Amidst media reports that the Indo-US civilian nuclear would allow New Delhi to resume nuclear tests, Andrew Semmel, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy and Negotiations, has said there is no need to worry about the repercussions of the deal.
Washington, Aug 2 : Amidst media reports that the Indo-US civilian nuclear would allow New Delhi to resume nuclear tests, Andrew Semmel, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nuclear Non-Proliferation Policy and Negotiations, has said there is no need to worry about the repercussions of the deal.
Semmel, who appeared as a witness at a Foreign Relations Committee meeting on non-proliferation here, expressed happiness over the commitments made by India for implementing the historic deal that would allow New Delhi to acquire civilian nuclear reactors and fuel from the US.
"We're very pleased that India has made a number of commitments that it would not perhaps have otherwise made in terms of adhering to a number of international standards in the nuclear suppliers group, in the missile technology control regime, and others," said Semmel.
"So, I think one of the net effects of this, from a positive standpoint, is non-proliferation. And, I don't want to oversell the non-proliferation gains here," the Dawn quoted him, as saying.He said this while clarifying media reports that indicated the deal allows India to resume nuclear tests and to reprocess spent fuel from US-supplied reactors, freeing fuel from other reactors for making weapons.
India and the US completed negotiations on the bilateral agreement on civilian nuclear energy cooperation last month, which was later termed by Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a "historic milestone."
The deal aims to give India access to US nuclear fuel and equipments for the first time in 30 years, to help meet its soaring energy needs.
The next step towards formalising the nuclear cooperation includes, approval of the 123-agreement by the US Congress, negotiation by India for a country-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
The NSG would need to amend its guidelines to permit civilian nuclear commerce with India.
ANI