New Delhi
24 July 2009
The end-use monitoring arrangement finalised during the recent visit to India by
United Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does not guarantee American inspectors
automatic access to Indian military installations or sites.
A source familiar with the negotiations for the end-use arrangement with the US said the
text of understanding arrived at between both sides is generic in nature, and it will
henceforth be referred to in letters of acceptance for Indian procurement of US defence
technology and equipment. The arrangement also provides for joint consultations.
The source explained that India has signed similar end-use arrangements since the
'90s, and it was wrong to suggest that the monitoring agreement with the US would
prohibit the use of American weapons systems in a crisis.
The end-use arrangement has raised fears in some quarters about the US prohibiting the
use of certain weapons against Pakistan.
On the recent Group of Eight (G-8) proposal to ban enrichment and reprocessing (ENR)
technologies and equipment to non-NPT signatories such as India, the source said New
Delhi need not fear because the US has been seeking to do that for some time now but
there was reservations within the G-8 members on the issue.
The source added that India would not be affected till the proposal was accepted by all
the members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
For her part, Ms Clinton has said the US would not oppose the transfer of ENR
technologies and equipment to India.
Speaking at a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister SM Krishna here
earlier this week, Ms Clinton said: "We certainly don't ... we have just completed a civil
nuclear deal with India. So if it is done within the appropriate channels and carefully
safeguarded, as it is in the case of India, that is appropriate".
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