Friday, June 5, 2009
India, Canada on brink of signing nuclear deal
A nuclear cooperation agreement with India is close to a done deal, Day, Canada's minster for international trade. A deal would open up the potentially massive market for nuclear materials trade between the two countries.
Canada had stopped nuclear cooperation with India after New Delhi's 1974 nuclear tests. But Ottawa has been trying to fast-track a nuclear deal with New Delhi following the passage of the U.S.-India nuclear deal and the international community clearing nuclear trade with India last A nuclear cooperation agreement with India is close to a done deal, according Stockwell September.
"We're very close to having an agreement with India related to the civilian use of nuclear energy for the purpose of helping them meet their energy needs,"Day told The Canadian Press on May 27.
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Canada had stopped nuclear cooperation with India after New Delhi's 1974 nuclear tests. But Ottawa has been trying to fast-track a nuclear deal with New Delhi following the passage of the U.S.-India nuclear deal and the international community clearing nuclear trade with India last A nuclear cooperation agreement with India is close to a done deal, according Stockwell September.
"We're very close to having an agreement with India related to the civilian use of nuclear energy for the purpose of helping them meet their energy needs,"Day told The Canadian Press on May 27.
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Labels: Canada, civilian, energy, india, nuclear, nuclear agreement, nuclear deal, nuclear materiasl, signing nuclear deal
Monday, October 13, 2008
President Bush invites hundreds to formal signing of law on nuclear deal
President Bush invited more than 100 Indian Americans plus a host of business representatives and others to the White House October 8, to witness his triumphant signing into law of the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation agreement. He called the two countries "natural partners" that fought colonialism to establish vibrant democracies, encourage private enterprise, and now, to jointly fight terrorists. He offered a Diwali prayer for expanding bilateral relations before signing the dotted line.
The President also countered critics in India who have said external clauses Congress had inserted would jeopardize India's independence.
The bill, H.R. 7081, United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, establishes the legal framework for the 123 Agreement to come into effect. The 123 Agreement lays out the details and obligations of the nuclear trade relationship ."The bill makes clear that our agreement with India is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act and other elements of U.S. law," the President emphasized before the signing.
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The President also countered critics in India who have said external clauses Congress had inserted would jeopardize India's independence.
The bill, H.R. 7081, United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act, establishes the legal framework for the 123 Agreement to come into effect. The 123 Agreement lays out the details and obligations of the nuclear trade relationship ."The bill makes clear that our agreement with India is consistent with the Atomic Energy Act and other elements of U.S. law," the President emphasized before the signing.
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Labels: agreement, Atomic Energy Act, bill, Diwali prayer, india, Indian Americans, invites, nuclear deal, President George W. Bush, signing of law, United states, White House, witness
Monday, September 15, 2008
Nuclear nations approve disputed India trade waiver
Forty-five nations approved a U.S. proposal on September 6 to lift a global ban on nuclear trade with India in a breakthrough towards sealing the U.S.-India civilian nuclear co-operation deal.
One hurdle remained before the U.S.-India deal can take force - ratification by the U.S.Congress. It must act before adjourning in late September for elections or the deal could be left to an uncertain fate under a new U.S.administration.
The U.S.-India deal raised international misgivings since India has shunned the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) meant to stop the spread and production of nuclear weapons and mandate gradual disarmament, and a companion test ban pact.
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One hurdle remained before the U.S.-India deal can take force - ratification by the U.S.Congress. It must act before adjourning in late September for elections or the deal could be left to an uncertain fate under a new U.S.administration.
The U.S.-India deal raised international misgivings since India has shunned the NonProliferation Treaty (NPT) meant to stop the spread and production of nuclear weapons and mandate gradual disarmament, and a companion test ban pact.
