Trump Submits Saudi Deal to Congress   08/26 06:15

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump has submitted to Congress for 
review an agreement with Saudi Arabia aimed at bolstering the kingdom's 
civilian nuclear program, but continues to insist that it won't move forward if 
Saudi Arabia doesn't normalize relations with Israel, according to a Trump 
administration official.

   The classified document was submitted to Capitol Hill on Monday as required 
by the Atomic Energy Act, according to the administration official, a 
congressional aide, and two others familiar with the matter. All four spoke on 
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly on 
the classified matter.

   The agreement was signedlast month in Washington by U.S. Energy Secretary 
Chris Wright and his Saudi counterpart. But the next day, Trump announced he 
was requiring the Saudis to normalize relations with Israel through the Abraham 
Accords as part of the pact -- raising doubts that the agreement would come to 
fruition.

   Neither the administration official nor the others familiar with the matter 
would comment on whether Trump's call for the Saudis to join the accords is 
detailed in the classified document submitted for the congressional review.

   Under law, Congress has 90 days while in session to review the agreement. 
Unless Congress passes a joint resolution rejecting the agreement during the 
review period, the agreement can take effect without a vote by either chamber.

   It is unusual for the entire contents of such agreements to be classified at 
such a high level. Previous civil nuclear pacts with other countries -- known 
as 123 agreements -- have been made public, although some of them have 
contained classified annexes that were not released.

   The Saudi embassy in Washington did not have any immediate comment on the 
matter.

   But Trump's continued insistence on the Saudis joining the accords could 
complicate the path to final approval. The accords approved in 2020 expanded 
the number of Arab and Muslim-majority nations with diplomatic ties with Israel.

   The Saudis were taken by surprise by Trump's announcement that the 
completion of the civil nuclear deal would hinge on Riyadh's agreement to join 
the accords.

   Trump faced fierce criticism from some lawmakers, including some who are 
concerned it could potentially help the Saudis fulfill their long-standing 
desire to enrich their own uranium and, in the process, spur new rounds of 
nuclear proliferation and competition.

   The Saudis, meanwhile, have made clear that normalizing relations with 
Israel would first require the establishment of a clear path for Palestinian 
statehood. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea 
of Palestinian statehood as being untenable for his country's security.

   The deal, if approved, is expected to last 30 years and is also expected to 
involve U.S. firms in developing the program following a joint U.S.-Saudi study.

   The formal submission of the agreement to Congress for review was reported 
earlier Tuesday by The Wall Street Journal.