Condoleezza Rice - time not right for US-Russian nuclear pact

The time is not right for the United States to implement a civil nuclear pact with Russia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated. A State Department official claimed in Washington that the Bush administration would withdraw its request for Congress to approve the nuclear deal, as a penalty for Russia's invasion of Georgia last month. “The time isn't right for the Russia agreement and we will make an announcement about that later.” The nuclear deal was intended to lift Cold War restrictions on trade and open up the US nuclear market and Russia’s uranium fields to companies from both countries. Washington and Moscow signed the cooperation agreement in May and it was then sent by President George W. Bush to Congress.