New Delhi
14 July 2006
Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran on Friday conceded New Delhi,
which is waiting for the text of final legislation after the US House and Senate have
voted, will have to brace up for some disconcerting noises from Washington as the
Congress is likely to insist on making certain "unpalatable" references.
"Obviously, the legislation will be the product of an American political process and could
well include some references that we may find unpalatable," a visibly exhausted Mr
Saran said within hours of his arrival from Paris where he reviewed the progress of
nuclear deal with his American counterpart Nicholas Burns.
Delivering a lecture on "Indo-US Joint Statement of July 2005: A Year Later" at India
Habitat Centre on Friday, he said India, however, has reminded the US that the "binding
provisions" that will find their way into the "bilateral" agreement should measure up to
the yardsticks of the July 18, 2005 Joint Statement and the March 2, 2006 separation
plan. The bottomline, he repeated, was that India could not undertake any obligations
going beyond the July 18 Joint Statement and the Separation Plan.
He said voluntary moratorium on testing was not a new commitment and that India had
said so as far back as 1998. He also observed that the Separation Plan would not erode
the strategic deterrent. "I can only state that those who are in a position to make an
informed judgment on the needs of our credible minimum deterrent have concluded
otherwise," he asserted.
"July 18, in retrospect, marks our determination to put behind us an era of defensive
diplomacy. If India is to become a credible candidate for permanent membership of the
Security Council, then we must adjust our traditional positions. Our foreign policy must
reflect our national aspirations and express our confidence as an emerging global
player. We cannot duck the difficult issues of the day and display an aversion to risk
taking. July 18 is, in some ways, an effort to usher in a change in mindset," he added.
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