Kuwait signs agreement with CTBTO to operate Radionuclide Station RN40

The State of Kuwait hammered out Tuesday an agreement with the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) to operate Kuwait's Radionuclide Station RN40. The agreement was signed here by Director of Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) Dr. Naji Al-Mutairi and CTBTO Executive Secretary Lassina Zerbo. The signing ceremony was attended by Kuwaiti Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Delegate to the UN Organizations in Vienna Sadeq Maarafi. Kuwait's Radionuclide Station RN40 was built by and currently operated by KISR in coordination with Vienna-based CTBTO to detect nuclear tests and ensure compliance with Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty across the globe. Maarafi told KUNA on the sidelines of the signing ceremony that Kuwait signed the Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in 1996 and the treaty signature was officially ratified in May 2003. "CTBTO has proved great effectiveness in detecting several nuclear tests across the globe," Marafi said, adding that fifteen out of 26 countries in the Middle East joined the CTBT. For his part, KISR Director Al-Mutairi revealed that Kuwait had hosted a radionuclides station from 1994 to 2000 to provide information to the International Data Center (IDC) which collects, processes and analyses monitoring data. "In 2004, Kuwait-based Radionuclide Station RN40 was endorsed by CTBTO as certified station," Al-Mutairi told KUNA. "This station, operated by Kuwaiti cadres of KIRS, is ranked 40th among over 80 station worldwide."