India to open civilian nuclear programme to IAEA scrutiny
24 Jun 2014
India on Monday decided to ratify the additional protocol to India-specific safeguard agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IATA), in a signal that the country is open to greater international scrutiny of its civil nuclear programme.
"Let me confirm to you that the government has decided to ratify the additional protocol to India specific safeguard agreement. We had signed this earlier, what we have decided is to take next step of ratification. This is a signal of our commitment to abide by our international obligations," Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson in the external affairs ministry, said.
Ratification of the agreement with the IAEA to expand oversight of its civilian nuclear programme that would unblock a major nuclear partnership with the United States comes ahead of a planned meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama in September.
It will send a strong signal that the new government in India wants to bolster strategic and trade ties with the United States.
India, however, will not open its military nuclear programme to international scrutiny and critics of the civil nuclear agreement are worried that the pact fails to address concerns that India could get into the club of select countries that trade in nuclear materials without first signing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty that seeks to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.
Following the US-India civil nuclear deal, the IAEA in 2009 approved the additional protocol, which was intended to clear the way for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to grant India a waiver on its civil nuclear trade with other countries.
Ratification of the additional protocol is key to separating India's civilian and military nuclear operations and could help unlock tens of billions of dollars in US-led investment in new nuclear generation capacity.
India, which first tested a nuclear weapon in 1974, is not a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its military nuclear programme is out of the purview of IAEA inspections.
India and Pakistan are known nuclear powers but are yet to become NPT signatories because their weapons status is not recognised, while neighbouring China with its military and economic clout is recognised as a nuclear weapons power
