| The United States will soon play host to an | | | | the NPT, it remains a \"responsible\" nuclear |
| honored guest from India, a person who has been | | | | nation. The Indian government introduced a bill in |
| one of the architects of India\'s nuclear program. | | | | parliament this week that intends to codify New |
| In a clear indication that much water has passed | | | | Delhi\'s policy to prevent the spread of its nuclear |
| under the bridge since India turned into a | | | | weapon and missile technology to non-nuclear |
| nuclear-weapons state in May 1998, Dr R | | | | states, a charge its nuclear neighbor Pakistan |
| Chidambaram, principal scientific adviser to the | | | | faces. |
| government of India, will visi Washington for talks | | | | \"We have adopted the most responsible policy |
| with the US nuclear establishment. The post that | | | | on sensitive and dual-use nuclear and |
| Chidambaram holds is equivalent to that of a | | | | missile-related technologies,\" Foreign Minister |
| minister, and he is the nodal person to coordinate | | | | Natwar Singh said on Thursday as the Lower |
| all nuclear efforts by India, whether for civilian | | | | House of the Indian parliament passed the |
| purposes or otherwise. | | | | measure, the Weapons of Mass Destruction and |
| Chidambaram\'s clearance follows US Secretary | | | | Their Delivery Systems (Prohibition of Unlawful |
| of State Condoleezza Rice\'s landmark visit to | | | | Activities) Bill, by a voice vote. \"We are |
| India earlier this year, during which Rice discussed | | | | committed to ensure that these do not fall into |
| US willingness to end the more than | | | | the wrong hands, especially the terrorists and |
| three-decades-long nuclear energy blockade of | | | | non-state actors,\" the minister said. The bill will |
| India. Rice\'s reiteration of US intentions is a | | | | finally become law once it is passed by the upper |
| reflection of the way the President George W | | | | house, which will be a formality. |
| Bush regime is looking to construct a new nuclear | | | | Like Chidambaram\'s visit, the nuclear bill comes |
| global order. | | | | almost seven years to the day that India dared |
| Chidambaram was chairman of the Indian Atomic | | | | international norms and tested a nuclear weapon. |
| Energy Commission when on May 11 and 13, | | | | India\'s nuclear control bill also coincides with an |
| 1998, a series of nuclear tests were conducted at | | | | international conference on the future of the NPT. |
| Pokhran, in the northern desert state of | | | | Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in |
| Rajasthan, under the aegis of then-prime minister | | | | parliament this week: \"The provisions of the act |
| Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Pakistan soon followed at | | | | apply to export, transfer, re-transfer, transit and |
| Chagai Hills, in Balochistan province, with its nuclear | | | | transshipment of material, equipment or |
| arsenal built and peddled across the world by | | | | technology relating to weapons of mass |
| nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan. | | | | destruction or their means of delivery.\" |
| Chidambaram essayed a stellar role in the | | | | India feels it should be perceived as a country |
| execution of the tests, including on-site | | | | that can be \"trusted\", despite staying out of the |
| supervision. Weeks after, he was scheduled to | | | | NPT. In February this year the head of the US |
| attend a meeting organized by the American | | | | Nuclear Regulatory Commission, led by its |
| Crystallographic Association in his capacity as vice | | | | commissioner, Jeffrey Merrifield, visited the Indian |
| chairman of the International Union of | | | | Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and went back |
| Crystallographers. But an angry US administration | | | | quite satisfied with India\'s nuclear safety record. |
| under president Bill Clinton denied him a visa, | | | | Following in the footsteps of the US, Russia also |
| despite support for Chidambaram from the US | | | | has expressed its readiness to further expand |
| scientific community. | | | | cooperation with India in civilian nuclear energy. |
| Several other scientists were subsequently denied | | | | Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, during his recent |
| visas, and researchers and engineers working on | | | | meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on |
| joint collaborations, such as the light combat | | | | the sidelines of VE-Day festivities in Moscow, |
| aircraft project, were asked to return home. In | | | | impressed India\'s nonproliferation record along |
| September last year, the US imposed sanctions | | | | with the proposed nuclear bill. Russia is helping |
| on two Indian scientists following their alleged | | | | India construct a nuclear power plant in Tamil |
