Thurs. 4 March - Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon met Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, President of the Sesame Council, who is currently visiting Israel to meet with representatives of the Israeli scientific community.

SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East) is a unique regional project located in Jordan, which aims to allow scientists in countries of the region to cooperate at a high level. The project was initiated by several scientists, Israeli scientists included, under the auspices of UNESCO. The organization includes scientists from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, Cyprus, the Palestinian Authority and Turkey.             

At the meeting, Deputy FM Ayalon emphasized Israel's commitment to the unique project, and stated that the project was important both for the promotion of scientific research in the Middle East and for regional cooperation. "I believe that in the Middle East, projects such as SESAME can enable scientists to constitute a bridge for peace between peoples," Ayalon said