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Labels: approve, ban, disarmament, disputed, india, India trade waiver, Manmohan Singh, NPT, NSG, nuclear deal, Nuclear nations, nuclear weapons, U S adminstration, United states, Vienna
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
'Secret' letter's release renews battle over nuclear pact
As international negotiators met in Vienna to decide the fate of the contentious nuclear energy agreement between India and the United States, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government found itself facing a revived political battle at home over the deal because of the release of a secret letter in Washington.
The letter's disclosure caught India's government by surprise, a senior government official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The official added that opponents of the deal probably made it public to try to weaken India in the final stages of efforts to win approval from the 45-country Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna.
But more than the Vienna deliberations, the Indian official said, Singh faces the bigger challenge of rescuing the government's plummeting popularity.
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The letter's disclosure caught India's government by surprise, a senior government official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The official added that opponents of the deal probably made it public to try to weaken India in the final stages of efforts to win approval from the 45-country Nuclear Suppliers Group in Vienna.
But more than the Vienna deliberations, the Indian official said, Singh faces the bigger challenge of rescuing the government's plummeting popularity.
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Labels: battle, challenge, india, India's government, Manmohan Singh, NSG, nuclear deal, nuclear fuel, secret lwtter, United states, Vienna, Washington
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
On U.S.-India civil nuclear deal - Nuclear-deal has spin-off;100,000 new jobs, more research opportunities
O ne of the spin offs of the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal coming through will be the creation of 100,000 new jobs for the 30-odd reactors that India hopes to set up to meet its nuclear power deadline of 20,000 MW by 2020, experts say.
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi highlighted the fillip the deal is expected to give to employment generation and the energy sector. Interacting with students of Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad on July 26, Gandhi said, "The nuclear deal means millions and millions of jobs, and lights in the houses of the poor in this country."
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power, Jairam Ramesh, visiting the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)'s Kalpakkam campus in Tamil Nadu, said, "Nearly 10,000 MW of nuclear power would be generated from indigenous reactors, 8,000 MW from light water reactors and 2,000 MW from Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR)." Thousands of engineers, technicians and scientists would be needed to run these establishments, he underlined.
"India's 17 nuclear reactors have the capacity to generate 4,120 MW, but in 2007 they could produce only 1,800 MW due to lack of fuel," Ramesh said.
By 2020, India is likely to import six light water reactors while six nuclear plants are under construction to beef up generation capacity, said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd Technical Director S.A. Bhardwaj.
The total expansion is valued at nearly $300 billion."India's Department of Atomic Energy employs about 70,000 experts today," M.R.
Srinivasan, former chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission, told the media at a function in Kalpakkam.
The new nuclear power plants on the cards are expected to create at least a 100,000 new jobs in India, experts say.
Not just in India, the nuclear deal is expected to give a fillip to the industry in the U.S. also.
In 2007, Ron Somers, president of the U.S.India Business Council, supporting the IndoU.S. Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, said,"The deal would create 27,000 high-quality jobs a year for the next 10 years in the U.S.
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Congress MP Rahul Gandhi highlighted the fillip the deal is expected to give to employment generation and the energy sector. Interacting with students of Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad on July 26, Gandhi said, "The nuclear deal means millions and millions of jobs, and lights in the houses of the poor in this country."
Union Minister of State for Commerce and Power, Jairam Ramesh, visiting the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)'s Kalpakkam campus in Tamil Nadu, said, "Nearly 10,000 MW of nuclear power would be generated from indigenous reactors, 8,000 MW from light water reactors and 2,000 MW from Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR)." Thousands of engineers, technicians and scientists would be needed to run these establishments, he underlined.
"India's 17 nuclear reactors have the capacity to generate 4,120 MW, but in 2007 they could produce only 1,800 MW due to lack of fuel," Ramesh said.
By 2020, India is likely to import six light water reactors while six nuclear plants are under construction to beef up generation capacity, said Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd Technical Director S.A. Bhardwaj.
The total expansion is valued at nearly $300 billion."India's Department of Atomic Energy employs about 70,000 experts today," M.R.
Srinivasan, former chairperson of the Atomic Energy Commission, told the media at a function in Kalpakkam.
