Letter from Shelley Berkley (Washington, D.C.) to President George W. Bush, June 24, 2008, regarding the Memorandum of Understanding on nuclear energy cooperation between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia (2 pages)

SHELLEY BERKLEY 1ST DISTRICT, NEVADA 4 0 5 CANNON HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON, D C 2 0 5 1 5 ( 2 0 2 ) 2 2 5 - 5 9 6 5 F A X : ( 2 0 2 ) 2 2 5 - 3 1 1 9 shelley.berkley@mail.house.gov 2 3 4 0 P A S E O D E L PRADO S U I T E D 1 0 6 L A S V E G A S , NEVADA 8 9 1 0 2 ( 7 0 2 ) 2 2 0 - 9 8 2 3 FAX: ( 7 0 2 ) 2 2 0 - 9 8 4 1 www.berkley.house.gov C o n g r e s s of the United States coMMrrrEES: W A Y S A N D M E A N S SUBCOMMITTEE ON INCOME SECURITY AND FAMILY SUPPORT SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRADE V E T E R A N S ' A F F A I R S SUBCOMMITTEE ON HEALTH SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS CAUCUSES: CO-CHAIR. GAMING CAUCUS CO-CHAIR, STOP DUI CAUCUS CO-CHAIR, TAIWAN CAUCUS June 24, 2008 President George W. Bush The White House Washington, DC Dear Mr. President: I write to express my dismay over the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on civil nuclear energy cooperation between the United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Not only is nuclear energy dangerous and unnecessary when the Saudis have so much potential solar energy available, but the Saudi government has done nothing to merit such cooperation with our government. Nearly seven years after 9/11, when fifteen of its citizens attacked the United States, the Saudi government is still financing and aiding terrorists around the globe. Our own State Department lists Saudi Arabia as a primary benefactor to Hamas, and the Treasury Department says that Saudi Arabia has helped fund several Iraqi insurgent groups. The Saudi regime has broken numerous promises to our government. In 2005, the United States supported Saudi Arabia's accession to the World Trade Organization if Saudi Arabia ended its boycott of Israel. As part of that deal, the Saudi Foreign Minister assured Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that his country would extend most-favored-nation status to all nations, including Israel. Yet, despite Saudi Arabia's promises, they continue to participate in the boycott, in blatant disregard of its commitments. Furthermore, they restrict travel for U.S. citizens who have Israeli stamps in their passport. This is an outrageous policy for a country claiming to be our ally and a supporter of our peace efforts in the Middle East. Despite this record, your administration is seeking to transfer technology to Saudi Arabia that has the potential to be used in support of a nuclear weapons development program. As we have seen in the past, spent fuel from a nuclear reactor can be reprocessed into the lethal materials needed to construct an atomic bomb. Such a scenario, where civilian nuclear technology is converted for military purposes, is at the heart of growing concerns over Iran's entry into the nuclear power arena. This, in turn, has only increased tensions in the Middle East. Adding a nuclear Saudi Arabia to this already volatile mix could further undermine international anti-proliferation efforts PRINTEO ON RECYCLED PAPER and could very well touch off a regional arms race that could prompt nearby nations to seek their own nuclear weapons or to take pre-emptive military action. Mr. President, I urge you to reconsider this misguided policy and send a message to Saudi Arabia that their actions do have consequences. We must stop supporting regimes that support terrorists, break promises and continue to show they are not our allies.