Recently, India and the United States have made a historic breakthrough in their relations, striking a deal on civilian nuclear co-operation. The agreement would allow nuclear fuel for India’s Tarapur reactor. The US helped build the reactor but later reneged on contractual obligations to supply fuel for it because India refused to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The deal recognises India’s unique position as a nuclear state with rights and benefits which is outside the club of the five permanent nuclear powers. The United States made a commitment to invite India to participate in international nuclear research, something that India has demanded for years.
Critics in the US have raise objections - the non-proliferation lobby argues that President Bush’s decision to sell nuclear technology and equipment to Indian will encourage other countries to go down the nuclear path.
A strange clause in the 40 paged agreement was that of the fact that India cannot do military related Nuclear Test unless it feels threatened by Pakistan and China. This means that India can do a nuclear test only if Pakistan or China does it first. This agreement does not however hinder India making Nuclear bombs and continue its military research. And there is no mention of a “Nuclear” test ban per se.
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