By IANS
New Delhi : The 123 India-US civil nuclear cooperation pact does not deprive India of its sovereign right to test a nuclear device, but it will make such a choice “costly” and “difficult” for New Delhi, said former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra.
“India retains its sovereign right to test. But the conditions which have now been imposed through the 123 agreement or US laws as they have been enacted… will make it costlier for India to test,” Mishra told Karan Thapar in India Tonight programme broadcast on CNN-IBN Tuesday night.
“We have the right to test and the US has the right to return (of nuclear equipment and fuel sold to India under the agreement),” Mishra stressed.
“Which means down the years, say five, ten or fifty years down the line, you are faced with a national security situation which should lead you to test, you are then worried about the economic costs of that decision which will be far greater than it was in the past,” Mishra said.
“The government will be faced with a dilemma… The costs will be greater. It will be a difficult decision. The government will have to convince the people and give reasons (for conducting the test),” Mishra explained.
Mishra, the BJP’s chief pointman on foreign policy and national security issues and a key aide of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, also questioned the very rationale of the July 18, 2005 India-US civil nuclear deal, saying that “the deal ab initio was at fault” and will adversely impact on the country’s strategic programme.
“When the deal was announced in July 2005 we said that it will adversely impact on our strategic programme. The text of the 123 agreement doesn’t really matter as far as I am concerned. The deal ab initio as outlined in July 18, 205 joint statement itself was at fault,” Mishra said.
“The separation plan of March 2, 2006 reinforced that concern. The promise to go in for an early conclusion of the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT) further reinforced that concern,” he added.
“It’s not in India’s concern. I wouldn’t go for this agreement,” Mishra said, echoing the Bharatiya Janata Party’s rejection of the nuclear deal.
The BJP has demanded a vote on the nuclear deal in parliament before the government proceeds with the next steps required to operationalise the 123 pact.
Mishra also outlined the political costs of the nuclear deal and alleged that it will “circumscribe” India’s foreign policy options.
“Will the government be capable of saying no to the US on Iran? The pressure will grow as the two governments come closer. It will become more difficult to say no,” he said.
“To a certain extent, our freedom in foreign policy will be circumscribed,” he added.
When asked whether the 123 agreement will ensure India uninterrupted fuel supplies for the lifetime of civil nuclear reactors it will place under international safeguards, Mishra agreed that the pact provided fuel guarantees, but added that in case of India conducting a nuclear test, it will depend on the stance of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
“If the NSG countries support this idea of fuel reserve, we don’t have to worry much. However, the agreement with the NSG will have to be arrived at before the deal is signed,” he said.