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| India-Pakistan |
| Indian Pledge on Reprocessing Led to Breakthrough |
| 2007-07-27 |
| India's pledge to set up a ``state- of-the-art'' reprocessing site for spent atomic fuel led to a breakthrough in stalled talks on a civilian nuclear energy agreement, first proposed two years ago, a top U.S. negotiator said. The reprocessing will be subject to International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary for political affairs, told reporters in Washington today after a joint announcement that the two countries had completed the agreement. India proposed the reprocessing site, which was crucial to both sides concurring on terms, in early June when Burns was in New Delhi, he said. Burns said that ``by removing the real barrier that has separated us for more than 30 years, we're about to liberate our two countries for a new engagement.'' The plan has further steps to clear. India, which hasn't signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, has to reach an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog for international inspections, on safeguards. The Nuclear Suppliers Group, a 45-nation forum dedicated to limiting the spread of atomic weapons, must also approve the agreement. After that, the U.S. president will submit the text to Congress for approval, attempting to overcome concerns that India's nuclear weapons program would benefit. `Strategic Partnership' ``I look forward to working with Congress to realize this important initiative,'' U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement e-mailed to reporters. ``This marks another step in the continued progress that is deepening our strategic partnership with India, a vital world leader.'' The conclusion of negotiations on the so-called ``1-2-3 agreement'' paves the way for and other U.S. companies to participate in the South Asian nation's nuclear power program. ``It opens up support for India to pursue expansion in nuclear power because we were seriously running into a constraint as far as fuel supply is concerned,'' said R.K. Pachauri, director general of the Energy & Resources Institute, in a phone interview today. Indian utilities, which are straining to supply power to industry, homes and farms, would be allowed to buy equipment, fuel and reactors from firms such as Fairfield, Connecticut- based General Electric Co. and Monroeville, Pennsylvania-based Westinghouse Electric Co. In exchange, the South Asian nation would open some of its plants to international inspections to ensure that the fuel isn't being diverted for weapons. Energy Needs India, the world's second-fastest-growing major economy, needs atomic power to supplement conventional energy resources. Atomic power now accounts for about 3 percent of the country's total electricity production. The agreement is an important objective of Bush's foreign policy because it symbolizes deeper ties between the two most populous democracies amid China's economic and military surge. It was held up by differences over whether India would get a perennial supply of nuclear fuel, be allowed to reprocess spent fuel and have the right to conduct nuclear tests. ``It's going to certainly increase the Chinese perception that the deal is part of an attempt to contain China by improving relations with India,'' Adam Segal, who follows China for the Council on Foreign Relations, said. The text of the agreement will ``soon'' be available, India's National security Adviser M.K. Narayanan told reporters in a televised news conference in New Delhi. ``We have got a very good deal,'' he said, referring to the terms of the accord. Iran The India accord is in the ``unquestioned'' interest of the U.S., and Iran can draw lessons from it, Burns said. The accord with India will open the way to wider defense cooperation and ``unlocks the promise'' of strategic ties, he said. Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said there were no conditions attached to the accord. ``This agreement has a finalized text which meets the concerns of both sides and serves the interest of both sides,'' Menon said. ``There is no conditionality and we did not negotiate anything else.'' The U.S. is convinced that India will keep any nuclear fuel that's governed by the agreement from the arms program, Burns said. The U.S. believes that India is improving nuclear export controls, though some Indian companies have been sanctioned by the U.S. for nuclear proliferation, the official said. India has the right to reuse the reprocessed spent fuel, said Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the country's Atomic Energy Commission. ``It allows us to derive the full benefit of the cooperation.'' `Fine Print' U.S. lawmakers were consulted before the India accord was finished, first outlined by Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005, Burns said. The U.S. Congress will want to see the ``fine print'' of the agreement, he said, adding that any exceptions made for India won't be a precedent for other countries. The agreement's safeguards should persuade the nuclear group, Burns said. Narayanan said there is no reference to nuclear tests by India in the text of the agreement. ``We have not mortgaged any right. If anything, we have only enhanced our right.'' Narayanan said. ``This agreement is intended primarily for civil nuclear cooperation. We are not using it as an excuse to enhance our strategic capabilities.'' `Problematic' Concessions Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association, said he thinks the Bush administration made concessions to India in the agreement's language ``that are problematic'' and ``inconsistent'' with past U.S. policy and the intent of Congress. ``Other countries are going to look at this, like Pakistan, and either want the same treatment, or they're going to be less interested in working with the U.S. to enforce the same rules against countries that are seeking to challenge them,'' Kimball said. On July 25, two Indian cabinet panels endorsed the draft of a nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S. that had been stalled by differences over the supply and reuse of fuel, saying it ``adequately addressed'' the nation's concerns. The U.S. Congress in December passed legislation to allow the agreement to go forward. The legislation reversed decades of U.S. policy that barred nuclear exports to India after the South Asian country tested an atomic bomb in 1974 without signing the Non-Proliferation Treaty. |
| Posted by:John Frum |
| #2 |
| Posted by: John Frum 2007-07-27 15:47 |
#1  |
| Posted by: John Frum 2007-07-27 15:46 |