US-Russia nuclear deal faces bipartisan opposition

By Desmond Butler

Associated Press

June 24, 2008

WASHINGTON (AP) — House members of both parties took the first step Tuesday toward rejecting a civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and Russia, but it was not clear whether opponents would be able to muster the votes to block it.

A resolution opposing the deal was introduced Tuesday by the top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Opponents, who fear the deal would undermine efforts to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, would have to pass the resolution by two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate to block the agreement.

The committee's chairman, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., said he would not necessarily oppose the deal but needed to introduce the resolution to allow more time to consider it.

"There are some good arguments for the agreement, and some good ones against it," Berman said, adding that the Bush administration needs to convince him that the deal will help international efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program.

Iran acknowledges that it is enriching uranium but insists it is for peaceful civilian usage. The United States and others note that the same enrichment process is used to produce weapons-grade material, and they contend that is what Iran has in mind.

The Bush administration views the agreement with Russia as a breakthrough in cooperation reached at a time of rising tensions between Washington and Moscow over issues including missile defense, NATO expansion and differences on Iran. Opponents believe the deal will reward Russia at a time they say Moscow is not doing enough to stop Iran's nuclear program.

The resolution's other sponsor, Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida, is seeking to block the deal.

The agreement 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.

President Bush's notification of Congress on May 13 began a process to complete the deal. The agreement will take effect unless both the House and the Senate pass resolutions opposing it within 90 working days. The law also requires that both chambers introduce their resolutions by a deadline this week if they intend to block it.