Nuke deal is 'implicit recognition' of India's weapon status

New Delhi, Mar 11 (UNI) Asserting that the separation plan under the Indo-US nuclear deal would not adversely affect India's strategic programme to maintain a minimum credible nuclear deterrence, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured Parliament that the ''unique India-specific'' IAEA safeguards would virtually recognise India as a nuclear weapons state.

''India will not accept the safeguards meant for non-nuclear weapon states'' which were signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Dr Singh said while replying to a day-long debate on the Indo-US nuclear deal in the two Houses of Parliament.

''Our safeguards will not be a carbon copy of model one or model two. It will be a unique safeguard agreement'' on the lines of the first five nuclear weapon states as there was already an ''implicit recognition'' the world over of the nuclear weapon capabilities of India, he said.

The five ...xxxxx Editors: Pl pick up from para one of PAR14, NUCLEAR-PM TWO LS.

UNI FZ/SH/SN RL BD1754