US, Saudi Arabia set to announce civilian nuclear cooperation deal

The US and Saudi Arabia are expected to announce a deal that will allow the Gulf kingdom to develop a civilian nuclear programme, according to US media reports.

The US media reports say that, under the terms of the arrangement, after undertaking a joint study with the US, Saudi Arabia may be allowed to enrich uranium on its soil to produce fuel at a US-built enrichment facility instead of relying on imported fuel.

If the US objects to enrichment taking place in Saudi Arabia following the joint study, the kingdom would not be allowed to do so on its own or with another foreign partner for 10 years, the newspaper says.