RIYADH- The US is reportedly set to resume talks with Saudi Arabia tosecure a lucrative deal for the construction of nuclear reactors in thekingdom, under which Washington may pave the way for Riyadh to developnuclear weapons by allowing it to enrich uranium.
The talks were frozen under the former US administration after the Saudisrefused to accept Washington’s non-proliferation “gold standard” for civilnuclear cooperation deals.
The standard prohibits the recipient of the technology from enrichinguranium and reprocessing plutonium, which could be used to produce fuel fornuclear weapons.
Under President Donald Trump, however, the two sides have resumeddiscussing nuclear cooperation, despite Riyadh’s continued insistence onbypassing that standard.
US Energy Secretary Rick Perry will meet with Saudi Arabia’s Minister ofEnergy and Industry Khalid Bin Abdulaziz al-Falih in London on Friday in “acrucial step” in the Trump-era nuclear discussions, *Bloomberg* reported onTuesday.
The report said Washington is considering whether to give into Riyadh’sdemand in return for the regime to pick US contractors for buildingreactors in Saudi Arabia.
The kingdom seeks to set up 16 nuclear power reactors over the next 20 to25 years at a cost of more than $80 billion.
Analysts say the US may be ready to give up the “gold standard” in anattempt to prevent the profitable agreement from going to other potentialcontractors, including Russia and China.
However, some US congressmen have protested the absence of transparency inthe issue.
“Congress remains in the dark about what exactly is being considered, whywe may be re-evaluating our non-proliferation objectives and standards, andhow and when this information is being conveyed to Saudi Arabia and othercountries around the world,” Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) said in aletter to Perry and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
On Sunday, *The New York Times *warned in an opinion piece about theprospect of the emergence of a nuclear Saudi Arabia.
“There are growing signs that the Saudis want the option of buildingnuclear weapons to hedge against their archrival, Iran,” the paper added.
In 2015, Iran and the world countries, including the US, reached a landmarknuclear deal, which put limits on Iran’s domestic nuclear program inexchange for the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions against the country.
The agreement has been invariably hailed as a pillar of regional andinternational stability.
While apparently trying to turn a blind eye to what Riyadh could do withits unbridled nuclear program, Washington under Trump has been viciouslypushing to kill the accord or withdraw from it, citing it as “the worstdeal ever negotiated.”
Trump visited Saudi Arabia on his first foreign trip last year, signing adeal with the kingdom to provide it with $110 billion worth of weapons.Washington has been a major supporter of the Riyadh regime in its deadlywar against Yemen.