The new nuclear power plants on the cards are expected to create at least a 100,000 new jobs in India, experts say.
Not just in India, the nuclear deal is expected to give a fillip to the industry in the U.S. also.
In 2007, Ron Somers, president of the U.S.India Business Council, supporting the IndoU.S. Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, said,"The deal would create 27,000 high-quality jobs a year for the next 10 years in the U.S.
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Labels: Business Council, congress, employment, india, jobs, nuclear deal, Rahul Gandhi, Tamil Nadu, US
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Victory Vote clears way for nuclear deal with United States
The Indian government survived a crucial vote of confidence on July 22, clearing the way for the contentious nuclear energy deal with the United States, after a debate peppered with dramatic allegations of backroom lobbying and bribery.
The vote concluded a bitter nine-month battle in support of the deal by the now-beleaguered coalition government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The agreement, which would give India access to the world market for nuclear fuel and technology, must now be approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which governs the trade of nuclear materials. The U.S. Congress would then vote on the accord.
"This vote gives a clear message to the world that India's head and heart are sound and India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations," said a beaming Singh, whose supporters burst firecrackers and beat celebratory drums in the streets of New Delhi. "I have always said the deal was important and now we know it."
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The vote concluded a bitter nine-month battle in support of the deal by the now-beleaguered coalition government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The agreement, which would give India access to the world market for nuclear fuel and technology, must now be approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which governs the trade of nuclear materials. The U.S. Congress would then vote on the accord.
"This vote gives a clear message to the world that India's head and heart are sound and India is prepared to take its rightful place in the comity of nations," said a beaming Singh, whose supporters burst firecrackers and beat celebratory drums in the streets of New Delhi. "I have always said the deal was important and now we know it."
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Labels: agreement, battle, BJP, celebrations, IAEA, india, Lok Sabha, nuclear deal, Nuclear Suppliers Group, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United states, US Congress, Victory, votes
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
United States wants India to move forward on controversial nuclear deal in Doha
The U.S. wants India to quickly move forward on their civil nuclear deal, shoulder its "international responsibilities" as an important global economic power and stop being "a roadblock" in the Doha world trade talks.
Washington also hopes India will make more progress in areas such as caps on foreign equity in retail, insurance, and financial services. It would like to see more protection for intellectual property, particularly in the life sciences, where India seeks to attract more investment.
"Indeed, we hope India will propel the bilateral relationship forward by working with us on a high-standard bilateral investment treaty," U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Christopher Padilla said herein Washington on June 9, at a panel discussion on 'U.S.-India Synergy: Facing the Economic Challenges of the 21st Century' at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"The benefits for India are clear, and we hope that India's government will choose to move forward as quickly as possible to fully realize the potential of this historic agreement," Padilla said. "It would be tragic for India to forgo this opportunity for a strategic partnership with the United States."
India is proof of the remarkable effects that opening up an economy can have on a country's citizens, Padilla said. "So it is disappointing that India has been a roadblock to success in the Doha negotiations," insisting that it and other developing countries be protected from any real market opening in industrial goods or agriculture or services, while it asks developed countries to do ever more, he said.
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Washington also hopes India will make more progress in areas such as caps on foreign equity in retail, insurance, and financial services. It would like to see more protection for intellectual property, particularly in the life sciences, where India seeks to attract more investment.
"Indeed, we hope India will propel the bilateral relationship forward by working with us on a high-standard bilateral investment treaty," U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Christopher Padilla said herein Washington on June 9, at a panel discussion on 'U.S.-India Synergy: Facing the Economic Challenges of the 21st Century' at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
"The benefits for India are clear, and we hope that India's government will choose to move forward as quickly as possible to fully realize the potential of this historic agreement," Padilla said. "It would be tragic for India to forgo this opportunity for a strategic partnership with the United States."
