'Indo-US civilian Nuke deal may not materialise'

Washington, Apr 13: India's unrelenting stand on increasing, not decreasing, its military nuclear capabilities as well as its closer ties with Iran, is likely to jeopardise the much-publicised Bush administration's landmark nuclear agreement with India.

Besides, India's ever-increasing demands, including the right to continue testing nuclear weapons, could not only undermine the US rationale for seeking the deal but could also lead to the collapse of the deal, says a news report in the USA Today.

Although there is no deadline for finalisation of the deal, two senior unnamed Bush administration officials were quoted by the newspaper to say that India's demands ''could torpedo an agreement.'' The talks will resume later this month.

According to these officials, as quoted by USA Today, India wants:

1. Permission to buy uranium-enrichment and plutonium-reprocessing technology from the US. Both have military applications, and sales are prohibited in most cases by US law.

2. No limits on testing nuclear weapons. The administration has told India that the US reserves the right to terminate nuclear cooperation if India tests again. Its last test was in 1998.

3. The US approval to reprocess used nuclear fuel from power plants.

Such fuel can be turned into bombs.

Meanwhile, the paper also quoted Henry Sokolski, head of the Non-proliferation Policy Education Center, a Washington think-tank devoted to nuclear issues to say how the Indians have become greedy.

''The nuke-agreement might not be implemented before the Bush administration leaves office,'' he said.

The paper said Nicholas Burns, the Under Secretary of State who was the main negotiator for the deal, acknowledged that three rounds of talks with India have produced little.

''I don't question India's goodwill,'' Mr Burns was quoted as saying.

Under the deal, the United States would end a three-decade embargo on selling civilian nuclear technology to India, which did not sign the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and also tested its first atomic bomb in 1974.

In return, India would separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and let the IAEA inspect 14 civilian sites. For the deal to go through, India must reach separate agreements with the IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an organisation of 46 nations that make advanced nuclear technology and strictly control its export.

Congress must also approve the final accord.

Another proliferation expert Robert Einhorn, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here was quoted to say that perhaps India's Department of Atomic Energy ''may want the deal to fall through'' to shield itself from competition from foreign contractors with nuclear engineering expertise, such as General Electric and Westinghouse.

Meanwhile, several senators, led by Jon Kyl, Republican of Arizona, are writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to urge him to suspend any cooperation with Iran, saying in recent weeks, Iran's naval commander visited New Delhi and agreed to increase joint training and military cooperation.

UNI