Cabinet ministers in the United Arab Emirates have endorsed a tentative agreement that would give their country access to U.S. nuclear materials and technology in exchange for a commitment not to develop nuclear capabilities that could generate weapons material, Bloomberg reported yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 5).
Washington indicated it would work with the Gulf nation to complete the deal after Oct. 17, the final day of a 90-day assessment period that gave U.S. lawmakers an opportunity to reject the agreement.
“We’ve completed all of our internal procedures for it to enter into force,” U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said last week (Ayesha Daya, Bloomberg, Oct. 26).
The pact would take effect after the participating governments trade diplomatic notices indicating that they have met their obligations, Reuters reported Thursday.
The deal, which originated under former U.S. President George W. Bush, has been praised by the Obama administration as a trend-setting example of nuclear cooperation in a region where nuclear proliferation poses a significant concern. U.S. lawmakers expressed concern about the agreement, particularly regarding UAE trade relations with Iran, but made no concerted effort to prevent it from entering into force.
Industry representatives in the United States were hopeful that the deal could enter effect as soon as this week (Doug Palmer, Reuters, Oct. 22).