The United Arab Emirates said it has nearly finalized a civilian nuclear trade deal with the United States, the Khaleej Times reported today (see GSN, Oct. 27).
“Now only a few technical steps, like exchange of diplomatic notes, are left to operationalize the agreement,” said UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash. The exchange would take place "soon," he said.
The 30-year pact that originated with the Bush administration would grant the Gulf nation access to U.S. civilian nuclear reactors, fuel and other materials in exchange for its pledge not to produce reactor fuel or weapon-usable nuclear material. U.S. officials have praised the deal as a "groundbreaking" example of nuclear cooperation in a region where proliferation poses a significant concern.
The agreement would also commit Abu Dhabi to signing the International Atomic Energy Agency's Additional Protocol, a safeguards arrangement that would enable U.N. inspectors to access additional information on the nation's nuclear work and to conduct snap audits of its atomic facilities.
“The 123 agreement has become a reality. The highest bodies of both the countries have approved it,” Gargash said. The U.S. Congress did not challenge the deal before a 90-day review period ended in October,
while reports last month indicated that Cabinet ministers in the United Arab Emirates had approved the pact.
Plans could soon be revealed for a firm from the United States, France or elsewhere to build the Gulf nation's first nuclear power reactor, the Times reported. Emirates Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Hamad al-Kaabi refused to say when such an announcement would be made (T. Ramavarman, Khaleej Times, Nov. 17).