Major Nuclear Agreement Reached In The Middle East .... But No One Is Reporting It

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (right) shakes hands with United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The two countries are now completing an unprecedented cooperation deal for nuclear power in the Middle East. Jonathan Ernst / Reuters-Landov

Yes, Virginia, There is a Mideast Nuke Deal -- Newsweek

While negotiations with Iran are hitting snags at every turn, the U.S. has quietly inked a massive nuclear deal with Iran's neighbor, the United Arab Emirates.

On Friday, the world awaited Iran's decision on a proposal by Western powers that the country outsource its uranium enrichment. Enriching uranium is the key step to making a bomb, so, the thinking went, if Iran is indeed sincere about wanting a peaceful nuclear-power program, a perfect fix would be to unload the supersensitive process to one of the big nuclear states, such as Russia. Iran would build its own power plants, and everyone would be happy. No such agreement was reached, however. Iran's counteroffer remains private, but what's known is that Iran offered to buy fuel abroad but made no commitment to halt enrichment.

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My Comment: I find it amazing that on such an important issue, there is no discussion or debate in Congress, the media, or among those in the Middle East who are concerned about nuclear issues. Even those who are concerned about nuclear proliferation issues are quiet ....

Kudos to Newsweek for covering this story .... a story that (probably) everyone will forget about tomorrow.

U.S. And UAE Forge Nuclear Cooperation Deal

From L.A. Times:

The agreement, the first of its kind between the U.S. and an Arab nation, entails providing an Arab country with U.S. nuclear technology. Critics cite the United Arab Emirates' ties with Iran.

Reporting from Beirut -- The United States and the United Arab Emirates have hammered out a nuclear cooperation deal that would bring U.S. atomic technology and know-how to a site less than a hundred miles from Iran's shores, an envoy from the Persian Gulf monarchy confirmed Monday to state media.

The deal, if implemented, would be the first of its kind involving the U.S. and an Arab country, experts said. The agreement could, in part, placate Arab countries that are pining to obtain nuclear technology to balance Iran's controversial uranium enrichment program while dissuading them from developing dual-use technologies on their own that could be reconfigured for weapons production.

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U.S. Plans To Sign Nuclear Pact With U.A.E.

From The Wall Street Journal:

Proposed Cooperation With Middle Eastern Nation Would Face Hurdles in Congress on Proliferation Fears

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration plans to sign its first nuclear-cooperation agreement with a Middle Eastern nation within the next few weeks, according to a senior U.S. official, raising concerns among congressional critics who say the deal could fuel nuclear proliferation in the region.

The proposed deal with the United Arab Emirates has attracted attention because the U.A.E.'s largest trading partner is Iran. The U.A.E. has served in the past as a transshipment point for technology with military applications headed to Iran.

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My Comment: This deal will go through. The reason why is very simple .... money talks.