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Bush signs landmark US-India nuclear legislation

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-09 11:13

WASHINGTON -- US President George W. Bush signed legislation Wednesday that reverses three decades of US policy and allows American businesses to enter India's multibillion-dollar nuclear market.

US President George W. Bush (seated) signs the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington October 8, 2008. [Agencies]

The US agreement on civil nuclear cooperation permits American businesses to sell nuclear fuel, technology and reactors to India in exchange for safeguards and U.N. inspections at India's civilian nuclear plants, but not those operated by the Indian military.

Critics in India argue the constraints compromise their country's right to conduct nuclear tests. Some private US arms control experts say the deal probably will speed up nuclear arms competition in Asia.

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The Bush administration, however, considers the deal a major achievement of the Bush's second term.

"By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on a reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors, meet the energy demands of its people, and reduce its independence on fossil fuels," Bush said at a ceremony in the East Room. "For our part, the United States will gain access to a growing market for civilian nuclear technologies and materials that will help American businesses create more jobs for our people here at home."

The signing of legislation, which approves US-Indian civilian nuclear cooperation, is the result of three years of work by Indian officials and the Bush administration. The president said the measure would build on the growing ties between the world's two largest democracies, the United States and India.

Throughout the Cold War, relations between India and the United States were chilly. In the past decade, however, ties have grown closer in a range of areas, including trade, energy and security. The United States is now India's largest trading partner.

"This agreement sends a signal to the world: Nations that follow the path to democracy and responsible behavior will find a friend in the United States of America," Bush said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and India's foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, are expected to sign the overall bilateral nuclear cooperation accord on Friday.

Congress gave final approval last week to legislation authorizing civilian nuclear trade with India, which built its atomic weapons outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

By signing the authorizing legislation, Bush is required to certify that the agreement with India is consistent with US obligations under the treaty, which was designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. He also must certify that it is US policy to cooperate with international efforts to further restrict transfers of technology related to uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

US opponents of the nuclear agreement say lawmakers rushed consideration of a complicated deal that could spark a nuclear arms race in Asia. The extra fuel the measure allows India to buy, those critics say, could boost India's nuclear weapons stockpile by freeing up its domestic fuel for weapons.