Bush administration pushes nuclear pact with Russia

By Susan Cornwell

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration hopes to send a pact on civilian nuclear cooperation with Russia to Congress in the next month, but a congressional aide said on Tuesday that resistance would be strong over the deal.

The concerns over Iran, which Washington accuses of trying to build an atomic bomb, could scuttle the administration's hopes that the deal would take effect by the time President George W. Bush leaves office next January.

The Bush administration says the nuclear deal with Russia could help solve the Iran problem by clearing the way for Washington to cooperate with Russia's offer to host an international uranium enrichment center that would supply nuclear fuel to countries like Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the proposed uranium enrichment center, a sort of fuel bank, would discourage Iran and other countries from developing nuclear fuel cycle facilities that could be used for covert weapons programs.

"We can't isolate ourselves from Russia and then expect that these are the proposals that are going to be the solution to the Iranian nuclear program," a senior State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"If there is an interest in the U.S. in investing in this consortium that Russia is establishing, getting U.S. industry involved in that whole international enrichment center, this (nuclear) agreement would be a useful baseline for that sort of cooperation," the official said.

A 123 agreement, so-called because it falls under section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act, is required before countries can cooperate on nuclear materials, such as storing spent fuel, or work together on advanced nuclear reactor programs.

At a summit this month in Sochi, Russia, Bush and Putin agreed to sign a nuclear cooperation deal "in the near future." The Bush administration is now going through the U.S. interagency process leading to the president's signature.