Pact With US Not to Hinder India's Strategic Nuclear Weapons Program: PM
Posted on: Saturday, 30 July 2005, 09:00 CDT
Pact with US not to hinder India's strategic nuclear weapons program: PM
NEW DELHI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Friday the nuclear pact signed during his recent visit to the United States doesn't compromise India's national security.
"There is nothing in the joint statement (issued after his talks with President George W. Bush) that inhibits or hinders our strategic nuclear weapons program," the prime minister said in a statement to the Parliament.
"Security interests of our country are our highest priority. We expect the same rights and responsibilities as other nuclear powers," he added.
The prime minister's assertion came in the wake of criticism of the recently signed nuclear deal between India and the United States from certain political groups in the country who had dubbed the agreement as a "sell out" to the United States on the issue.
Singh also spoke about the joint statement referring to India's identification and separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities in a phased manner and a decision to place voluntarily civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.
"India, would never accept discrimination. Hence, the phased action, in terms of identification and separation of civilian nuclear facilities, based solely on our own duly calibrated national decisions, will be taken at appropriate points in time, consistent with our national security interests," Singh said.
India and the United States have recently signed a nuclear power deal under which the United States would help India's civilian nuclear program despite its military nuclear capabilities and its refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS
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