nitesh
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more or less it will be something like what happened in NSG meet some resistance to keep the domestic lobby happy and then agree in some vague language. ha ha ha
India's Nuclear Agreement
- Thread starter nitesh
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more or less it will be something like what happened in NSG meet some resistance to keep the domestic lobby happy and then agree in some vague language. ha ha ha
Marshal
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Yea..........and these four countries are opposing because they dont see any benefit in this deal for themselves.....other countries are supporting because either they have good relation with India or they are going to benefit in a huge way as far as business is concerned.........
nitesh
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marshal, you must check it
The Hindu : Front Page : “Waiver offers opportunity for nuclear exports”
this is not a one way street
Marshal
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It will take a while before we can do that I think the FBR will prove jewel in the crown as far as the N-export is concerned.....
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nitesh
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actually it will be faster as the companies will try to outsource as much work as possible here so that they can become cost effective. Really Mr. Manmohan singh has taken a path breaking decision.
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nitesh
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Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan
MUMBAI - The deal is all but done and dealers are already in. The anticipated US$100 billion worth of nuclear power infrastructure deals are buzzing across India Inc after India last week became the only country to be allowed to trade in nuclear material without signing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Last weekend, the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) gave India a waiver allowing it to engage in nuclear commerce without signing either the NPT or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, paving the way for the US Congress to ratify a potentially lucrative civilian nuclear deal with New Delhi.
Nuclear power plant infrastructure companies from the US, Russia, France and Britain are expected to fight for chunks of India's fat nuclear business pie. Investments worth more than $20 billion could now be made in infrastructure related to nuclear power plants, as India moves towards its goal of generating 40,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2020.
That increase, from the present 3,500 megawatts, will raise the nuclear share of energy production in the fast-growing economy to between 5% and 7% of the country's total energy output from the present 3%.
The size of India's nuclear business potential, with US firms being promised preference, gives ample indication of the kind of American pressure that went into getting approval from reluctant countries such as Ireland and New Zealand in the 45-nation NSG. The waiver agreement follows strong lobbying by groups such as the Washington-based US-India Business Council vowing to secure congress ratification to "clear the way for US companies to participate in India's nuclear renaissance".
The Confederation of Indian Industry was also quick to indicate the expectations of Indian and US companies, with a statement released on September 8 entitled "Important role for industry to play in clean energy sector". The statement began with David Bohigian, the US assistant secretary of commerce, saying nearly $17 trillion would be invested in clean energy technologies by 2025, and that "India and the United States can be active partners in this drive towards sustainable and green industry".
India's communist parties (which withdrew parliamentary support to the government on July 9 after the government pressed ahead with the nuclear deal with the US) were left impotently screaming about India having surrendered its nuclear sovereignty, and suspicion gave way to satisfaction that it is now in a club of one: the only country that can trade in nuclear fuel material without signing the NPT.
Two years of heated, divisive debate on the nuclear deal also gave way to a buzz across the country on how much India stands to gain. The stock markets gained 3% as plans by India's largest engineering firms such as Larsen & Toubro took a huge jump towards becoming reality.
Over 400 Indian and foreign firms are expected to gain from the NSG waiver, according to leading industry bodies such as the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The 2020 goal for the country's nuclear power generation industry requires a minimum investment of $45 billion, estimates the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
While most of the new nuclear power plant deals are in the near future category, Larsen & Toubro has already struck a $750 million joint-venture deal this past July with the government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to manufacture forgings for nuclear power plants.
Another engineering major, government-owned Bharat Heavy Electronics Ltd, and L&T are together expected to garner contracts worth $10 billion of the estimated $100 billion worth of deals over the next two decades.
Mumbai-based NPCIL, which spearheads India's nuclear power program, says it has 17 nuclear reactors in operation and five reactors under construction.
The $1.2 billion GVK group, another leading infrastructure-developing Indian company, has plans to buy reactors and equipment from American companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse Electric.
Other companies standing to benefit include consumer durables giant Videocon, which has recently forayed into the power sector. It is one of at least 40 companies, which include Tata Power and Jindal, in contention for contracts to build nuclear reactors and ancillary infrastructure.
The tricky part lies in the fact that current laws have to be amended to allow the private sector into the nuclear trade, with India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 declaring that only companies that are government-owned with over a 51% stake are allowed to enter the nuclear power sector.
The 40 companies have formed a pressure group to lobby the government to allow private companies to get involved in the sector. "These 40 companies have already started negotiations with the government and their foreign counterparts," Videocon chief Venugopal Dhoot told the media.
India's three biggest industry bodies - the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and and the Confederation of Indian Industry - are pushing the government to make appropriate amendments to the law to let the companies get a share of the pie.
The government, though, has put such hopes on hold, with the junior cabinet Minister for Power Jairam Ramesh declaring there was "no hurry" to let private companies into nuclear power projects.
The first priority, the minister said, would be to have government-owned companies such as the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd establish more nuclear power stations and in having existing nuclear plants run at full capacity.
India's nuclear power plants are estimated to be running at about only 50% of capacity. The country has been starved of sufficient nuclear fuel for the past 34 years after being banished into the nuclear cold after its first atomic weapons test on May 18, 1974, at Pokhran in the desert sands of Rajasthan in north-western India.
Growth in the nuclear industry will benefit more than just companies building the plants and their suppliers. The US-India Business Council points out that India suffers severe shortages of energy, leading to power cuts and low power use. At the same time, it imports more than 75% of polluting hydrocarbons it uses.
"India's energy utilization is fractional compared to most countries," a US India Business Council statement noted, with India "consuming only 600 kilowatt hours of electricity per person per year as compared to 14,000 kilowatt hours per person consumed in Europe and the West." With even the capital New Delhi suffering from daily power cuts, ordinary folk and unrelated businesses will be grateful for any improvement.
To get India's nuclear power plants running at full throttle, the government is investing heavily in sourcing more uranium within India, as well as picking up equity in uranium mines abroad. Efforts could include a $1.2 billion investment in a Canadian uranium mine, and mining in African countries such as Namibia, Niger and Gabon.
Major nuclear power plant infrastructure providers such as Rosatom, General Electric, Westinghouse - as well as political delegations from their countries - have been anxiously scurrying in and out of India over the past two years expecting the Indo-US nuclear deal to win the nod. With that struggle nearly over, the fight begins to share the spoils.
India has refused to sign the NPT, forged in 1968 and signed by 189 other countries, on the grounds of universal nuclear disarmament, pointing out that the treaty is discriminatory in allowing the US, Britain, France, Russia and China (the permanent members of the UN Security Council) to retain their nuclear arsenals.
The NSG exemption granted at the weekend is also being seen as a reward for India's clean record at non-proliferation, unlike Pakistan, North Korea and China, which have long been accused of entering into dirty deals to illicitly swap nuclear technology.
US Congress ratification is considered a formality, despite the tight scheduling required before its session ends on September 28. Even so, questions by American legislators or public watchdogs on the full range of hidden Indian assurances and commitments to the George W Bush administration could be damaging politically to the government in Delhi.
MUMBAI - The deal is all but done and dealers are already in. The anticipated US$100 billion worth of nuclear power infrastructure deals are buzzing across India Inc after India last week became the only country to be allowed to trade in nuclear material without signing the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Last weekend, the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) gave India a waiver allowing it to engage in nuclear commerce without signing either the NPT or the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, paving the way for the US Congress to ratify a potentially lucrative civilian nuclear deal with New Delhi.
Nuclear power plant infrastructure companies from the US, Russia, France and Britain are expected to fight for chunks of India's fat nuclear business pie. Investments worth more than $20 billion could now be made in infrastructure related to nuclear power plants, as India moves towards its goal of generating 40,000 megawatts of nuclear power by 2020.
That increase, from the present 3,500 megawatts, will raise the nuclear share of energy production in the fast-growing economy to between 5% and 7% of the country's total energy output from the present 3%.
The size of India's nuclear business potential, with US firms being promised preference, gives ample indication of the kind of American pressure that went into getting approval from reluctant countries such as Ireland and New Zealand in the 45-nation NSG. The waiver agreement follows strong lobbying by groups such as the Washington-based US-India Business Council vowing to secure congress ratification to "clear the way for US companies to participate in India's nuclear renaissance".
