Put simply, the India-U.S. nuclear deal is the best that the U.S. can get. If the U.S. doesn't play ball, there are other countries who will step in to develop India's nuclear industry, and some of those are nations we really wouldn't like to see cozying up to India. And India can always wait until Bush is out of office, if the U.S. involvement is considered critical.
With the U.S. overextended in two wars, on top of its prodigious military commitments globally, becoming more isolated as its foreign policies boil down to blackmail and bullying, and Britain backing away from self-destruction on the U.S' behalf, other countries are no longer enthusiastic about following any script the State Department might give them. Bush's reliable stooges, such as Blair, Olmert, Abe, and Howard, all are suffering politically or are out of office in disgrace.
Now is not the time to be pushing allies away from us, especially over the ill-conceived attack on Iran. The rest of the world simply is not going to cast aside its interests in an attempt to please Bush, who will be gone in 17 months anyway.
The irony of this situation is that American hypocrisy was obvious over the nuclear deal with "friendly" India and "unfriendly" Iran. Now we have 'remedied' that by putting our relations with India in jeopardy. Add to this the Republican uproar over "wicked" Hindus a few months ago, which did not play well in India or here at home with Indian-Americans. If India is smart, and it is, it will make overt moves to Russia or China to develop its nuclear industry. France, Canada, Britain and others will be frozen out of this opportunity by sticking with Bush.
Indo-Iran ties can sidetrack nuke pact-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agencies
Posted online: Friday, September 07, 2007 at 1058 hours IST
Updated: Friday, September 07, 2007 at 1102 hours IST
Nuclear Deal Washington, September 7: Observing that there was "no evidence" that India would cease its military relationship with Iran, two US Senators have warned that the "growing" ties between the two countries could "sidetrack" the Indo US nuclear agreement.
In a letter to US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Republican Senator Jon Kyl and Richard Durbin, a Democrat, have said, "government sanctioned military-to-military working groups and joint military training exercises that India conducts with Iran" were a cause of concern.
"As supporters of the US-India Civil Nuclear Accord, we're apprehensive that the agreement could be sidetracked by what appears to be a growing relationship between Iran and India," they said in the letter dated September 5,2007.
"India apparently has helped Iran to develop more effective batteries for its submarine fleet," the lawmakers said and termed it as "disturbing".
In an attempt to alert the Indian government to this "potential problem", they said, eight US Senators wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh earlier this year asking him whether India would break its military relationship with Iran.
"These Senators did not receive a response; and, of course, there has been no evidence that India will cease its military relationship with Iran," the letter said.
The lawmakers also cited reports detailing steps by India to enter into agreements to develop Iranian oil and gas resources and expressed the hope that New Delhi would deny Tehran such economic support.
"While we understand India's reliance on external sources of natural gas, we know that the Iranian economy, its energy sector in particular, is extremely fragile," the Senators wrote.
"We would hope India would not provide just the economic support to Iran that the United States has been labouring to deny through passage of legislation," Kyl and Durbin said.
The two lawmakers also cited reports of several alleged incidents of proliferation of dangerous technologies "that have their source in India".
"These are, of course, troubling matters," they said.
"We look forward to discussing these concerns with you to ensure that it is the right time for Congress to be considering the 123 agreement," they said.
The US Congress is due to give its final vote on the civilian nuclear agreement that will allow India access to nuclear material and technology to meet its power needs.Indo-US Nuke Deal------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Duty of US to convince NSG: India
Agencies
Posted online: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 at 1925 hours IST
Updated: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 at 1931 hours IST
Nuke Deal Kalpakkam, TN, September 4: India on Tuesday said it was the duty of the US to convince the Nuclear Suppliers Group under the civil nuclear deal to provide it with nuclear fuel and light water reactors and ensure clean, unconditional exemptions for trade in the atomic field with New Delhi.
India is also engaged with the 45-nation grouping to persuade it to change rules and allow the international community to have nuclear commerce with it, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said.
"No post and pre-conditions should be laid and there is a need for clean, unconditional exemptions from NSG guidelines on the import of nuclear reactors," he told reporters on the sidelines of a graduation function at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Academic Research at Kalpakkam, about 75 km from Chennai.
He was responding to a query on NSG guidelines that restrict the export of reactors by members of the grouping, including the US, France, Russia, Australia and Japan.
Reacting to US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns' remarks that it was up to India to convince NSG members to provide it nuclear fuel and light water reactors, he said, it was the duty of the US to do so in the wake of the nuclear deal recently clinched with America.
Commenting on the deal and the possible US restrictions on nuclear tests by India, Kakodkar said, "We have to look at Indian interests and should be able to carry out our strategic programmes."
The ultimate goal of the Indian nuclear programme is to move from uranium to thorium for producing energy, he said.
By 2050, nuclear energy will constitute 2,74,000 MW or 20 to 25 per cent of India's power production, he said
China raises fresh concerns on N-deal
Reuters
Posted online: Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 1608 hours IST
Updated: Thursday, September 06, 2007 at 1624 hours IST
N-Deal Beijing, September 6: China said on Thursday there were 'different views' about a nuclear power pact between the United States and India and called for such deals to stay in line with international safeguards -- but left its own stance ambiguous.
The agreement between New Delhi and Washington would offer India US fuel and reactors while allowing it to stay out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, keep nuclear arms and protect its military atomic complex from international inspections.
Even if the agreement survives opposition from Leftists, China's veto could kill it at an international level.
Indian newspapers have suggested that Beijing could block the deal at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a 45-nation club that works by consensus.
Washington will need to go to the NSG, which is supposed to discourage nuclear trade with countries outside full safeguards, to ask for special leeway for India.
Noting various opinions on the deal in the NSG, China's Foreign Ministry suggested that Washington and New Delhi should address worries that it would damage safeguards against the spread of nuclear weapons.
"We have also noted that within the Nuclear Suppliers Group there are different views about relaxing the restrictions on nuclear exports to India," Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing.
"China believes that, with the precondition of abiding by their international responsibilities, all countries can develop cooperation in the peaceful exploitation of nuclear power."
The Leftists have demanded that New Delhi put on hold talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to secure a safeguards pact needed to clinch the deal.
Jiang said any international atomic power cooperation should serve to 'protect and strengthen' barriers against the spread of nuclear arms.
She refused to say whether China itself had concerns about the deal. Some Scandinavian countries have privately expressed concerns about making exceptions for India.
Jiang's comments appeared to be China's latest step in a delicate diplomatic game of signalling concerns about the deal without sparking a stand-off with India.
Experts have said China is unlikely to stymie the nuclear deal and risk pushing Delhi closer to Washington -- just when Beijing is seeking to avoid a destabilising confrontation with its rising Asian neighbour and longtime rival.
But many have also said that Beijing worries about how the deal will affect regional security and arms controls.
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