The Hindu : Front Page : Consensus process still on: Manmohan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 18, 2007
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Consensus process still on: Manmohan

Sandeep Dikshit

IBSA for exploring approaches to cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy

Photo: PTI / Atul Yadav

Joint initiative: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, South African President Thabo Mbeki and Brazilian President Lula da Silva at the IBSA Summit in Pretoria on Wednesday. —

TSHWANE (PRETORIA): Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday indicated that the government had not given up persuading the Left parties on the nuclear deal with the United States. “Well, the process of evolving a meaningful consensus is still on,” he said at a joint press conference with South African President Thabo Mbeki and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the end of the IBSA (India-Brazil-South Africa) Summit here .

Dr. Singh did not elaborate this one-sentence statement. He was responding to a question how he would balance the sentiments on civil nuclear cooperation expressed at the summit with domestic political constraints and compulsions.

An IBSA Summit Declaration noted that the three heads of government “strongly emphasised” the need for ensuring the supply of safe, sustainable and non-polluting sources of energy to meet the rising demand .

In this context, they agreed to explore approaches to cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy under appropriate International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) safeguards.

They agreed to enhance such cooperation through “acceptable, forward-looking approaches, consistent with their respective national and international obligations.” The three reiterated the importance of ensuring that any multilateral decision related to the nuclear fuel cycle did not undermine the right of countries to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. But such activity, they underlined, should be in conformity with international legal obligations.

Asked if India would be supported by both countries at the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group, Mr. Mbeki said: “The NSG has been discussing this. So it is work in progress.” Pointing out that South Africa chaired the NSG, he said the discussions were positive.

Mr. Lula said India should comply with the provisions within the United Nations framework, and cooperation among the three countries could be in exploring applications of nuclear energy for scientific purposes.

“[The declaration] is also to show to the rest of the world that responsible countries can also reach nuclear agreements without creating panic to whoever it may be,” he said.

‘A malfunction’

PTI reports:

A malfunctioning audio system during Dr. Singh’s address to the summit prompted Mr. Mbeki to jocularly ask why the Indian leader was being discriminated against.

“Why this apartheid against the Prime Minister of India,” Mr. Mbeki asked when the system to interpret Dr. Singh’s opening remarks at the summit into Portuguese stopped abruptly.

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