Top scientists concerned over strategic programme post n-deal
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0612092010.htm
Mumbai, Dec 9. (PTI): Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured that India will maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, the US bill for civil nuclear cooperation with New Delhi seems to be sending a clear signal to the contrary, say top scientists.
The bill has a clear intention of indirectly making India a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without signing them, former Atomic Energy Commission chairman P K Iyengar told PTI today.
The bill enabling nuclear commerce with India was cleared on Thursday night by the conference committee of US Congress.
"It is impossible to have a minimum credible deterrent without conducting nuclear tests. But the bill indicates that the cooperation will be terminated if this is done," he said.
On August 17, the Prime Minister told the Parliament that India would make its own assessment of its nuclear weapons programme in this "uncertain and unpredictable world".
Singh also made it clear that there was no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear weapons state.
Though Singh has said India will not accept any condition that goes beyond the July 18, 2005 agreement between him and US President George Bush, accepting the deal in its current form is up to the government, Iyengar noted.
"The bill is nothing but a substitute for a technology denial regime and more stringent than ever before," he maintained.
Though Singh has promised stockpiling of nuclear fuel for a period of 40 years (the life of a reactor), the details in the bill go very much against this as the US will decide on the supply of nuclear fuel from members of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Iyengar pointed out.
"They can find 1,001 reasons to scrap the deal at any time and punish India by denying fuel," he said.
On the reprocessing of spent fuel too, the bill goes against India's interest, scientists said.
Even after four decades, the US has the right not to allow India to reprocess spent fuel from the American supplied atomic power plant at Tarapur (units 1 and 2), Iyengar said.
"The US does not reprocess its own spent fuel. But from the energy point of view, India needs to do that as its entire fast breeder reactor programme depends on reprocessed fuel," he observed.
A section of scientists from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) said, India will have a very limited advantage in purchasing American reactors without any assured fuel supply.
The bill can be seen as a "willful attempt to curb and contain India's nuclear research programme", they said after going through the 41-page document sent to them by the Deaprtment of Atomic Energy (DAE).
DAE has invited senior nuclear scientists to discuss the bill with AEC Chairman Anil Kakodkar on December 15.
On the termination of nuclear transfers, the bill said "Exports of any nuclear and nuclear-related material to India shall be terminated if there is any materially significant transfer by an Indian person of techology or equipment".
This provision holds the Government responsbile for the act of a single person, which is not acceptable, the scientists observed.
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I think this is a very bad, bad deal for India. We are not allowed to conduct any further nuclear tests inspite of the fact that we have only a very primitive nuclear program-we do not have megaton bombs, nor do we have MIRV capability. We are not allowed to reprocess spent fuel inspite of the fact that our entire fast breeder program depends on this, and above all, this deal makes us a junior partner of the US and a half assed nuclear weapons state. We have had to put 14 nuclear rectors under eternal perpetual safeguards (and this applies even if the agreement is terminated according to the US legislation), even though the total number of reactors under safeguards of all the existing nuclear weapon states combined is only 11.
I think the long term strategy of the US is to turn India into a Japan-toothless, and eternally dependent on the US on everything except for its economy. The Indian Prime Minister may eventually be reduced to a maharajah of the Princely state of India (governed by the US, of course).
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0612092010.htm
Mumbai, Dec 9. (PTI): Though Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has assured that India will maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent, the US bill for civil nuclear cooperation with New Delhi seems to be sending a clear signal to the contrary, say top scientists.
The bill has a clear intention of indirectly making India a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty without signing them, former Atomic Energy Commission chairman P K Iyengar told PTI today.
The bill enabling nuclear commerce with India was cleared on Thursday night by the conference committee of US Congress.
"It is impossible to have a minimum credible deterrent without conducting nuclear tests. But the bill indicates that the cooperation will be terminated if this is done," he said.
On August 17, the Prime Minister told the Parliament that India would make its own assessment of its nuclear weapons programme in this "uncertain and unpredictable world".
Singh also made it clear that there was no question of India joining the NPT as a non-nuclear weapons state.
Though Singh has said India will not accept any condition that goes beyond the July 18, 2005 agreement between him and US President George Bush, accepting the deal in its current form is up to the government, Iyengar noted.
"The bill is nothing but a substitute for a technology denial regime and more stringent than ever before," he maintained.
Though Singh has promised stockpiling of nuclear fuel for a period of 40 years (the life of a reactor), the details in the bill go very much against this as the US will decide on the supply of nuclear fuel from members of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), Iyengar pointed out.
"They can find 1,001 reasons to scrap the deal at any time and punish India by denying fuel," he said.
On the reprocessing of spent fuel too, the bill goes against India's interest, scientists said.
Even after four decades, the US has the right not to allow India to reprocess spent fuel from the American supplied atomic power plant at Tarapur (units 1 and 2), Iyengar said.
"The US does not reprocess its own spent fuel. But from the energy point of view, India needs to do that as its entire fast breeder reactor programme depends on reprocessed fuel," he observed.
A section of scientists from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) said, India will have a very limited advantage in purchasing American reactors without any assured fuel supply.
The bill can be seen as a "willful attempt to curb and contain India's nuclear research programme", they said after going through the 41-page document sent to them by the Deaprtment of Atomic Energy (DAE).
DAE has invited senior nuclear scientists to discuss the bill with AEC Chairman Anil Kakodkar on December 15.
On the termination of nuclear transfers, the bill said "Exports of any nuclear and nuclear-related material to India shall be terminated if there is any materially significant transfer by an Indian person of techology or equipment".
This provision holds the Government responsbile for the act of a single person, which is not acceptable, the scientists observed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I think this is a very bad, bad deal for India. We are not allowed to conduct any further nuclear tests inspite of the fact that we have only a very primitive nuclear program-we do not have megaton bombs, nor do we have MIRV capability. We are not allowed to reprocess spent fuel inspite of the fact that our entire fast breeder program depends on this, and above all, this deal makes us a junior partner of the US and a half assed nuclear weapons state. We have had to put 14 nuclear rectors under eternal perpetual safeguards (and this applies even if the agreement is terminated according to the US legislation), even though the total number of reactors under safeguards of all the existing nuclear weapon states combined is only 11.
I think the long term strategy of the US is to turn India into a Japan-toothless, and eternally dependent on the US on everything except for its economy. The Indian Prime Minister may eventually be reduced to a maharajah of the Princely state of India (governed by the US, of course).
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