Global Security Newswire

Canada on Wednesday said it was eager to put into action an atomic energy cooperation agreement with India and that it had confidence in the South Asian nation's commitment to nonproliferation, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.

"We have no concerns with proliferation," Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said following discussions with Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna in New Delhi. "These issues are in the past. I am confident that these [trade] discussions will be concluded early."

Ottawa is not demanding any "additional conditionalities" for exporting uranium to the nuclear-armed country and would keep to the atomic accord template established by the United States and the European Union, Baird said.

"Administrative procedures and details take some time but we look forward to a successful conclusion of these agreements," the Canadian minister stated.

Krishna said there are no major problems left to be worked out in the agreement, which was agreed to in summer 2010. New Delhi pledged then that Canadian uranium and nuclear equipment would not be employed for "any unintended purpose."

"These are a matter of details and we look forward to an early completion of these arrangements," Krishna said.

Canada sits on the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, an exclusive export control organization that seeks to limit the spread of atomic materials and technology that can be exploited to build weapons. India possesses nuclear arms outside of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty but the export-control body several years ago granted the growing economic power a waiver to purchase atomic products from NSG members.

Ottawa supports New Delhi's desire to be included in the Nuclear Suppliers Group.