Saudi-US talks on civilian nuclear program to begin within ‘weeks’

Saudi Arabia’s energy minister said the US and Riyadh will begin talks within weeks on cooperation over the kingdom’s emergent civilian nuclear program.

Khalid al-Falih told Reuters his nation will ask Washington to allow US companies to take part in the program.

Falih noted that Saudi Arabia has already “signed agreements with China, Russia, with France, so their technologies will be competing for the Saudi national nuclear project.”

US law forbids cooperation with nations that have not signed a so-called Section 123 Agreement, which limits nuclear work to peaceful uses only. Though Riyadh has said it does not seek a military program, it has said it seeks “self-sufficiency in producing nuclear fuel” and has in the past refused to sign an agreement that would limit its ability to enrich uranium.

“We hope that through the negotiations that will be taking place over the next few weeks with our American partners that we will find common ground that will allow the American government to meet the intent of American law,” Falih said.

“We absolutely want to harness nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. There should be no doubt about Saudi Arabian intentions. Whatever we do is going to be under strict compliance with international agreements,” he said.

“But we will not deprive ourselves of accessing our natural resources and localizing an industry that we intend to be with us for the long term.”

Officials in the famously oil-rich kingdom say nuclear power could fuel an economic boom.

The kingdom has said it will establish a regulatory agency and pass the necessary legislative framework for a nuclear program within roughly a year.

Preliminary plans suggest the Saudis may be looking to build as many as 17 reactors in all.

Saudi Arabia follows the neighboring United Arab Emirates, which is slated to open its own nuclear power reactor in 2018, and which has committed not to enrich uranium domestically.