A U.S.-Indo civilian nuclear deal is coming under attack not only from Indian opposition groups but also from the ruling coalition's Left party allies. Govt. in a jam, Reds play hard, said the headline on Friday's front page of The Times of India. Parliamentary proceedings were disrupted Thursday when the deal's opponents demanded a second look at it, despite Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's firm stand in support of it. There are growing concerns the Left allies may pull out of the alliance, forcing Singh's Congress Party to lose its parliamentary majority.
Opposition to the deal has been building in recent days and led to a shouting match in the lower house of Parliament after some reports quoted a U.S. State Department spokesman saying Washington could terminate the deal if India conducted another nuclear test. The deal, concluded recently after intense negotiations and long delays, will allow the United States to provide nuclear technology and fuel to India.
In India, the criticism stems from concerns it would interfere with India's foreign policy, despite Singh's repeated statements the deal will not deny India's right to carry out future nuclear tests. There is concern in the United States the deal would allow India to reprocess spent nuclear fuel.
For god sake let us all understand this. For India, the benefits are arguably greater. Its booming but eergy-starved economy would gain access to much-needed nuclear fuel and technologies that is has been long denied by its refusal to sign nonproliferation accords. Hey!! for US and the lawmakers of India.. it is a call for "peace and trust" that leads India to another step in the journey to regain India's due place in the global council.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 19, 2007
India sounds out Japan about support for nuke deal with U.S.
TOKYO, Aug. 17 KYODO
India has approached Japan about having Prime Minister Shinzo Abe express support for New Delhi's civilian nuclear agreement with the United States during his visit to the country next week, in return for a pledge to cooperate with Abe's initiative to fight global warming, Japanese government sources said Friday.
Abe, however, is expected to forgo extending support for the deal during his talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi next Wednesday, given that the arrangements for the inspection of India's nuclear facilities have yet to be established, they said.
Abe is hoping to win cooperation from India, a major emitter of greenhouse gases, for his initiative to halve emissions by 2050. Global warming will be high on the agenda when Japan hosts next year's Group of Eight summit.
Indian officials have basically agreed that Singh will express "understanding and cooperation" regarding Abe's "Cool Earth 50" initiative, according to the sources. On the U.S.-Indian nuclear deal, Abe is expected only to reiterate Tokyo's stance that it is "considering" whether to support the deal, they said.
India, which is not a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and has conducted nuclear weapons tests since the 1970s, will be able to access U.S. nuclear technology in return for opening a majority of its reactors to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Abe has already suggested that Japan may support the deal in the future, but this week's visit is not the right time because it will take place just days after he pledged at ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to make efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Another factor that weighs against Abe extending support during his trip to Delhi is the lack of progress in India's safeguards negotiations with the IAEA since he emphasized the significance of the accord in his talks with Singh in Tokyo in December, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
India has approached Japan about having Prime Minister Shinzo Abe express support for New Delhi's civilian nuclear agreement with the United States during his visit to the country next week, in return for a pledge to cooperate with Abe's initiative to fight global warming, Japanese government sources said Friday.
Abe, however, is expected to forgo extending support for the deal during his talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi next Wednesday, given that the arrangements for the inspection of India's nuclear facilities have yet to be established, they said.
Abe is hoping to win cooperation from India, a major emitter of greenhouse gases, for his initiative to halve emissions by 2050. Global warming will be high on the agenda when Japan hosts next year's Group of Eight summit.
Indian officials have basically agreed that Singh will express "understanding and cooperation" regarding Abe's "Cool Earth 50" initiative, according to the sources. On the U.S.-Indian nuclear deal, Abe is expected only to reiterate Tokyo's stance that it is "considering" whether to support the deal, they said.
India, which is not a party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and has conducted nuclear weapons tests since the 1970s, will be able to access U.S. nuclear technology in return for opening a majority of its reactors to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Abe has already suggested that Japan may support the deal in the future, but this week's visit is not the right time because it will take place just days after he pledged at ceremonies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki to make efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.
Another factor that weighs against Abe extending support during his trip to Delhi is the lack of progress in India's safeguards negotiations with the IAEA since he emphasized the significance of the accord in his talks with Singh in Tokyo in December, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Asutralia to sell uranium to india in face of fierce criticism from home, says newspaper
Finally Australia has agreed to sell uranium to India for use in nuclear power plant even though New Delhi has not signed the Nonproliferation Treaty on atomic weapons (as reported in local newspapers in sydney).
A condition of the deal would be that inspectorts would be allowed to check the chain of supply of the nucler fuel to ensure none was siphoned off into weapons programs, as the Australian Newspapers said.
The national security committee of the federal cabinet reportedly made the decision late tuesday but it would not be annouced until Prime Minister John Howard has advised his India counterpart, Manmohan Singh.
Australia has the world's largest known reserves of uranium and the move would mark a major change in its policiy of refusing to sell the nuclear fuel to countries that have not signed the NPT. Howard's government, a strong supporter of US President George W. Bush's administration, has signaled a break with the policy after New Delhi finalized a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the US last month.
The deal would allow India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possesssing nuclear weapons, making it an exception under the NPT. Bush and Singh discussed the agreement on phone on Tuesday, the White House said, as officials looked for ways to overcome stiff opposition in the US Congress to the pact, which Bush sees as a key foreign policy victory (thanks to the diasporas too). Australia, meanwhile has been under pressure to sell uranium to India since agreeing last year to supply rival Asian giant China. India and China already have nuclear weapons but Beijing has signed the NPT while New Delgi has not. Both countries say they want Australia's uranium simply to fuel nuclear power stations to meet the soaring demand for electricity from their booming economies. But the main Australian opposition party, which is tipped by opinion polls to out Howard's government in the election this year, has condemned any deal with India. The decision to bypass the NPT would send the wrong message to the international community, Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd told repoerters. "It is a very bad development indeed when we have the possibility of the government of Australia stepping outside the nonproliferation treaty, saying it's OK to sell uranium to a country which isn't a signatory to the NPT".
A condition of the deal would be that inspectorts would be allowed to check the chain of supply of the nucler fuel to ensure none was siphoned off into weapons programs, as the Australian Newspapers said.
The national security committee of the federal cabinet reportedly made the decision late tuesday but it would not be annouced until Prime Minister John Howard has advised his India counterpart, Manmohan Singh.
Australia has the world's largest known reserves of uranium and the move would mark a major change in its policiy of refusing to sell the nuclear fuel to countries that have not signed the NPT. Howard's government, a strong supporter of US President George W. Bush's administration, has signaled a break with the policy after New Delhi finalized a landmark civilian nuclear deal with the US last month.
The deal would allow India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possesssing nuclear weapons, making it an exception under the NPT. Bush and Singh discussed the agreement on phone on Tuesday, the White House said, as officials looked for ways to overcome stiff opposition in the US Congress to the pact, which Bush sees as a key foreign policy victory (thanks to the diasporas too). Australia, meanwhile has been under pressure to sell uranium to India since agreeing last year to supply rival Asian giant China. India and China already have nuclear weapons but Beijing has signed the NPT while New Delgi has not. Both countries say they want Australia's uranium simply to fuel nuclear power stations to meet the soaring demand for electricity from their booming economies. But the main Australian opposition party, which is tipped by opinion polls to out Howard's government in the election this year, has condemned any deal with India. The decision to bypass the NPT would send the wrong message to the international community, Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd told repoerters. "It is a very bad development indeed when we have the possibility of the government of Australia stepping outside the nonproliferation treaty, saying it's OK to sell uranium to a country which isn't a signatory to the NPT".
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