New Delhi
16 March 2006
In its first official response to India's decision to permanently shut
down the CIRUS reactor, Canada has chosen not to be particularly euphoric. The
unveiling of New Delhi's nuclear separation plan was seen as a move to placate certain
non-proliferation enthusiasts.
"This is a complex matter that requires careful study. Canada will be analysing the
separation plan in consultation with our major partners," the Canadian Government told
this newspaper. The remarks come as the Bush administration moves a legislation in
the United States Congress.
The response from Sweden, another member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group,
is guarded. "There has been no official reaction ... so far on the Indo-US deal. We will of
course study it carefully when it is formally presented to us as a member state of NSG,"
the Swedish Government told this newspaper.
Sweden is circumspect about the India-US nuclear deal as are some other Nordic
countries like Finland and Norway. If Norway has been severe in its criticism of certain
developments, Finland has maintained that it will "thoroughly considering the
implications" of the India-US nuclear deal.
Washington intends to push the legislation through before the NSG meets in May. Under
the 18 July 2005 Joint Statement, the US has committed to work with friends and allies to
adjust the practices of the NSG to create the necessary conditions for India to obtain full
access to the international market for nuclear fuel, including reliable, uninterrupted and
continual access to fuel supplies from firms in several nations.
"India has decided to permanently shut down the CIRUS reactor, in 2010 .... We have
decided to take these steps rather than allow intrusive inspections in a nuclear facility of
high national security importance," Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh recently told
Parliament.
Canada supplied the CIRUS reactor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in
Trombay, Maharashtra. Significantly, the size of the nuclear force is determined
primarily by the supply of reprocessed plutonium from the CIRUS and Dhruva heavy
water research reactors at the BARC.
No comments:
Post a Comment