US n-deal will not fuel arms race: White House
09 March, 2006
WASHINGTON, March 10(Online): In an exercise aimed at silencing critics of the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Bush administration has rejected charges that the pact would fuel an arms race in South Asia and set the stage for the recognition of India as a nuclear weapons state.
As the administration faced the uphill task of getting the historic accord approved by Congress, the White House on Wednesday set out a point-by-point rebuttal of the critics of the pact, especially those in the non-proliferation community, a day after President George W Bush met top lawmakers to discuss the agreement and seek their support. In a Fact Sheet on the Indo-US civilian nuclear energy cooperation, the White House, among other things, said the deal does not set a bad precedent for countries like Iran, North Korea or Israel, fuel an arms race in the region, assist India’s nuclear weapons programme or set the stage for its recognition as a nuclear weapons state.
"This is a historic agreement that brings India into the non-proliferation mainstream and addresses its growing energy needs through increased use of nuclear energy in co-operation with the international community. End.
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Reader Comments:
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Nuclear Proliferation |
The deal George Bush is pushing with India on nuclear technology is all about money. Bush is doing a favor to his buddies in the nuclear industry, trying to open up a new, lucrative market for them. The nuclear industry is anxious to build a new generation of "Pebble Bed" nuclear reactors, and needs a place to do it. The Bopal incident should warn off the people of India against allowing their country to become a nuclear test site for an untested technology. India should invest in 21st century, renewable technologies rather than risk poisoning its land and people with a nuclear accident or a legacy of nuclear waste that no one knows what to do with. Bush's plan is a bad deal for India, and a bad deal for the world.
Peter Alexander, United Kingdom - 12 March, 2006
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