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Journalism of Courage
Going along with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, and concerned over Tehran’s A Q Khan link, India today voted in favour of a resolution by the nuclear watchdog agency IAEA to report the Iran nuclear issue to the UNSC.
This cranks up pressure on Iran and could change the course of international diplomacy on its nuclear programme. The resolution, acknowledging concerns raised by Russia, China and India, also allows the Director General time until March to complete his report.
The resolution passed with 27 member countries voting in favour, five abstaining (Algeria, Belarus, Indonesia, Libya and South Africa) and three voting against (Cuba, Syria, Venezuela). It was amended to insert a paragraph that calls for ‘‘realising the objective of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, including its delivery’’. While both US and Israel objected to this, they gave in and it ensured a “yes” vote from key Arab countries Egypt and Yemen.
The key factors that went behind India’s decision which was taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday night in consultation with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan, who thereafter left for the Munich Security Conference at 3.00 am:
• What Iran is trying to protect from IAEA scrutiny is related to P1 and P2 centrifuges which would bring out the link with the A Q Khan network. This has also been recorded by the IAEA DG Mohammed El-Baradei in his report last September. New Delhi felt it should encourage any effort to unravel this clandestine network in the neighbourhood.
• It was important to ensure that whatever India’s position, it must not lead to any bracketing with Iran on the nuclear programme. More so, when Iran has talked of Washington’s ‘‘double standards’’ in dealing with Iran and India’s nuclear programmes. A vote at the IAEA allows New Delhi to distance itself from Tehran on the issue making it difficult for the non-proliferation lobby to equate the two.
• Iran too has acted always in its national interest on these matters. Last September at the UNGA, it called for universalisation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty with the objective of bringing pressure on Israel. India let it be known to Iran that this could make matters difficult for the Indian programme. However, Tehran showed no signs of accommodating Indian concerns then.
• There was a suggestion to go by the NAM (Nonm Aligned Movement) consensus on the resolution. Here again, the government took note that on nuclear issues, India has always been in variance with NAM right from the start when it decided not to sign the NPT.
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‘Illegal, we will start enrichment, block UN’
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• VIENNA: Tehran responded to the vote saying it would start enriching uranium fuel that can be used in bombs and would immediately halt UN inspections of its nuclear facilities and pursue full-scale enrichment. It says it wants only nuclear power, not bombs, but claims a sovereign right to make uranium fuel on its own soil. see page 5 |
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After the vote, India said the resolution was ‘‘well-balanced.’’ While there will be a report to the UNSC, the MEA Spokesperson said, the Iran nuclear issue ‘‘remains within the purview of the IAEA’’. Emphasising the importance of its relationship with Iran, India also pointed out that the resolution does provide the opportunity for ‘‘serious consideration’’ of the Russian proposal for a joint venture with Iran on uranium enrichment.
Earlier, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran briefed the PM on the possible fall-out of a yes vote. Tehran has already walked out of the agreement to supply five million tonnes of LNG to India at $31 per barrel.
India also noted the statement of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Davos last month that Islamabad was willing to reconsider the pipeline if it is adequately compensated for its energy requirements. In short, Pakistan is also looking for a nuclear agreement, akin to the Indo-US deal, with America.
The UPA government has also done homework on the possible action by Iran on crude supplies by getting Saudi Arabia to fill the gap in case such an exigency occurs. But with Iran importing petroleum products in lieu of crude exports, New Delhi hopes Tehran will not take such a drastic action.
