India makes clear it will "walk out" of N-deal if it undermines its national interests
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Jan 11, IRNA
India-US-Nuke deal
Noting that it has certain concerns with regard to the recently enacted US law on civil nuclear cooperation, India Thursday made it clear it will "walk out" of the deal if at any point it becomes apparent it will undermine its national interest.
New Delhi, however, expressed confidence that the elements over which it has "genuine" reason for concern, including conditional access to reprocessing technology and reprocessing of spent fuel, would be addressed in the 123 Agreement being negotiated to operationalize the deal, a PTI report said here.
The prime minister's special envoy on the nuclear issue, Shyam Saran, said India has also conveyed to the US that it was not ready to accept any legally binding provision on future nuclear testing in the 123 Agreement, and emphasized that New Delhi would agree to fissile material control only under a multi-lateral framework.
He said India will retain the right to conduct nuclear testing but would have to be prepared for repercussions such as snapping of the civil nuclear cooperation with the US since the waivers in the recent act do not apply to future detonations.
"There are concerns, off course...If at any point, it becomes apparent that it (deal) is something which would undermine India's national interest, we will walk out, no matter how much political investment has been made," he said while delivering a lecture on `India-US Understanding on Civil Nuclear Cooperation and the Future'.
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