No G8 worry as India and France discuss nuclear trade (Lead)
July 14th, 2009 - 5:29 pm ICT by IANS
By Minu Jain
Paris/New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) The G8 declaration on inhibiting the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies (ENR) to those countries who have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) would have no effect on India, Indian officials said here ahead of the meeting between Prime Minsiter Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday.
“We are receiving no help from anybody,” official sources said. It would have no practical effect for India, which had been enriching for long, they added.
When Manmohan Singh sits down for a working lunch with Sarkozy later Tuesday, the two leaders will discuss a host of bilteral issues, including the scaling up of civilian nuclear cooperation between the rwo countries.
France, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group and part of the G8 group of the world’s wealthiest countries, became the first country to sign a bilteral civil nuclear cooepration pact September 30 last year after the NSG rewrote its rules of nuclear commerce in favour of India.
The French nuclear conglomerate Areva is close to finalising a contract for setting up two advanced reactors of 1,650 MW each to be set up in Jaitpur, Maharashtra. Several rounds of discussions have been held between Areva represnetatives and officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
India was surprised by the G8’s activism on raising the bar for the transfer of ENR technolgies to those countries which have not signed the NPT - a message it saw as targeted against New Delhi.
However, India need not worry, specially with regard to France. The bilteral nuclear pact with France permits India to reprocess French-origin nuclear fuel on its own. France has offered to to reprocess if India asks it to.
Russia is also understood to have agreed to let India reprocess fuel that it may supply. Moreover, India already has ENR technolgies and therefore the G8 ban will have little impact on it.
India’s Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told parliament Monday that India “was not deeply concerned [over the G8 stand],” as it had received country-specific clean waiver from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the NSG.
- Nothing will detract from NSG's clean waiver to India: France - Jul 05, 2011
- France assures NSG waiver for India not undermined - Jul 01, 2011
- India unaffected by G8 ban on reprocessing fuel - Jul 14, 2009
- India asks NSG members to abide by 2008 clean waiver - Aug 10, 2011
- India asks NSG to abide by 2008 clean waiver (Lead) - Aug 10, 2011
- Russia unfazed by NSG guidelines, backs India's membership - Jul 08, 2011
- G8 stand on nuclear commerce will not affect India: PM - Jul 29, 2009
- Ahead of Clinton visit, US says committed to NSG waiver - Jul 14, 2011
- Sarkozy to have dinner with PM Sunday - Dec 05, 2010
- India, France sign seven agreements - Dec 06, 2010
- US says committed to n-deal, pushes India on liability law (Lead) - Jul 19, 2011
- G-8 resolution not legally binding document: India - Jul 31, 2009
- Need to resolve issues on nuclear deal: Clinton - Jul 19, 2011
- France ready for full civil nuclear cooperation: Manmohan - Jul 17, 2009
- India not concerned over G8 nuclear stance (Lead) - Jul 13, 2009
Tags: areva, french origin, french president nicolas, french president nicolas sarkozy, india ltd, manmohan singh, nicolas sarkozy, non proliferation treaty, npcil, nuclear commerce, nuclear cooperation, nuclear non proliferation treaty, nuclear pact, nuclear power corporation, nuclear suppliers group, nuclear trade, president nicolas sarkozy, prime minsiter, wealthiest countries, working lunch
