“Wall Street Journal”: US, Saudi Arabia towards 30-year nuclear agreement

According to Wall Street Journal reports, the deal gives American companies a key role in developing Saudi nuclear infrastructure, including the possibility of building a uranium enrichment facility on Saudi Arabia's territory.

The agreement is expected to be signed and made public during Wednesday, while then sent to the US Congress for review.

According to the New York Times, the Trump administration has accepted several conditions demanded by Riyadh, including restricting international inspectors' access to certain nuclear facilities and the possibility that, after a joint technical study, Saudi Arabia will enrich uranium or reprocess plutonium on its territory.

The agreement is based on the so-called “Agreement 123”, an American legal mechanism regulating international co-operation in the field of nuclear energy and aims to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. So far, the US has signed 26 such agreements with 51 governments and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

However, the initiative has triggered debate in Washington. Lawmakers from both parties, as well as Israeli officials, have expressed concern that developing a civilian nuclear programme could in the future create capacity for nuclear weapons production.

Negotiations between the two countries have started after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to the White House in November last year, when the parties agreed to deepen co-operation for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The final draft of the deal has been prepared in recent months and is expected to be submitted for approval to the US Congress.

The agreement comes in a period of high tensions in the Middle East, while Saudi Arabia has earlier declared it will seek the same nuclear capacities if Iran develops nuclear weapons.

/abcnews.al/