Henry Sokolski [2]of the Ploughshares-funded Nonproliferation Policy Education Center [3] advises circumspection before Congress approves the first civilian nuclear cooperation agreement [4]with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), drafted during the Bush administration. The deal invokes voluntary commitment not to produce nuclear-fuel and refers to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, without requiring them. Sokolski writes, “With a state like the UAE, which has no ambitions to develop nuclear weapons, this is not a problem. But the UAE agreement is meant to serve as a pattern for those with other Middle Eastern states.” He recommends postponing the deal pending a full policy review, evaluating how to make the nonproliferation commitments binding.
Links
[1] https://ploughshares.org/file/455
[2] http://ploughshares.org/expert/250
[3] http://www.npec-web.org/Index.asp
[4] http://www.npec-web.org/us-uae/20090115-UsUae-Revised123Agreement.pdf
[5] http://www.aina.org/news/20090325081824.htm