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