Saudi Arabia and CERN sign protocol

On 9 May 2008, Mohammed I. Al Suwaiyel, President of the King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology, representing the Government of Saudi Arabia, and CERN Director-General, Robert Aymar, signed a protocol to the 2006 cooperation agreement between CERN and Saudi Arabia.

Members of the Saudi Arabian Government visit ATLAS.

The purpose of the protocol is to define the operational framework needed to carry out various specific tasks provided for in the cooperation agreement in order to promote the development of a high energy particle physics community in Saudi Arabia and its ultimate visible participation as a member of the global CERN community.

Signing the protocol, Mohammed I. Al-Suwaiyel said: "The Saudi Arabian Government has taken a number of initiatives to promote R&D in the interests of our country’s development and the advancement of science. Thanks to this protocol, Saudi scientists will be able to work towards this goal".

Robert Aymar also expressed his satisfaction, observing: "This is an important step in strengthening fundamental research capacities in the Middle East. We are pleased to welcome Saudi scientists to the global CERN community and I look forward to seeing this collaboration flourish in the future."

CERN has also signed cooperation agreements with other countries of North Africa and the Middle East, namely Algeria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and Pakistan. The signing of this latest protocol will contribute to the advancement of fundamental science throughout the world and to the development of CERN as a European laboratory of global dimensions that is taking on an important share of the efforts to understand the fundamental laws of the Universe.