in civilian nuclear energy between the two countries, reinforcing the UAE's new global standard for peaceful nuclear energy development, the agency said.
The gulf state wants to break its dependence on outside sources for its energy needs and settled on nuclear power as the best option.
The agreement creates a legal framework for the US to transfer sensitive nuclear items to the UAE, a federation of seven Middle Eastern states that wants nuclear power to
satisfy growing demand for electricity.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, welcomed the announcement that President Barack Obama had approved the agreement.
"We appreciate President Obama's support, and we look forward to working with the US Congress," the minister said.
"We have worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the US government and other responsible nations to create a programme that is peaceful by design, with the highest standards of safety, security, operational transparency and non-proliferation," he added.
President Obama recently outlined the US goals on non-proliferation.
"We need a new paradigm for civil nuclear cooperation that allows all countries to enjoy the benefits of nuclear power, while avoiding the spread of nuclear weapons and technologies," he had said during a speech on April 5, 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic.