INDO-U.S NUCLEAR DEAL

The Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement, known also as the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, refers to a bilateral accord on civil nuclear cooperation between the United States of America and the Republic of India. The framework for this agreement was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then U.S. President George W. Bush, under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and, in exchange, the United States agreed to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation with India.

Following are the key aspects of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal:

* The agreement not to hinder or interfere with India's nuclear programme for military purposes.

* US will help India negotiate with the IAEA for an India-specific fuel supply agreement.

* Washington will support New Delhi develop strategic reserves of nuclear fuel to guard against future disruption of supply.

* In case of disruption, US and India will jointly convene a group of friendly supplier countries to include nations like Russia, France and the UK to pursue such measures to restore fuel supply.

* Both the countries agree to facilitate nuclear trade between themselves in the interest of respective industries and consumers.

* India and the US agree to transfer nuclear material, non-nuclear material, equipment and components.

* Any special fissionable material transferred under the agreement shall be low enriched uranium.

* Low enriched uranium can be transfered for use as fuel in reactor experiments and in reactors for conversion or fabrication.

* The ambit of the deal include research, development, design, construction, operation, maintenance and use of nuclear reactors, reactor experiments and decommissioning.

* The US will have the right to seek return of nuclear fuel and technology but it will compensate for the costs incurred as a consequence of such removal.

* India can develop strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard against any disruption of supply over the lifetime of its reactors.

* Agreement provides for consultations on the circumstances, including changed security environment, before termination of the nuclear cooperation.

* Provision for one-year notice period before termination of the agreement.

* The US to engage Nuclear Suppliers Group to help India obtain full access to the international fuel market, including reliable, uninteruppted and continual access to fuel supplies from firms in several nations.

* The US will have the right to seek return of nuclear fuel and technology.

* In case of return, Washington will compensate New Delhi promptly for the "fair market value thereof" and the costs incurred as a consequence of such removal.

* Both the countries to set up a Joint Committee for implementation of the civil nuclear agreement and development of further cooperation in this field.

* The agreement grants prior consent to reprocess spent fuel.

* Sensitive nuclear technology, nuclear facilities and major critical components can be transferred after amendment to the agreement.

* India will establish a new national facility dedicated to reprocessing safeguarded nuclear material under IAEA safeguards.

* Nuclear material and equipment transferred to India by the US...

HYDE ACT

The Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006, also known as the Hyde Act, is the U.S. domestic law that modifies the requirements of Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act to permit nuclear cooperation with India[16] and in particular to negotiate a 123 Agreement to operationalize the 2005 Joint Statement. As a domestic U.S. law, the Hyde Act is binding on the United States. The Hyde Act cannot be binding on India's sovereign decisions although it can be construed as prescriptive for future U.S. reactions. As per the Vienna convention, an international treaty such as the 123 agreement cannot be superseded by an internal law such as the Hyde Act




Now Arises the question
As a citizen of India Whtz ur opinion
is this Nuclear Deal is for the Sake of our Nation or not?