Nuclear Deal

just having a look in to the The clauses in the IAEA’s draft agreement clearly show that the IAEA Secretary General and his team almost totally sidestepped and bypassed the US 123 Agreement (including the Hyde Act) wherein

(a) a nuclear test by India would require justification by Uncle Sam
(b) any breach of the pact would entitle the USA to demand return of all nuclear fuel, technology and reactors given to India under the pact
(c) dual technology restrictions would be removed only if there is a separate agreement
(d) nuclear power reactor fuel reserve provided to the government of India for use in safeguarded civilian nuclear facilities should be commensurate with reasonable reactor operating requirements and not be “lifetime reserves” and
(e) Termination of the 123 Agreement would require a year’s notice and even its consent to that would not stop the IAEA safeguards from operating till perpetuity.

N-deal: Killing India with kindness

Under these circumstances, will the US approve the present draft safeguards agreement which the IAEA is considering shortly?

For that matter, will the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers’ Group okay this draft IAEA safeguards agreement and start supplying nuclear fuel, nuclear reactors and nuclear technology to India?

Remember, the NSG is, to a large extent, controlled by the US.

As it is, the India-US civil nuclear energy deal (123 Agreement) can become operational only after the draft IAEA safeguards agreement is first approved by the IAEA before it is tabled before the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), an informal club of 45 nations that keeps a stern eye on activities related to nuclear commerce around the world in an attempt to avoid proliferation.

There is, therefore, no reason at all to echo our media’s euphoria over the IAEA’s draft agreement with India. Unless, of course, the NSG itself is going to overrule the US’s 123 Agreement with us. If that happens, it would be a miracle and Manmohan Singh would have done a Houdini.