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Monday, Jul 23, 2007
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Scientists hail nuclear deal

Say it will end India’s nuclear isolation

Mumbai: Hailing the forward movement in the just concluded Indo-U.S. nuclear talks in Washington, top scientists here on Sunday cautioned the Government against any dilution of the original July 18, 2005 joint statement on full civil nuclear cooperation between the countries.

With U.S. and Indian negotiators reaching an understanding on a pact that will operationalise the landmark deal by overcoming contentious issues like reprocessing and fuel supply, the scientists said this was a welcome step as it would end India’s decades-old nuclear isolation.

M.R. Srinivasan, member of the Atomic Energy Commission and former chairman of the body, said: “This will end India’s nuclear isolation which was always due to U.S. policy.”

However, some experts pointed out that it was still not clear whether the latest understanding between the sides will free India, facing technology denial for over three decades, to shop around for civil nuclear technology and fuel.

The former Bhabha Atomic Research Centre director, A.N. Prasad, said: “It isn’t very clear whether the deal will be for full civilian nuclear cooperation as envisaged in the 2005 statement.”

Though the 30-page document on the 123 Agreement drafted by the negotiators has to get approval from the Indian and U.S. Governments, the scientists were sure the move would enable New Delhi to openly negotiate with the world nuclear business community and boost power generation capacity by getting access to nuclear components.

Top Nuclear Power Corporation officials, who did not wish to be named, hailed the breakthrough and said there was a recognition that India had to go through the “reprocessing mode” for energy production. Though fuel reprocessing was a little expensive, it gave 30 times more energy than conventional nuclear plants, they said.

Mr. Srinivasan said the draft 123 Agreement had to be approved by both Governments and parallel steps also had to be taken by India to start negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.

Once the agreement was approved, French and American nuclear businesses, which had been holding talks with the Nuclear Power Corporation, could go ahead with the selection of sites for power plants and other modalities, he said.

“All these things will begin rolling once the 123 Agreement’s draft, which has to be first reviewed by AEC, goes to the Prime Minister and gets final approval from the Union Cabinet,” Mr. Srinivasan said.

Mr. Prasad, considered the father of India’s reprocessing technology, said the country always had the right to reprocess its spent fuel as the reprocessing plant was set up in 1965, much before the country’s first civilian nuclear plant came up at Tarapur with U.S. assistance. — PTI

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