PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS VIETNAM CIVIL NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

President Obama yesterday signed a new civil nuclear agreement with Vietnam that has raised questions because of a lack of legally binding restrictions on enrichment and reprocessing, according to reports. The deal with Vietnam that was finalized last October has instead a nonbinding commitment from Vietnam to rely on existing fuel services rather than developing its own sensitive nuclear technologies. “I have determined that the performance of the Agreement will promote, and will not constitute an unreasonable risk to, the common defense and security,” Obama wrote yesterday in a memo to the State Department and Department of Energy, according to The Hill. The deal must now sit before Congress for 90 legislative days before entering into force.