WASHINGTON, July 18: A team of Pakistani nuclear scientists left for home on Sunday after participating in the first-ever talks on nuclear safety between Pakistan and the United States.

During the three-day talks, the two sides reviewed safety arrangements at civilian nuclear reactors and other similar facilities in Pakistan, US official sources told Dawn.

The talks did not cover defence-related installations, such as the KRL, the sources said. The seven-member team included scientists, safety experts and other officials and was headed by chairman of Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Jamshed Hashmi.

Dr. Nils Diaz, Chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, headed the eight-member American team. "The talks focused on issues like preventing nuclear accidents and devising a regulatory code for nuclear installations," a source who did not want to be identified told Dawn.

The United States has a well-tested and comprehensive safety protocol for civilian nuclear installations and Pakistan is reviewing it for making its own protocol. The two sides also discussed a strategy for human resource development, methods for the maintenance of aging nuclear plants, which includes acquiring new spare parts.

Besides nuclear plants, safety measures at other institutions using nuclear technology were also reviewed. Pakistan and the United States have wanted to hold these consultations for a long time but nuclear-related sanctions, imposed in October 1990, prevented them from doing so.

The sanctions were revoked after 9/11 when Pakistan became America's war-on-terror ally. US official sources said this was first of a series of consultations the two sides plan to hold on this subject and hoped that it would become a regular annual feature.