Amman - Prince Ghazi bin Mohammad on Monday opened the the new Jordan-based Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) in the presence of a number of prominent scientists from across the world.

The centre would provide the Middle East with "several facilities for basic scientific research and applications that will help boost sciences and technology" in the region, Jordan's Nuclear Energy Commission Chairman Khalid Touqan said at the opening.

UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura also attended the opening at the site of the centre in Allan, some 30 kilometres west of Amman. Jordan's shared the UNESCO-backed project with Egypt, Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Bahrain, Cyprus and the Palestinian Authority. (dpa)