The Confederation of Indian Industry was also quick to indicate the expectations of Indian and US companies, with a statement released on September 8 entitled "Important role for industry to play in clean energy sector". The statement began with David Bohigian, the US assistant secretary of commerce, saying nearly $17 trillion would be invested in clean energy technologies by 2025, and that "India and the United States can be active partners in this drive towards sustainable and green industry".
India's communist parties (which withdrew parliamentary support to the government on July 9 after the government pressed ahead with the nuclear deal with the US) were left impotently screaming about India having surrendered its nuclear sovereignty, and suspicion gave way to satisfaction that it is now in a club of one: the only country that can trade in nuclear fuel material without signing the NPT.
Two years of heated, divisive debate on the nuclear deal also gave way to a buzz across the country on how much India stands to gain. The stock markets gained 3% as plans by India's largest engineering firms such as Larsen & Toubro took a huge jump towards becoming reality.
Over 400 Indian and foreign firms are expected to gain from the NSG waiver, according to leading industry bodies such as the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The 2020 goal for the country's nuclear power generation industry requires a minimum investment of $45 billion, estimates the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
While most of the new nuclear power plant deals are in the near future category, Larsen & Toubro has already struck a $750 million joint-venture deal this past July with the government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to manufacture forgings for nuclear power plants.
Another engineering major, government-owned Bharat Heavy Electronics Ltd, and L&T are together expected to garner contracts worth $10 billion of the estimated $100 billion worth of deals over the next two decades.
Mumbai-based NPCIL, which spearheads India's nuclear power program, says it has 17 nuclear reactors in operation and five reactors under construction.
The $1.2 billion GVK group, another leading infrastructure-developing Indian company, has plans to buy reactors and equipment from American companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse Electric.
Other companies standing to benefit include consumer durables giant Videocon, which has recently forayed into the power sector. It is one of at least 40 companies, which include Tata Power and Jindal, in contention for contracts to build nuclear reactors and ancillary infrastructure.
The tricky part lies in the fact that current laws have to be amended to allow the private sector into the nuclear trade, with India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 declaring that only companies that are government-owned with over a 51% stake are allowed to enter the nuclear power sector.
The 40 companies have formed a pressure group to lobby the government to allow private companies to get involved in the sector. "These 40 companies have already started negotiations with the government and their foreign counterparts," Videocon chief Venugopal Dhoot told the media.
India's three biggest industry bodies - the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and and the Confederation of Indian Industry - are pushing the government to make appropriate amendments to the law to let the companies get a share of the pie.
The government, though, has put such hopes on hold, with the junior cabinet Minister for Power Jairam Ramesh declaring there was "no hurry" to let private companies into nuclear power projects.
The first priority, the minister said, would be to have government-owned companies such as the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd establish more nuclear power stations and in having existing nuclear plants run at full capacity.
India's nuclear power plants are estimated to be running at about only 50% of capacity. The country has been starved of sufficient nuclear fuel for the past 34 years after being banished into the nuclear cold after its first atomic weapons test on May 18, 1974, at Pokhran in the desert sands of Rajasthan in north-western India.
Growth in the nuclear industry will benefit more than just companies building the plants and their suppliers. The US-India Business Council points out that India suffers severe shortages of energy, leading to power cuts and low power use. At the same time, it imports more than 75% of polluting hydrocarbons it uses.
"India's energy utilization is fractional compared to most countries," a US India Business Council statement noted, with India "consuming only 600 kilowatt hours of electricity per person per year as compared to 14,000 kilowatt hours per person consumed in Europe and the West." With even the capital New Delhi suffering from daily power cuts, ordinary folk and unrelated businesses will be grateful for any improvement.
To get India's nuclear power plants running at full throttle, the government is investing heavily in sourcing more uranium within India, as well as picking up equity in uranium mines abroad. Efforts could include a $1.2 billion investment in a Canadian uranium mine, and mining in African countries such as Namibia, Niger and Gabon.
Major nuclear power plant infrastructure providers such as Rosatom, General Electric, Westinghouse - as well as political delegations from their countries - have been anxiously scurrying in and out of India over the past two years expecting the Indo-US nuclear deal to win the nod. With that struggle nearly over, the fight begins to share the spoils.
