New Delhi
28 October 2005
Despite India's assertion that designating a
nuclear reactor as civil or military facility will be her sovereign choice, as
the United States applies pressure on New Delhi to separate its nuclear
facilities before any agreement on the nuclear deal with India is presented
to Capitol Hill, Canada has said it will watch closely under which category
India places the CIRUS reactor.
The Canadian Government has told this newspaper, "The separation of
the civilian and military fuel cycle, and the scope and nature of
safeguards to be applied on the civilian part, is a very important issue,
and that as part of this process the disposition of the CIRUS reactor will
be a matter of particular interest to Canada."
Canada supplied the CIRUS reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research
Centre in Trombay. Significantly, the size of the nuclear force is
determined primarily by the supply of reprocessed plutonium from the
unsafeguarded CIRUS and DHRUVA heavy water research reactors at the
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
India has 14 nuclear reactors and eight are under varying stages of
construction. Currently, six of India's nuclear reactors are safeguarded.
The weapons-grade plutonium-producing reactor CIRUS is expected to be
retained in the list of military facilities.
The Canadian Government's response comes after the US raised
objections through an adviser to the US State Department and deputy
director of the Monterrey Institute, Mr Leonard Spector, to India's decision
to retain the Canadian supplied CIRUS nuclear reactor in the military list.
Mr Spector was quoted as saying that "India needs to consider its own
apparent violations of international nuclear norms, specifially, its use of
the Canadian supplied CIRUS reactor for its nuclear weapons programme,
contrary to the items of the Indian-Canadian agreement under which it was
supplied."
Canada has agreed to work with other countries in the international fora
(like the Nuclear Suppliers Group) to facilitate New Delhi's access to
civilian nuclear technology and fuel. "Discussions with the NSG are
confidential," it said without elaborating.
Canada and India have recently entered into an agreement whereby
Canada will supply dual-use technology to India while adhering to the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) norms.
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