NEW DELHI, 22 September 2007 — The Congress party has come out with a booklet explaining to the people the India-US nuclear deal and dismissing charges from the left and the opposition that the agreement would compromise the country’s independent foreign policy and the right to conduct nuclear tests.
The 21-page booklet dismisses the charges as based on “inadequate information, cynical criticism and partisan politics.”
“This agreement is not at the cost of the autonomy of our strategic nuclear program, our three-stage program and our research and development activities,” it says.
With the Hyde Act being “only a US law,” the booklet says, “it is not binding on India. We have entered into a bilateral agreement with the US.” Also, as the Hyde Act is an “enabling legislation” passed by the US Congress, it says: “As far as India is concerned we are committed to the terms and provisions of the 123 agreement only.”
Besides, according to the booklet, the US administration has assured India that the Hyde Act enables it to fulfill the commitments made in joint statements in July and March.
Asserting its support for the United Progressive Alliance government on the deal, Congress described it “a responsive government” which “embraces a correct approach to meet the genuine needs of its people.” Emphasizing the government’s commitment to its assurance on the agreement reached being within well-defined parameters guaranteeing India the right to reprocess, create strategic fuel reserves and access full nuclear cooperation with the international community, the booklet states: “There has been no departure. All the commitments have been fully honored.”
The booklet asserted that the agreement had been negotiated between two sovereign states — India and the United States. “India has done this as an equal partner.”
With the government having pursued negotiations with “an unprecedented nature of transparency, which was underscored by three full debates in both houses of Parliament,” the booklet points out, “the Indian National Congress had throughout placed India’s national interests above politics. Any charge of India’s strategic and sovereign interests having been compromised is preposterous and, therefore, deserves to be rejected.”
In Washington, Richard Boucher, the top official in charge of South and Central Asia, yesterday described the deal as a “good agreement for both of us” and said there was bound to be debate and discussion on it in India.
Speaking at an interactive session at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University in Washington, he said: “Just as we have gone through our debate and discussion in our Congress and will have to do some more, they have to do in their Parliament as well.”
Expressing confidence that this would not hamper the deal’s implementation, Boucher said: “We have to believe, and I predict, that they will go through this and continue toward implementation.”
