New Delhi, December 10
With country's nuclear scientists and the main Opposition, BJP, opposing the US legislation on nuclear deal with India, the Union Government today said External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukhejree would make a statement on the deal in Parliament.
The announcement came within few hours of the BJP's demand for rejection of the US Act. The statement is expected tomorrow.
Making the announcement, Parliamentary Affairs Minister
Priyaranjan Dasmunsi sought to play down the BJP’s Opposition saying that "like global warming, it is political warming".Having a dig at the saffron party, the Minister said the BJP was for closer ties with South American countries like Venezuela, led by staunch anti-US President Hugo Chavez, and not the USA.
Mr Dasmunsi said two days, December 18 and 19, had been reserved for a discussion on the deal and advancing of the date depended on other businesses of the House.
Meanwhile, country's top nuclear experts have reacted with caution and have expressed concern over the provision in the Act passed by the US Congress to implement Indo-US nuclear deal that seeks to cap India's right to conduct atomic tests.
However, some of them were of the view that the current legislation was meant only for the US lawmakers and the bilateral cooperation on sharing civil nuclear technology would be governed by the 123 agreement between the two countries.
"India need not worry about the legislation passed by the US Congress as it is meant for the US lawmakers. India is obliged only to the bilateral agreement (123 Agreement)," former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman M.R. Srinivasan observed in Bangalore.
"We have to work for further negotiations on the 123 Agreement. If that is modified in favour of India then we will go ahead in signing the deal," he said.
Mr Srinivasan, now a Member of the AEC, expressed concern over the provision in the "Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006" which states that the US would terminate civilian nuclear cooperation if India were to conduct a nuclear test.
“It is impossible to have a minimum credible deterrent without conducting nuclear tests. But the Bill indicates that the cooperation will be terminated if this is done," former Atomic Energy Commission chairman P.K. Iyengar stressed.
He also expressed concern over the denial of access to India to full civil nuclear cooperation.
