Rice says time not right for Russia nuclear pact

ALGIERS (Reuters) - The time is not right for the United States to implement a civilian nuclear pact with Russia, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Saturday, confirming comments from an unnamed U.S. official.

A State Department official said in Washington on Friday the Bush administration would withdraw a 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," Rice told reporters during a tour of north African countries.

The United States is yet to hit Moscow with tangible sanctions for its incursion into Georgian territory last month, although it has announced plans to give U.S. ally Georgia $1 billion in reconstruction aid.

The nuclear deal was intended to lift Cold War restrictions on trade and open up the U.S. 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.

(Reporting by Sue Pleming; Writing by Tom Pfeiffer)