Indo-US nuke deal will not cap country's strategic program: PM
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, March 7, IRNA
India-US-Nuke-PM
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said that the Indo-US nuclear deal clinched last week will not cap the country's strategic program.
"India has decided to place under safeguards all future civilian thermal power reactors and civilian breeder reactors, and the Government of India retains the sole right to determine such reactors as civilian," Singh told parliament.
"This means that India will not be constrained in any way in building future nuclear facilities, whether civilian or military, as per our national requirements," he said.
The prime minister's announcement comes within days of India and the US reaching a landmark pact for implementing their July 18, 2005 agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation during the recent visit of President George W Bush.
Dispeling apprehensions of members that the nuclear deal would hamper the country's weapons program, Singh said "there will be no capping of our strategic program, and the separation plan ensures adequacy of fissile material and other inputs to meet current and future requirements of our strategic program, based on our assessment of threat scenarios."
In his five-page statement, Singh makes it clear that no constraint has been placed on India's right to construct new facilities for strategic purposes.
"The integrity of our Nuclear Doctrine and our ability to sustain a minimum credible nuclear deterrent is adquately protected," he said.
Giving the salient elements of the plan to separate civilian and military nuclear facilities, Singh said India will identify and offer for IAEA safeguards 14 thermal power reactors between 2006-14.
There are 22 thermal power reactors in operation or currently under construction in the country. Fourteen of these would be placed under safeguards by 2014 in a phased manner.
This would raise the total installed thermal power capacity in megawatts under safeguards from 19 percent at present to 65 percent by 2014, he said.
"I wish to emphasize that the choice of specific nuclear reactors and phases in which they would be placed under safeguards is an Indian decision. We are preparing a list of 14 reactors that would be offered for safeguards between 2006-14," the prime minister said.
The prime minister announced that India had decided to permanently shut down its CIRUS reactor in 2010.
"The fuel core of the Apsara reactor was purchased from France, and we are prepared to shift it from its present location and make it available for placing under safeguards in 2010."
Noting that both CIRUS and Apsara are located at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, he said: "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."
The prime minister said India's nuclear policy "will continue to be guided by restraint and responsibility."
He said it had been conveyed to the US that India will not accept safeguards on its Prototye Fast Breeder Reactor and the Fast Breeder Test Reactor, both located at Kalpakkam.
The Fast Breeder Programme is at the research and development stage.
The government today said it was ready for a full-fledged debate on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement in parliament on the civil nuclear energy cooperation with the US and implementation of the separation plan.
Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha (Lower House), including the BJP and the UPA-supporting CPM, made a demand for a comprehensive discussion on the India-US nuclear deal immediately after the prime minister read out his statement in the House.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachauri, after consultations with the Prime Minister Singh, said the government was willing to hold a discussion on the advice of the Business Advisory Committee.
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