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Bush cancels civilian nuclear deal with Russia
by Sanjay Jha | September 8, 2008 at 11:55 pm | 93 views | add comment | 0 recommendations
Constantly defying US dikat on Georgia issue has come costly for Russia. US has cancelled civilian nuclear deal with Russia. The suspension of the deal will create problem for Bush administration. US has entered into similar kind of deal with India. The Russian deal would have given Washington access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology, while helping it address climate change by increasing civilian nuclear energy use worldwide and keeping nuclear material out of terrorists' hands.
US has been asking Russia to withdraw its troops from Georgia but so far latter has been dithering it. But in a significant but unrelated development Russia has agreed to a new one month deadline for complete withdrawal of troops from Gerogia. This assurance came after the visit o French President Nicolas Sarkozy
In a pointed but mostly symbolic expression of displeasure with Moscow, US President George W Bush on Monday cancelled a once-celebrated civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia.
Bush had sent the agreement to Congress for approval in May, after a much-heralded signing by the two nations that capped two years of tough negotiations. On Monday, he officially pulled it back, a move announced by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"We make this decision with regret," said Rice, in a statement read by spokesman Sean McCormack. "Unfortunately, given the current environment, the time is not right for this agreement."
The action combines with a recently announced $1 billion foreign aid package for tiny, West-leaning Georgia and the time Vice President Dick Cheney spent last week railing against Russia throughout its backyard to form the US administration's punishment of Moscow for its invasion of Georgia. The nuclear deal was highly unlikely to win approval on Capitol Hill this year anyway, but Bush decided to actively withdraw it to make a loud statement.
Moscow, though, might not be much inclined to hear it. Newly flush with riches from sales of its vast energy resources, Russia appears to feel it no longer has as much need for the potentially billions in revenue the deal would have provided it by allowing Moscow to establish a lucrative business as the centre for the import and storage of spent nuclear fuel from American-supplied reactors around the world.
September 8, 2008 at 11:55 pm by Sanjay Jha, 93 views, add comment
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