Iran a worry but Indo-US nuke deal gets Kerry backing

Efforts underway to carry the Indo-US nuclear deal forward received a boost today with US Senator and Democrat candidate in the 2004 preside...

Efforts underway to carry the Indo-US nuclear deal forward received a boost today with US Senator and Democrat candidate in the 2004 presidential race John Kerry expressing his support, 8216;8216;in principle8217;8217;, for the July 18 understanding.

Kerry, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, said he had conveyed his support during the visit but was still awaiting details. 8216;8216;In principle, I support this. It is better to have India under the IAEA safeguards than not to have them at all,8217;8217; he said, addressing the media after his official meetings in Delhi.

The Senator said Singh had assured him that India would sign the Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty once it was finalised. In that sense, Kerry felt, the deal would increase 8216;8216;visibility8217;8217; on efforts to firm up the treaty which has been in the works for some time. Kerry was also very clear that the deal does accord India nuclear power status. 8216;8216;It would be disingenuous to say that once the agreement goes through in its present form, it would not accord India that status. It does.8217;8217;

Though sounding positive on the deal, Kerry8212; who is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee8212; said he would like to first see the 8216;8216;four corners8217;8217; of the agreement which is still being finalised. Before leaving for New Delhi, Kerry met Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns8212;Washington8217;s chief interlocutor on the deal8212;and was apprised of the progress so far in the negotiations. 8216;8216;If India brings the majority of its reactors under safeguards, I think it would be a step in realising non-proliferation objectives,8221; Kerry said.

The agreement, he said, would impact the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Missile Technology Control Regime besides the Atomic Energy Act. 8220;I told the prime minister that we can8217;t just look at the agreement in its bilateral context, as it will also have an impact multilaterally,8221; he said.

On the Iran nuclear crisis, the senator said that all countries must take the situation with 8216;8216;utmost seriousness8217;8217;, and said he favoured a discussion on the issue in the United Nations Security Council.