NEW DELHI, 4 March 2008 — External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee apprised legislators in Parliament yesterday of developments related to India’s quest to develop nuclear energy.
The minister drew the members’ attention to current negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency to arrive at an agreed text of India-specific safeguards agreement and said: “The conclusion of such an agreement will enable the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group to amend its guidelines for civil nuclear commerce in favor of India. This will open the door to civil nuclear cooperation with various countries, including Russia, the USA, France, the UK, etc., with many of whom the necessary enabling bilateral agreements for such trade have been discussed and are in various stages of finalization.”
This development would put an end to unfair technology denial regimes and sanctions that India has faced for over three decades, he said.
“We will continue to seek broad political consensus within the country to take forward our engagement on this issue with other countries,” Mukherjee emphasized.
The communists have threatened to pull down the government if the ruling Congress party tries to push through the deal, which would allow India access to US nuclear fuel and technology.
After delivering a voter-friendly budget on Friday, there has been talk the government was preparing to push the deal through, even if that meant early elections.
The communists were quick to reject Mukherjee’s statement. “There is no political consensus and hence it should not proceed further with the agreement,” the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a statement.
Analysts said Mukherjee’s comments were aimed at dispelling fears the deal was dead and telling Washington the government was doing its bit.
“They have kept the pot boiling,” said political commentator B.G Verghese. “The government wants to be seen as keeping at it and not giving up.” They expect the government to articulate a tougher position on the deal, seen as the cornerstone of improving India-US relations, once the budget is passed by Parliament.
“This is a measured statement but certainly an indication of a fresh impetus from the government,” political expert Mahesh Rangarajan said.
The communists say the deal undermines India’s sovereignty, but have allowed the government to negotiate with the IAEA. For the deal to go into effect India has to clinch an agreement with the IAEA, then get the endorsement of the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group that governs global nuclear trade.
Then it has to secure a final approval from the US Congress, where the agreement enjoys bipartisan support but where its passage could be complicated by the short legislative calendar ahead of the Nov. 4 US election.
Communists resent the idea of a strategic alliance with the United States, but the government has countered by stressing the deal would open the door for global nuclear cooperation.
— Additional input from agencies
