India, U.S. Ink Nuclear Trade Pact

The United States and India signed a historic civil nuclear cooperation agreement Friday, formally reversing a decades-old U.S. nuclear nonproliferation policy (see GSN, Oct. 9).

The trade pact will enable India to purchase U.S. nuclear materials and technology which have been denied since 1974 because New Delhi has refused to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty or permit international monitoring of all of its nuclear activities.  Under the new deal, India has agreed to place its civilian nuclear program under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.

“Many thought this day would never come, but doubts have been silenced now,” said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the signing ceremony in Washington.  “The world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy, drawn together by our shared values and, increasingly, by our many shared interests, now stand as equals, closer together than ever before.”

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee signed the agreement for his nation.

“We look forward to working with U.S. companies on the commercial steps that will follow to implement this landmark agreement,” he said.

The three-year process to enable the deal also frees India to pursue nuclear technology from other nations, such as France and Russia.  The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group agreed earlier this year to exempt New Delhi from its prohibition on trade with non-NPT nations.

While signing U.S. legislation enabling the deal last week, U.S. President George W. Bush said the agreement would promote efforts to curb nuclear-weapon proliferation.  Rice echoed that theme yesterday.

“Let us use this partnership to tackle the great global challenges of our time:  energy security and climate change, terrorism and violent extremism, transnational crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” she said (Greg Webb, Global Security Newswire, Oct. 14).

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