The Hindu : Front Page : Nuclear expert to explain deal with U.S. to Switzerland

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 08, 2007
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Nuclear expert to explain deal with U.S. to Switzerland

Special Correspondent

Switzerland is a member of IAEA, Nuclear Suppliers’ Group

— Photo: V.V. Krishnan

Towards better ties: Switzerland President Micheline Calmy-Rey with President Pratibha Patil at a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.

NEW DELHI: India will send a nuclear expert to Switzerland to explain the India-U.S. civil nuclear agreement as well as other aspects of its discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG).

Switzerland is a member of both organisations and their approval is necessary for India to break out of the isolation from global commerce in civil nuclear energy.

“I requested the Prime Minister to have an Indian expert to explain the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal,” Switzerland President Micheline Calmy-Rey told newsmen here after her official round of interaction with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Switzerland is a major votary of non-proliferation and has opposed conflicts or attempts at armed intervention outside the United Nations mandate. In fact, in 2003 it stopped all military flights over its airspace after the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq without the U.N. Security Council mandate.

Dr. Singh and Ms. Calmey-Rey also discussed the feasibility of an economic agreement similar to a free trade agreement covering goods, services, investments, intellectual property and trade facilitation. India is the fourth-largest trading partner for Switzerland in Asia and Switzerland is among the 10 major foreign investors in India with over 140 joint ventures.

Both countries also have a scientific and technical cooperation agreement as well as joint research programmes in life sciences, IT and biotechnology. Switzerland has had a programme on cooperation and development with India since 1961. This programme is being restructured to orient it towards cooperation primarily in the fields of energy and climate, science and technology by 2010.

“We are happy that there has been an acceleration of bilateral cooperation in the leading-edge areas of nano science and technology, bio-info-nano technology, research and development of solar cells, brain and stem cell research and other related areas. Cooperation between Swiss and Indian institutes of technology and science are ongoing and both sides are exploring ways to take this further,” said a foreign office news release.

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