US voices support for UAE nuclear accord

A nuclear accord between the US and UAE was strongly endorsed by the US commerce secretary Gary Locke, who told a meeting with US business leaders that the agreement could create “tens of thousands” of job opportunities for Americans.

Speaking at the US Chamber of Commerce on Friday, Mr Locke touted the pact as “groundbreaking and historic”, adding that the success of the UAE programme would “require American know-how, American ingenuity and American tenacity”.

“Opportunities for American companies in the UAE are many and diverse,” said Mr Locke at the luncheon organised by the Washington-based Nuclear Energy Institute and the chamber’s US-UAE business council. “The Department of Commerce wholeheartedly supports this agreement, and I believe it has tremendous potential to benefit US firms and create tens of thousands of jobs here in America.”