Senate Democrat raises concerns about US-Saudi nuclear deal

Sen. Ed Markey ( D- Mass. ), co- head of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, is raising concerns over Saudi Arabia’s intention to pursue a legal nuclear programme with the U. S., citing the government’s “appalling animal rights practices” and need for nuclear weapons. &nbsp,

Markey expressed concern about information that the management is near to a deal with Saudi Arabia that would allow the Arab Gulf nation to restore relations with Israel in exchange for U.S. military commitments and agreement on the development of a nuclear power program in a letter to President Biden on Wednesday. &nbsp,

I have deep concerns about the alleged military and nuclear outlines of a U.S. Saudi deal, Markey wrote.” I strongly support and would eagerly welcome a rapprochement between Israel and its Arab neighbors, including a two-state solution,” Markey wrote.

I worry that Saudi Arabia, a country with a terrible human rights record, will continue to enrich uranium and work toward the development of nuclear weapons. I urge your administration to make sure that Saudi Arabia is held accountable for its abhorrent human rights practices and has a limit on its ability to become a nuclear power.

Markey’s objections highlight the difficulties facing the Biden administration in developing a radical new policy in the Middle East in advance of the November election.

The Biden administration is moving forward with its plans to bolster ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel, changing the course of what was meant to be close to a deal before Hamas launched a shocking attack against Israel on October 7. &nbsp,

For Saudi Arabia, establishing ties with Israel is conditioned on new U.S. military commitments, including a mutual defense pact similar to NATO’s Article 5 provision, safeguarding weapons deliveries to Riyadh in the face of congressional opposition, and a partnership on a civil nuclear program.

According to The Guardian, Saudi Arabia is reportedly pursuing a “plan B” to advance U.S. and Saudi agreements because of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s categorically opposing a Palestinian state. &nbsp,

Nearly all Republicans and a sizable portion of Democrats back administration efforts to bolster ties with Israel and Saudi Arabia and fulfill Saudi requests for more U.S. military engagements in the area. &nbsp,

Achieving a deal between Israel, the United States, and Saudi Arabia is thought to have a better chance of succeeding in the Biden administration, where Democrats ‘ support would be lessening as opposed to Republicans ‘ efforts to oust a Republican president, such as former president Trump, if he is elected.

To be sure, Riyadh’s plans to grow its nuclear energy sector must be put in place to prevent the development of nuclear weapons, claim skeptics. The de facto ruler, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, claimed that if Iran continued to build bombs, it would develop nuclear weapons. &nbsp,

However,” Saudi Arabia’s public flirtation with becoming a nuclear-armed state strongly supports an agreement that includes defense guarantees and support for its civil nuclear energy program,” Markey wrote in his letter. &nbsp,

Markey also raised objections to doing business with Saudi Arabia because of a long list of human rights issues. The intelligence community cited the crown prince’s approval of an operation to” capture or kill” Saudi critic Jamal Khashoggi’s death in October 2018 as a “pariah” by Biden, who later reversed and made Riyadh a “pariah.” &nbsp,

Before the United States should even consider the kind of agreement it is rumored to be negotiating with the Kingdom, Saudi Arabia must make significant progress in human rights, including through the release of political prisoners, Markey wrote in his letter.

He cited unfair judicial processes, the criminalization of dissent, discrimination against women and minority groups, death penalty executions for nonviolent crimes committed against the monarch, and other restrictions on nearly all political and civil liberties. &nbsp,

” Saudi Arabia also has an established pattern of unlawful and extrajudicial killings, such as the killing of hundreds of Ethiopian displaced persons and asylum seekers at the Yemeni- Saudi border, unlawful airstrikes in its military campaign against the Houthis, which have killed and wounded thousands of civilians … Working conditions for the mostly foreign labor force are often exploitative, with laborers vulnerable to harassment, detention, trafficking, and forced labor”, he continued. &nbsp,

Markey requested a response from the administration by May 15 regarding the specifics of U.S. discussions with Saudi Arabia. &nbsp,