Bush considers way to punish Moscow for invading Georgia
With relations between the two nations in a nearly Cold War-like freeze over Russia's actions against its neighbor last month, planning is under way at the White House for the largely symbolic move by Bush, according to senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision was not yet final. Action could come quickly, within days at the most, and officials see no need to wait until Vice President Dick Cheney returns next Wednesday from an overseas trip that includes stops in three former Soviet republics.
Withdrawing the agreement from Capitol Hill would have little actual impact, as the deal very likely would not gain approval during Bush's presidency.
But taking the overt and public step of pulling it would be intended to send a message to Russia and the world that its actions in Georgia last month are not acceptable and will not go unanswered.
It would require a statement by Bush to Congress that the deal is "no longer in the national security interests" of the United States. A future president could reverse that and send the agreement back to Congress.
It represented a significant reversal in policy for the U.S. on cooperation with Russia on nuclear issues. It would give the U.S. access to state-of-the-art Russian nuclear technology and clear the way for Russia to establish itself as a lucrative center for the import and storage of spent nuclear fuel from American-supplied reactors around the world. Such a deal was seen as crucial to boosting relations with Russia, and to fulfilling Bush's vision of increasing civilian nuclear energy use worldwide as a way to combat rising energy demands and climate change.
But key lawmakers were suspicious of it even before the disastrous Russia-Georgia war.
Some feared it would undermine efforts to rein in Iran's nuclear program, because of Russia's extensive business and energy — including nuclear — ties with Tehran. That has so far prevented a move to approve the deal, and now there isn't enough time left in the fall legislative calendar for the required review period to run out and have the agreement take effect without congressional action.
After years of tensions between Russia and Georgia, the recent fighting began Aug. 7 when Georgia's military tried to re-establish control over its breakaway province of South Ossetia. Russia joined the battle, brutally repelled the Georgian offensive and then pushed deep into Georgia proper, where many of its forces remain.
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"Bush considers way to punish Moscow for invading Georgia"
Send…wrz | Sept. 5, 2008 at 12:56 p.m.
