Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The nuclear deal

This refers to the editorial "A glass half-empty" (Dec. 9). It is clear the goalposts have been shifted by the U.S. since it signed the July 18, 2005 agreement on civil nuclear cooperation with India. The U.S. Congress' indifference to India's concerns smacks of imperialist arrogance. The nation awaits a categorical declaration by the Government that it will stick to the commitment made by Dr. Singh in the Rajya Sabha.

K. Lakshmanan,
Srirangam

* * *

The stipulation that nuclear cooperation will end and the U.S. can cut off nuclear supplies to India if it were to detonate a nuclear device shows Washington's high-handedness. But energy-starved India has no option but to accept the deal.

S. Nallasivan,
Tirunelveli

* * *

With so many caveats built in, including restrictions on a warm handshake with Iran, is the deal worth pursuing? Thorium, available plentifully, may soon be a worthy substitute for uranium. Pollution-free, indigenously developed renewable energy sources add variety and reliability to supplies. The case perhaps is not of a half-empty glass; it is of an unnecessary one.

Devraj Sambasivan,
Alappuzha

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The article "India has little reason to cheer" (Dec. 9) has rightly raised many fears that India needs to address before accepting the 123 Agreement. But as far as the requirement that the U.S. President make a periodical assessment (earlier certification) of whether India is in full compliance with its non-proliferation and other commitments is concerned, I think the fear is unnecessary. The passage of the draft bill by Congress is a tacit acceptance of India's track record in nuclear non-proliferation. The U.S. is bound to safeguard its non-proliferation concerns. No country would like to transfer sensitive technology to a country that will use it for proliferation (covert or overt). The assessment clause is perfectly in order.

Samrat Purkayastha,
Mumbai

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