'No sell out to US on end user agreement'

New Delhi, July 24 (ANI): No compromise has been made with India's sovereignty while inking end user monitoring agreement (EUMA) with the United States, according to top level sources.

Sources told ANI that this agreement will not give automatic rights to the US to inspect our defense installations and such inspections will be decided mutually.

Apprehensions were raised by the strategic experts that the EUMA will give US the right to inspect India's defence sites and opposition BJP had staged a walk out of the House on the issue, calling it a sell out.

However, sources explained that the end user agreement has not been done for the first time, but was signed for the first time by the previous NDA regime.

Clearing the air on another apprehension raised by the strategic community that agreement will bound India to use the US supplied equipment for non aggression against the hostile countries like Pakistan and China, sources said no such clause in the agreement caps India.

US has signed end user agreement with 82 countries and doubts were raised by the opposition parties that the EUMA will also legitimize US to inspect even those defense equipment which are supplied by third countries for example Israel can also be inspected by the US.

However, sources in New Delhi dispelled the doubts and said: "We have to deal with single point, it is up to the US to settle with the third country, we don't have to deal with the third party it doesn't apply in this agreement."

"Our sovereignty and the internal laws of the US should meet and once we buy the technology it is in our interest to protect it, so India and US have common interests," they added.

Source further said: "India is not looking for ENR technology we have started reprocessing in 1964 and are enriching since 1970's, we have our full fuel cycle."

However, India believes that ban on ENR technology is an evolving issue and is keenly watching what happens at the Nuclear Suppliers Group. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)