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Round The World
Iran Goes Ahead On N-Energy
WHITHER THE INDO-US NUCLEAR DEAL?
By Dr. Chintamani Mahapatra
(School of International Studies, JNU)
New Delhi, February 18, 2008
The nuclear deal between India and the US appears to have got
stuck. Is it because the Opposition has gone relatively mild
against this deal? Is it because the Government has nothing
new to say on this? The CPM's ideological supremo, Prakash
Karat, has threatened to restart a campaign against the
nuclear deal and the US Ambassador Mulford has expressed his
willingness to meet him to clarify doubts, if any.
Is it appropriate for an Ambassador to meet the Opposition
leaders to clarify on a deal that has been finalized by his
Government with the Government of the host country? No one has
raised the appropriateness of this issue and it reflects that
the Opposition parties have gone soft on this issue. The CPM
has shown its interest in starting a campaign but has not done
it yet.
A lot many events are happening outside of India and the US
that would affect the fate of this deal until it truly
materializes. Significantly, while Indian Government appears
to be struggling hard to fulfill its side of the commitment to
enable the Indo-US nuclear deal to come to its fruition, the
Iranian Government is showing ever more determination to go
ahead with its uranium enrichment programme.
Due to the political barriers erected by a constituent of the
ruling coalition of the UPA Government, the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh is at pains to complete the process in time for
the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation deal to materialize.
The seriousness of the domestic hurdles to the nuclear policy
is indicated by the willingness of the American Ambassador to
meet with Prakash Karat, the leading champion of the Left’s
opposition to the nuclear deal to clarify misperceptions.
Unlike India, the Iranian leadership does not have much
domestic opposition to the country's civilian nuclear
programme. On the eve of celebrating more than two decades of
the successful Iranian Islamic Revolution when President
Ahmadinejad asked a mammoth rally of people: ""I ask the
people's view. Would you agree if I ... gave in, surrendered
or compromised over the nuclear issue? Would you agree to give
up one iota of your nuclear rights?" the crowd replied in
response: "No!" and "Nuclear energy is our definite right."
Iran's main problem comes from the external sources,
particularly the United States. Significantly, the Bush
Administration is trying to convince the international
community the potential danger of the Iranian civilian nuclear
programme. The Americans do not believe that there is any
urgent need for energy resource rich Iran to spend enormous
amount of money in an expensive nuclear programme. Washington
suspects that Tehran's main ambition is to develop a nuclear
weapon capability.
Moreover, Iran has been at logger heads with the United States
since 1979. Washington accuses Tehran of supporting anti-US
terrorist groups, of opposing the Middle Eastern peace
process, of indulging in destabilizing Lebanon and backing the
anti-American insurgents in Iraq. An Iranian regime that has
taken an extreme hard line position on the very existence of
Israel and appears determined to go ahead with its nuclear
programme is clearly unacceptable to the US.
Washington sees nothing but an ambition to acquire nuclear
weapon capability in Tehran. It argues that denying Iran a
full cycle civilian nuclear energy capability is the best for
the non-proliferation goals of the international community.
Simultaneously, the US Administration is seeking international
endorsement for a civilian nuclear cooperation plan with India
by indicating the potential benefits of such a venture. The
Indian nuclear energy programme, unlike the Iranian one, is
viewed as a positive step towards nuclear non-proliferation.
To the critics, it is a reflection of double standard of the
Bush Administration, since it is seeking nuclear cooperation
with a new nuclear weapon power outside the NPT regime and
denying an NPT member its legitimate plan to generate nuclear
energy.
However, the Bush Administration does not see a contradiction
in its policy. It argues that the nuclear deal with India will
promote environmentally friendly nuclear energy in a country
that is experiencing one of the fastest economic growths in
the world; will bring under safeguards 65 per cent of its
nuclear reactors to boost the non-proliferation goals.
However, by keeping its eyes closed to the Iranian nuclear
programme it would certainly lead to emergence of a yet
another nuclear weapon power in not so distant a future.
The Iranian dimension of the problems affecting the Indo-US
nuclear deal is well known. The US has been urging India to
halt its negotiations with Iran on the proposed
Indian-Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline. New Delhi took a few steps
to satisfy Washington’s demands, but the gas pipeline proposal
reappears once in a while. The Ministers in charge of energy
issues of the three countries are likely to meet in Tehran to
discuss the issue. What does it mean?
India has also finalized negotiations with Russia for the
construction of four new nuclear power plants. The signature
on this subject will be inked once the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG)
give clearances for the civilian nuclear cooperation with
India. What does this move towards Russia mean?
Is India using its proposed hydrocarbon energy cooperation
with Iran and nuclear energy cooperation with Russia as
bargaining chips? Certainly the Indian opponents of the
Indo-US deal will be happy to see positive movements on these
two issues. But will the United States feel satisfied with
Indian moves towards Iran and Russia?
In fact, the Americans are currently in the midst of crucial
Presidential election campaigns. The domestic opposition to
the nuclear deal; and India's positive overtures towards Iran
and Russia are like to complicate the Indo-US nuclear deal
further, even as the US election campaigns unfold. Both the
Democratic Party Presidential hopefuls are unlikely to back a
deal initialed by the Republican Administration of George
Bush. There is no guarantee that the Republican candidate
McCain will replicate Bush's initiative towards India.
It is to be seen how this issue is played up during the
election campaigns in the US. The Government of India has to
make very careful diplomatic moves and issue official
statements, if it continues to hold high hopes on this deal.
----INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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