KUWAIT CITY, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait and France on Thursday inked an initial deal on nuclear cooperation that includes exchanging expertise on the field, the official KUNA news agency reported.

    The agreement encourages the peaceful use of atomic energy to bring in vital energy resources such as electricity, the report said.

    The report however did not specify details of the cooperation between the Fourth largest exporter of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and France.

    Pocketing around 40 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, Gulf oil exporters in recent years have stepped up their pursuit for nuclear technology to meet an ever surging demand for energy.

    Last December, the United Arab Emirates signed a 75-billion-dirham (about 20.4 billion U.S. dollars) agreement with South Korea on the construction of four nuclear power plants in the country. (1 U.S. dollar = 3.673 UAE Dirham)