India has refused to sign the NPT, forged in 1968 and signed by 189 other countries, on the grounds of universal nuclear disarmament, pointing out that the treaty is discriminatory in allowing the US, Britain, France, Russia and China (the permanent members of the UN Security Council) to retain their nuclear arsenals.
The NSG exemption granted at the weekend is also being seen as a reward for India's clean record at non-proliferation, unlike Pakistan, North Korea and China, which have long been accused of entering into dirty deals to illicitly swap nuclear technology.
US Congress ratification is considered a formality, despite the tight scheduling required before its session ends on September 28. Even so, questions by American legislators or public watchdogs on the full range of hidden Indian assurances and commitments to the George W Bush administration could be damaging politically to the government in Delhi.
Marshal
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Only thing that matter is the written documents.....treaty signed by the two govt......Future governments of respective countries are not going to refer to those oral assurances......
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nitesh
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business pressure 
Businesses push Congress for US-India deal - Jen DiMascio and Victoria McGrane - Politico.com
this is the hurdle it seems
Businesses push Congress for US-India deal - Jen DiMascio and Victoria McGrane - Politico.com
this is the hurdle it seems
nitesh
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correct those "hidden assurances" will be of not testing and all, that does not matter.
nitesh
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ok guys check this:
Kerala Online News India has sovereign right to conduct nuclear test: US
New Delhi, Wednesday, September 10, 2008: In remarks that would put the Manmohan Singh government on solid ground and help it sell the Indo-US civil nuclear deal at home without any apprehensions, the US Ambassador to India David Mulford on Wednesday said that New Delhi retains the right to conduct nuclear tests.
Mulford also sought to clear the doubts that many in India have over the US’ Hyde Act, saying the nuclear deal is governed only by the 123 Agreement signed between the two governments.
He further said that both the Presidential nominees – Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain – support the landmark pact, and described it as a watershed event in the relations between the two countries.
The remarks assume significance in view of the speculation that the US Congress might not be able to pass the deal in its ongoing short 17-day session. Some in New Delhi and Washington even believe the deal might not be passed at all before the expiry of President George W Bush’s term. In that case, the deal would still be alive as the incoming government of either Obama or McCain would not try to block it.
Earlier in the day, Mulford had revealed that the Bush administration would present the nuclear deal in the US Congress later today for “approval”. He also emphasized that India had got a clean waiver from the NSG
Kerala Online News India has sovereign right to conduct nuclear test: US
New Delhi, Wednesday, September 10, 2008: In remarks that would put the Manmohan Singh government on solid ground and help it sell the Indo-US civil nuclear deal at home without any apprehensions, the US Ambassador to India David Mulford on Wednesday said that New Delhi retains the right to conduct nuclear tests.
Mulford also sought to clear the doubts that many in India have over the US’ Hyde Act, saying the nuclear deal is governed only by the 123 Agreement signed between the two governments.
He further said that both the Presidential nominees – Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain – support the landmark pact, and described it as a watershed event in the relations between the two countries.
The remarks assume significance in view of the speculation that the US Congress might not be able to pass the deal in its ongoing short 17-day session. Some in New Delhi and Washington even believe the deal might not be passed at all before the expiry of President George W Bush’s term. In that case, the deal would still be alive as the incoming government of either Obama or McCain would not try to block it.
Earlier in the day, Mulford had revealed that the Bush administration would present the nuclear deal in the US Congress later today for “approval”. He also emphasized that India had got a clean waiver from the NSG
Marshal
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Is there still a question remain that the deal will survive or not after reaching to this point????
Well, The deal right now is in auto mode..no one can do anything about it....
