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News Analysis
PM returns empty handed
By OP Gupta, IFS [Retd]
PM has not listed the ‘issues’. Before rushing into signing the N-deal the UPA government failed to read the fine prints of the US Atomic Energy Act and various US laws which govern US exports of nuclear items.
During this visit PM gave another concession on FMCT to US non-proliferation ayatollahs without securing anything for India. The joint statement reads: “India reaffirmed its unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. Both countries agreed to consult each other regularly and seek early start of negotiations...”
Prime Minister’s State visit to the USA turned out to be a big failure, low on achievements, and high on protocol, pomp and show, use of ornamentally rich but empty words and generalised optimism. PM failed to obtain any commitment of the US for our permanent membership of expanded UN Security Council as and when expansion took place. And he also failed to get the Obama Presidency operationa-lise the India-US Civil Nuclear agreement by giving green signal to US companies for starting nuclear trade with India. It may be recalled that the Indo-US N deal was presented to Indian people as the hall mark of the first term of Prime Ministership.
This visit was treated as a ‘State visit’ and thus turned into the first State visit hosted by President Barack Hussein Obama though Dr Singh is not a Head of State.
On side of use of flowery language the Joint Statement has been captioned ‘India and the USA, Partnership for a better world’. It reaffirms the global strategic partnership between India and the USA and promises to build upon the India-USA strategic Dialogue announced in July 2009. President Obama, Joint statement says, looks forward to a stable and prosperous India playing an increasingly important role in world affairs. No specifics of role to be played by emerging India into world affairs were spelt out.
On Afghanistan the Joint statement says that President Obama appreciated India’s role in reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan, and two leaders agreed to enhance their respective efforts in this direction. This does throw cold water on Pakistani efforts to push India out of Afghanistan.
During the visit three Memoranda of Understandings were signed. These are [i] MoU to Enhance Cooperation on Energy Security, Energy efficiency, Clear Energy and Climate Change, [ii] MoU on Agricultural Cooperation and Food Security, and, [iii] India-US Counter-terrorism Cooperation Initiatives. These MoUs show the nature and content of this visit.
The Joint Statement does not even mention whether PM took up the matter of our case for permanent membership of expanded UNSC. During the NDA regime public support of three out of five permanent [P-5] members of UNSC had been secured viz. France, Russia and the UK. Since May 2004 the UPA government has not been able to secure support of the two remaining members of P-5 viz. the USA and the People’s Republic of China.
Asked if the issue of a permanent seat for India in the expanded UN Security Council came up during talks with President Obama, PM said: “there was only a general discussion on the subject and there was no specific commitment (of support) from (the US side) nor one was asked (by the Indian side)”. It is disgusting and defeatist reply showing casual approach of the UPA government on such an important foreign policy issue so dear to Indian masses.
In the Joint Statement US has not recognised India as a nuclear weapon state. It is another failure of the UPA Government. Indian supporters of the N deal who were expecting bold announcements to operationalise the 123 agreement were disappointed as the Joint Statement simply states: “The two leaders reiterated their intention to realise the full potential of the India-US Agreement for Cooperation concerning the Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy through the implementation of its provisions. They agreed to expedite US firms’ participation in the implementation of this agreement”.
In his press meeting PM added: “We have had a very good discussion at the highest levels. I have been assured by the US leadership that the US remains committed to the early implementation of the civil nuclear agreement. There are minor problems with regard to the reprocessing of the spent fuel under the 123 agreement. I think there are no insurmountable problems. I am confident that in the next couple of weeks we can sort out issues”
PM has not listed the ‘issues’. Before rushing into signing the N deal the UPA government failed to read the fine prints of the US Atomic Energy Act and various US laws which govern US exports of nuclear items.
The Press Trust of India in its Washington dateline November 16, 2009, story has reported that in February 2009 the Obama Administration had asked India to give a letter of assurance on nuclear non-proliferation, i.e. assurance to sign NPT, CTBT and FMCT to take forward the Indo-US civilian nuclear cooperation. It is said that in absence of such a letter of assurance the US Department of Energy will not be able to issue the mandatory licence called Part 810 [part eight ten] to American companies for doing any kind of civilian nuclear trade with India.
It may be recalled that in July 2009 the G-8 summit had called upon all NSG countries (which includes USA) to further curb transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies and related equipment to non-NPT countries (like India).
As mentioned in my article “President Obama, An Appraisal” (Organiser, October 18, 2009) at the initiative of Obama the UNSC passed Resolution 1887 that calls upon all states that are not parties to NPT (such as India) to accede to the Treaty as non-nuclear weapon states and sign CTBT and FMCT.
Here it is pertinent to recall that Obama has strong views on non-proliferation, which was evidenced by two killer amendments he had moved in the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee while approving the infamous Hyde Act. In this Committee he had suggested (Senate Amendment 5169) that supply of nuclear fuel to India should be actual need based of an imported nuclear reactor (Section 103(b) (10) of the Hyde Act) so that India is not able to create its strategic reserves from imported fuel. Obama also suggested ensuring that US should not facilitate nuclear exports by other countries to India if such US exports were terminated. This second Obama amendment is reflected in Section 102(13) of the Hyde Act.
During this visit PM gave another concession on FMCT to US non-proliferation ayatollahs without securing anything for India. The joint statement reads: “India reaffirmed its unilateral and voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosive testing. Both countries agreed to consult each other regularly and seek early start of negotiations on a multilateral non-discriminatory and internationally verifiable Fissile material cutoff treaty.”
The US and the UPA Governments have failed to fully harness the warmth which vast majorities of Indian people have towards the USA. The UPA government as wrong tactics surrenders bargaining chips before hard negotiations begin and therefore returns home with eggs on its face.
(The writer served as Ambassador/High Commissioner to many countries and belongs to the 1971 batch of the Indian Foreign Service. He is available at www.opgupta.org)
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