Burns coming to iron out 123 pact- Hindustan Times

The Indo-US 123 Nuclear Agreement is most likely going to die if nothing is done this coming week when American Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns visits India. The agreement is 90% there. But the remaining 10% about the reprocessing rights and India's right to carry out Nuclear experiments are significant issues. The UPA government of Dr. Manmohan Singh will have to give in if it wants the deal to go through. Anything less that what the Bush Administrations is asking for is not going to work. The US Congress is unlikely to make concessions that India has been asking for. Bush Administration may make some concessions for India but it is no guarantee that those concessions would be approved by the US Congress. India's relations with Iran are making US lawmakers very uncomfortable and rightly so. Iran with a nuclear bomb would be a threat to the world peace. India cannot have it both ways. The UPA government should have thought about these issues before getting into 123 Nuclear Agreement.

For all practical purposes one can say that the UPA government is living in a dream world. India is trying to work out a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group to start nuclear commerce with the rest of the world. New Delhi is clear that the waiver should be "short and comprehensive".

(Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India_seeks_quick_waiver_from_NSG/articleshow/2055613.cms)

If 123 Nuclear Agreement dies, India's efforts with the NSG would turn out to be futile. India should not expect too much from the NSG unless it is willing to make serious concessions on 123 Nuclear Agreement with the US. NSG might just wait it out till the agreement is cleared by the US Congress.

It seems that John Howard's party is going to be defeated in Australia's general elections later this year. If Australian Labour Party comes into power, it will be impossible for India to get any concessions from Australia. Labour Party is unlikely to resume nuclear commerce with India. Australians have already started giving indications to this effect.

".....observers are taking policy speeches at Labor Party's Sydney conference with much more seriousness. The Australian opposition party is expected to win the government in elections held later this year."

"Senator Chris Evans, Labor's energy spokesman has made it abundantly clear that Labor government would not sell uranium to India as the South-Asian country has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty."

(Source:http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=82518acb-1c73-4be8-b790-2436d5827fef&ParentID=1c7f2f09-fc38-4fdd-962c-fc0963ddc310&&Headline=India+can+bomb+us%2c+says+Aussie+party)

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