N-fuel to be returned only after alt arrangements: NSA

New Delhi, July 29: National Security Advisor M K Narayanan today indicated that the US would take back nuclear fuel, in the event of India conducting nuclear test, only after New Delhi has had the chance to make alternate arrangements to replace it.

This is one of ''the multi-layered assurances we have got....

I don't deny any of this,'' Mr Narayanan told Karan Thapar in an interview on 'Devil's Advocate'.

To a specific question whether India had been able to immunise its strategic reserves-- the lifetime supplies of fuel for nuclear reactors-- from the right-to-return, he said: ''We have got a fairly comfortable position....'' But he added that he would be able to answer the question more explicitly after seeing the text of the agreement.

On Friday, US Under Secretary of State Nicolas Burns had told reporters in Washington that the US had preserved the right to ask for return of nuclear fuel and technologies if India carried out a nuclear test.

Mr Narayanan said the 123 agreement contained a non-hindrance clause which explicitly stated that nothing in the agreement impinged or in any way hindered India's strategic nuclear programme.

He said the 123 agreement did not deny India the right to acquire nuclear technology or components connected with enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water from other members of the Nuclear Suppliers's Group (NSG).

''But we will require a further amendment, which we will work towards.'' He said no NSG country, unlike the US, had the statute which prevented it from selling nuclear fuel and technologies to India.

He said the US was committed to ensuring that even if it could not sell technologies and components, it would not prevent the NSG from selling them.

''The US will not be a party to any post-conditions.'' He said India had agreed to IAEA safequards and not fallback safeguards.

In the event of IAEA unable to safeguard Indian facilities, he said, then both the supplier and the recipient would together decide what procedures were necessary.

He described the agreement as ''somewhere between the best and good''.

''There's always scope for improvement I suppose, but it was much better that what we anticipated.... I think the team that went to washington is fairly satisfied with what we have achieved and I think when we came back and reported to our leaders they seem pretty satisfied,'' said Mr Narayanan.

UNI