Date:06/10/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/10/06/stories/2005100607791200.htm

National

India wants U.S. to amend law for civil nuclear cooperation

Amit Baruah

New Delhi has agreed to separate facilities

NEW DELHI: : India wants the United States to make changes in its domestic law allowing for civil nuclear cooperation before New Delhi goes ahead to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities as required under the July 18 joint statement.

A senior External Affairs Ministry official told this correspondent that after this enabling legislation is passed by the U.S. Congress New Delhi could coordinate the executive bits of action required from the Bush administration and steps by India on its part to implement the civil nuclear deal.

Under the July 18 agreement, President George W. Bush committed himself to seeking an agreement from Congress to adjust U.S. laws and policies and work with friends and allies to adjust international regimes to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation and trade with India.

To file declaration

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on his part, conveyed that India would reciprocally identify and separate civilian and military nuclear facilities and programmes in a phased manner. New Delhi would also file a declaration regarding its civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency and take a decision to place voluntarily its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. It would also sign and adhere to an Additional Protocol with respect to civilian nuclear facilities and continue unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing.

This issue of sequencing — who will do what when — is expected to figure at a meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) set up by the two Governments to implement the July 18 agreement. The U.S. Under Secretary of State, Nicholas Burns, is expected to visit India later this month for a JWG meeting.

The American understanding appears to be that India should first implement its part of the deal and then the U.S. would take "important" steps.

Testifying before the U.S. House International Relations Committee, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control, Robert Joseph, said on September 8, "...what we're talking about is a reciprocal and phased approach to the implementation of this [India-U.S.] agreement. And I think forward progress and submission, for example, by India of a credible and defensible separation, or plan for the separation of civilian and military facilities, will be a very important step allowing us to take important steps."