U.S. Plans to Sign Nuclear Pact with U.A.E.

[redstate_democrat]

Source: Wall Street Journal

By JAY SOLOMON

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration plans to sign its first nuclear-cooperation agreement with a Middle Eastern nation within the next few weeks, according to a senior U.S. official, raising concerns among congressional critics who say the deal could fuel nuclear proliferation in the region.

The proposed deal with the United Arab Emirates has attracted attention because the U.A.E.'s largest trading partner is Iran. The U.A.E. has served in the past as a transshipment point for technology with military applications headed to Iran.

The move could place President-elect Barack Obama in a political tight spot with a Middle East ally by forcing him to decide whether to push Congress to ratify the agreement. He hasn't taken an official position on the deal. An Obama spokesman declined to comment. The Bush administration has championed the nuclear agreement with the U.A.E. as a model for promoting peaceful nuclear energy while guarding against weapons proliferation.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, ranking Republican in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced legislation this week that would set conditions before Congress could approve the agreement. It would require that the next president certify the U.A.E. has taken extensive measures to cut off the flow of financing and sensitive technologies into Iran.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122904102094400097.html

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January 20, 2009, 12 p.m.

Get.Here.Now.

[MetaTrope]

1. So will the one-time defense minister of the UAE, and now ruler of Dubai

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, be delivering those nukes to Osama bin Laden on their next hunting trip together?