Date:01/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/01/stories/2008060160100900.htm

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Saran: government is fully committed to nuclear accord

Y. Mallikarjun

Shyam Saran

HYDERABAD: Prime Minister’s special envoy on the nuclear deal with the United States Shyam Saran has said the 123 agreement explicitly acknowledged that it had nothing to do with strategic programmes of either country, and hoped that the pact “which is so patently in the best interest of India is actually realised.”

In an interview to The Hindu here on Friday, Mr. Saran said the government remained fully committed to the agreement and would like to see that it was concluded sooner than later.

He was reacting to a query on his recent comments that he was hopeful of achieving the deal during the tenure of the Bush administration.

Mr. Saran said: “We, of course remain hopeful.” Pointing out there was a political process that had to be gone through, he said: “We all remain hopeful that the process will result in a decision to take the next step which is to conclude the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency, because without that we can’t go to the Nuclear Suppliers Group [NSG].”

Allays fears

Asked about the concerns that the agreement would jeopardise India’s nuclear autonomy, he said: “There is really no basis for such an apprehension. We have made certain that our strategic programme is completely separate from the civilian programme. There is no question of there being any kind of interference with the strategic programme, and those who have these apprehensions have not been able to tell us why they feel there is that danger.”

The agreement explicitly acknowledged that it had nothing to do with the strategic programme of either the U.S. or India. “I think nothing can be clearer than that.”

Mr. Saran said the question of wishing to terminate the cooperation was a right available to both parties. “The important thing to realise here is that this particular agreement with the U.S., opens the door for civil nuclear cooperation with a very wide range of countries.”

So, once the NSG gave exemption to India similar to that which the U.S. was willing to give, India would have a wide choice of partners as it took the nuclear cooperation programme further.

“Whether we want to purchase reactors from France, Russia or any other country, all this becomes possible only once the agreement is through and as a consequence of that, the NSG also gives an exemption. We should not look at this as being purely U.S.-centric.”

The objective was to bring about a change in the multilateral regime governing nuclear policy, he said.