In a meeting at CERN on 10-11 April, a restricted interim council of the SESAME (Synchrotron Radiation Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) project, after extensive discussions on the technical, political and financial considerations and by a series of votes, selected Jordan as its first choice by a large majority and Armenia as its second choice.
Proposals were received from seven members, namely Armenia, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Oman, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey. Egypt and Iran withdrew their proposals before the final round of voting.
In recommending Jordan as the preferred host nation, it was understood that collaboration will take place with other members, in particular with the Palestinian Authority, to assist the recommended host nation in fulfilling its commitments. The recommendation of the restricted interim council is now forwarded to the interim council for final ratification. The SESAME interim council operates under the auspices of UNESCO.
The BESSY I synchrotron facility at Berlin was decommissioned in 1999 and the German government was prepared to make it available for another project. The decision to upgrade and relocate this facility to a Middle East nation to promote peace through science gave birth to the SESAME Project.
The interim council sought proposals from Middle East nations interested in housing the SESAME project. A restricted meeting of the interim council, with one representative from each of the 11 members, was charged with the task of evaluating the merits of each proposal and making a final recommendation to the full interim council.
The meeting at CERN was chaired by former CERN director-general Herwig Schopper and was attended by delegates from Armenia, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Oman, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey; by the co-chairmen of the technical committee, the UNESCO secretary of the interim council and the director of the UNESCO regional office in Cairo.
