Bob Menendez: “My amendment seeks to limit the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the International Atomic Energy Agency for programs and…”

“My amendment seeks to limit the use of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the International Atomic Energy Agency for programs and projects in Cuba. Over the next 3 years, Cuba will receive more than $1.7 million from the IAEA, even though Cuba has continuously refused to sign the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, ratify the Treaty of Tlatelolco, negotiate full-scope safeguards or incorporate internationally accepted nuclear safety standards. In addition to those glaring aberrations, the Castro dictatorship has decided that a dangerous Soviet-era nuclear plant in Juragua, near Cienfuegos, Cuba, should be completed and operated. Already the IAEA has provided nearly $700,000 to Cuba to support the Juragua Nuclear Power Plant. A letter to me from President Clinton stated that: The United States opposes the construction of the Juragua nuclear power plant because of our concerns about Cuba's ability to ensure the safe operation of the facility and because of Cuba's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty or ratify the Treaty of Tlatelolco. The State Department, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Energy have also expressed concerns about the construction and operation of Cuba's proposed nuclear reactors. Dr. Edward Purvis, who headed the United States Department of Energy's investigation of Cuba's reactors has this to say: An accident in the Cuban VVER-440 is probable. It is just a question of when.…”