U.S India Nuclear Deal

Introduction

This paper is about the ongoing negotiation between India and United States for an Indo-US agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation. Although it is nearly two years since the Prime minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the President of United States, Mr. George.W.Bush announced their intention to facilitate civil nuclear commerce between India and the members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the process is still to be completed with even the first step towards that goal. The process is still under negotiations with apparently strong differences between the two countries on a number of issues.

The deal aims to give India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and equipment, India’s demand for the permit for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, assure permanent fuel supplies and not penalize India by ending nuclear trade if it conducts another nuclear test.

History of India’s nuclear program

In the 1950s, the United States helped India develop nuclear energy under the Atoms for Peace program. The United States built a nuclear reactor for India, provided nuclear fuel for a time, and allowed Indian scientists study at U.S. nuclear laboratories. In 1968, India refused to sign the NPT, claiming it was biased. In 1974, India tested its first nuclear bomb, showing it could develop nuclear weapons with technology transferred for peaceful purposes. As a result, the United States isolated India for twenty-five years, refusing nuclear cooperation and trying to convince other countries to do the same. But since 2000, the United States has moved to build a "strategic partnership" with India, increasing cooperation in fields including spaceflight, satellite technology, and missile defense.

Factual Background

The much-heralded, but controversial two-year-old India-United States civilian nuclear deal was supposed to be the benchmark for the growing affability between the two most vibrant democracies in the world. The deal, which marks a notable warming of U.S.-India relations, would lift the U.S. moratorium on nuclear trade with India, provide U.S. assistance to India's civilian nuclear energy program, and expand U.S.-Indian cooperation in energy and satellite technology.The two nations have failed so far to conclude a bilateral pact due to India's stand that it will not accept new terms in the deal included at the insistence of American lawmakers. Officials from both nations have met many times since last year to conclude the pact.

In effect, negotiations have been unable to resolve a central question: should India be treated as a recognized nuclear weapons state, one that retains the right to test its weapons and reprocess spent nuclear fuel? Those two issues - testing and fuel processing - are proving more difficult to sort out than anyone anticipated. The dispute has come up as the two countries are trying to negotiate on the detail of the accord, known as a "123 agreement."

123 AGREEMENT

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