Friday, 17 August, 2007

The Australian

The US-India nuclear treaty would benefit all

POLITICAL difficulties in India and the US may scuttle an agreement between the two nations to exchange nuclear technology even before it is signed. This would be unfortunate because the agreement would benefit India, the US, Australia and the international community.

India, with its population of 1.12billion has an enormous need for energy. It already has 14 nuclear power plants but will need many more if it is not to become one of the world's largest emitters of greenhouse gases. Under the new agreement, it would have access to the safest nuclear energy technology in the world and its civilian reactors would come under the supervision of the IAEA.

Unfortunately, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is facing vociferous opposition from the Left Front within his coalition United Progressive Alliance and from the opposition BJP who both claim that the new agreement would compromise India's national sovereignty, preventing it from maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent by conducting nuclear tests. If a compromise cannot be reached, Dr Singh may be forced to call an early election. Polls indicate his popularity is soaring and Dr Singh is well aware that conducting nuclear tests is not essential to maintaining a nuclear deterrent.

In the US, neither Republicans nor Democrats will approve the agreement unless India unequivocally agrees not to conduct nuclear tests. In Australia, the Government has made it clear that the agreement must be signed before it would export uranium to India. Illogically, the Labor Party objects to the agreement because India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The party's former foreign minister Gareth Evans said yesterday the agreement gave away too much and demanded too little. Yet India has a spotless non-proliferation record and would join the Nuclear Suppliers Group which regulates access to nuclear material and technology. It is to be hoped the treaty can be signed because it would reduce greenhouse gases, reduce the threat of nuclear accidents or proliferation and underpin India's rapid economic expansion, which is raising millions out of poverty.