 "Washington and Riyadh near civil nuclear deal, but Israel normalisation off the agenda")
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters Sunday (April 13) that Washington DC and Riyadh will sign a preliminary agreement to co-operate over developing a civil nuclear industry in Saudi Arabia. His announcement followed a meeting between him and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman earlier in the day.
The secretary said a comprehensive version of the agreement detailing the energy cooperation between the two nations would be unveiled later this year.
“For a US partnership and involvement in nuclear here, there will definitely be a 123 agreement … there’s lots of ways to structure a deal that will accomplish both the Saudi objectives and the American objectives,” Wright was quoted as saying by Reuters.
What is a 123 agreement?
The so-called 123 agreement refers to a deal with Saudi Arabia under the Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The 123 agreement is a must before US companies and government are allowed to develop civil nuclear industry in the kingdom.
Wright said that as of now, the Saudi authorities have not agreed to the conditions of the US act.
The agreement lays out nine non-proliferation conditions a country must meet to ensure it doesn’t use nuclear tech to build bombs or pass sensitive materials to others.
But things had been stuck for a while because Saudi Arabia wasn’t too keen on signing a deal that would prohibit it from enriching uranium or reprocessing spent fuel. Those two processes are key stepping stones if you ever want to go from peaceful energy to nuclear weaponry.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has long vowed that the kingdom would definitely pursue a nuclear bomb if arch rival Iran manages to develop one.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsNo wider agreement on table?
Chris Wright didn’t mention any wider agreement with Riyadh, something that the previous administration of Joe Biden was seeking to include normalisation with Israel on the list.
A civil nuclear agreement would help Saudi Arabia generate substantial renewable energy and reduce emissions, under the crown prince’s Vision 2030 reform plan.
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
