The US-India Deal Working Group of Abolition 2000, a global network of over 2000 organizations in more than 90 countries working for a global treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons, today urged the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to require that any negotiations on a new safeguards agreement with India be consistent with current IAEA standards and policies, the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and with UN Security Council rulings. The letter is available on the following web page:
http://cnic.jp/english/topics/plutonium/proliferation/usindiafiles/iaealet10sep07.html
As part of the US-India nuclear deal, India must negotiate a safeguards agreement with the IAEA. India wishes these talks to cover the eight nuclear facilities that India has declared as "civilian" as part of its agreement with the United States (the US-India nuclear deal). The Coordinator of the Abolition 2000 Working Group, Philip White, said, "Any safeguards agreement that covers only the nuclear facilities India chooses to include would violate the comprehensive (full-scope) safeguards standard that is applied to all states other than NPT nuclear weapon states. It would mean the IAEA going against its previous decisions and those of the UN Security Council."
The US-India deal will enable India to increase production of fissile materials for nuclear weapons. Mr. White said "Bringing additional Indian facilities under safeguards will not contribute in any significant way to stopping this, as long as India maintains fissile material production and nuclear weapons-related facilities outside of safeguards."
There is concern that India might seek 'India specific safeguards' that make the safeguards contingent upon the continued supply of nuclear fuel from foreign suppliers. Mr. White said, "There is no precedent for dropping safeguards if nuclear fuel supplies are interrupted."
The most likely reason why fuel supplies to India would be interrupted under the proposed arrangement is if India conducts a nuclear weapon test explosion. India has insisted on a right to conduct further nuclear tests. This is despite a unanimous UN Security Council Resolution 1172 (6 June 1998) that demanded India not conduct further nuclear tests and that it should join the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. IAEA General Conference Resolution GC(42)/RES/19 (25 September 1998) called on India (and Pakistan) to "become Parties to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, without delay and without conditions." This resolution also obliges all IAEA member states to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1172.
Mr. White said that "The world has rejected nuclear testing and India should not be permitted to test and pay no price for it."
Contact:
Philip White, Coordinator of Abolition 2000's US-India Deal Working Group
c/- Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, Tokyo, Japan
Tel: 81-3-3357-3800 Fax: 81-3-3357-3801
