India should try for de-escalation of nuke stockpiles

Hyderabad, Mar 30: The nuclear non-proliferation regime will continue to be under stress and no formula is likely to prevent a few more nations from becoming serious seekers of nuclear weapons, according to former Atomic Energy Regulatory Board Chairman Dr A Gopalakrishnan.

Delivering a lecture on 'The Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation Agreement' here yesterday, Dr Gopalakrishnan said, de-escalation of nuclear stockpiles by all countries and serious progress towards universal disarmament were the only avenues which would reduce growing dangers, and India must take the lead in this regard as in the past.

India, he said, has been a strong supporter of universal nuclear disarmament and had introduced many of the earliest UN resolutions in this regard.

''Under these circumstances, India must take the lead and argue the case of eventual universal disarmament in world fora. The Rajiv Gandhi plan for Disarmament, which India presented to the world in the 1980s is the last proactive stand we have taken in this regard.

Time has come again for us to update and modify that plan in the light of the current international situation,'' he stressed.

Dr Gopalakrishnan said ever since the 1974 nuclear test, India was subjected to technology sanctions, which restricted the country from importing any nuclear technologies, equipment or components.

In 1998, for various strategic reasons, India decided to conduct five nuclear weapon tests and declare itself a nuclear weapon state.

This brought on fresh economic and technology sanctions from the West, he added.

He said by early 2000, India has been recognised as an Asian economic power of the future, along with China.

Dr Gopalakrishnan said for the first time since 1974, a US President has characterised India as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology, which should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such states.

''Our Prime Minister agreed in turn, to identify and separate Indian nuclear facilities into civilian and military uses in a phased manner, and to place the civilian installations under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. India further agreed to continue its unilateral moratorium on nuclear weapon testing, and to work with the US to conclude a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). We have also agreed to sign an additional protocol with the IAEA, which will enable that agency to conduct more inspections of our civilian facilities,'' he explained.

Referring to the benefits of the deal, Dr Gopalakrishnan said that after the deal comes into effect, India would no longer be considered an outcast among the members of the global nuclear regime.

He said as regards to the Department of Atomic Energy, there was scope to speed up the country's indigenous nuclear programmes and enhance their quality in crucial areas. The deal would also permit India to import large 1000 MWe light-water reactors for increasing the nuclear power generation.

''But we need to ensure the life-time fuel availability through multilateral agreements and fuel stockpiling, and any large additions of foreign power reactors should be consistent with our overall plans for the electricity sector,'' he added.

''Large-scale expansion of the nuclear power programme without ensuring an independent safety regulatory body in the country could lead to disastrous consequences,'' he noted.

Dr Gopalakrishnan said the country should realise that the greatest dangers in future were not those directly to the Indo-US nuclear deal, but the ones which lurk in the background, as part of the revised US strategy towards India, of which this deal was just a small segment.

''Many of the problems arising out of the new US policy will begin to surface soon, in the form of undue pressure and strain on our desire to follow an independent foreign policy and through irrational demands on our ecomonic and defence sectors. How well the government will repel US incursions into our independent policies and decision-making will greatly depend on the vigil and resistance of the Indian media, the public, and the opposition parties in the Parliament,'' he stated.

UNI