U.S. Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) urged President Donald Trump to suspend negotiations on a civil nuclear agreement between the United States and Saudi Arabia following Saudi actions in Yemen and Lebanon, and the recent murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
“The ongoing revelations about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, as well as certain Saudi actions related to Yemen and Lebanon, have raised further serious concerns about the transparency, accountability, and judgment of current decision-makers in Saudi Arabia,” wrote Sens. Gardner and Young in an Oct. 31 letter sent to the president.
“In turn, these serious questions have solidified our reservations about pursuing a potential U.S. civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, and increased our willingness to advance, consistent with procedures in the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, a joint resolution of disapproval to block any such agreement at this time,” according to their letter, which also included the signatures of U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Dean Heller (R-NV).
The lawmakers noted that prior to last month’s murder of Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, they already had serious reservations about the U.S.-Saudi negotiations.
“In particular, we remain concerned that the Saudi Government has refused, for many years, to consider any agreement that includes so-called “Gold Standard” requirements against pursuing technologies to enrich uranium and reprocess plutonium-laden spent nuclear fuel,” they wrote.
The Gold Standard was created as part of the U.S. and the United Arab Emirates 2009 civil nuclear cooperation agreement in which the Emirates committed not to pursue uranium enrichment, plutonium reprocessing, and other nuclear fuel-making activities that could “bring a nation within weeks of producing a nuclear weapon,” wrote the senators.
“Given your Administration’s ongoing efforts to press the Iranian regime … we have long believed that it is therefore critical and necessary for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to accept and uphold this “Gold Standard” for responsible nuclear behavior,” according to their letter.
The members also said they “stand ready to engage” with the Trump administration regarding the current situation.
This is the second time in a month that Sens. Gardner and Young have reached out to the president regarding actions in Saudi Arabia.
Along with several colleagues, the senators sent an Oct. 10 letter to Trump regarding Khashoggi’s disappearance, designed to spur an investigation and Global Magnitsky sanctions determination under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.
Upon receipt of such a letter from the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the president must make a determination and is authorized to impose sanctions with respect to a foreign person responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights violations against individuals who seek to obtain, exercise, defend, or promote human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, according to a statement from Sen. Young’s office.
Among the lawmakers joining Sens. Young and Gardner in signing the bipartisan letter were U.S. Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.