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India Agrees To Put Civilian Nuclear Facilities Under Safeguards

02 March 2006

State's Burns says pact with U.S. would provide India with economic benefits

By Todd Bullock
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States and India have concluded a landmark agreement that would place India's civilian nuclear program under international safeguards and enable full civilian nuclear cooperation with the United States, says U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns.

The deal, which is subject to congressional approval and would require legislation to implement, marks the creation of a new strategic relationship between the United States and India, Burns said at a March 2 press conference in New Delhi. (See related article.)

The under secretary is accompanying President Bush, who is visiting India for two days of meetings and events aimed at boosting security and economic ties. (See related article.)

Under the pact, India would separate its nuclear facilities into two programs -- civilian and military -- and place all existing and future civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards, according to Burns.

Additionally, India pledged to enter into permanent safeguard arrangements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. nuclear watchdog, and agreed to maintain a unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing.

"We have now achieved a degree of transparency, oversight and impact on the Indian nuclear program that was not possible for three decades," Burns said.

He noted that even though the agreement does not include India's nuclear weapons program, it would cover the majority of its nuclear capacity.  Currently, civilian nuclear facilities comprise 65 percent of India's total nuclear capacity.

From a nonproliferation standpoint, this a major benefit, Burns said.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

According to the under secretary, India will benefit from the agreement economically because it will enable the country to purchase nuclear fuel and technology from the United States and other countries.  This increased civilian nuclear capacity, in turn, will help India satisfy its growing energy needs.

According to Burns, the pact provides a strong incentive for India to classify as many of its nuclear facilities as possible as civilian because the agreement allows international firms to invest and trade in those reactors and facilities that are under safeguards.

"The economic benefit is going to be in the billions, there's no question about that, because of the huge nature of the Indian economy and the expansion that they are planning in the civil nuclear energy field," he said.

INDIA "GOOD STEWARD" OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS

Burns acknowledged that the agreement would require approval from the U.S. Congress.

"The president will have to approach the Congress to ask for a change in U.S. law, specifically the Atomic Energy Act of 1954," he said.

Such a modification would require a majority of votes in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.

The deal has stirred controversy since the two leaders first proposed the idea during their July 2005 summit in Washington, in part because India is not a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The United States believes it is better to bring India into compliance actively with major international agreements that govern the disposition of nuclear materials and nuclear energy, Burns said.

Although not a signatory of the NPT, India "has protected its nuclear technology over the 30 years of the India nuclear program," the under secretary said.

"India has not proliferated, unlike North Korea, which has been a major proliferator. India has brought itself into conformance with all the international guidelines pertaining to nuclear technology, unlike Iran, for instance, which has been a great violator of those international programs," he said. 

The United States has been able to make this deal with India "because India has been a good steward of its own nuclear materials," Burns said.

For additional information on U.S. policies, see U.S.-India: Strengthening a Global Partnership.

The transcript of the press conference is available on the State Department Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)