US lawmakers urge Rubio to seek tough standards in any Saudi nuclear power pact

By Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - A dozen Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to push for "gold standard" non-proliferation protections in any agreement with Saudi Arabia on sharing nuclear power technology.

The administration of Republican President Donald Trump told leaders of some congressional committees in November in an initial report that it is pursuing a civil nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia that does not include non-proliferation safeguards the U.S. has long said would ensure the kingdom does not develop nuclear weapons.

Many Democrats and some Republicans, including Rubio when he served in the Senate, have insisted any agreement include guardrails, including that Saudi Arabia not enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel - potential pathways to weapons.

Trump's report to Congress said a draft U.S.-Saudi pact, known as a 123 Agreement, puts the U.S. industry at the heart of Saudi civil nuclear development, ensuring non-proliferation safeguards are in place.

But it opens the way for Saudi Arabian enrichment as it refers to "additional safeguards and verification measures to the most sensitive areas of potential nuclear cooperation" between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, including enrichment and reprocessing.

"We urge you to immediately reconsider these plans and seek an agreement that meets the 'gold standard,' consistent with the longstanding bipartisan consensus on this issue," the lawmakers, including U.S. Senators Ed Markey of Massachusetts and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, said in a letter to Rubio.

The State Department said it could not discuss specific details of the draft 123 Agreement, but it does reflect "a shared commitment by the United States and Saudi Arabia to strong nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation standards."

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, has said the kingdom would seek to develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran did so.

The Trump administration could soon submit a 123 Agreement to Congress, though the timing is unclear with the war on Iran over its nuclear program. Unless both the Senate and the U.S. House pass resolutions opposing the agreement within 90 days after submission, it would allow the U.S. to share nuclear power technology with Saudi Arabia.