The Council of Ministers has authorized Hashim Yamani, president of the King Abdullah Nuclear & Renewable Energy City, to sign the deal, the Saudi Press Agency said.
It did not say when the signing would take place but analysts expect the agreement to be inked during the upcoming state visit of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to France.
The nuclear pact was first proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in talks with King Abdullah in June 2007 in Paris, and the French side submitted a draft when Sarkozy visited Riyadh in January 2008.
Saudi endorsement was delayed last year while Riyadh undertook a formal review of its nuclear policy, which resulted in the April 2010 announcement of King Abdullah City to conduct research on nuclear and renewable energy.
The establishment of a nuclear and renewable energy city in Riyadh was seen as the strongest signal yet that the country, which burns large amounts of oil and natural gas to generate electricity and desalinate seawater for domestic consumption, could develop nuclear power.
The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, authorized Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf to sign another agreement with France to avoid double taxation on income and inheritance.
The Cabinet commended the talks between King Abdullah and US President Barack Obama in Washington, adding that the summit talks reflected the strong Saudi-US ties and the two countries’ desire to strengthen their cooperation in different fields.
Social Affairs Minister and Acting Minister of Information Yousuf Al-Othaimeen said the Cabinet also appreciated Obama’s comments on Saudi Arabia’s role under King Abdullah’s leadership to establish peace in the Middle East and other parts of the world.
The Cabinet referred to King Abdullah’s meeting with Saudi students in Canada and the US and his order to establish a chair at University of Toronto for conducting research on cultural dialogue. The chair is named after King Abdullah.
“The chair reflects the king’s desire to spread a culture of dialogue among the followers of different faiths and cultures, promote educational activities in cultural dialogue and spread values of tolerance and moderation,” the Cabinet said.
