New Delhi: Amid hectic negotiations
between India and the US to wrap up the nuclear reprocessing
pact, former US Ambassador David Mulford has said linking this
issue with the signing of NPT by India will be "very
inconsistent" with the understanding reached between the two
countries.
Mulford said the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group had
given the waiver to India for doing nuclear commerce knowing
that New Delhi would not sign the Nuclear Non Proliferation
Treaty (NPT), a position that favours India's stand on the
issue.
"I think it would be very inconsistent if for some
reason there is a certain demand that India should have to
sign the NPT because the entire deal, as you said, was
predicated not only by the US but by the all the players who
eventually came to a 45-nation (NSG) consensus," Mulford told
a private TV channel.
Implementation of the 123 Agreement in terms of
contracts between companies of the two countries is yet to
take place as the US is seeking an assurances on non-
proliferation from India.
Mulford, who was a key member of the US administration
that negotiated the civil nuclear deal with India, said if
such a demand came then it would not be logical in the
"context of why and how the deal was done".
Access was given to India to the world of civil
nuclear commerce with a de-facto recognition that the nuclear
weapons existed in this country and that it would not sign the
NPT, he said.
PTI
First Published: Friday, November 20, 2009, 21:33