By VOA News
US-India
nuclear accord approved
BBC- It took the 45-nation
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) nearly three days of protracted
negotiations in Vienna to reach agreement.
Critics of the deal say it creates
a dangerous precedent - effectively allowing India to expand its
nuclear power industry without requiring it to sign the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as other nations must.
They say the deal would undermine the
arguments for isolating Iran over its nuclear programme and be a
disaster for international non-proliferation efforts. |
Nuclear supplier nations have approved a landmark U.S.-backed deal that lifts
a 34-year ban on nuclear trade with India.
Members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which governs global nuclear
trade, made the decision Saturday after three days of contentious talks in
Vienna.
Austria, New Zealand, and Ireland, were the last three countries holding out on
approval due to reservations about granting a waiver to India since it has not
signed the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The Austrian government said it lifted objections after Indian officials
reassured the group that India remained committed to a voluntary moratorium on
nuclear testing.
In a phone call Saturday, U.S. President George Bush and Indian Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh congratulated each other, and called the deal an historic
achievement. A White House spokesman, Gordon Johndroe, said the agreement
strengthens global nonproliferation principals while assisting India to meet its
energy needs in an environmentally friendly manner.
India's ruling Congress party also welcomed the "momentous" decision.
|
The Development and Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons
Today eight countries are possessing nuclear weapons. The five nuclear weapons
states United States, Russia (former Soviet Union), United Kingdom, France and
China, are the only countries allowed to have nuclear weapons according to the
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) from 1970. All members of the United Nations
except Israel, India and Pakistan have signed the NPT.
source:
nobleprize.org |
In a statement Saturday, Prime Minister Singh said the approval marks the end of
India's decades long isolation from the nuclear mainstream and of the technology
denial regime.
The U.S.-India nuclear deal must now be approved by the U.S. Congress before it
becomes law. U.S. lawmakers must act before adjourning in late September, ahead
of U.S. presidential elections in November.
Some information for
this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
... Payvand News - 09/06/08 ...
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