By KUNA,
New Delhi : Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday emphasised that the civilian nuclear deal with the United States would neither affect the countrys strategic programme nor the independent foreign policy.
“Indians understand the significance of the nuclear deal. The nuclear deal will in no way impinge on India’s strategic programme,” Dr Manmohan Singh told editors of the countrys television news channel at a breakfast meeting at his residence here this morning. It will not compromise India’s independent foreign policy in fact the nuclear deal will end a nearly three-decade long nuclear apartheid against the country, he stressed. The Prime Minister said that the India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would allow the country cooperataion with all the 45 member countries of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Allaying fears, Dr Manmohan Singh said, We will never allow any extraneous interference in the conduct of our independent foreign policy India would continue to seek good relations with all our Asian neighbours.
India’s strategic programme was entirely outside the purview of the safeguards agreement with the IAEA and in no way affect the strategic deterrence of the country, he noted.
Last Thursday, India made public the draft of the safeguards pact with IAEA. Earlier, India allowed the IAEA to submit the draft of the agreement to the bodys 35-member board of governors in Vienna on July 8, after finalisation of negotiations on July 7. The IAEA board is scheduled to meet in last week of July or first week of August at the Austrian capital and decide on the ratification of the safeguards agreement. The government is planning to brief key members of the IAEA before the agency’s board meeting. The draft of the Safeguards Agreement makes it clear that the IAEA would not interfere with India ‘s military programme and the pact would apply only to the civilian nuclear facilities to be identified by India . The text also makes it clear that India ‘s decision to place its civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards will not detract from its commitment to “the full development of its national three-stage programme”. The draft recognises India as “a state with advanced nuclear technology, which has a sovereign and inalienable right to carry out nuclear research and development activities for the welfare of its people and other peaceful purposes”. It also acknowledges the unique nature of India ‘s nuclear programme that requires a separation of civilian and military facilities and provides assurance for “reliable, uninterrupted and continuous access to fuel supplies from companies in several nations”. It recognises the plan made under the Indo-US civil nuclear deal by which India will offer its civilian atomic facilities to be put under safeguards, keeping out the military facilities. The safeguards agreement is key to operationalisation of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal. After ratification by IAEA Board of Governors and a waiver from NSG, the third step would be the approval by the US Congress to begin global civilian nuclear commerce. NSG meet is scheduled in September in Germany . G-8 member states, many of the whom are NSG members have already voiced their support for India at the recently concluded Japan meet. Other NSG members including Romania , Portugal , and Brazil have also extended their support to India .
If global civil nuclear co-operation is achieved, nuclear energy can generate about 40,000 MW by 2020, which is about 10 to 12 per cent of India ‘s energy requirement.
By 2050, India can achieve 600 GW of electricity, which would be half the total projected energy requirement of the country. Both the Indian and the US government are keen to conclude the deal before year-end.
During his discussions, the Prime Minister also said that his government was committed to the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. He also spoke of the steps taken by his government to sustain the economic growth and control inflation. It was not a typical inflation as it was fueled by rising prices of global crude oil, he added.