President Bush Confirms Civilian Nuclear Deal With India

NEW DELHI, India, March 2, 2006 (ENS) - During his state visit to India today, President George W. Bush concluded what he called a "necessary" nuclear power agreement with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The agreement will require legislative action by the U.S. Congress because India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Congressmen of both parties and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency expressed support for the deal, but critics in the United States warned that it does not hold India to a nonproliferation regime, making it more difficult to control nuclear activities in Iran and North Korea.

The two leaders laid the groundwork for their nuclear agreement during the visit of Prime Minister Singh to Washington last July.

India agreed to separate its civilian nuclear program from its military nuclear program. As part of the agreement, India will place its civilian nuclear facilities and programs under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and adhere to the guidelines of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime.

President George W. Bush and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh exchange handshakes Thursday, March 2, 2006, after their press availability at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. (Photo by Paul Morse courtesy The White House)

"We will discuss with the International Atomic Energy Agency in regard to fashioning an appropriate India-specific safeguards agreement. You will appreciate I cannot say more now, while our parliament is in session," the Prime Minister said.

President Bush told reporters, "It's not an easy job for the Prime Minister to achieve this [nuclear] agreement, I understand. It's not easy for the American President to achieve this agreement. But it's a necessary agreement. It's one that will help both our peoples."

India had been denied civilian nuclear trade for three decades because of its misuse of past civil nuclear imports to explode a nuclear device in 1974. New Delhi has since built up a nuclear arsenal of 50-100 nuclear arms and conducted a series of nuclear tests in May 1998.

Today, India operates 15 nuclear power plants, and seven more are scheduled to come online within the next two years.

In response to a question from an Indian reporter, the President said he would attempt to convince the non-proliferation advocates in Congress who oppose the Indian nuclear agreement by saying that the relationship between the two countries is "changing to the better."

"Sometimes it's hard to get rid of history, and short-term history shows that the United States and India were divided. We didn't have much of a relationship. And as a result, there are laws on the books that reflect that," said President Bush. "Now the relationship is changing dramatically. People in the United States have got to understand that trade with India is in our interests, that diplomatic relations with India is in our interests, that cultural exchanges with India are in our interest."

Bush called nuclear power "a renewable source of energy," and said development of nuclear power in India would take the pressure off non-renewable sources of energy, like fossil fuels.

"Increasing demand for oil from America, from India and China, relative to a supply that's not keeping up with demand, causes our fuel prices to go up. And so, to the extent that we can reduce demand for fossil fuels, it will help the American consumer," the President said.

India's Rajasthan nuclear power plant operated by the state-owned Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd. (Photo courtesy Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd.)

"India and America both suffered from terrorist attacks on our home soil," the President said. "We're sharing information to protect each other. We're cooperating on the military front. We are committed to promoting democracy worldwide," Bush said.

U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde, an Illinois Republican who chairs the House International Relations Committee, speaking in Washington today expressed support for a stronger U.S.-India relationship but said his committee would put all aspects of the nuclear deal under the microscope.

"Implementing this agreement will require legislative approval," said Hyde. "It is the responsibility of this Committee to thoroughly examine the specific provisions of this agreement and its potential consequences for U.S. interests and those of the international community."

U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos of California, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said today that he supports the administration’s initiative to increase U.S. cooperation with India "across the board. A reliable and dependable strategic partnership is in the interest of both our great countries, and this agreement could herald an even closer relationship between the United States and India."

"Given the unprecedented nature of this agreement, the Congress will have to carefully examine the details of the separation plan to assure ourselves and our international partners that this agreement will indeed support our shared political and security objectives," Lantos said.

Praising the Indian-Americans who are "making important contributions to our country," the President said, "Congress has got to understand, that it's in our economic interests that India have a civilian nuclear power industry to help take the pressure off of the global demand for energy."

The Arms Control Association, an American nonprofit organization that promotes support for effective arms control policies, was critical of the proposed nuclear agreement, saying the deal "bows to the Indian nuclear bomb lobby's desire to reserve significant segments of the Indian nuclear complex for making nuclear weapons."

President George W. Bush leans in to listen to India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during meetings today in New Delhi. (Photo by Eric Draper courtesy The White House)

"Congress and members of the voluntary 45 member Nuclear Suppliers Group should not accept the deal as proposed and should press India to halt its production of fissile material for nuclear weapons," Kimball urged.

Last July, Kimball said, Bush pledged to work toward relaxing U.S. laws and international guidelines to permit India increased civil nuclear trade. In return, Singh pledged to open India's largely closed nuclear establishment to international oversight.

But Kimball says Wednesday's agreement would permit India to keep major existing, as well as future, elements of its nuclear sector "shrouded in secrecy and devoted to manufacturing nuclear weapons."

IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said he "welcomes the announcement of the nuclear cooperation agreement" between India and the United States.

"This agreement is an important step towards satisfying India´s growing need for energy, including nuclear technology and fuel, as an engine for development. It would also bring India closer as an important partner in the non-proliferation regime," said Dr. ElBaradei. "It would be a milestone, timely for ongoing efforts to consolidate the non-proliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety."

"The agreement would assure India of reliable access to nuclear technology and nuclear fuel. It would also be a step forward towards universalization of the international safeguards regime," Dr. ElBaradei said. "This agreement would serve the interests of both India and the international community."

But the Arms Control Association warned that India will only subject 14 of its 20-some nuclear power reactors to IAEA supervision.

"Moreover, India is designating its fast breeder reactors, which can produce large quantities of the nuclear bomb material plutonium, as military facilities that will be outside the IAEA's purview," warned Kimball.

In December, India joined six other countries in the consortium building the world's first nuclear fusion reactor, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which is being constructed in France. India joined the United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and China as an ITER member. Nuclear fusion is the type of energy that powers the Sun and other stars.