[NukeNet] US-India Nuclear Deal: International Letter to NSG and IAEA

[Citizens' Nuclear Information Center]

An international  letter to governments on the NSG and the IAEA Board  
of Governors , which was coordinated by Abolition 2000's US-India  
Working Group, has been sent. The media release issued yesterday is  
copied below.

The full text of the letter and all the signatories (now increased to  
29 individual and 104 organizational endorsements) can be found on both  
of the following web sites (note that the links might be broken in  
transmission):

http://cnic.jp/english/topics/plutonium/proliferation/usindiafiles/ 
nsgiaea7jan08.html
http://www.armscontrol.org/pressroom/2008/NSGappeal.asp

Thanks to everyone who endorsed this letter. The media response has  
been good. We hope that it will influence governments as well.

Philip White


-- Media Advisory --

Experts and Organizations from 23 Countries Call on States to
 "Fix the Proposal for Nuclear Cooperation with India"

January 9, 2008

Contacts: Daryl Kimball, Exec. Director, Arms Control Association  
1-202-463-8270 x107;
    Philip White, Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo and  
Coordinator, Abolition 2000 U.S.-India Deal Working Group  
81-3-3357-3800

(Washington, D.C.-Tokyo, Japan) In a letter sent to more than  
four-dozen governments this week, a prestigious and broad array of more  
than 120 experts and nongovernmental organizations from 23 countries  
said the U.S. proposal to exempt India from longstanding global nuclear  
trade standards "would damage the already fragile nuclear  
nonproliferation system and set back efforts to achieve universal  
nuclear disarmament."

The international appeal to "Fix the Proposal for Nuclear Cooperation  
with India" calls upon governments "to play an active role in  
supporting measures that would ensure this controversial proposal does  
not: further undermine the nuclear safeguards system and efforts to  
prevent the proliferation of technologies that may be used to produce  
nuclear bomb material," or "in any way contribute to the expansion of  
India's nuclear arsenal."

Among the experts endorsing the appeal is Amb. Jayantha Dhanapala, the  
former UN Under-Secretary General for Disarmament Affairs and President  
of the 1995 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Review and Extension  
Conference. Nongovernmental organizations from South Asia, East Asia,  
Australia and New Zealand, Europe, Africa, and North America endorsed  
the letter, which was organized by the Tokyo-based Citizens' Nuclear  
Information Center and the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

In the coming weeks, the 35-member International Atomic Energy Agency  
(IAEA) Board of Governors and the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group  
(NSG) will likely take up the issue. The appeal is part of a global NGO  
campaign to influence governments' views about the controversial  
nuclear trade proposal.

Current international guidelines severely restrict trade with states,  
such as India, that do not allow comprehensive international safeguards  
over all nuclear facilities and material in their territory. The 1968  
nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) bars direct or indirect  
assistance of another state's nuclear weapons program. India, which  
detonated a nuclear bomb in 1974 made with plutonium harvested from a  
Canadian and U.S.-supplied reactor in violation of bilateral peace  
nuclear use agreements, has not to joined the NPT, continues to produce  
fissile material for nuclear weapons, and has not signed the  
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Nevertheless, in July 2005, U.S. President George Bush pledged to seek  
changes in longstanding U.S. laws and international guidelines to  
permit increased civil nuclear trade with India. In return, Indian  
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged to allow additional IAEA  
oversight of certain Indian nuclear reactors under a new  
"India-specific" agreement now being negotiated with the Agency.

"Contrary to the claims of its advocates," the signatories write, "the  
proposed arrangement fails to bring India into conformity with the  
nonproliferation behavior expected of other states. India's commitments  
under the current terms of the proposed arrangement do not justify  
making far-reaching exceptions to international nonproliferation rules  
and norms."

Noting that the IAEA Board and the NSG traditionally operate by  
consensus, the signatories also note that each member state "has a  
pivotal role to play." The appeal calls upon the governments to  
consider additional conditions and restrictions on nuclear trade with  
India.

Among other recommendations, the appeal urges governments "to actively  
oppose any arrangement that would give India any special safeguards  
exemptions or would in any way be inconsistent with the principle of  
permanent safeguards over all nuclear materials and facilities." India  
is reportedly seeking IAEA safeguards that could allow India to cease  
IAEA scrutiny if nuclear fuel supplies are cut off - even it that is  
because it renews nuclear testing.

The appeal insists that NSG states "should under no circumstances"  
allow for the transfer to India of plutonium reprocessing, uranium  
enrichment or heavy water production technology, which may be  
replicated and used to help produce nuclear bomb material. India is  
seeking access to these sensitive technologies from the United States  
and other suppliers.

Noting that the nuclear cooperation proposal could help India expand  
its nuclear weapons arsenal, the appeal also urges governments to  
insist that India "join the original nuclear weapon states by declaring  
it has stopped fissile material production for weapons purposes and ...  
make a legally-binding commitment to permanently end nuclear testing."

The appeal argues that "in the very least," NSG states should "clarify  
that all nuclear trade shall immediately cease if India resumes nuclear  
testing for any reason." To do otherwise "would undercut the  
international norm against nuclear testing and make a mockery of NSG  
guidelines," according to the supporters of the appeal.

For the full text of the appeal to "Fix the Proposal for Nuclear  
Cooperation with India" and list of endorsers, see  
<www.armscontrol.org/pressroom/2008/NSGappeal.asp> 

# # #

The Arms Control Association (ACA) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit  
membership organization based in Washington, D.C. Established in 1971,  
ACA provides information and analysis on weapons-related security  
challenges and practical solutions to address them. ACA publishes the  
monthly journal, Arms Control Today.