The United States threatened Tuesday to scrap its agreement to export civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India if New Delhi conducts an atomic weapons test.
"The proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated, as well as there is provision for return of all materials, including reprocessed material covered by the agreement," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.
The 123 agreement refers to an operating agreement of the U.S.-India civilian nuclear energy agreement which was reached in March 2006. Under the U.S.-India civil nuclear deal, India will get access to U.S. civil nuclear technology, and open its nuclear facilities to inspection.
The operating agreement was officially approved by the two governments about two weeks ago after discussions spanning two years.
McCormack made the remarks after U.S. President George W. Bush discussed by telephone with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the U.S.-India civilian nuclear energy agreement Tuesday.
Singh told parliament Monday that India's nuclear deal with the United States will have no impact on its nuclear weapons programs.
"Let me hence reiterate once again that a decision to undertake a future nuclear test would be our sovereign decision, one that rests solely with the government," Singh told lawmakers.
U.S. President George W. Bush in December 2006 signed into law a bill approved by Congress allowing the civil nuclear deal to go through, a major step toward letting India buy U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel for the first time in 30 years.
But the U.S. Congress attached several conditions to the law which have not gone down well with New Delhi, and the two countries have returned to negotiations.
Under the bill, the U.S. president would be required to end the export of nuclear materials if India tests another nuclear device. India conducted nuclear tests in 1998.
It also does not guarantee uninterrupted fuel supplies for reactors and prevents India from reprocessing spent atomic fuel.
Indian critics say the agreement will put restrictions on the country's nuclear weapons program.
Source: Xinhua
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