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Jordan faces no-nukes campaign

Jordan's October announcement that it would build two nuclear reactors has ignited a local anti-nuke campaign.
A Jordanian environmental activist takes part in a protest against Jordan's nuclear program in front of the ministry of energy in Amman June 29, 2011. Jordan is currently planning its first 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant, although it has recently shifted away from an initially proposed site in an earthquake fault zone. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ENERGY) - RTR2O9DG

AMMAN, Jordan — Mona, a self-declared “very apolitical” Jordanian mother, sat on a plastic chair at the Jordanian Welfare Party headquarters in Amman, watching the conference table fill with engineers, activists and politicians. They wore blue jeans, black suits or traditional robes, assembling under a white banner that read, “Conference of Jordanian Parties Against the Nuclear Program.”

“I’m just worried about my family,” Mona whispered. She came after seeing a Facebook post about the meeting, where party leaders are drafting a statement against Jordan’s nuclear plans. “This isn’t politics. This is health. It’s not funny, you know?”

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