First.....It cant be abolish without consensus......we have Russia and US both in our side so even if the relationship with either of two country get worsen then India can expect that the other will try to block the termination of the deal.
second... If US congress doesnt pass it then it will be a loss to them.....in the case of congress's failiure to pass the deal. they can neither terminate the deal nor can stop India from doing n-commerce with other countries....if the countries which are in US camp bowing to US pressure decline to provide reactors and technology to India....the Russia and its supporting country will definetely do the opposite.
so for the US congress it will be better to get something then nothing.
however at the moment the US-India relationship is all time high. thats why I dont see any reason for the US congress not to pass the deal.
nitesh
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guys so it is not one way street, check this:
The Hindu Business Line : US steps up demand for heavy water from India
US steps up demand for heavy water from India
Importing companies mainly use it for non-nuclear purpose
Heavy demand
4,400 kg of nuclear-grade heavy water exported to a US firm recently
Two orders received for 11 tonnes and 4.6 tonnes of heavy water
Higher demand foreseen for ‘superior purity’ of Indian product
Anil Sasi
Advertisement
New Delhi, June 1 Even as the fate of the Indo-US nuclear deal hangs in the balance, India is gradually emerging as a big-ticket exporter of heavy water.
Heavy water is a sensitive ingredient used mainly as a moderator and coolant in nuclear power stations as well as research reactors.
The US is emerging as the biggest customer for Indian heavy water exports, while South Korea has also ordered a consignment, even as the firms from these countries that have placed orders are using the compound largely for non-nuclear purpose.
The Heavy Water Board (HWB) — a constituent unit under the Department of Atomic Energy that is primarily responsible for production of heavy water — recently executed an export order of 4,400 kg of nuclear-grade heavy water to US firm Spectra Gases Inc.
According to official sources, the New Jersey-based company has now placed another export order for 11 tonnes of heavy water.
Cambridge Laboratories Inc, another US-based firm, has requested for 4.6 tonnes of high-quality heavy water. The Board has also bagged an order from South Korea for 4 tonnes of heavy water.
Heavy water contains a higher proportion of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. Chemically the same as regular water, it is mostly used as a moderator in nuclear reactors that use non-enriched uranium and helps in stabilising the volatile chain reactions.
Growing demand
HWB currently operates seven plants in the country, all of which (except Hazira and Tuticorin) were operating at over 100 per cent of their rated production capacity till March 2008. While India has exported some quantities of heavy water in the late 1990s to South Korea and China, prior to the May 1998 nuclear weapons tests, the exported quantities were quite insignificant and there were no repeat orders. It is now that orders are picking up and, more importantly, importers include global nuclear powers such as the US.
According to official sources, the demand is expected to pick up in the coming years because of the “high quality and superior purity levels” of HWB’s heavy water. Spectra Gases, for instance, uses Indian heavy water imports at one of its divisions, Spectra Stable Isotopes, which manufactures stable isotope biochemicals — proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories specialises in the development, production, and marketing of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes and chemical compounds labelled with stable isotopes.
The Hindu Business Line : US steps up demand for heavy water from India
US steps up demand for heavy water from India
Importing companies mainly use it for non-nuclear purpose
Heavy demand
4,400 kg of nuclear-grade heavy water exported to a US firm recently
Two orders received for 11 tonnes and 4.6 tonnes of heavy water
Higher demand foreseen for ‘superior purity’ of Indian product
Anil Sasi
Advertisement
New Delhi, June 1 Even as the fate of the Indo-US nuclear deal hangs in the balance, India is gradually emerging as a big-ticket exporter of heavy water.
Heavy water is a sensitive ingredient used mainly as a moderator and coolant in nuclear power stations as well as research reactors.
The US is emerging as the biggest customer for Indian heavy water exports, while South Korea has also ordered a consignment, even as the firms from these countries that have placed orders are using the compound largely for non-nuclear purpose.
The Heavy Water Board (HWB) — a constituent unit under the Department of Atomic Energy that is primarily responsible for production of heavy water — recently executed an export order of 4,400 kg of nuclear-grade heavy water to US firm Spectra Gases Inc.
According to official sources, the New Jersey-based company has now placed another export order for 11 tonnes of heavy water.
Cambridge Laboratories Inc, another US-based firm, has requested for 4.6 tonnes of high-quality heavy water. The Board has also bagged an order from South Korea for 4 tonnes of heavy water.
Heavy water contains a higher proportion of the hydrogen isotope deuterium. Chemically the same as regular water, it is mostly used as a moderator in nuclear reactors that use non-enriched uranium and helps in stabilising the volatile chain reactions.
