[NukeNet] G8 Summit and US-India Nuclear Deal

[Citizens' Nuclear Information Center]

The G8 Summit has become an accelerator for an issue that has being 
simmering for over three years and which threatens to undermine the 
international nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, wants to be able to report 
progress on the US-India nuclear agreement when he meets President Bush 
during this year's Summit in Japan. He wants to report that India will 
soon take the next step on an IAEA safeguards agreement (covering a 
limited number of India's nuclear facilities), even though this risks 
bringing down his own government in the process.

The US-India nuclear agreement will enable trade in nuclear materials 
and equipment not only between India and the US, but also with other 
nuclear supplier states, including France and Russia, which are keen to 
win contracts to construct nuclear power plants in India. The agreement 
effectively grants India the privileges of nuclear weapons states NWS, 
despite the fact that India developed nuclear weapons outside the NPT 
regime, and without requiring it to accept the same responsibilities as 
other states - full-scope IAEA safeguards for non-NWS and a commitment 
from NWS to negotiate in good faith for the elimination of nuclear 
weapons.

If Singh's party allows him to proceed, the schedule is likely to be as 
follows:
- within the next few days and probably not until July 9th, Singh will 
give Indian officials the green light to begin circulating the 
safeguards agreement which will trigger the withdrawal of the Left 
Parties on whose support the government depends;
- India will try to get the IAEA Board of Governors to meet by sometime 
in August to decide on the safeguards agreement;
- the U.S. will simultaltaneously start circulating and lobbying for an 
exemption for India from Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) export 
guidelines.
- we can expect an NSG consultative (discussion) and NSG emergency 
plenary (decision-making) meeting by Sept-Oct.

While the G8 Summit is not directly relevant to the US-India nuclear 
agreement, it appears that it has become a catalyst for this 
regime-busting deal. If media reports are proved to be correct, the 
nuclear disarmament movement will need to respond swiftly. In 
particular, pressure will have to be applied to governments of the 
45-nation NSG.

For more information, see the following sites:
Abolition 2000 US-India Deal Working Group
http://cnic.jp/english/topics/plutonium/proliferation/usindia.html
Arms Control Association US-India Deal Resource Page
http://www.armscontrol.org/projects/india/

Contact:
Philip White
Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo
Coordinator, Abolition 2000 US-India Deal Working Group
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