India, Canada sign civil nuclear deal

V S Chandrasekar & Bal Krishna
Toronto, Jun 28 (PTI) Ending a 36-year-old freeze in
nuclear cooperation, Canada signed a landmark civil nuclear
deal with India with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assuring
that imported uranium and atomic technology will not be used
for "any unintended purpose."
Singh said the nuclear cooperation pact "breaks new
grounds" in the history of Indo-Canadian cooperation in the
atomic sector while his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper
called it a good agreement because "we cannot live in the past
of 1970s".
The agreement signed in the presence of Singh and Harper
came 36 years after Canada halted nuclear cooperation with
India and slapped sanctions after it exploded a nuclear bomb
in 1974 for which Canadian-designed reactors were used.
Singh and Harper also provided reassurances that there
were adequate safeguards in the civilian deal.
The agreement will enable India to import Canadian
atomic equipment and technology and secure uranium by
providing the Canadian nuclear industry access to the
expanding multi-billion dollar Indian nuclear market. The
possibility of having joint ventures will also be explored.
Canada is the eighth nation to reach a civil nuclear
deal with India since the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, a cartel
which trades in nuclear fuel, equipment and technology, lifted
a 34-year ban on India in 2008. US, France and Russia are
among the countries with which India has civil nuclear pacts.
"We have complete civilian control and there is no
scope whatsoever for any nuclear material or equipment being
supplied going for any unintended purpose," Singh told a joint
press conference with Harper after the agreement was signed by
Srikumar Banerjee, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy and
host Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon.
"Nuclear material supplied to India will be fully
safeguarded in terms of agreement signed with IAEA. We have
fool-proof system of export controls," Singh said responding
to a question whether there were enough safeguards to prevent
nuclear material coming to India under such agreements being
used for any weapons programme.
Singh the first Indian Head of the Government to visit
Canada after I K Gujral's trip here 16 years ago, said the
agreement "breaks new grounds" in the history of bilateral
cooperation in the sector.
"It reflects the change in International realities and
will open new doors for mutually beneficial cooperation in
nuclear technology," he added.
In an apparent reference to sanctions imposed by Canada
on India after the Pokhran-I and Pokhran-II atomic tests in
1974 and 1998, Harper said his country cannot live in the
past.
"We cannot live as a country in 1970s. We have got
assurances of safeguards in place in relation to the nuclear
cooperation which is bigger than in the past. India is very
important in the future. It shares with us many ideals," he
said.
A joint statement issued at the end of the Singh-Harper
meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit said the two Prime
Ministers committed themselves to the ratification of the
nuclear agreement and completion of all remaining steps
necessary to ensure its early implementation.
The two leaders also strongly condemned terrorism in
all its forms and manifestations and agreed to direct their
respective governments toward greater cooperation in
counter-terrorism and security related matters.
Singh also made it clear to Canada and the Sikh
community that the Canadian soil should not be allowed to be
used for promoting extremism against India and hoped the
government here was "alive to what is happening". PTI VSC/BK
MRD


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