India won’t open strategic assent to scrutiny: Pranab

NEW DELHI—Expressing that the government took note of certain extraneous and perspective provisions in the legislation passed by the US Congress, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that India would not allow any external scrutiny of or interference about its strategic programme.
In his Suo Moto made in Lok Sabha on Indo-US Nuclear Accord here Tuesday, the Minister that conduct of foreign policy determined solely by “our national interests is our sovereign right.
“We have also been clear that our strategic programme remains outside the purview of these discussions. We will not allow external scrutiny of or interference with the strategic programme.” The US Administration committed in the 18th July Joint Statement to adjust its laws that otherwise prohibited civil nuclear energy cooperation with India, he stated.
Although the passage of any legislation is an internal matter of that country on which we would not otherwise comment, this legislation is an enabling measure necessary for civil nuclear energy cooperation to be worked out between India and the United States, he added. Keeping that in mind, the Minister said the enactment of waivers from certain provisions of the US Atomic Energy Act, which allows the United States to cooperate with India in civilian nuclear energy despite our not accepting full scope safeguards and despite maintaining a strategic programme, is significant.
“We recognize the initiative that President Bush has taken to make these exceptions for India possible. We also note the bipartisan support that this initiative has garnered in the US Congress”, he expressed. The legislation that has been passed is an enabling measure that will now allow US negotiators to discuss and conclude with India a bilateral cooperation agreement, which is popularly known as a 123 Agreement, he said adding, such an agreement is a pre-requisite for nuclear cooperation and trade with the United States.
“The nuclear understanding with the USA is significant from the larger perspective of our energy security. Energy has become a critical constraint to expanding our economic growth and development. We have to expand our generating capacity in every form of energy. Presently, nuclear energy provides less than 3% of our energy mix”, he expressed. Country’s current estimates envisage nuclear power generation of 30,000 MWe by 2022 and 63,000 MWe by 2032.—APP