NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in his quest for nuclear civilian energy, has committed Indian nuclear civilian facilities to international inspections by IAEA inspectors in what is perceived by nuclear experts here as a major shift in nuclear policy and approach. US President George W. Bush, in return, has only agreed to “seek agreement” and “consult” the US Congress and friends and allies to see if they would be willing to “adjust” US laws and international regimes to help India in securing nuclear civilian energy.

The joint agreement presents a studied contrast in the positions taken by the two leaders. President Bush has said that as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology India “should” acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such states. This has been projected by spin doctors as a recognition of India’s nuclear power status, a view that is strongly refuted here by nuclear experts such as Brahma Chellaney and Bharat Karnad who insist that there is no such US commitment only a viewpoint tempered with the word “should.”

Prime Minister Singh has agreed to a list of 10 measures that will be imposed voluntarily by India on its nuclear programme. These include: India will identify and separate civilian and military nuclear facilities in a phased manner. No time frame is indicated, with Mr Karnad wanting to know whether India will undertake the task immediately, or whether it will wait for the US Congress clearance to know exactly where it stands on the nuclear civilian energy front. Mr Chellaney pointed out that it was very difficult to separate the civilian and military components of India’s nuclear programme because its three phase commercial nuclear power planning envisaged the development, in the next stage, of fast breeder reactors whose fuel comprises weapons-usable plutonium.

India will file a declaration regarding its civilian facilities with the International Atomic Energy Agency. This is again a shift in policy as India was traditionally opposed to this.

India will voluntarily place its civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards. Until now, India had agreed to place just the new facilities like two Tarapur reactors and one in Rajasthan under IAEA controls. Now, all the earlier as well as new facilities will come under this provision in what experts insist is in violation of a national consensus.

India will sign and adhere to an additional protocol with respect to civilian nuclear facilities. New Delhi had resisted this earlier as this will open all Indian civilian nuclear facilities to international inspections at any time.

India will ensure that necessary steps have been taken to secure nuclear materials and technology through comprehensive export control legislation and through harmonisation and adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime and Nuclear Suppliers Group guidelines.

President Bush, on his part, will work to persuade the US Congress to lift the restrictions on India and the NSG to agree to adjust international regimes so that India can shop for nuclear civilian energy, including fuel for Tarapur. Nuclear experts here are of the view that the price extracted from India is too high. Foreign secretary Shyam Saran, when asked about this by reporters in Washington, said that the commitments made by the government were not “too onerous.”

He said that this was exactly what other nuclear weapon states had accepted, a fact that was contested by several nuclear experts who pointed out that India was still not a recognized nuclear weapons state.

President Bush also did not give any commitments on India’s desire to participate and contribute to the ITER. He merely said that the US will consult with its partners considering India’s participation in this as well as in the Generation IV International Forum.

Analysts here point out that President Bush would find it difficult to convince the Congress to lift the restrictions on India and a change in US laws “could take time.”

Similarly, Opposition from the Nuclear Suppliers Group to what will be seen as a dilution of its regime is also expected with pressure again on India to sign the NPT as a precursor to seeking entry into the exclusive club.

“The US is hemming us in, they are using atmospherics again to extract major concessions and now the prime minister must clarify when he expects to separate the military and civilian installations, how he proposes to do this, and when he proposes to do this,” a senior analyst said.—By arrangement with AsianAge/Delhi