'Clear nuke deal only after US addresses issues'

Chennai, Jan 16: India should give the green signal to Indo-US Nuclear Agreement only after the issues raised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were adequately addressed by the US, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Member M R Sreenivasan said today.

Delivering a lecture on ''Indo-US Nuclear Deal - What it means to India'', organised by the Palkhivala Foundation here, he said ''the US friends are saying that the deal was passed by the US Congress and that it was upto India to pass it''.

''The deal should get through only after all the issues that the Prime Minister referred to in the August 2006 intervention in Parliament and other areas of concern in Hyde Bill, are adequately addressed and clear response obtained from the US to India's satisfaction'', Dr Sreenivasan he added.

It was upto India and US to find a good way out to get it through, he noted.

''While we want to move ahead, some way would have to be found to address the issues raised by India....It's an open game and both sides should find a way out'', he added.

''If the deal gets through, it would also help India to cut down from contributing to global warming as India and China burn large quantities of coal, thus jeopardising the planet's environment'', he added.

''But all the issues addressed by the Prime Minister should be adequately addressed as the provisions of the 123 agreement are of a long-term nature and some clauses run ''in perpetuity'', which means that even if the nuclear reactors are shutdown, they will be subjected to International safeguards'', he said.

Noting was no doubt that India should move ahead as it was very much interested in getting out of the nuclear apartheid, he said the country should also ensure that its three-stage nuclear energy programme was not affected.

''During his speech in Parliament, the Prime Minister has specifically drawn the red line on agreement that India's strategic planning will not be impacted. India's R and D Programmes and its three-stage nuclear programme, the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, the 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors and the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (using Thorium) should not be impacted'', Mr Sreenivsan said.

UNI

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