The United States has asked India for a written "assurance" that the Asian nation would not illicitly disperse sensitive nuclear materials under a bilateral civilian nuclear trade deal, the Economic Times reported today (see GSN, Oct. 16).
On three separate occasions this year, President Barack Obama and members of his Cabinet have insisted the Energy Department would would need the nonproliferation document to license U.S. firms to export nuclear materials to India. Washington has offered New Delhi examples of such statements it has received from China, Germany and other nations.
India, though, has indicated that the text of its nuclear trade deal with Washington contains sufficient language barring proliferation activities.
In addition, India could seek broader rights to reprocess spent nuclear material under a separate agreement with the United States. Some analysts have expressed concern that the Asian country could produce weapon-usable plutonium by reprocessing U.S.-origin nuclear fuel obtained under the deal (Economic Times, Nov. 17).
Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to work toward finalizing his government's nuclear cooperation agreement with India during a three-day trip to the country this week, the Indo-Asian News Service reported.
Harper was expected to address the deal during talks with Manmohan Singh, his Indian counterpart. However, the sides might not ink the agreement during Harper's stay, according to sources (Indo-Asian News Service/Khaleej Times, Nov. 16).