Saudi Arabia's nuclear deal must have proper safeguards: Analysis

[00:00:00]More on this, let's bring in Richard Schmierer. He's a former US Ambassador to Oman. He also served as a US diplomat in Saudi Arabia. He joins us live from Washington, D.C. Richard, so we know that this deal has been in the making for many years now and across several previous US administrations. What are you hearing about what the deal involves and how much is it being seen as a major win for Saudi Arabia?

[00:00:24]>> Well, as you indicated, this is something we've been discussing with Saudi Arabia for more than a decade and we have supported Saudi Arabia's efforts to develop a civilian nuclear energy program.

[00:00:37]The elements of this deal as it's been described are along the lines that typically are found in what's called a 123 agreement that allows the US to share nuclear technology with other countries. There are two specific aspects which have raised some concerns. One is the idea that Saudi Arabia might be able to conduct domestic uranium enrichment, which is something that we typically do not support and the other is that there would be some limitations on the inspections regime different than is the case in some of our other agreements. So again, it's something the US supports but the details I think will be important and I think Congress will look at those to determine that this has the proper safeguards to be able to move forward.

[00:01:27]>> Yeah, yeah, we'll come back to some of those concerns in a second, Richard. I mean, the US Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the deal will uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety. How well regulated is the transfer of US nuclear technology and how will US firms benefit from this?

[00:01:43]>> Well, of course, I think one of the main incentives for the US to enter into this agreement is that it does provide opportunities for US firms, particularly Westinghouse, which builds most of our nuclear reactors, uh to make significant sales to Saudi Arabia. And so, it's a huge economic boost uh to the US and of course a big uh advantage for Saudi Arabia because it will be be able to reduce its use of its own oil for electricity generation uh if it can have nuclear generation. Uh so, those are very positive elements economically for the program. Uh but again, I think it people are going to look at the details to make sure that all the safeguards that we typically want to see in such a program uh are in place.

[00:02:30]>> Yeah, and so and so the devil of course is always in the detail, Richard. I mean, one of the main concerns is that the deal could potentially allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium. Experts say that could encourage hardliners in Iran for instance to secretly race to build a a nuclear weapon in response. So, do we know what the safeguards will be to ensure that this Saudi deal has a strict civil application only?

[00:02:54]>> Well, there does appear to be some element in which any domestic enrichment in which whatever processes are taking place in Saudi Arabia are done in what's called a black box. That is, the specific elements are not available to the local processors. So, there would continue to be US restrictions and oversight on specific nuclear processes, enrichment processes, etc. So, it wouldn't be an open-ended ability to enrich uranium. Again, whether those level of safeguards will be sufficient is something that will be examined. So, there is a sensitive issue. I think the US is trying to ensure that the safeguards are there, but I think there still will be some questions.

[00:03:41]>> Um just a final quick thought to you, Richard. Interestingly, Israel and other critics have long warned that this could pave the way for Saudi Arabia to develop nuclear weapons. So, what does this mean uh for nuclear proliferation in the Middle East uh and on the broader scale of global nuclear proliferation?

[00:03:59]>> Well, of course nuclear proliferation in the Middle East has been a concern of the US for a long time and that is the primary impetus behind our efforts to try to control the Iranian nuclear program. So, to some extent one can make the claim that if we let Saudi Arabia enrich domestically, then we have really no case to make against Iran. But on the other hand, Saudi Arabia is much more transparent in what it would be doing than Iran has been. But clearly we all want to avoid nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and so I think this deal will be done in a way that provides the safeguards that we, Israel, and the other countries in the region want to see in place.

[00:04:43]>> All right, Richard Schmierer, former US ambassador to Oman and former US diplomat in Saudi Arabia. Many thanks for your time, Richard.

[00:04:50]>> Thank you.