WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (APP): A group of twenty three organizations has launched a coalition in America to resist US-India nuclear civilian cooperation agreement, stressing it would impact on non-proliferation efforts and destabilize the South Asian region.
The Campaign for Responsibility in Nuclear Trade said such a pact would “dangerously weaken non-proliferation efforts and embolden countries like Iran and North Korea to pursue the development of nuclear weapons and further destabilize South Asia.”
“When Congress takes a close look at the Bush Administration’s proposed agreement, it will find a dangerous, unprecedented deal,” said John Isaacs of the Council for a Livable World.
“The proposal undermines over 30 years of non-proliferation policy, will increase India’s capability to produce nuclear weapons and its stockpile of nuclear weapons-material, and sends the wrong message to Pakistan,” he said.
The US-Indian bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement would allow the transfer of US nuclear technology and material to India. However, it fails to hold India to the same responsible non-proliferation and disarmament rules that are required of advanced nuclear states.
The deal will increase India’s nuclear weapons production capability and exacerbate a nuclear arms race in the region, the Campaign said.
The pact must win approval from the US Congress, which changed US law in December 2006 to allow negotiation of the agreement, under several conditions that have not been met in the final language of the agreement.
Those conditions include a new agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency for safeguarding Indian power reactors and changes to the international guidelines of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, which currently restrict trade with India.