In a die-hard bid not to accept the defeat before it actually comes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh again pitched enthusiastically for the Indo-US nuclear deal and expressed hope the deal would move ahead in the coming months.
Advocating for the civilian nuclear deal before the Indian Foreign Service Probationers at his residence on Wednesday, Manmohan Singh said, “Deal will protect our capacity to use the nuclear power for our strategic interests. More significantly it will open up new opportunities for civilian cooperation and flourish trade in advanced sensitive technologies.” Without concluding nuclear deal with the US, India's entry into nuclear commerce mainstream would be a distant reality, Dr. Singh added.
The materialisation of the deal would open up new possibilities of cooperation for India with other nuclear powers, as France and Russia already showed keen interest to join nuclear commerce with it, if once “India become eligible for civil nuclear cooperation.”
The Prime Minister though said he did not want to talk a great deal about the 'nuclear deal,' but added, “It is for the first time that US has recognised India as a nuclear weapons state and India can develop nuclear power to protect its strategic interests, and that it is a decision that must be made by the people of India not subject to any international supervision or any international interference.”
The deal with US also does not bind us to sign CTBT (Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty). Also there is no pressure from the US on India to sign the NPT (Non Proliferation Treaty) or any other international arrangement of that type to enter into nuclear cooperation for civil energy.
The nuclear agreement that we signed with the US has run into some difficulties largely due to the opposition of some political parties. Although domestic policy has prevented us from moving forward; but Dr. Singh said he is still optimistic of the fact that the government will make progress in the months that lie ahead. Also it is crucial for us to move ahead “to end this nuclear apartheid that the world has sought to impose on India.”
The leaders of both India and US are supposed to meet next month in Japan at a bilateral parley on the sidelines of the G-8 Summit to cast an outlook on the development of the operationalisation of the deal.
The government panel on nuclear deal is also to meet the Left leaders to take their nod for operationalisation of nuclear deal on June 18. However, the Left leaders are reluctant to let the UPA government affirm upon the nuclear deal.
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