U.S. Seeks Progress Next Month on Indian Nuclear Deal

U.S. officials increased pressure on India yesterday to accept conditions on a planned nuclear trade agreement, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, April 19).

Officials from the two nations are scheduled to meet twice next month, starting with a Washington visit by Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon followed by a trip to New Delhi by U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns.

“There is a strong sense of frustration in Washington, in the administration and in Congress, about the fact that the Indian side has progressed so slowly in this effort.  We urge it to accelerate its efforts,” Burns said yesterday.  “The bottom line is that we are committed to this deal.  We do not question the goodwill of the Indian government, and I believe we will overcome the problems we are encountering.”

Delays over implementing the deal announced nearly two years ago have given fuel to nuclear nonproliferation advocates who oppose the plan to sell India nuclear technology and material even though it has not joined the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, according to the Post.

Recent reports of Indian technology smuggling (see GSN, April 3) and military ties with Iran have also strengthened the deal’s critics, the Post reported.

“India's stealing of U.S.-controlled technology, its formal military-to-military cooperation with Iran, and its rejection of U.S. nonproliferation conditions on nuclear cooperation are what you would expect of an adversary, not a partner,” said Henry Sokolski, head of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center.

“On the one hand, we have India stealing controlled U.S. missile technology, and on the other hand we have India signing a new defense agreement with Iran,” added Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.).  “We are a wink and a nod away from U.S. missile technology winding up in Iran's possession, and the Bush administration has either failed to connect these two problems or they just don't care” (Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, April 20).

Meanwhile, India has heeded recent U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for nations to ban the sale of nuclear and missile technologies to Iran and North Korea, the Press Trust of India reported yesterday (see GSN, March 26 and Oct. 16, 2006).

Commerce Minister Kamal Nath announced the formal prohibition on such sales yesterday (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, April 19).

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