New Delhi
3 August 2007
India can be expected to conclude a safeguards agreement with the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the next 30 to 35 days, United States Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns said.
He told the Council on Foreign Relations, a Washington-based American thinktank, in an
interview on Thursday that the George W Bush Administration hopes to send the 123
Agrement to the US Congress by November or December this year for a final vote.
Burns said: "Two things have to happen before it goes back for a final vote in Congress.
First, India has to conclude a safeguards agreement with the IAEA, which I expect will
happen in the next 30 to 35 days. Secondly, the Indians will need to convince the
Nuclear Suppliers Group -- this is the group of 45 nuclear energy powers in the world --
that it should give the same kind of international treatment in terms of civil nuclear trade
to India that the US would have just given bilaterally. Once those two steps are taken,
then perhaps by November or December we'll be ready to formally send this agreement
to Capitol Hill for a final vote. We hope that vote will mirror the Hyde Act vote which was,
of course, an overwhelming vote in favour of India and the US by Congress."
Burns said that the US law states that while Washington can promise reprocessing
consent rights, it has to negotiate a subsequent agreement. "We will do that and
Congress will have the right to review that agreement," he observed. The negotiations
for concluding the bilateral agreement on reprocessing will pertain to the Section 131 of
the United States Atomic Energy Act.
The relevant portion of the 123 Agreement reads: "[The] parties will agree on
arrangements and procedures under which such reprocessing or other alteration in form
or content will take place in [the new national reprocessing facility dedicated to
reprocessing safeguarded nuclear material under IAEA safeguards.] Consultations on
arrangements and procedures will begin six months of a request by either party and will
begin within six months of a request by either party and will be concluded within one
year."
For his part, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Dr Anil Kakodkar has said that India
has had a number of discussions with the IAEA already. "We intend to carry the process
forward [and] try to negotiate an India-specific safeguards agreement further," he
recently told reporters. He clarified that the Additional Protocol would be signed later. He
also said that it would be "unrealistic to put a timeframe" for conclusion of the India-
specifc IAEA safeguards agreement. "As soon as possible," he said when pressed
further. He reiterated that the agreement would need to be "different and specific to
[Indian] conditions".
According to Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, it was New Delhi's "expectation"
that the NSG would give "unconditional exemption" to India and agre to fuel supply
assurances.
The Joint Statement issued after the conclusion of the negotiations in Washington earlier
this month read: "The next steps include India negotiating a safeguards agreement with
the IAEA and support for nuclear trade with India from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers
Group. Once these additional actions have been completed, President Bush will submit
the text of the agreement to the US Congress for final approval."
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