India's position on Nuclear testing well known : MEA

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) India tonight said its policy of unilateral moratorium on nuclear tests was well known and New Delhi would be solely guided by the terms of the bilateral agreement with the US, the Safeguards Agreement at the IAEA and a 'clean waiver' from the NSG.

An External Affairs Ministry spokesman while commenting on a correspondence between US Congressman Tom Lantos and the State Department, as reported by the Washington Post, said here that as a matter of policy, India would not comment on the internal correspondence between different branches of another government.

Reports here today quoting 'The Washington Post' said the July 18, 2005, Indo-US nuclear agreement had the provision that the US would not supply sensitive technology to India and the deal would be off if India conducted a nuclear test.

The Manmohan Singh government has so far maintained that the agreement does not affect India's strategic interests.

''We will be guided solely by the terms of the bilateral agreement between India and the US, the India-Specfic Safeguards Agreement and the clean waiver from the NSG which, we hope, will be forthcoming in the meeting of the NSG. In so far as nuclear testing is concerned, our position is well known. We have a unilateral moratorium on testing. This is reflected in the Indo-US Joint Statement of July 18, 2005,'' the spokesman said.

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