NEW DELHI, 30 July 2005 — Seeking to quash criticism from left supporters and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led opposition on the Indo-US statement issued during his US visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a statement in the Parliament yesterday saying that the nuclear pact had in no way compromised on national security.
Dispelling apprehensions voiced about the Indo-US nuclear deal, Manmohan said that the country would never compromise on the country’s fundamental and strategic needs.
“There is nothing in this joint statement that amounts to limiting or inhibiting our strategic nuclear weapons program over which we retain unrestricted, complete and autonomous control,” Manmohan asserted.
Calling the resumption of bilateral civilian nuclear cooperation the “central” aspect of his recent US visit, Manmohan assured Parliament that the India-US nuclear pact is designed to achieve energy security and does not compromise national security as alleged by a section of the opposition.
“I would like to make it clear that our commitments would be conditional upon, and reciprocal to the US fulfilling its side of the understanding,” he said in a statement in the Lok Sabha, the lower house.
The prime minister stressed on the principles of reciprocity and nondiscrimination that underpins the nuclear pact reached during his visit to the US July 18-20 during which he held extensive talks with President George W. Bush.
“The defense and security interests of our country are paramount and will remain so,” he said, while alluding to fears and anxieties expressed by some political parties, notably the BJP and the left, about the larger ramifications of the nuclear pact on nuclear security.
Asserting India’s credentials as a responsible nuclear power, he said: “I wish to emphasize to this house that the basis for this understanding was a clear recognition that India is a responsible nuclear power with an impeccable record on nuclear non-proliferation,” he said.
“We expect the same rights and responsibilities as other nuclear powers,” he added. “Reciprocity is key to the implementation of all the steps enumerated in the joint statement. Indian actions will be contingent at every stage on actions by the other side.”
“The joint statement refers to our identifying and separating civilian and military nuclear facilities in a phased manner and taking a decision to place voluntarily civilian nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. India will not accept discrimination,” he said.
Manmohan assuaged fears about placing civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards, saying that it will do so only after all restrictions under previous technology regimes have been lifted.
“Before voluntarily placing our civilian facilities under IAEA safeguards, we will ensure that all restrictions on India have been lifted. Our autonomy of decision-making will not be circumscribed in any manner,” he told the house.
Stressing the point that the nuclear pact was designed to achieve energy security, he said the chief achievement of his visit was the deal on full civilian cooperation that will enable India to access nuclear energy and reactors from the international market.
The nuclear pact between India and the US reverses decades-old technology denial regimes about granting India access to civil nuclear technology and fuel in return for a set of reciprocal commitments by New Delhi to place its civilian nuclear facilities under international safeguards.
The pact also enjoins upon India to continue its unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing and agree, among other things, to international export control regimes relating to nuclear and missile technology.
Describing his visit as a “success” that took “India’s relations with the US to a new level” in all areas, the prime minister said the purpose of his visit was to “sensitize the US government on the full extent of economic changes” that have taken place in India since the economic liberalization initiated in 1991.
