By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - US senators who have proliferation concerns about President Donald Trump's proposed nuclear power pact with Saudi Arabia said on Friday they have secured a vote on the agreement and they expect it before December 13.
Trump submitted the proposal known as a 123 Agreement to Congress in late August. Senators have a 90-day window from its printing in the Senate record on September 14 to review the pact and potentially seek to pass a resolution of disapproval.
"The Senate will now have a chance to fulfill its statutory responsibility to study and weigh in on the impact this agreement could have in driving a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and potentially undermining nuclear nonproliferation efforts around the world," Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat, said in a release reported first by Reuters.
Merkley said he worked with Republicans on getting the vote with fellow Democratic Senators Tim Kaine, Ed Markey, Chris Coons and Chris Van Hollen.
Some Democratic lawmakers and nonproliferation advocates have criticized the nuclear pact for not barring Saudi Arabia from enriching uranium or reprocessing nuclear waste, two potential pathways for making a nuclear weapon. The United Arab Emirates agreed to such measures, known as the gold standard, in its 2009 civil nuclear deal with Washington.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said he does not want to pursue nuclear weapons but if Iran gets them Saudi Arabia will develop them.
The Trump administration says the deal has nonproliferation measures required by law.
The nuclear agreement has also raised questions whether Saudi Arabia would get the deal without normalizing relations with Israel. Trump has said it will only go into effect if Riyadh does so, but congressional aides have said there is nothing in the pact addressing that issue.
Democratic and Republican US senators asked Trump's administration last month to declassify and release all information about the agreement, including two classified "side letters" reached with Riyadh. The senators said then that the government has reached dozens of 123 nuclear agreements with other countries without withholding such information.
(Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Mark Porter and Cynthia Osterman)
