Algeria, Argentina sign nuke energy pact

ALGIERS, Algeria, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Algeria and Argentina have signed a nuclear energy research cooperation agreement, Algerian officials said Tuesday.

The accord came as Argentinian President Christina Kirchner was paying an official visit to the North African nation, Med Basin Newsline reported. The Argentinian nuclear power agreement is the fourth for Algiers, which also has such pacts with France, Russia and the United States.

Argentina constructed a nuclear reactor in Algeria, located near the capital, Algiers, in 1984. The news agency says Algeria intensified its efforts to build a nuclear energy infrastructure last year and officials promise new laws pertaining to such power plants will be introduced in 2009.