Pressure mounting in Capitol Hill against deal

     New Delhi/ Washington: Twenty four hours after US President George Bush and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh clinched the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, there were two contradictory facades emerging on the world scene. While a wide spectrum of world leaders have welcomed the finalisation of the deal terming it as 'milestone' in nuclear non- proliferation, the Capitol Hill remains abuzz with the refrain of 'Kill the deal'. While Chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed ElBaradei said: "It would be a milestone, timely for ongoing efforts to consolidate the non-proliferation regime, combat nuclear terrorism and strengthen nuclear safety," some US senators termed the deal as "A historic nuclear failure."

     Democratic Representative Ed Markey said: "With one simple move, the President has blown a hole in the nuclear rules that the entire world has been playing by." Markey who has turned out to be the leading proponent of anti nuclear deal and a rallying point for some Congressmen has accused Bush of giving away too much to India without substantially gaining anything in return. Gary Ackerman, however says "the deal was a right strategic choice," and added "India is worthy of a new era of cooperation with the United States on civilian use of nuclear power." "It was tough work to seal the deal while in India, but the President's true difficulties with it now lie here at home," he however warned. Former India Caucus chairs Joe Crowley and Joe Wilson have also come supported Bush's endeavor to help India meet its energy needs. Several Senators are currently sitting on the fence. Prominent among them is Tom Lantos, a ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee and the Chairman of the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, Henry Hyde. The big players of the 44 member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) have came out in support of March 2 agreement citing it as 'landmark' step in lifting three-decade-old restrictions on sharing civilian nuclear technology with India. Prominent among them are France, Britain, Russia, Japan and Australia.

Indian, US media hail 'historic' nuke accord

     New Delhi/Washington: Indian and American newspapers went to town on Friday over the announcement of a "historic" civilian nuclear deal by both President George W Bush and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Headlines and content in various Indian newspapers categorically hailed and projected the view that both India and the United States have decided to take their existing strategic partnership to a higher level of cooperation, while at the same time sending out strong signals, that in these changing times, the deal is a necessity. While The Hindu went with the headline of "India, U.S. clinch deal on nuclear separation", the Indian Express went with the more dramatic headline of "We have made history today". The positive and buoyant mood was most aptly reflected in the The Pioneer, which simply said "India Smiling", an apparent offtake of the meesage "Buddha Is Smiling", which was conveyed to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by India's nuclear scientists when India carried out a second round of successful nuclear tests in the Rajasthan desert in May 1998. Pink papers like the Financial Express went with the headline "India Goes Critical". The front pages of most of the papers showed pictures of both George Bush and Dr. Singh smiling, waving at the media that attended their joint press conference or engaging in casual banter, all of which reflected the positive mood on either side. The Asian Age went with the headline: " Bush Singhs (pun intended) India Tune". In terms of content, Indian papers have gone to great lengths to explain the nitty-gritty of the deal, and the behind-the-scene efforts that it went into making it a reality. Box items in the Times of India, the Hindustan Times and the Financial Times placed emphasis on key quotes made by both Bush and Dr. Singh, besides detailing the understanding reached between New Delhi and Washington.

     For those wanting to know, India and the United States have agreed that 14 out of India's 22 reactors will come under international safeguards, military and fast breeder reactors will not come under international scrutiny, India will retain the sole perogative of deciding which of its reactors will be included in the civilian or the military list and Bush has assured India that he will get Congressional approval for the deal. It has also been decided that the separation plan will come into effect in phased manner and be completed by 2014. It also exempts India from non- proliferation accords governing nuclear technology. India has not been designated or given the status of a nuclear weapons state, a demand that was very much on the cards of the Indian establishment from July last year.

