Japan, Saudi to promote talks for civil nuclear pact, security cooperation

Japan and Saudi Arabia agreed Wednesday to accelerate bilateral talks for a civil nuclear cooperation accord that would enable Japanese manufacturers to export reactors to the kingdom, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing a Japanese government official. The agreement came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with Saudi Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in Tokyo, where they also agreed that the two countries should enhance security cooperation through dialogue between their foreign and defense officials, the official was quoted as saying. "I would like to strengthen further the comprehensive partnership between the two countries," Abe said at the start of the meeting, according to the report. The crown prince, who is also deputy prime minister and defense minister, responded by saying he will seek to "further develop the existing cooperative relationship." The two countries also signed a memorandum on cooperation to facilitate mutual corporate investment. During their meeting last April in Saudi Arabia, Abe and the crown prince agreed to start preparatory talks on a civil nuclear pact before launching full negotiations as early as this spring. Japan has been in talks for similar accords with other countries such as India as part of efforts to increase exports of Japanese infrastructure. A civil nuclear accord sets a legal framework to prevent any diversion to military use when a country provides civil nuclear technology to another. Abe also briefed the crown prince on Japan's policy of proactively contributing to peace in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world, based on the principle of international cooperation, the report said. The crown prince expressed his support, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The two assessed progress on bilateral cooperation in areas such as ensuring the safety of sea lanes to transport crude oil from the Middle East and countering terrorism, the report said. The crown prince, who arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday for a four-day visit, also met with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace earlier in the day