US, India clinch nuclear reprocessing deal

Washington: India and the United States have concluded a nuclear fuel reprocessing agreement, the US State Department announced on Monday.

The agreement is a key step in full realization of the Indo-US nuclear deal and ensures that reprocessing of nuclear fuel supplied by the US will take place under IAEA safeguards.

Disclosing that the two sides have "taken an important step toward implementing civil nuclear cooperation by completing negotiations on 'arrangements and procedures' for reprocessing US-origin spent nuclear fuel, the statement said "completion of these arrangements will facilitate participation by US firms in India's rapidly expanding civil nuclear energy sector."

The negotiations were held as per a clause in the 123 Agreement that mandated India to set up a dedicated reprocessing facility under IAEA safeguards where the spent nuclear fuel from the US could be reprocessed.

Under the 123 Agreement, negotiations on reprocessing were to be started six months after the signing of 123 Agreement and concluded within a year.

Though it is not clear why the negotiations should have been so long drawn out they have been described as ''complex and technical'' by Indian officials.

It is certainly intriguing that the agreement comes within a week or so of the government of India withdrawing a nuclear liability bill from the parliament.

It not only comes in advance of a proposed trip by Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh to Washington next month to attend a nuclear conference hosted by president Barack Obama, but even as domestic positions in India have begun to perceptibly harden with regard to this landmark agreement.

Even the ruling party, the Indian National Congress, is fighting shy of identifying itself openly with aspects of the agreement, and has made its lack of enthusiasm with the recently introduced, and hurriedly withdrawn, nuclear liability bill fairly evident.