Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) urged to turn down Indo-US nuke deal

Mumbai, Mar 12 (UNI) Participants in an International Seminar on 'Indo-US Nuclear Deal' have opposed the proposed civilian nuclear energy cooperation between United States and India, stating it violates the underlying principles of Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

They have also moved a resolution urging members of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) to turn down the proposal to amend its rule to accomodate the deal as and when it comes up for discussion.

''It is meant to make a unique exception in case of India, grossly violating the underlying principles of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and thereby also the prospects of global nuclear disarmament,'' a resolution adopted at the seminar said.

The two day seminar concluded here yesterday.

The resolution demanded the Centre withdraw from all further negotiations with the United States in this regard. It must strive to regain its old prestige and influence, both moral and political, by opting to play a meaningful leading role in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and other international alliances geared up against imperialism and oriented towards a nuclear weapons-free South Asia and the world.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Sukla Sen of the Coalition for Nuclear Disarmament and Peace (CNDP), one of the organisers of the seminar, said by enabling India to import fuel, natural or enriched uranium, the deal would make it possible for India to use indigenously produced uranium for bomb-making.

It would further cement the growing strategic ties between the US and India, it will also add momentum to the US aim for global dominance, he added.

The deal would distort India's energy options by diverting scarce resources to developments of resource guzzling, intrinsically hazardous and potentially catastrophic, nuclear power at the cost of ecologically benign renewable sources of energy, he claimed.

Mr Sen said the deal would provide a strong boost to the nuclear energy industry worldwide, particularly the potential suppliers from the US.

This was the reason why the business lobby in the United States was working overtime to get the deal clinched, he claimed.

He said the seminar was attended by organisations like Bombay Urban Industrial League for Development, Centre for Study of Society and Secularism, Coalition of Nuclear Disarmanent and Peace, Akshara, National Alliance of People's Movement, Friends of Earth (Australia) and Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Organisation.

UNI