     American papers such as the Washington Post highlighted the increasingly close relationship between the world's two largest democracies. The paper said that in Washington, where the pact is subject to approval by Congress, some lawmakers said the goal of improved bilateral relations must be balanced against the need to curb nuclear proliferation. The paper further went on to say that the Bush Administration originally sought a plan that would have allowed India to continue producing material for six to 10 weapons each year, but under the new plan agreed to on Thursday, Washington would allow India enough fissile material for as many as 50 weapons a year. Experts, according to the paper, said this would far exceed what is believed to be its current capacity. "The nuclear options that India insisted on protecting in this deal cast serious doubt on its declared policy of seeking only a credible minimum deterrent," the paper quoted Robert J. Einhorn, a former assistant secretary of state for non-proliferation, now attached with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

    Ed Royce, the Republican from California, who chairs the International Relations subcommittee on international terrorism and nonproliferation, said he welcomed better ties with India, but not at any cost. In a statement that signalled possible obstacles to Bush as far as getting approval for deal is concerned, Royce said the agreement had "implications beyond U.S.-India relations" and that the "goal of curbing nuclear proliferation should be paramount." He warned that the U.S.Congress would not be rushed into backing the deal. The Washington Times chose to play up the terror strike in Karachi in which a U.S. diplomat was killed and then went on the specifics of the nuclear deal in a matter of fact manner. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley's quotes on security drills got priority over the nitty-gritty of the deal. The Los Angeles Times continues to paint a grim picture on the eventual outcome of the deal. It did not hesitate to say that Bush will have to pay a heavy price in his quest for having closer ties with India. "The deal he struck last summer for nuclear cooperation with New Delhi would undermine the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. It would reward India, which never signed the treaty, cheated on an earlier technology deal with the United States, then went on to test a nuclear bomb," the paper says in its editorial. It further goes on tosay that the nuclear agreement would require a change in U.S. law because India has not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, but adds that Bush has conceded that convincing some members of Congress would be difficult. It quotes some in Congress as saying that the agreement would inflame a nuclear arms race in South Asia and send a bad signal to other nations that have not signed the non-proliferation treaty. "The message to Iran, North Korea and other nuclear wannabes couldn't be clearer or more destructive. These regimes and others will rightly conclude that the United States is interested in stopping the spread of nuclear know-how and technology only to regimes it dislikes. This perceived double standard only confirms the view that the Bush administration doesn't really believe in non-proliferation or any other treaty-based form of arms control or security. It just believes in changing hostile regimes whose aspirations threaten ours. This undermines U.S. moral leadership on the single most dangerous threat to humankind: the spread of nuclear weapons," the paper said.

    In an article written for the New York Times, Steven R Weisman says that by concluding its nuclear deal with India, the Bush Administration faces significant opposition in Congress and tough questions from its allies on whether the arrangement could set a precedent encouraging the spread of nuclear weapons to Iran and other potential foes of the United States. Weisman further goes on to quote diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, as saying that Britain, France, Germany and probably Russia would eventually line up to support the agreement because it would clear the way for them to sell nuclear fuel, reactors and equipment to India. He says that critics of the deal in Congress and abroad are certain to focus on what they maintain is a double standard embraced by the Bush administration: in effect, allowing India to have nuclear weapons and still get international assistance but insisting that Iran, North Korea and other "rogue states" be given no such waiver. But administration officials insisted there was no double standard. He quotes Senator Richard G. Lugar, the Indiana Republican who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as saying that there are over 80 questions about the deal that he says need to be answered before it can be approved. "People are worried about the precedent of establishing a full- fledged cooperation with India while we're wagging our finger at North Korea and Iran," said a Republican aide on Capitol Hill, who requested anonymity because he was describing matters still being weighed in private discussions. "But it's also true that India is facing an energy crisis, and we can't ignore that problem either," he added.

Tony Blair welcomes Indo-US nuke deal

      London: British Prime Minister Tony Blair has welcomed the agreement reached between India and the United States on civil nuclear co-operation. In a statement, Blair said: "I warmly welcome the announcement that India and the US have now reached agreement on civil nuclear co-operation, as announced today (Thursday) by President Bush and Prime Minister Singh. I believe that the deal can make a significant contribution to energy security, development, economic and environmental objectives for India and the international community, as well as represent a net gain for the non-proliferation regime." "The UK has strongly supported this initiative from its inception and has been actively involved throughout. We look forward to continuing to work closely with the US and India, and with partners in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and elsewhere on the detail of this important issue, " he added.

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