Growing demand
HWB currently operates seven plants in the country, all of which (except Hazira and Tuticorin) were operating at over 100 per cent of their rated production capacity till March 2008. While India has exported some quantities of heavy water in the late 1990s to South Korea and China, prior to the May 1998 nuclear weapons tests, the exported quantities were quite insignificant and there were no repeat orders. It is now that orders are picking up and, more importantly, importers include global nuclear powers such as the US.
According to official sources, the demand is expected to pick up in the coming years because of the “high quality and superior purity levels” of HWB’s heavy water. Spectra Gases, for instance, uses Indian heavy water imports at one of its divisions, Spectra Stable Isotopes, which manufactures stable isotope biochemicals — proteins, carbohydrates and nucleic acids.
Cambridge Isotope Laboratories specialises in the development, production, and marketing of stable (non-radioactive) isotopes and chemical compounds labelled with stable isotopes.
Marshal
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China hopes India's NSG waiver is for peaceful use
In its first response to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver for India, China on Monday hoped the decision will contribute to "peaceful use of nuclear energy" and international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation.
"China believes that all countries are entitled to make peaceful use of nuclear energy, and conduct international cooperation in this regard. Meanwhile, relevant cooperation should be conducive to safeguarding the integrity and efficacy of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in response to a question on the NSG waiver for India.
The Chinese embassy in New Delhi issued a statement containing the remarks of the spokesperson hours before China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi.
Sections of the Indian establishment have been miffed over China's role at the three-day NSG meeting that ended on Saturday in Vienna.
China had all along assured the Indian leadership that it will not block the waiver at the NSG. But during hectic parleys and at a critical juncture when the US was trying its best to reach a consensus among the 45 members of the NSG, China made serious attempts to put off a final decision until later.
It was only after senior members of the Bush administration made phone calls and India issued a demarche to China that it agreed to go for an extended meeting and finally rallied behind others in the NSG to reach a consensus on the waiver.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "China has been taking part in relevant meetings within the Nuclear Suppliers Group in a responsible and constructive manner."
The spokesperson added, "On September 6, NSG discussed civilian nuclear cooperation with India and issued a statement on the basis of negotiated consensus, deciding to lift nuclear trade ban on the country. China hopes that the decision will contribute to peaceful use of nuclear energy and international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation."
The issue of China's stand at the NSG was likely to be raised during discussions that Yang will have with the Indian leadership. Apart from his meeting with Mukherjee, Yang will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In its first response to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) waiver for India, China on Monday hoped the decision will contribute to "peaceful use of nuclear energy" and international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation.
"China believes that all countries are entitled to make peaceful use of nuclear energy, and conduct international cooperation in this regard. Meanwhile, relevant cooperation should be conducive to safeguarding the integrity and efficacy of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said in response to a question on the NSG waiver for India.
The Chinese embassy in New Delhi issued a statement containing the remarks of the spokesperson hours before China's Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi was scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi.
Sections of the Indian establishment have been miffed over China's role at the three-day NSG meeting that ended on Saturday in Vienna.
China had all along assured the Indian leadership that it will not block the waiver at the NSG. But during hectic parleys and at a critical juncture when the US was trying its best to reach a consensus among the 45 members of the NSG, China made serious attempts to put off a final decision until later.
It was only after senior members of the Bush administration made phone calls and India issued a demarche to China that it agreed to go for an extended meeting and finally rallied behind others in the NSG to reach a consensus on the waiver.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: "China has been taking part in relevant meetings within the Nuclear Suppliers Group in a responsible and constructive manner."
The spokesperson added, "On September 6, NSG discussed civilian nuclear cooperation with India and issued a statement on the basis of negotiated consensus, deciding to lift nuclear trade ban on the country. China hopes that the decision will contribute to peaceful use of nuclear energy and international cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation."
The issue of China's stand at the NSG was likely to be raised during discussions that Yang will have with the Indian leadership. Apart from his meeting with Mukherjee, Yang will also call on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
nitesh
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guys let us get ready for the drama to unfold:
The Associated Press: Bush sends US-India nuclear deal to Congress
By FOSTER KLUG – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush rushed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal to Congress late Wednesday with hopes that lawmakers will expedite passage of one of his top foreign policy initiatives.
