India on Saturday offered to house a nuclear fuel bank to supply fuel to nations interested in peaceful nuclear programmes.
Addressing the India Global Forum, organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) here, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said that discussions on the issue were “a long way away”.
20 April 2008: Daily Times
Indian foreign secretary says New Delhi doesn’t want another nuclear power in neighbourhood
Hopes Indo-US nuclear deal will materialise soon
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: India on Saturday offered to house a nuclear fuel bank to supply fuel to nations interested in peaceful nuclear programmes.
Addressing the India Global Forum, organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) here, Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon said that discussions on the issue were “a long way away”.
He said, “We run a full nuclear fuel cycle and we will be happy to participate in providing a home for a nuclear fuel bank,” put forth by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohammad ElBaradei last year.
The IAEA plans to set up an international uranium enrichment facility, where countries can source their nuclear fuel requirements to run atomic power plants.
Menon also called for a new international consensus to deal with the possible link between terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He asked for a “credible programme for global, verifiable and non-discriminatory nuclear disarmament” to check non-proliferation.
Nuclear power: Clarifying India’s stance on Iran’s nuclear issue, Menon said India did not want another nuclear weapon state in its neighbourhood. He added however that Iran had the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, subject to its international obligations.
“Ultimately it is an issue of whether or not it is implementing the obligations it undertook. It depends on technical assessments which are best done by the IAEA,” he said.
He called for a system in which Iran is [made] a party to non-proliferation efforts. He said that sanctions and military action would only “exacerbate” the situation.
Menon said the recent elections in Pakistan had underscored the potential contribution of multi-party democratic framework to peace and stability. He said New Delhi would continue working with the new Pakistani leadership to pursue shared objectives. He also sought to dispel apprehensions about a nuclear flare-up between India and Pakistan.
“Immediately after the 1998 [Pakistan nuclear] tests, both India and Pakistan realised that we needed to be in touch with each other. In 1999, we agreed on a series of nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs) and we have been carrying that out,” he said.
India and Pakistan have set up an expert group on nuclear CBMs, which has produced results, Menon said, adding that the two countries notified each other on ballistic missile tests and had a series of engagements to discuss the issue.
Indo-US nuclear deal: Menon said India hoped to bring the Indo-United States nuclear deal to “fruition” soon. He described it as “more of an immediate answer” to India’s energy security needs and less as a non-proliferation issue.
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