CYPRUS: SESAME REGIONAL SCIENCE PROJECT -- STILL NOT QUITE

UNCLAS NICOSIA 000986

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/SE AND IO/UNESCO (RCOROTIS)

PARIS FOR US MISSION TO UNESCO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON TSPL OSCI TNGD TPHY UNESCO CY
SUBJECT: CYPRUS: SESAME REGIONAL SCIENCE PROJECT -- STILL NOT QUITE
OPEN YET BUT GETTING THERE

REF: COROTIS-CAROUSO E-MAIL, NOVEMBER 16, 2007

(U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified. Please treat
accordingly.


1. (U) Summary. On December 11 and 12, 2007, Cyprus hosted the
Eleventh Meeting of the Council of the Synchrotron-light for
Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME).
Per Ref e-mail, Post ECON Officer and ECON Specialist attended the
meeting to follow up on developments. The main message that came
out of the meeting was that SESAME is now past the "point of no
return," meaning that with a purpose-built building, nine members,
some key equipment sourced, and apparent momentum, the project will
result in a full-scale experimental facility by the target date of

2011. Budget issues still loom large but the Council is hopeful to
overcome them. Although the project is not geared to be cutting
edge from a technological point of view, the main expected benefits
are to be found in closer regional cooperation in a troubled part of
the world. Background and highlights from the Cyprus meeting
follow. End Summary.

SESAME Background
--------------


2. (U) Synchrotron radiation, emitted from particle accelerators,
is used for a host of scientific experiments. Put simply,
scientists use synchrotron radiation in conjunction with "super
microscopes" to better understand the nature and structure of
materials. SESAME is planned to focus on five scientific domains:
physical science, biological and medical sciences, environmental
sciences, industrial applications, and archaeology.


3. (U) SESAME came into existence as an intergovernmental
organization on 15 April 2004 under the auspices of UNESCO.
Current members of SESAME are Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel,
Jordan, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey and Iran
(since August 2007). Observer countries are France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Kuwait, Portugal, Russian Federation, Sweden, U.K.
and the United States. In addition Japan and the United Arab
Emirates, deeply involved in the early stages of the project, are in
the process of confirming their status in the Center.


4. (U) SESAME will provide the region of the Middle East with a
world-class laboratory for basic research and numerous applications.
There are now more than 50 operating synchrotron sources around the
world, but this will be the first in the Middle East and the
Mediterranean.


5. (U) A used injection system donated by Germany (BESSY I 800 MeV
injection system) is already in Jordan and will be installed in the
new building soon. The EU has provided USD 1 million to facilitate
the purchase of equipment and installation of the injection system.

Cyprus Meeting
--------------


6. (U) The main message that came out of the Cyprus meeting was
that SESAME is now past the "point of no return." Construction of
the SESAME building (just the building, not the necessary equipment
inside) is currently in its final stages and is scheduled for a
"soft inauguration" either in July or November 2008. The building
is situated on land in Allan, Jordan donated by the Government of
Jordan. Construction costs were around USD 7 million.


7. (U) The main challenges lying ahead consist of: (a) raising USD
15-30 million to procure the necessary scientific equipment; and (b)
securing increased budget commitments from participating nations and

other donors to cover the project's escalating operating expenses.


8. (SBU) Regarding hardware, SESAME currently needs to raise about
USD 15 million for the procurement of a new 2.5 GeV third generation
storage ring with a circumference of 130 m, an emittance of 26
nm-rad, and space for 12 insertion devices has been designed.
Technical components of this ring (magnets, vacuum system, RF
system, power supplies, etc.) are designed and ready to go out for
bids. Iran has offered to build the magnets. SESAME is hoping that
the EU will provide these funds although, to date, no such
commitment has been secured (see below). Further down the line,
SESAME will have to raise another USD 15 million from sources in the
United States for the necessary beam lines. (Amy Flatten of the
American Physical Society, who attended the Cyprus meeting,
studiously avoided talking about money, although she noted that APS
had decided to take a more active role in SESAME, and that the U.S.
scientific community was strongly supportive of the project.)


9. (SBU) Regarding human resources, SESAME currently has 15
employees, including a part time Director, a full time Technical
Director, an Administrative Officer, and a part time Scientific
Director. The accelerator/technical staff includes 8 full time
scientists and engineers from the Middle East, with plans to hire
more over time. A vigorous training program is already underway for
accelerator scientists and engineers, beam line scientists, and
users with funds from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the
International Center for Theoretical Physics, the U.S. Department of
Energy, and synchrotron radiation labs around the world that host
SESAME visitors.


10. (SBU) SESAME's 2008 budget, approved at the Cyprus meeting,
calls for total spending of USD 1.4 million. Salaries and
allowances for directors and staff make up 75 percent of this
budget. Based on current revenue projections, SESAME expects to
incur a deficit of around USD 480,000 in 2008, a worrisome prospect
indeed. This means that without a commitment for additional
spending by the parties, SESAME will run into serious financial
problems in the near future. Furthermore, once the lab becomes
operational (2011),yearly spending is projected to rise to USD 4.0
million.


