III 

Calendar No. 546 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 541 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that any United States-Saudi Arabia 

civilian nuclear cooperation agreement must prohibit the Kingdom of 

Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or separating plutonium on its 

own territory, in keeping with the strongest possible nonproliferation 

‘‘gold standard’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 12, 2018 

Mr. MERKLEY (for himself, Mr. PAUL, and Mr. MARKEY) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 30, 2018 

Reported by Mr. CORKER, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that any United StatesSaudi Arabia civilian nuclear cooperation agreement 

must prohibit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or separating plutonium on its own territory, in keeping with the strongest possible nonproliferation ‘‘gold standard’’. 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 541 RS 

Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons, done at Washington, London, and Moscow July 

1, 1968 (NPT), which is nearing its fiftieth anniversary, 

obligates non-nuclear weapon states, in Article II, ‘‘not to 

receive the transfer from any transferor whatsoever of 

nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or of 

control over such weapons or explosive devices directly, or 

indirectly; not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; and not 

to seek or receive any assistance in the manufacture of 

nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices’’: 

Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas, on May 21, 2009, the United States and the United 

Arab Emirates signed a bilateral agreement pursuant to 

section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 

2153), establishing cooperation on civilian nuclear programs in which the United Arab Emirates agreed that it 

‘‘shall not possess sensitive nuclear facilities within its territory or otherwise engage in activities within its territory 

for, or relating to, the enrichment or reprocessing of material, or for the alternation in form or content (except by 

irradiation or further irradiation or, if agreed by the Parties, post-irradiation examination) of plutonium, uranium 

233, high enriched uranium, or irradiated source or special fissionable material’’; 

Whereas the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the 

United States and the United Arab Emirates further obligates the United Arab Emirates to bring into force its Additional Protocol to its IAEA Safeguards Agreement before 

the United States licenses ‘‘exports of nuclear material, 

equipment, components, or technology’’ pursuant to the 

agreement; and 


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•SRES 541 RS 

Whereas this agreement became known as the first ‘‘gold standard’’ civil nuclear agreement and was lauded as a step toward establishing a precedent for strong nonproliferation 

standards on the Arabian Peninsula: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that any 

2 United States-Saudi Arabia civilian nuclear cooperation 

3 agreement under section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act 

4 of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2153), commonly known as a ‘‘123 

5 Agreement’’, concluded in the future, must prohibit the 

6 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or sepa7 rating plutonium on its own territory, in keeping with the 

8 strongest possible nonproliferation ‘‘gold standard’’. 

9 That it is the sense of the Senate that any United States10 Saudi Arabia civilian nuclear cooperation agreement under 

11 section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 

12 2153), commonly known as a ‘‘123 Agreement’’, concluded 

13 in the future should prohibit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 

14 from enriching uranium or separating plutonium on Saudi 

15 Arabian territory in keeping with the strongest possible 

16 nonproliferation ‘‘gold standard’’ as well as require the 

17 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to bring into force the Additional 

18 Protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency. 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with BILLS
Calendar No. 546 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 541 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that any United 

standard’’. the strongest possible nonproliferation ‘‘gold plutonium on its own territory, in keeping with Arabia from enriching uranium or separating agreement must prohibit the Kingdom of Saudi States-Saudi Arabia civilian nuclear cooperation 

JULY 30, 2018 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 


tkelley on DSKBCP9HB2PROD with BILLS