Clinton Questions Russia Nuclear Deal Withdrawal

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) yesterday expressed concern about the Bush administration’s recent withdrawal of a pending civilian nuclear cooperation deal with Russia and urged Washington to remain engaged with the former Soviet superpower, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 9).

The agreement would have allowed Russian and U.S. businesses to conduct cooperative nuclear enterprises, permitted the countries to trade nuclear technology and enabled the establishment of a joint uranium enrichment station in Siberia.  The United States canceled the pact following Russia’s military conflict last month with the neighboring state of Georgia.

"I am somewhat troubled by the withdrawal from the nonproliferation efforts that we are engaged in," Clinton said during a Capitol Hill hearing on the Georgian conflict.

“We ought to be able to hold competing thoughts in our mind at the same time — Is Russia more aggressive, are they more intent upon pursuing their own interests as they define them territorially, economically, politically?” Of course they are.  I don't know why anybody is surprised by that,” she said.

"Rather than seeking to isolate Russia, which I think is not a smart proposal, we should be much more strategic,” Clinton added.  “I don't know whether it is our interest for the administration to withdraw the nonproliferation agreement that you had negotiated.

"So I hope that we can take this opportunity to really think deeply about what deterrence in the 21st century means, what our geopolitical interests are," she said (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, Sept. 9).

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