Indian Officials Promote Nuclear Deal at Home

Indian nuclear energy officials have praised a tentative trade deal with the United States, hoping to encourage lawmakers’ support for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in a parliamentary vote of confidence scheduled for next week, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, July 11).

Critics have argued that the agreement would give Washington excessive influence over Indian energy affairs, but the Indian officials argued otherwise.  They said that once the deal began, supplies of nuclear fuel would continue even if the United States cut off its own sales.

“Discontinuity in the operation of a reactor cannot happen suddenly,” said Anil Kakodkar, head of India’s Atomic Energy Commission.

Singh has faced criticism over the trade pact from four political parties that were key supporters of his ruling coalition.  The critics threatened to withdraw their support and force early elections if Singh advanced the deal, but the prime minister has apparently lined up additional support to replace the deal opponents in the coalition.  A vote of confidence to test the new coalition has been scheduled for July 22 (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, July 14).

The critical parties have formally withdrawn their support and have begun lobbying against Singh, AFP reported.

“The country is in a crisis.  The price of goods is touching the skies,” said Marxist leader Prakash Karat.  “But Manmohan Singh’s government is paying no attention to these problems of the people.  They want to give permission to America’s big multinational companies, like Wal-Mart, to come here” (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, July 14).

The question of India having access to an uninterrupted nuclear fuel supply, even if sales are stopped by a single supplier nation, has emerged as the key point of contention between the trade deal’s advocates and critics.

Lawmakers in Washington exempted India from most U.S. nonproliferation measures in 2006, but received a Bush administration promise that it would end nuclear sales if New Delhi resumed nuclear testing.  The text of the deal, however, appears to support India’s acquisition of a strategic reserve of fuel and to promise Washington’s support for helping India find other fuel suppliers if U.S. sales are halted.

That possible loophole is grounds for rejecting the deal, according to a former top U.N. nuclear disarmament official, who last week urged nations to object to the deal in two other key forums.  The deal’s implementation depends on the approval of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s governing board and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which sets international nuclear trade rules.

“If NSG supplier states should agree to supply fuel to India, they should clarify that if India resumes nuclear testing, all nuclear cooperation with India shall be terminated and unused fuel supplies from NSG states shall be returned,” says an analysis by Jayantha Dhanapala, former U.N. undersecretary general for disarmament affairs, and Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association.

The scathing commentary blasted the deal on multiple fronts.

“The Indian nuclear deal would be a nonproliferation disaster,” it says.  “The [Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty] is in jeopardy and diplomatic efforts to address the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran are at a delicate stage.  For those world leaders who are serious about ending the arms race, holding all states to their international commitments, and strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, it is time to stand up and be counted.

“The current proposal threatens to further undermine the nuclear safeguards system and efforts to prevent the proliferation of technologies that may be used to produce nuclear bomb material,” Dhanapala and Kimball said.  “It would also indirectly contribute to the expansion of India’s nuclear arsenal with possible consequences for a nuclear arms race in Asia” (Dhanapala/Kimball, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace release, July 10).

Back to top
About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines © Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.