US lawmaker concerned over nuclear overtures to Saudi

An American legislator expresses concern over the Trump administration’s efforts to sign a nuclear cooperation accord with Saudi Arabia, which is preparing to build several reactors.

Democratic Senator Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, says any deal is “almost certain” to require a non-proliferation accord, known as a “123 agreement,” of the type the United States has previously signed with South Korea and India, and which is designed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

“Previous US efforts to conclude a 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia have been unsuccessful because of its long-standing refusal to commit to foregoing any uranium enrichment or spent-fuel reprocessing on its territory — the so-called… ‘gold standard’ for 123 agreements,” Markey, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, says in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

AFP on Tuesday obtained a copy of the letter, which is dated February 26. Riyadh plans to announce at the beginning of March its short list of firms which will bid to build its nuclear reactors. Besides the US company Westinghouse, Russian, French, Chinese, and South Korean firms are in the running.

A nuclear accord between Riyadh and Washington would allow US corporations to export their nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia, while tensions are high surrounding the nuclear program of Riyadh’s regional rival Iran.

— AFP