PM, Sonia defend nuclear deal
Sunday18/11/2007November, 2007, Gulf Times

NEW DELHI: Leaders of the Congress, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, strongly defended the proposed civilian nuclear deal with the US at a party conclave here yesterday. Progress on making the deal operational was stalled after sharp criticism by communist allies of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA). The left partners had expressed apprehension that the deal would adversely impact India’s strategic sovereignty. 

The deal would allow the US to export fissile missile technology and materials for Indian civilian reactors ending a 30-year ban, but only after India concludes a special safeguards arrangement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the deal is approved by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. 

“I would like to say that the propaganda that is being made that this nuclear deal will any way hurt our strategic programme is totally false,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told his party members at the All India Congress Committee session. 

“The propaganda that it will affect our sense of judgment and independence of our foreign policy is equally wrong,” he said. “I have repeatedly said in parliament that India is too big a country. ... Nobody can bend India anywhere,” he added. 

“The nuclear agreement is an effort to open closed doors for us so that we can obtain nuclear fuel and technology from countries such as the US, Russia and France and remove the shortage of electricity in the country.” 

“You need to understand this reality and explain to our people,” Singh told Congress leaders attending the meeting. 

Backing the prime minister, Congress Party chief and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said: “From the days of Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime minister), the policy has been one of self-reliance. International co-operation on our own terms is an inalienable part of this policy of self-reliance.” 

In a veiled warning to the UPA’s left allies, she said “coalition means positive support from all sides. Working in a coalition does not mean we lose our political space forever.” 

Her remarks came a day after the left allies showed signs of a thaw. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee announced on Friday that it had been decided at a fresh round of discussions with its left partners that the government should hold talks with the IAEA secretariat to work out a text for an India-specific safeguards agreement. 

Officials said New Delhi would move immediately on the next key steps needed to close the deal as time was running out and talks with the IAEA were expected to start as early as next week. 
But analysts cautioned that New Delhi still faced an uphill task, both locally as well as internationally, in building support for the pact. 

National Security Adviser M K Narayanan said Washington was keen that the deal reaches the US Congress before February or March due to a tough legislative calendar in a presidential election year. 
“We had set more or less a deadline of November 20 before we could go to the IAEA,” Narayanan told the Times Now TV news channel. “I am glad that our allies from the left have agreed that we can go a few days before the November 20 deadline.” 

Political analysts however said the uncertainty over the deal had not ended as the communists had allowed talks with the IAEA only under the condition that the government would sign the safeguards pact after the left parties approve it. 

“A crucial line has been crossed but there is no great difference,” said veteran political analyst Pran Chopra. “The uncertainty is no greater or less than it was a couple of days ago.” 
Besides, India could also face hurdles at the NSG, where it needs unanimous approval to lift a ban on nuclear trade with New Delhi, said Robinder Sachdev, co-founder of lobby group US India Political Action Committee. 

“NSG exemptions are what are critical because it is at the NSG that the terms for India to procure nuclear materials will be defined,” he said, adding that the communists could still block progress after the government’s talks with the IAEA. 

“Though, having come so far, it can be presumed that the government will want to make a success of its engagement with the IAEA,” he said.– Agencies