New Delhi
31 August 2005
Besides removing certain Indian entities from the
entity list, the United States has also removed the "licence requirements
for exports and reexports to India of items controlled unilaterally for
nuclear nonproliferation reasons."
In doing so, the US has removed India from the "NP2" list. However, India
remains on the other list, NP1, under which falls items that are subject to
the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) regime.
These decisions taken by the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US
Department of Commerce are being described as a "part of the process of
relaxing export control regime" and "making licensing predictable".
With this latest move, the US has removed three subordinate entities of
the ISRO and three entities of the Department of Atomic Energy. The six
entities removed are: ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network
(ISTRAC), ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Spac Applications Centre
(SAC), Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS 1 and 2), Rajasthan Atomic
Power Station (RAPS 1 and 2) and Kudankulam 1 and 2.
A "novelty" of the removal of these six entities is that only TAPS 1 and 2
and RAPS 1 and 2 were recognised earlier as being safeguarded; now
with the inclusion of a third nuclear plant in the list, the US has
recognised Kudankulam also in the category of safeguarded reactors.
A large number of entities were put on the list after India conducted
nuclear tests in 1998. A few were removed in 2001 and some like the
headquarters of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) were
removed after the introduction of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership
(NSSP) last year.
The US has said the removal of entities and licence requirements
"implements two steps the United States has agreed to take as part of the
final phase of the NSSP". On July 18, President George W Bush and
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announcd the completion of the
NSSP.
With the easing of licence requirements after revisions to the "Export
Administration Regulations", not only Indian safeguarded nuclear reactors
but Indian companies in the private sector could also acquire technology,
equipment and software.
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