ACA asks NSG to reject anything "unsound and irresponsible" by Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, Sept 3 (PTI) A prominent arms control think tank has asked the Nuclear Suppliers Group states, opposed to India-specific waiver, "to stand together" during its two-day meet at Vienna and reject anything that is "unsound and irresponsible".

"India and the United States at the Vienna meeting, on
September 4 and 5, are hoping for some 'cosmetic changes' but
anything 'unsound and irresponsible' should be rejected," Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association (A.C.A.) said at a news briefing

Maintaining it as "extremely important" for the N.S.G.
states insisting on conditionalities "to stand together", the
senior non-proliferation expert said "the call for a 'clean
and an unconditional proposal' in Vienna on September 4 and 5
should be rejected."

Executive Director of the Non-proliferation Policy
Education Center and Member of the Congressional Commission on
the Prevention of W.M.D. Proliferation and Terrorism, Henry
Sokolski, and Sharon Squassoni, a Senior Associate in the
Non-proliferation Program of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace were also present during the briefing.

"The U.S. credibility is at stake," Sokolski said,
making a point that the Bush administration is "saying a lot
of things to many audiences and it needs to get its act
together."

Sokolski argued that the meeting of September 4 and 5
is the 9/11 of Non-proliferation and a turning point in a
negative way.

"It is hard to see how it can be anything but an engine
of destruction," Sokolski said, cautioning the international
community that this nuclear deal would lead to an arms race
and is "something that should not be encouraged".

Squassoni maintained the administration's response to
the questions submitted by the House Foreign Affairs Committee
have been very specific, one of which being the insistence
that in the event of a testing by India there will be a cutoff
in fuel, among other measures.

"I am not sure if the Indian government will agree with
this. It is very important that the N.S.G. writes this down,"
the Carnegie scholar said, adding that administration have
told law makers, specifically on the subjects of termination
and fuel supply assurances.

A set of 45 questions was given to the State
Department in October 2007 and was answered, but under the
specific request of the administration it was not made public
until yesterday, three days before the second meeting of the
N.S.G. at the Japanese Mission in Vienna.

"In general, U.S. administration has to follow US law.
India will not be very happy with the responses," Squassoni
said.

"There is no way this deal is going to be approved by
Congress without violating the Hyde Act," Sokolski said.

Squassoni further maintained that with only some 19
days left in this Congressional session, it is difficult, if
not impossible how this deal could get through this 110th
Congress.

The agreement must sit before the Committee for thirty
days she pointed out adding this assumes that everything is in
order. "That is not the case," Squassoni said as India and the
I.A.E.A. have just begin discussions on the Additional
Protocol.

"It has to be taken up by the next Congress," she said.