nuclear-news

USA keen to sell nukes to Vietnam – drops non-proliferation standards

An agreement would allow US companies such as General Electric and Bechtel to sell nuclear reactors and other equipment to Vietnam.

US and Vietnam in controversial nuclear negotiations | World news | The Guardian, Chris McGreal, 5 Aug 2010, Nuclear agreement would be without usual restrictions on enriching uranium imposed on other nations ……..
Washington has required several other countries, most recently the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, to agree to source all their nuclear fuel on the international market and to renounce the right to enrich uranium as a requirement for assistance in developing nuclear power..

The US and Vietnam signed a new memorandum of understanding in April over broad co-operation on nuclear power including access to “reliable sources of nuclear fuel”. An agreement would allow US companies such as General Electric and Bechtel to sell nuclear reactors and other equipment to Vietnam.

But the talks have drawn criticism that Washington is setting a different standard for Vietnam than some other countries.

Henry Sokolski, director of the Nonproliferation Education Centre in Washington, said the US agreeing to allow Hanoi to produce its own nuclear fuel would undermine anti-proliferation efforts…….

The state department did not respond to questions. US and Vietnam in nuclear negotiations | World news | The Guardian

August 6, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics international, USA | antinuclear, enriched, General Electric, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear wastes, reactors, uranium