Bush in Saudi Arabia for Nuclear Deal

By Scott Stearns
Riyadh
16 May 2008
 

U.S. President George Bush is in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Washington and Riyadh. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, the two leaders are expected to reach agreement on civilian¹ nuclear technology.

President Bush and King Abdullah inspected a military honor guard in Riyadh before private talks at the king's horse farm outside the capital.

They will discuss a deal to help the kingdom develop civilian nuclear power for medical and industrial uses as well as generating electricity. The agreement provides access to safe, reliable fuel sources for nuclear reactors² and demonstrates what the Bush Administration calls Saudi leadership as a non-proliferation model for the region.

The agreement expands cooperation to better safeguard the kingdom's vast oil reserves and its pipeline³ distribution system, as well as borders.

As part of the deal, Saudi Arabia joins a global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism to enhance the protection of nuclear systems and improve its ability to detect and confiscate⁴ illegally held nuclear material.

The kingdom also joins an international alliance to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related materials, including delivery systems.

President Bush says he will ask King Abdullah to boost Saudi oil production to drive down record energy prices. A similar request in January was denied as Saudi output has held steady at just over 8.5 million barrels a day.

Relations between Washington and Riyadh are strained by the war in Iraq. Unlike the first Gulf⁵ War when Saudi Arabia boosted oil production and helped pay for the liberation of Kuwait, the kingdom opposed America's 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.

U.S. National Security Advisor⁶ Steve Hadley says it remains⁷ a partnership⁸ of common interests.

"So I think the relationship is in pretty good shape. That's not to say that there weren't stresses - obviously the Iraq war was a stress, and managing the situation, subsequent. There are still issues, I'm sure, the Saudis raise with us. We have issues that we raise with them," said Hadley. "We would like to see them offering greater diplomatic support for Iraq, embracing Iraq as a part of the Arab family. They have not gone as far as we would like on that score."

Relations also soured following the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi.

John Alterman directs the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a public policy research group in Washington.

"This relationship has been unalterably changed partly by the events of September 11, partly by what's happened in Iraq, partly by a Saudi sense that the United States isn't nearly as competent as they thought," said Alterman. "And while there is no alternative to the United States, there is suddenly a need to hedge against U.S. incompetence⁹. That changes the whole way these meetings go, and it changes what happens when the U.S. president says I really need you to do this."

President Bush leaves Saudi Arabia Saturday for Egypt and separate talks with President Hosni Mubarak as well as Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Jordanian King Abdullah, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

1 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

2 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

3 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。

4 confiscate   

v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公

参考例句：

• The police have the right to confiscate any forbidden objects they find.如发现违禁货物，警方有权查扣。
• Did the teacher confiscate your toy?老师没收你的玩具了吗？

5 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

8 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

9 incompetence   

n.不胜任，不称职

参考例句：

• He was dismissed for incompetence. 他因不称职而被解雇。
• She felt she had been made a scapegoat for her boss's incompetence. 她觉得，本是老板无能，但她却成了替罪羊。