India is proof of the remarkable effects that opening up an economy can have on a country's citizens, Padilla said. "So it is disappointing that India has been a roadblock to success in the Doha negotiations," insisting that it and other developing countries be protected from any real market opening in industrial goods or agriculture or services, while it asks developed countries to do ever more, he said.
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Labels: agriculture, controversial, Doha, Economic Challenges, india, India's government, nuclear deal, real market, United states, Washington
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Washington flexible on Mukherjee's call for more time on nuclear deal
Washington will continue to follow developments on the U.S.-India civil nuclear cooperation deal bogged down in domestic politics, and may relax the pressure to expedite it, going by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's two-day visit here starting March 23rd. Secretary Rice has accepted an invitation to visit India in the near future.
"… we will continue to work on that agreement. The Indians are now in a process of working with the IAEA and we'll follow that progress, but we will have further discussions on that matter later," Rice said at a joint press briefing following her meeting with Mukherjee on March 23.
Mukherjee also met with President Bush on March 24th night for a half hour, and said he "had the opportunity to discuss thoroughly," regional and international issues.
During his visit, Mukherjee squarely put the blame on Opposition Left parties in India for the stalled nuclear deal, calling their stance "ideological" but indicated the Manmohan Singh government was negotiating full steam.
Pointing out that of the four stages required for the nuclear deal to become a reality, the 123 Agreement between India and the U.S.A. had been initialed. The second stage, to have the approval of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on an India-specific safeguard agreement, the agreement was yet to be initialed and approved by the Board of Governors. "In that stage, we are currently engaged with various political parties who are supporters of our coalition government in India. And the discussion is still going on."
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"… we will continue to work on that agreement. The Indians are now in a process of working with the IAEA and we'll follow that progress, but we will have further discussions on that matter later," Rice said at a joint press briefing following her meeting with Mukherjee on March 23.
Mukherjee also met with President Bush on March 24th night for a half hour, and said he "had the opportunity to discuss thoroughly," regional and international issues.
During his visit, Mukherjee squarely put the blame on Opposition Left parties in India for the stalled nuclear deal, calling their stance "ideological" but indicated the Manmohan Singh government was negotiating full steam.
Pointing out that of the four stages required for the nuclear deal to become a reality, the 123 Agreement between India and the U.S.A. had been initialed. The second stage, to have the approval of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on an India-specific safeguard agreement, the agreement was yet to be initialed and approved by the Board of Governors. "In that stage, we are currently engaged with various political parties who are supporters of our coalition government in India. And the discussion is still going on."
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Labels: india, Indian Foreign Minister, International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear deal, Pranab Mukherjee, United states, Washington
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Statement by four critics raises questions about nuclear deal
As India and the U.S. make renewed efforts to conclude their civilian nuclear deal, four U.S. critics of the accord have asked the Bush administration to make public its responses to lawmakers' questions about it.
The four in a statement March 5 asked the State Department to drop a virtual "gag" order on its unclassified responses to over 40 questions sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last October.
"The administration's responses should be made publicly available so that U.S. and Indian lawmakers and the public can evaluate whether the draft US-Indian accord conforms to the terms and conditions established by Congress," said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association (ACA).
"The administration's unwillingness to make their answers more widely available suggests they have something to hide from either U.S. or Indian legislators," he said.
Joining him were two former senior nonproliferation officials, Fred McGoldrick and Henry Sokolski, and Sharon Squassoni, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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The four in a statement March 5 asked the State Department to drop a virtual "gag" order on its unclassified responses to over 40 questions sent to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs last October.
"The administration's responses should be made publicly available so that U.S. and Indian lawmakers and the public can evaluate whether the draft US-Indian accord conforms to the terms and conditions established by Congress," said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association (ACA).
"The administration's unwillingness to make their answers more widely available suggests they have something to hide from either U.S. or Indian legislators," he said.
Joining him were two former senior nonproliferation officials, Fred McGoldrick and Henry Sokolski, and Sharon Squassoni, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
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Labels: Arms Control Association, india, nuclear deal, ritics raises questions, United states
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