Indian Politicians Step Back From Nuclear Crisis

India’s top political leaders reached a deal last week with key left-wing allies to delay implementation of the U.S.-Indian nuclear trade pact, Reuters reported.  The move would buy time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to elicit support from the communist parties that have objected to the deal and have threatened to withdraw their support for Singh’s leadership (see GSN, Aug. 23).

The two groups issued a statement Thursday announcing the creation of a panel to study the nuclear deal which would give India access to U.S. nuclear technology and materials in exchange for allowing international inspectors to monitor New Delhi’s civilian nuclear program.  Critics from the left and the right have criticized the agreement for allowing too much U.S. influence over Indian energy and military affairs.

The new commission is due to deliver a report by the end of this month, giving Singh time to seek to restore relations with his coalition-backing communist allies, according to Reuters.

“They … saved face, we also saved face,” said one leftist leader.  “We found a middle path” (Y.P. Rajesh, Reuters/Washington Post, Aug. 31).

“The operationalization of the nuclear deal will take into account the committee’s findings,” said Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.  “The committee will also examine the implications of the nuclear agreement on foreign policy and security cooperation” (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Aug. 30).

Singh would also hold off on formal talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency to finalize a nuclear inspections agreement, although officials did not describe that decision as a concession to the leftist parties, Reuters reported.

“Our talks with [the] IAEA have been informal and they will remain so until we are ready with a formal safeguards agreement,” said one senior government official.  “And that was anyway not expected to be ready until around November” (Reuters).

India would also wait for the IAEA agreement before it seeks approval for the deal from the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a multilateral entity that sets guidelines for nuclear trade, the Hindustan Times reported last week.

Group rules currently prohibit nuclear sales to nations, such as India, that do not belong to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and do not allow international monitoring of all their atomic facilities (Amit Baruah, Hindustan Times, Aug. 27).

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