US lawmakers urge Rubio to seek tough standards in any Saudi nuclear power pact

A dozen Democratic U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to push for "gold standard" non-proliferation protections in any

agreement with Saudi Arabia on sharing nuclear power technology.



The administration of Republican President Donald Trump told leaders of some congressional committees in November in an initial report that it is pursuing a civil nuclear pact with Saudi Arabia that does not include non-proliferation safeguards the U.S. has long said would ensure the kingdom does not develop

nuclear weapons.



Many Democrats and some Republicans, including Rubio when he served in the Senate, have insisted that any agreement include guardrails, including that Saudi Arabia not enrich uranium or reprocess spent nuclear fuel, potential pathways to weapons.