Jordan's nuclear program disturbs Israel

AMMAN, Jordan, June 15 (UPI) -- Jordan's King Abdullah has charged Israel of attempting to block his country from developing a peaceful civilian nuclear energy program.

Abdullah stated that Israel had approached both South Korea and France and requested they not sell Jordan nuclear technology, Al Bawaba news agency reported Tuesday.

Citing Israel's "underhanded" actions, Abdullah stated that Jordanian-Israeli relations have reached their lowest point since the pair signed a peace agreement in 1994.

In an interview published in The Wall Street Journal Abdullah said: "There are countries, Israel in particular, that are more worried about us being economically independent than the issue of nuclear energy, and have been voicing their concerns. There are many such reactors in the world and a lot more coming, so (the Israelis must) go mind their own business."

Jordan's economy imports 95 percent of its oil requirements and suffers from significant water shortages as well, having some of the world's smallest water reserves per capita.