New Delhi
25 January 2008
The negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
for an India-specific safeguards agreement are moving forward, Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh said.
"The discussions with the IAEA are moving forward and it is my sincere hope that it is
concluded successfully without much loss of further time," he told a joint news
conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy here on Friday.
"International negotiations do take time," he added, in response to a question about the
delay in wrapping up the agreement with the IAEA.
Mr Sarkozy arrived here on Friday morning for a two-day State visit to India. He will be
the guest of honour at the Republic Day parade.
A joint statement issued after the delegation-level talks led by the Prime Minister and the
visiting French President said that India and France have finalised negotiation for a
bilateral agreement for civil nuclear cooperation.
"[We] look forward to the finalisation of India specific safeguards agreement with the
IAEA and the adjustment of international civil nuclear cooperation framework. France
expressed its support for the same," the joint statement read.
This agreement will form the basis of wide-ranging bilateral cooperation from basic and
applied research to full civil nuclear cooperation including reactors, fuel supply and
management.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that India and France have concluded negotiations
for arriving at a bilateral agreement for cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy. "I
conveyed our appreciation for France's steadfast support for the lifting of international
restrictions on nuclear cooperation with India that are still in place," he said.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in turn, said that his government will wait for the
"domestic debate (in India) to blow over" and the required approvals to come from the
IAEA and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), before beginning bilateral cooperation in
civil nuclear energy.
"After the waiver, and the domestic debate blows over, then India could move on to the
operationalising stage," Mr Sarkozy said in French, adding that France will help build
European and international consensus for exemption for India.
Sarkozy supported India's quest for harnessing civil nuclear energy. Renewable energy
might not satisfy all of India's needs and nuclear energy will also be needed to prevent
India from going in for more polluting industries or sources of energy, he said.
Making a case for integrating India in global nuclear commerce, Sarkozy said that India
never proliferated, it has separated civil and military nuclear facilities and it also has
declared a moratorium on nuclear testing.
Sarkozy did not forget to remind Prime Minister Singh of French expertise in nuclear
energy. In a veritable sales pitch for French multinational Areva, he said that the "EPR
third generation nuclear reactor" is unequalled in the world.
French nuclear technology is also the safest in the world, he added for good measure.
A team of officials from the Department of Atomic Energy, led by Director (Strategic
Planning) Ravi Grover, is negotiating with the IAEA Secretariat for an India-specific
safeguards agreement. Differences over India's right to build strategic fuel reserve and
take corrective measures if supply of fuel is stopped for any reason, and recognition of
India's separation plan, persist despite several rounds of talks.
No comments:
Post a Comment