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Indian Nuclear scientists oppose US law on Indo-US N-deal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, July 28, IRNA
India-US-Nuke-Scientists
The top nuclear scientists of India opposed the US law for implementing the nuclear deal between the two countries.

For India's top scientists, the deal was against "national interest and makes the country subservient" to Washington.

The scientists feel that Washington's dealings with India in past "did not evoke confidence".

Former Atomic Energy Commission chairman M.R. Srinivasan felt the provisions of the US law were "intrusive and made one feel that Washington was treating India as a subservient entity, not as a sovereign, responsible nuclear power", Asian Age reported here today.

A.N. Prasad, former director of Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and India's representative in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that the "US has already shifted the goalposts and does not treat India as an equal partner in the deal."

His view was strongly shared by A. Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

According to them, the US was "unilaterally imposing conditions in the law that went far beyond the agreements of July 18 last year and March 2 this year, entered into between US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh."

Srinivasan said that the "objectionable" features in the US legislation were in the statement of policy that prescribed a moratorium on India conducting nuclear tests and forcing it enter into bilateral agreements on Fissile Material Cut Off Treaty and Missile Test Control Regime.

"Clearly this is something India did not bargain," Srinavasan observed.

Dr Srinivasan, who is a member of the AEC, observed that following certain stringent conditions being "imposed" India would be denied access to reprocessing and enrichment of fuel.

Dr Gopalakrishnan said it was "naive" on the part of media and Indian foreign policy establishment to "tomtom" about the "overwhelming" support for the legislation in the US Congress.

Dr Gopalakrishnan pointed out that the members of the Congress were only "overwhelmingly protecting their own national interests." Dr Gopalakrishnan said that the bill could be "damaging to India as there was a serious concern in the country over its provisions." He felt that while India "adhered to the aspects of the deal and decided to open the nuclear facilities for international safeguards there was no guarantee that the US would meet its obligations."

For him the result could be that "India would not get fuel supplies from any part of the world and Indian strategic programme could be weakened." Launching a scathing attack on the US, he said, "America has been calling the shots and has not been treating others with respect."
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