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Indo-US N-deal
China keeps its cards close to its chest
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 5
China is keeping a close watch on the international community’s response to the Indo-US nuclear deal and is keeping its cards close to its chest till the Nuclear Suppliers Group convenes a meeting to discuss the issue.

China is not happy with the nuclear deal which gives India a de facto nuclear power status. Beijing has so far not disclosed what stance it is going to take when the 45-nation NSG meets to discuss a special waiver for India to allow New Delhi nuclear commerce with the world.

According to voices emanating from Beijing, the Chinese position on the Indo-US nuclear deal has two broad points. One, India should first sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) before it can reap the fruits of the nuclear deal. Two, the nuke deal would alter the strategic balance in the region and fuel an arms race.

Pakistan, too, has taken a similar position. However, Pakistan’s position, understandable as it is, does not pose a problem for India as Pakistan is not a member of the NSG. And the US has already inflicted an insult on injury for Pakistan by rebuffing Islamabad’s “me-too” demand for a similar nuclear deal.

Diplomatic observers here say that it would be quite difficult, though not impossible, for China to veto the India-specific waiver at the NSG. The two giant Asian neighbours, which have fought a war in 1962, have a flourishing bilateral trade which has reached the $30 billion mark. Besides, the two are engaged in a process of all-round improvement of bilateral relations, including their resolve to settle the boundary dispute as soon as possible.

China is studying the evolving situation closely. Two major powers - Japan and Australia - have showed signs of shifting their stand on the nuke deal by 180 degrees. Tokyo and Canberra had till recently expressed their opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal. But indications emanating from Tokyo are that it will finally vote for India at the NSG.

China’s focus is currently the Scandinavian countries which, as a matter of policy, have been opposed to the nuclear deal. China is unlikely to vote against India at the NSG unless countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway are doing the same. If the Scandinavian response is finally not negative, China would find it very difficult to vote against India at the NSG - a body which takes decisions unanimously.

Issue set to shake Parliament

New Delhi, August 5
The Indo-US nuke deal to figure in Parliament session. The monsoon session of Parliament beginning this week is expected to be a tumultuous affair with the opposition raising doubts over the Indo-US nuclear deal, being tom-tommed as the best possible pact by the government.

The month-long session beginning on August 10 will witness the vice presidential election on the opening day itself, and the victory of UPA-Left nominee Hamid Ansari appears to be a mere formality.

The opposition BJP is training its guns on the government and has demanded the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine the text of the 123 agreement to implement the civil nuclear deal with the US. It also wants parliamentary approval to be secured before the deal is signed.

The BJP has dubbed the pact as an “assault” on the country’s nuclear sovereignty and its foreign policy options, and has made it clear that it is “unable to accept this agreement as finalised”.

The Left parties, key outside supporters of the ruling UPA, have not revealed their stand on this issue as they are still studying the document thoroughly, while the Third Front, formally known as the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), has upped its ante against the deal.

The UNPA will meet in New Delhi on August 9, a day before the session, to chalk out its strategy and has made its opposition to the deal known, alleging that it has “mortgaged” the country’s sovereignty. — PTI

N-facilities to change after 123 pact
Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service

Mumbai, August 5
India’s nuclear establishments like the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Mumbai and other facilities across the country will undergo significant changes in the wake of the 123 nuclear agreement signed between India and the US.

According to sources in the nuclear establishment here, the Indian government has decided to shut down the indigenously developed Cirus reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) complex by 2010.

“Both Cirus and Apsara are located at the BARC. We have decided to take these steps rather than allow intrusive inspections in a nuclear facility of high national security importance. We are determined that such steps will not hinder ongoing research and development,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement in Parliament earlier this year.

India’s first nuclear plant, the Apsara reactor which kicked off India’s nuclear quest, set up in 1956 will be shut down and its fuel core purchased from France relocated elsewhere. The fuel core will be placed under international safeguards. Also under the international scanner will be the Tarapur Atomic Power Station 1 and 2 plants.