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Journalism of Courage
US President George W Bush arrived here this evening to a personal welcome by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, starting a three-day visit where both are expected to chart a roadmap for the transformation of India-US relations, the pivot of which is the nuclear deal aimed at ending India’s very long nuclear winter.
So critical is this deal as a touchstone for the new India-US strategic partnership, that work on setting the stage for a final announcement began within an hour of Bush’s arrival and continued until well after midnight.
National Security Advisors Stephen Hadley and M K Narayanan, Ambassadors Ronnen Sen and David Mulford and US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran worked at the Prime Minister’s Office to close the gap on what is being seen as the home-stretch of the negotiations.
Official sources said matters had moved forward on two of the three key issues. Washington is said to have accepted India’s separation plan. And India has agreed to accept safeguards in-perpetuity on reactors it puts on the civilian list.
But linked to India’s commitment to permanent safeguards is the issue of assurances from the US side on fuel supply to Indian reactors. This is the key issue on which, sources said, the final word from the US delegation is expected tomorrow.
In tune with the reciprocity principle, as underlined by the PM in Parliament, India has made it clear to the US that it must ensure either directly or facilitate the supply of fuel to India’s safeguarded reactors as long as they are operational. New Delhi wants this to be put down as an assurance in the declaration tomorrow.
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TODAY ON THE BUSH TABLE
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• Meeting with President Kalam at Rashtrapati Bhavan • Talks with PM Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House • Will meet Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani at Maurya Sheraton • Open air banquet at the Mughal Gardens Story continues below this ad |
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It has reason to. Having faced the brunt of the technology denial regime for nearly three decades, sources said, India is being cautious not to leave any gap that can lead to difficulties at a later date. Particularly, the Indian experience with the US on fuel supply to Tarapur reactors has made New Delhi even more careful.
Washington had made it clear that its commitment for fuel supply would not go beyond 25 years even though the reactor continues to operate. Also, it has still not allowed India to reprocess the spent fuel from these reactors and neither has it taken it back. The PM too had pointed out in Parliament that the US commitment last July to arrange for supplies to Tarapur still remains pending.
The fear here is that if there are problems in fuel supply, India will have to divert from its strategic reserve which will impact its military programme. But sources said much of this is driven by a “lack of trust” from the past and it is here that a political call becomes important. In other words, Bush and Singh.
If atmospherics is an indication, that shouldn’t be so difficult. As Bush, who made an unannounced stopover in Kabul this morning, stepped off Air Force One with wife Laura Bush, they were welcomed by the Prime Minister and his wife Gursharan Kaur. Among those present were Minister in waiting Kapil Sibal, Narayanan and Sen. With unprecedented security in place, Bush and his entourage drove straight to Maurya Sheraton which has been sealed off by US Secret Service Agents. Earlier, Singh held an unscheduled meeting with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the issue and later the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs was briefed on the state of negotiations.
