By N.C. Bipindra, IANS,
Moscow: On an official visit to Russia, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday cleared the doubts over operationalisation of the Russian-aided Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, saying he will convince those opposing the project and get the first 1,000 MW unit running in “a couple of weeks”.
“I am confident that in a couple of weeks we should be able to go ahead in operationalising Kudankulam-I and, thereafter, in a period of six months, the Kudankulam-II,” he said at a joint press conference with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev after their three-hour-long bilateral meeting, first a two-hour one-on-one and later the hour-long delegation-level talks.
“Kudankulam I and II are at an advanced stage and they are very close to being operationalised,” he added. Protests by locals at the site have halted all operations of the plant.
However, the two sides failed to clinch the much-awaited deal on units III and IV of the plant that wil use the Russian VVER-1000 Pressurised Water Reactors, though they agreed on the protocol for the Russian state credit for two future units as envisaged in their 2008 inter-governmental agreement and looked forward to moving ahead in their bilateral nuclear energy roadmap signed in 2010.
On units III and IV, the two nations have a difference of opinion on the recently-notified Indian nuclear liability rules and laws, with Moscow expressing its dismay over New Delhi’s insistence on making them applicable to the additional Kudankulam units.
The liability rules are not applicable to units I and II as these were signed in late 1980s and in mid-1990s, much before India enacted laws to fix responsibility on nuclear technology firms and supplies for accidents.
That apart, the two sides signed five key agreements, including one on India’s defence public sector undertaking Hindustan Aeronautics Limited producing an additional 42 Su-30KMI air superiority combat plane for the Indian Air Force (IAF) that will take the Sukhoi fleet strength to 272 planes by 2018.
The combat plane agreement is in addition to the 230 of these planes for which contracts have been signed earlier, and of which 120 have already been inducted into the IAF.
Medvedev said at the press conference that Russia was looking forward to a future agreement on civilian aircraft co-production too, indicating that Russia had sought cooperation on Sukhoi, Tupolov and Antonov passenger planes.
There were also agreements in the field of anti-monopolies, fly ash management by Russia with Indian help, medicinal drug quality control and educational exchanges.
The Russian side indicated that India will take control of a Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine on a 10-year lease beginning this month-end, a long awaited vessel that will add teeth to its underwater warfare capabilities.
Medvedev also reiterated Russia’s strong support for India’s candidature for a permanent membership of the reformed United Nations Security Council, apart from calling for other members of the UN high table — US, France, Britain and China — to wholeheartedly push for India joining them up there.
They also affirmed their commitment to work together in the UN, along with other BRICS nations, as they had done so during the recent debates and resolution on the West Asia and North Africa situation, where a wave of social unrest led to regime changes in Libya and Egypt.
They also agreed that the fundamental transformation taking place in the states in West Asia and North Africa “should not be used” as a pretext to delay resolution of lasting conflicts, but rather as an incentive to settle them.
On Afghanistan and the NATO’s plan to begin withdrawal of troops in 2014, the two reiterated their belief that international military presence should be linked to the security situation on the ground. They affirmed their support to Kabul to support efforts to establish peaceful dialogue with armed opposition, such as the Taliban, provided the fighters meet the red lines enunciated by the international community, recognise the nation’s constitution and renounce violence by breaking up with al-Qaeda.
In a joint statement adopted by the two leaders, they said they have agreed for India to study possibility of joining the Belarus-Kazakhstan-Russia Custom Union, a three-nation economic cooperation grouping. They also said economic cooperation will be the future focus of their special and privileged strategic partnership.
Interestingly, Manmohan Singh “felicitated” Medvedev on the conduct of the Duma polls, though this has stirred a public unrest in Russia.
The prime minister, later in the evening, met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who is the target of opposition protests against the results of the Duma polls that threw up a reduced majority for the ruling United Russia Party. Putin has been named by his party as its candidate for the presidential polls slated for March 2012.