US-Russia nuclear power deal faces congressional hurdles

WASHINGTON: Senior U.S. lawmakers criticized a civilian nuclear power agreement between the United States and Russia on Tuesday, signaling that the deal faces hurdles in Congress.

The reaction from both Democrats and Republicans came swiftly after President George W. Bush notified Congress of the deal signed last week in Moscow. It would give the United States access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology and would help Russia establish an international nuclear fuel storage facility.

The Bush administration views the agreement as an important breakthrough in cooperation. It was reached at a time of rising tension between Washington and Moscow over issues including missile defense, NATO expansion and differences on Iran.

But lawmakers urged Bush to drop the deal because they believe that Russia is not doing enough to help prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons technology.

"The Bush Administration has not received enough support from Russia in dealing with Iran to justify moving forward with this agreement at this time," said Democratic Rep. Howard Berman, who chairs the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement.

Under U.S. law, Bush's notification of Congress begins a process to complete the deal. The agreement will take effect unless both Houses of Congress pass resolutions blocking it within ninety working days. Lawmakers would have to pass the resolutions by two-third majorities to avoid a presidential veto.

Berman has invited administration officials to testify next month about the deal. Any attempt in the House to block the deal would need his committee's approval.

Republicans including including Sen. Norm Coleman and the House committee's ranking member Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen also said they oppose the deal.

"By deciding to proceed, the administration now faces the possibility of an embarrassing defeat and causing unnecessary damage to our relationship with Russia," Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement Tuesday.

The agreement would be a boost for efforts in the U.S. to ramp up nuclear energy development, which has slowed drastically since a 1979 U.S. nuclear accident at the Three Mile Island plant.

The deal would also help Russia in its efforts for a nuclear fuel storage facility. It cannot achieve that goal without signing the deal, since the U.S. controls the vast majority of the world's nuclear fuel.

Work on the agreement began after former Russian President Vladimir Putin and Bush promised in 2006 to increase nuclear cooperation.

The Bush administration has criticized Russia for providing nuclear fuel for Iran's Bushehr power plant, which Iran says is part of a peaceful nuclear energy program. It has also struggled for Russian approval of sanctions against Iran in the United Nations' Security Council for Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment. But Russia has voted in favor of three rounds of sanctions.

The Bush administration's willingness to pursue the deal appears to reflect the view that Moscow is cooperating in the effort to persuade Tehran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Other U.S. political figures_ including the three remaining major presidential candidates_ have been more skeptical of Russia's stance.

A bill already pending in the Senate introduced by Republican Sen. Gordon Smith would block the deal until certain conditions are met including certification by Russia that it is not cooperating with Iran's nuclear program. It has the backing of at least 70 of 100 senators.

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