11. (U) One of the Cypriot participants also gave an interesting
overview of R&D spending in Cyprus. Cypriot R&D spending has
gradually increased from 0.18 percent of GDP in 1991 to 0.41 percent
in 2005. Even so, Cyprus remains a laggard in the EU in terms of
R&D spending, ranking 17th out of 27 countries, so the GOC wants to
raise this further. However, the main problem with Cypriot R&D
spending is that the bulk of it comes from the government -- only 20
percent comes from the private sector. This is attributed to weak
links between academia and the private sector. The GOC, through the
Planning Bureau, is trying to change all this and encourage more
active participation from the private sector.

A Helping Hand from Cyprus
--------------


12. (SBU) Cyprus is the only EU country member of SESAME. Its
partners in SESAME are investing much hope that Cyprus will help
promote their quest for funds from the EU. However, a Cypriot
conference participant in the conference told us in private that the
EU was unlikely to provide these funds out of its research budget,
since the technology to be used is no longer cutting edge. However,
he was still hopeful that the EU might agree to fund this out of
foreign assistance or foreign affairs funds given the symbolic
importance of Israel, Iran and Arab nations in a cooperative
venture.


13. (SBU) The same official also confided that SESAME had tried to
get Cyprus interested in building the project on Cypriot soil.
However, at the recommendation of the Planning Bureau, the GOC
dismissed the idea as "too costly." The official also made it clear
that Cyprus did not intend to take the lead on SESAME, financially
or otherwise. Cyprus contributed just USD 62,500 to the project in
2007 and should have no problem committing similar amounts in the
future.


14. (SBU) The last Users' Meeting, the sixth of its kind, in Jordan
(November 17-19, 2007),attracted around 220 scientists, compared to
only about 70 at the previous meeting. About 100 of the scientists
were from Jordan, and the remaining 120 from Egypt, France Germany,
Israel, Iran, Japan, Pakistan, etc). The strong participation in
the Users' Meeting was good news for SESAME, in that it demonstrated
real scientific interest in the project.


15. (SBU) However, financial issues still need to be sorted out.
During the last Users' Meeting, a Cypriot proposal to divide funding
obligations based on each country's economic size was greeted with
skepticism. Instead, the other participants suggested that member
countries should contribute according to their GDP per capita, a
suggestion dismissed outright by the Cypriot delegation. In a
nutshell, funding remains the biggest problem. Several participants
at the Cyprus conference privately expressed to us their
exasperation at the fact that oil-rich countries in the region had
so far not committed any funds.


16. (U) Cyprus can also help SESAME by serving as a computer hub.
Cyprus already has modern telecommunications infrastructure, giving
it unhindered broadband access to EU data processing and
"super-computer" centers. Cyprus has offered use of its
infrastructure to help SESAME process the massive amounts of data
generated, contingent on identifying the necessary funds to cover
connectivity fees.


17. (U) Notably, Cyprus Planning Bureau Director Andreas Moleskis
has been appointed Chairman of SESAME's Finance Committee. His
department is currently conducting a financial viability study for
SESAME.

Regional Cooperation Sometimes Can Only Go So Far . . .
-------------- --------------


18. (SBU) SESAME promises to bring together scientists in a
troubled part of the world. Sometimes, though, this is easier said
than done. The Israeli representative to SESAME told us privately
that, assuming that all practical issues were resolved and SESAME
got off to a flying start in 2011, Israeli scientists in this field
might still opt to continue using similar labs in Europe, instead of
SEASAME in Jordan, due to security concerns. The same
representative told us that Israel, a leader in R&D in the region,
did not find it cost effective to set up its own synchrotron lab,
which is why the 50-or-so Israeli scientists in this field regularly
visit labs in Europe. Hard political realities on the ground may
also lie behind the absence of the Turkish representative from the
Cyprus meeting. Even though the GOC had cleared all visa obstacles,
the visit did not take place, reportedly "due to personal
hindrances" of the Turkish delegate -- an excuse few believed in
Cyprus.


19. (U) The next SESAME Council meeting has been scheduled to take
place in Upsala, Sweden, June 9-10, 2008 and the following one in
Jordan, in November 2008.


20. (SBU) Comment: SEASAME has gathered considerable momentum since
its inception although funding issues still loom large. At this

juncture, funding commitments of the order of USD 15 million need to
be made soon, if the project is to come on line in 2011 as planned.
Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn-Smith has been nominated as
President-elect for a five-year term at SESAME, to succeed incumbent
President, Professor Herwig Schopper. Sir Llewellyn-Smith brings
considerable experience and connections to the table from such
globally-acclaimed institutions as the European Organization for
Nuclear Research (French: Organisation europenne pour la recherche
nuclaire),commonly known as CERN. Smith delivered a well-received
speech at the Cyprus SESAME conference, reflecting his personal
commitment and drive to put all his considerable experience behind
this project -- certainly a good omen for SESAME. Whether the
oft-repeated phrase that SESAME is "past the point of no return" in
achieving a fully functioning experimental synchrotron or not will
depend on whether donors and/or new members show up with funding
soon. End Comment

SCHLICHER