File photo of a civil nuclear dry cask storage facility.
File photo of a civil nuclear dry cask storage facility. |
"There is a lot that we can do with this idea," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in response to a question from Tom Lantos, chairman of the House of Representatives committee on foreign affairs.
Lantos, a California Democrat, had just introduced a measure authorizing US financial and material support for establishing an international nuclear fuel bank under the auspices of the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
"This bank will ensure that any state that keeps its nuclear nonproliferation commitments can get the fuel it needs without establishing its own fuel production facilities," he said.
Rice called the proposal "a very positive idea" and said she looked forward to working with Lantos on the project.
The top US diplomat was presenting to the House panel the proposed 2008 federal budget that was announced on Monday.
Lantos expressed appreciation for the support of the Bush administration, calling Iran's insistence that its nuclear program is aimed at civilian, not military, purposes, "pure fiction."
"If Iran's nuclear program is truly peaceful, Tehran should welcome an opportunity to ensure a stable supply of nuclear fuel from an internationally supported nuclear fuel bank located in a safe nation," the lawmaker said.
"If Iran is instead building a nuclear weapon, its nefarious intentions will be quickly exposed should it refuse to participate in this important project," he said.
IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei floated the idea of an international nuclear bank last September to prevent countries like Iran from trying to develop their own uranium enrichment programs, which could be used to develop nuclear weapons.
All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse.
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