| nuclear cooperation with Iran, to which India had | | | | Nadu under a deal signed in 1985 by then-prime |
| strongly protested. | | | | minister Rajiv Gandhi, and erstwhile Soviet |
| Successive US administrations have refused to | | | | president Mikhail Gorbachev. After the break up |
| approve sales of nuclear material to Indian since it | | | | of the USSR in 1991, Russia joined the Nuclear |
| did not adhere to the global nuclear regime | | | | Suppliers Group, which bans it from selling civilian |
| governed by the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty | | | | nuclear technology to non-signatories of the NPT, |
| (NPT) that came into existence in 1968. India, as | | | | including India. |
| well as Pakistan, has not signed the NPT as it | | | | It may be recalled that the existing US-led global |
| feels it discriminates between the nuclear haves | | | | nuclear regime is struggling to deal with the fact |
| and have-nots, with no obligation on the adherents | | | | that North Korea has declared that it possesses |
| of the NPT to rein in their nuclear programs. | | | | nuclear weapons while Iran is intent on moving in |
| In a top-level exchange that is also a reflection of | | | | the same direction. India and Pakistan tested their |
| changing paradigms, Chidambaram is scheduled to | | | | nuclear devices in 1998, thereby completely |
| visit the US on May 19 to discuss issues related | | | | flouting the existing nuclear order under the NPT. |
| to proposed cooperation between the two sides | | | | Several reports suggest there is increasing |
| on nuclear energy, relevant technologies and the | | | | cooperation between \"rouge\" states, with |
| jettisoning of roadblocks. Ironically, Chidambaram | | | | Iran-North Korea forming a cartel of support for |
| had been invited to witness a US nuclear test in | | | | each other along with the possible complicity of |
| Nevada in the late 1960s and played a leading role | | | | states such as Pakistan, which peddled nuclear |
| in the design and execution of the peaceful | | | | technology across the world courtesy of powerful |
| nuclear experiment by India in 1974. | | | | people such as Khan. Iran and Iraq, incidentally, |
| Recently, top officials of the Indian Space | | | | signed the NPT, making them eligible to procure |
| Research Organization (ISRO) - another body that | | | | nuclear technology for peaceful purposes from |
| has faced the brunt of US sanctions due to | | | | other signatories that possessed weapons such as |
| development of dual-use technologies - have also | | | | the US, the UK and France. |
| been visiting the US for discussions with scientists. | | | | The US circle of suspicion includes China, which is |
| India hopes there is the possibility of an American | | | | reported to have helped out with Pakistan\'s |
| payload delivered by Indian launch vehicles in the | | | | missile and nuclear program, with the US unwilling |
| near future. | | | | to hear any talk of arms supply to the Asian giant |
| Indeed, the US has been trying to redefine its | | | | by the European Union. The US considers Pakistan |
| approach toward nuclear cooperation under the | | | | to be a much closer militarily with China, which is |
| Bush administration while keeping the pressure on | | | | never a comforting thought. The momentum to |
| countries such as India to sign the NPT. The new | | | | enhance military relations (apart from nuclear |
| paradigm, according to experts, defines clusters | | | | cooperation) with India also follows reports of |
| of nations on the basis of a \"trust factor\", a | | | | North Korean missiles that have been deployed |
| definition that India fits into easily, unlike Pakistan, | | | | by Pakistan reportedly in exchange for nuclear |
| a fact emphasized by Rice during her visit to the | | | | secrets. |
| sub-continent. | | | | Last year in January, Bush pledged that the US |
| The \"trust factor\" takes into consideration a | | | | would be willing to help India with its nuclear |
| country\'s record in peddling nuclear technology as | | | | energy and space technology in return for India\'s |
| well as indigenous paradigms that make the | | | | promise to use the assistance for peaceful |
| existence of such technology safe/dangerous in a | | | | purposes and to help block the spread of |
| particular country. This includes matters such as | | | | dangerous weapons. The US also wanted India to |
| nuclear weapons falling in the hands of terrorist | | | | implement reciprocal steps to impose strict |
| groups. | | | | controls over the spread of weapons and |
| India has been trying to impress on the world | | | | technology, in return for expertise and supplies |
| community that despite being a non-signatory of | | | | India. The nuclear bill addresses this concern. |