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Lucia A Keegan  08/02/2006 03:07:35 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

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UNCLAS        PARIS 05183

SIPDIS
cxparis:
    ACTION: UNESCO
    INFO:   POL DCM SCI ECON AMBU AMB AMBO

DISSEMINATION: UNESCOX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB: LVOLIVER
DRAFTED: INT: NSHETH
CLEARED: SCI: NCOOPER

VZCZCFRI115
RR RUEHC RUEHUNV RUEHZN
DE RUEHFR #5183/01 2130945
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 010945Z AUG 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9979
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0531
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 005183 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM USMISSION TO UNESCO PARIS 
 
STATE FOR IO/UNESCO Kevin PILZ, OES BARRIE RIPIN, OES/STAS ANDREW W. 
REYNOLDS, NEA ALICE ARMITAGE 
STATE FOR NSC GENE WHITNEY 
STATE FOR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ROBIN GILCHRIST, STEPHANIE 
WHEPLEY 
STATE FOR NSF INTERNATIONAL OFFICE 
STATE FOR DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: UNESCO TPHY TSPA KISL SOCI XF JO
SUBJECT: UNESCO:  SESAME CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON CONTINUED MID EAST 
COOPERATION ON PARTICLE ACCELERATION PROJECT 
 
 
¶1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY.  The Council of the Synchrotron Light 
for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East 
(SESAME) convened for its eighth meeting at UNESCO Headquarters on 
July 10-11, 2006.  The centerpiece of the program is a synchrotron 
light source, to be installed in Jordan, that will be the first in 
the Middle East and Southern Mediterranean.  When fully operational, 
SESAME will be the Middle East's first major international center 
for co-operation in a field that offers many opportunities for 
training and research in basic and applied sciences, technology and 
medicine. 
 
¶2.  Much of the meeting focused on the progress being made toward 
having the SESAME facility up and running on schedule.  There were 
updates on the building itself, the budget, and cooperation with the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  A special session with 
permanent delegates to UNESCO included a discussion on science in 
Muslim countries.  A side conversation between mission 
representatives and SESAME Director Khaled Toukan, who is also the 
Jordanian Minister of Education, focused on ongoing high-level 
contacts between Jordanian officials and U.S. officials on SESAME. 
END INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY. 
 
JORDANIAN MINISTER STRESSES SUPPORT FOR SESAME 
 
¶3.  In a conversation with Stanford University Professor Herman 
Winick, one of the founders of the SESAME project, and Khaled 
Toukan, Director of the SESAME project and Jordanian Minister of 
Education, mission representatives were briefed on Toukan's recent 
meeting with Dr. John Marburger, the Director of the White House 
Office of Science and Technology Policy.  At this one-hour meeting 
in Amman, Dr. Marburger and Toukan discussed SESAME.  Toukan also 
spoke of his meeting with Education Secretary Spellings in 
Sharm-el-Sheik two months ago, during which they also discussed 
SESAME.  Toukan also cited Jordanian King Abdullah's meeting with 
Secretary Bodman, during which  SESAME was also on the agenda. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
¶4.  Winick then spoke separately to U.S. Mission to UNESCO Science 
officer and intern about the American Physical Society Conference he 
is organizing in Denver in March, that Toukan will attend.  Winick 
would also like to organize a meeting in Washington, directly before 
or after the March conference, with Mr. Toukan, Dr. Marburger, 
Secretary Bodman, Ambassador Oliver and possibly others, to discuss 
 
SIPDIS 
SESAME. 
 
UNESCO AND SESAME LEADERS SAY SESAME IS ON THE RIGHT TRACK 
 
¶5.  In the welcoming address, UNESCO Assistant Director General for 
Natural Sciences Walter Erdelen, praised the progress being made on 
SESAME, and pledged UNESCO's continuing support until SESAME could 
"fly with its own wings."  After that, UNESCO and SESAME will work 
together as equal partners.  In his remarks, SESAME Council 
President Herwig Schopper noted that Portugal was a new Observer to 
the Council (as is France) and that Japan will most likely join the 
council as an observer soon.  Finally, he said that science would be 
an important element in bridging the gap between the developed and 
the developing worlds. 
 
