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Indo-U.S. Nuclear Technology Deal in Doubt
A pending civilian nuclear cooperation agreement between India and the United Stares remains tenuous even as New Delhi prepares for a state visit by U.S. President George W. Bush in March, Electricity Daily reported today (see GSN, Jan. 31). The United States has said that if India does not designate a “great majority” of its nuclear reactors as civilian in nature, the U.S. Congress would be more inclined to oppose the deal. Indian officials, however, told Electricity Daily that New Delhi has rejected the possibility of placing all or most of its reactors in the civilian category. India has 22 reactors, all but six of which are designated for energy production under international safeguards. Washington wants the remaining six to also be placed under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, according to Electricity Daily (Electricity Daily, Feb. 6). Meanwhile, a state visit by French President Jacques Chirac from Feb. 19-21 is expected to result in a civilian nuclear cooperation deal between New Delhi and Paris, the Press Trust of India reported yesterday. The agreement is similar to that signed last year by Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington, diplomatic sources told PTI. “The groundwork for the deal has been done and if all goes well, it will be signed during Chirac's visit here,” a diplomat said. They said French public opinion in favor of the agreement would make it more likely to be implemented than the U.S.-Indian deal (Press Trust of India/DefenseIndia.com, Feb. 5).
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