There is little time left on the congressional calendar to pass the accord, which would reverse three decades of U.S. policy by shipping atomic fuel to India in return for international inspections of India's civilian reactors.
With only about three weeks remaining before Congress recesses for the year, the Bush administration needs lawmakers' help to overcome a law that says Congress may not ratify the accord for 30 working days after receiving it. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with India's defense minister and continued a push to persuade senior Democratic lawmakers to allow quick passage of the deal.
Democrats control the House and the Senate, and Rice has been appealing to crucial lawmakers to discuss the accord, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Lawmakers are scheduled to leave Washington at the end of the month to campaign for the November elections. Barring passage of legislation to scrap the 30-day waiting period, Congress does not appear to have enough days left to ratify the deal.
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony and Rice met privately to discuss the nuclear deal and U.S.-Indian military cooperation. Antony did not respond to reporters' questions before or after his meeting with Rice.
Some in Congress are vowing a careful and possibly time-consuming review of U.S.-Indian nuclear negotiations, which could doom the plan's passage this year.
That would leave it in the hands of a new Congress and president, and it is unclear whether it would remain a priority. However, both presidential contenders, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, have expressed support for the accord, and it has enjoyed backing among senior lawmakers from both parties.
Berman, who supports nuclear cooperation, has said that if the administration wants to speed congressional consideration, it must first deal with qualms some lawmakers have, such as what impact another Indian nuclear test might have on the agreement.
India has refused to sign nonproliferation agreements and has faced a nuclear trade ban since its first atomic test in 1974. But on Saturday, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries that supply nuclear material and technology agreed to lift the ban on civilian nuclear trade with India after contentious talks and some concessions to countries fearful it could set a dangerous precedent.
U.S. officials have said that selling peaceful nuclear technology to India would bring the country's atomic program under closer scrutiny. Critics say it would ruin global efforts to stop the spread of atomic weapons and boost India's nuclear arsenal.
Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
The Associated Press: Bush sends US-India nuclear deal to Congress
By FOSTER KLUG – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush rushed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal to Congress late Wednesday with hopes that lawmakers will expedite passage of one of his top foreign policy initiatives.
There is little time left on the congressional calendar to pass the accord, which would reverse three decades of U.S. policy by shipping atomic fuel to India in return for international inspections of India's civilian reactors.
With only about three weeks remaining before Congress recesses for the year, the Bush administration needs lawmakers' help to overcome a law that says Congress may not ratify the accord for 30 working days after receiving it. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Wednesday with India's defense minister and continued a push to persuade senior Democratic lawmakers to allow quick passage of the deal.
Democrats control the House and the Senate, and Rice has been appealing to crucial lawmakers to discuss the accord, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Lawmakers are scheduled to leave Washington at the end of the month to campaign for the November elections. Barring passage of legislation to scrap the 30-day waiting period, Congress does not appear to have enough days left to ratify the deal.
Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony and Rice met privately to discuss the nuclear deal and U.S.-Indian military cooperation. Antony did not respond to reporters' questions before or after his meeting with Rice.
Some in Congress are vowing a careful and possibly time-consuming review of U.S.-Indian nuclear negotiations, which could doom the plan's passage this year.
That would leave it in the hands of a new Congress and president, and it is unclear whether it would remain a priority. However, both presidential contenders, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, have expressed support for the accord, and it has enjoyed backing among senior lawmakers from both parties.
Berman, who supports nuclear cooperation, has said that if the administration wants to speed congressional consideration, it must first deal with qualms some lawmakers have, such as what impact another Indian nuclear test might have on the agreement.
India has refused to sign nonproliferation agreements and has faced a nuclear trade ban since its first atomic test in 1974. But on Saturday, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group of countries that supply nuclear material and technology agreed to lift the ban on civilian nuclear trade with India after contentious talks and some concessions to countries fearful it could set a dangerous precedent.
U.S. officials have said that selling peaceful nuclear technology to India would bring the country's atomic program under closer scrutiny. Critics say it would ruin global efforts to stop the spread of atomic weapons and boost India's nuclear arsenal.
Associated Press writers Ben Feller and Matthew Lee contributed to this report.