IAEA PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO SESAME 
 
¶6.  Jean-Pierre Cayol of the IAEA then spoke of the IAEA's 
assistance to SESAME.  He highlighted a fellowships program arranged 
by IAEA that will allow for scientists from SESAME countries to have 
additional training.  Cayol then spoke of progress on a Memorandum 
of Understanding that will set the framework for cooperation between 
the IAEA and SESAME.  He also highlighted a new Inter-Regional 
project dedicated to SESAME, the "Support for Human Capacity 
Building in Utilization and Operation of the SESAME."  This will 
allow SESAME members who are also members of the IAEA to benefit 
from training funded by the IAEA. 
 
PROGRESS ON BUILDING IS GOOD, BUT MORE FUNDING IS NEEDED 
 
¶7.  SESAME Director (and Jordanian Education Minister) Khaled Toukan 
spoke of SESAME's progress.  He stated that SESAME is 80% of the way 
to being fully functioning.  The construction of the SESAME building 
in Jordan continues to go well; the building should be completed in 
November 2006, and staff members should be able to move in by March 
¶2007.  There is a delay in the beamlines; beamline commissioning 
will not be done until October 2010. 
 
¶8.  On a positive note, the Director then turned to the subject of 
scientific proposals.  SESAME has so far received 70 scientific 
proposals from member states, observer states, and non-member 
states.  Mr. Toukan especially noted the proposals from Saudi Arabia 
and the United Arab Emirates, both non-member states, as a positive 
sign.  Jordan and Israel have submitted the most proposals.  There 
is one proposal from the U.S. 
 
¶9. On funding, Mr. Toukan stated that while the Jordanian government 
will be willing to provide more funding, the SESAME Council would 
like the project to be multilateral, not national.  In order for 
SESAME to be truly multilateral, funds need to come from sources 
other than Jordan.  In order for SESAME to be operational by 2010, 
15 million euros will be needed.  Mr. Toukan urged member states to 
pay their dues in a timely manner.  He then turned to the budget, 
noting that the budget for 2007 ($2,825,000) is significantly larger 
than the budget for 2006 ($1,122,086).  This is because SESAME will 
be operating out of the main SESAME building in 2007, instead of out 
of the UNESCO field office in Amman, as it is now. There are 
currently 14 staff members, including technical staff, the 
directorate, and administrative staff.  Member States approved the 
2006 budget, and discussed the 2007 budget.  The Council will decide 
whether or not to approve the 2007 budget in December of this year, 
at the next council meeting in Jordan. 
 
¶10.  Observer missions were briefed on a closed Session of member 
states and states that were on the interim council of SESAME. 
Member states concluded that the chairman of the Beamline Committee 
should rotate, and that a Pakistani will be the new chair, beginning 
in January 2007.  They also discussed how to get more involvement 
from the European Union (EU) and concluded that they needed to make 
clear that SESAME is a regional, not a national, project.  The 
Council called on observer missions from European states  to convey 
this message to the European Commission. 
 
SPECIAL SESSION DISCUSSES SESAME, SCIENCE IN ARAB WORLD 
 
¶11.  The program concluded with a special session with selected 
Permanent Delegations to UNESCO to inform them of SESAME's progress. 
 The information provided was a summary of the more detailed 
presentations given the day before in front of the Council. In 
addition, the Chair of the Beamlines Committee of SESAME, Samar 
Hasnain of the UK, gave a presentation on light source rings 
throughout the world, highlighting science's role in creating 
economic wealth.  Professor Rahighi of Iran, Chair of the Training 
Committee of SESAME, talked of the training that had already taken 
place and that was to take place among SESAME scientists.  In 
particular, he praised Winick's efforts to provide training to 
Middle Eastern scientists.  While noting SESAME's success in 
attracting users and interest, he said there were not enough 
training programs to meet demand.  Finally, Professor Schopper gave 
a presentation about scientific development in the Middle East, 
saying that while the Qu'ran promotes scientific understanding, the 
Arab world today neglects its scientists, causing the "brain drain." 
 He said that governments in the Islamic world need to change their 
attitude towards science, and begin financing scientific research. 
In the discussion that followed Schopper's presentation, both 
Palestinian and Jordanian representatives praised his ideas.  The UK 
Ambassador to UNESCO stressed that the UNESCO Director General 
should lobby Middle Eastern states to begin funding scientific 
research.  Oliver