Posted on 05/16/2008 11:02:41 AM PDT by SeafoodGumbo
RIYADH (AFP) - The White House announced major new cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia on Friday as US President George W. Bush made his second visit to the oil superpower this year.
The agreements cover cooperation on civil nuclear power and protecting the kingdom's oil infrastructure which has come under attack by Islamist militants.
"The Saudis bear a special responsibility for protecting key energy facilities of global importance and the world benefits from their abundant energy supplies," a White House statement said.
"Our global economy depends greatly on Saudi Arabian energy. The United States has a keen interest in helping the Saudis protect their energy infrastructure against terrorism, as demonstrated by the unsuccessful terrorist attack against the kingdom's Abqaiq plants in February 2006," it said.
"To this end, the United States and Saudi Arabia have agreed to cooperate in safeguarding the kingdom's energy resources by protecting key infrastructure, enhancing Saudi border security, and meeting Saudi Arabia's expanding energy needs in an environmentally responsible manner."
Saudi Arabia sits on around a quarter of the world's oil reserves and is by far its biggest producer with an output of some nine million barrerls per day.
The White House said Washington and Riyadh were also to sign an agreement on nuclear cooperation that would clear the way for Saudi Arabia to receive enriched uranium for its reactors, without the need to master the fuel nuclear cycle itself as Iran has done.
"This agreement will pave the way for Saudi Arabia's access to safe, reliable fuel sources for energy reactors and demonstrate Saudi leadership as a positive non-proliferation model for the region," it said.
Washington charges that Iran's nuclear programme is cover for a drive to develop an atomic weapon, a charge denied by Tehran.
Uranium enrichment, the process which can produce for fuel for nuclear power stations -- or, in highly extended form, the fissile core of an atomic bomb -- lies at the centre of US concerns.
Please call your Senators and Reps about this, right now!
They can make this deal, but they can’t make a deal to increase oil production. Amazing.
They can make this deal, but they can’t make a deal to increase oil production. Amazing.
So, where is our $20 brl crude? On the way, right?
In his own bizzare way Michael Moore was right.
GWB is the Saudi’s beyotch
USA produces eight million barrels per day. Is one million barrels a day 'by far?'
We are all the Saudi’s Beatch.
I’ve just lost the remaining respect that I had for GWB. WTF!?!?!?!?!
If he tries to move forward with this, I say impeach him.
I fully agree and thought that at the time.
Unbelievable
???????????????????????????
Hope this gets stopped dead in its tracks in Congress.
Time to pull a Dubai Port/Harrietmeir/McCain-Kennedy Spanking again.
If he goes for this he has lost his last supporter in Florida also. If this is okay by Congress I say Impeach the whole lot of them
"This agreement will pave the way for Saudi Arabia's access to safe, reliable fuel sources for energy reactors and demonstrate Saudi leadership as a positive non-proliferation model for the region,"I thought the administration's argument against Iran's use of nuclear energy was that they didn't need it. Doesn't this same position have even MORE validity with Saudi Arabia.
It sounds to me like the United States is giving the Saudi's the technology to defend themselves with nuclear weapons.
This is the US answer to the Iranian nuke threat. Give nuclear technology to Iran’s neighbors.
Saudi’s have a long history of increasing production but announcing that they will not increase pumping. Somehting was recieved for this deal and it is probably more oil.
Nobody answers Nelsons line from florida
During the 2004 elections this is exactly what Kerry wanted to offer the Iranians if it stopped them from enriching their own uranium.
For the President to offer this it has to mean they are starting a nuclear program for enrichment to stay up with Iran, this is exactly what was feared in the M.E., and arms race.
I’m a bit lost here. The Bush administration states that Iran has no legitimate use for nuclear power because of all of the oil and natural gas that can be used for electric generation. And this is different how?
And we can agree to build nuclear reactors in the middle east, but not in the Midwest.
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