U.S., Saudi Arabia Mull Nuclear Talks

摘要

The United States has offered to send a team of officials to Saudi Arabia to "discuss elements" of an agreement for nuclear cooperation and "the process by which it would be negotiated," a Department of State official said in an Aug. 22 interview. The schedule for the proposed meeting and any follow-up has not been determined, the official said.Under the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, nuclear cooperation agreements are a prerequisite for U.S. nuclear trade.A key issue in any future Saudi-U.S. nuclear talks is expected to be the Persian Gulf state's willingness to accept constraints on its ability to enrich uranium or separate plutonium from spent fuel.