NEW DELHI, 17 February 2007 — To secure global cooperation for the much-publicized Indo-US civil nuclear deal, India may have to first accede to non-proliferation treaties it has always criticized as “discriminatory” and “asymmetrical” as they divide the world into nuclear haves and have-nots.
Visiting European Union (EU) Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner clearly said yesterday that to secure EU’s support for civil nuclear energy, India would have to take a few crucial steps in the field of nuclear nonproliferation.
“We acknowledge India’s energy needs and are committed to support its energy components, of which civil nuclear energy is an important part,” she said. “A few steps are still needed before such a cooperation is made possible. We hope India will take these steps toward international nonproliferation mechanism and then swiftly conclude safeguards agreement with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency),” she said.
On the “steps,” EU expects India to take, she said: “We would like India to enter the NPT (nonproliferation treaty), Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT).” She said all this soon after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
At the same time, she made it clear that these were not preconditions. “This would be a wish of ours. We see India’s wish and necessity for nuclear energy. But it all depends on how far the EU will go and how far India will go. We will have a dialogue on this issue.”
The EU is expected to take a decision on the issue after watching the progress of discussions in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), she added. Ferrero-Waldner, who arrived here yesterday morning, is the first top EU official to visit India after US enacted a law permitting civil nuclear cooperation with India two months ago. This is her first visit to India.
During her meeting with the Indian premier, Ferrero-Waldner discussed a wide array of India-EU issues, including accelerating dialogue on energy and trade and investment between the two sides.
Briefing reporters, she said that meeting India’s energy needs is part of the Joint Action Plan signed by the two sides in 2005.
During her five-day trip, Ferrero-Waldner will also visit Rajasthan and Mumbai. Apart from calling for further intensification of EU-India cooperation in the field of energy and climate change, her agenda includes negotiations on maritime transport and civil aviation.
With India getting ready to host the next summit of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the EU official will emphasize EU’s support for regional cooperation and trade liberalization in South Asia. Granted the observer status at last summit, EU will participate for the first time as an observer at the SAARC summit.
Meanwhile, the fourth session of India-Malaysia Joint Commission was held here yesterday. While the Malaysian delegation was led by Foreign Affairs Minister Syed Hamid Albar, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee headed the Indian team. They reviewed the progress of bilateral relations since the last meeting of the joint commission and discussed cooperation in diverse areas including trade, investment, banking, civil aviation, shipping, ports, railways, tourism, culture, agriculture, health, energy, science and technology, information technology, biotechnology, space, defense and security, labor issues, immigration and consular issues, information, youth and sports, education, technical cooperation and other areas.
Ahead of their meeting, Syed Hamid said: “India, a nuclear power and a booming economy, is now playing a visible role in the global affairs. Close cooperation with it will contribute to our well being also.”
