India's legal right to conduct N tests preserved: Kakodkar

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) India's "legal" right to conduct
nuclear tests has been fully preserved and the country has not
made any commitment in this regard to gain the waiver from the
N.S.G. to participate in nuclear commerce, Anil Kakodkar,
Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission said on Saturday.

"There is no explicit mention of (nuclear) testing (in
the N.S.G. waiver)," he told reporters here making it clear
that the exemption granted to India by the 45-nation cartel
met all requirements of the Department of Atomic Energy.

"We have made no legal commitment (on nuclear tests),"
Kakodkar said underlining that India has already made a
unilateral, voluntary moratorium on conducting atomic tests.

"Today is an important day as we have achieved a major
breakthrough," he said and termed the waiver to India as
"unique" as it will open the doors for the country to take
part in international civil nuclear commerce after 34 years of
isolation.

Asked about the amendments India had to accept to win
over sceptical N.S.G. members, he said "there is nothing
significant. You can see it for yourself when the waiver
document is made public by the N.S.G. shortly. It is a
straightforward document."

"There is no specific targeting of India on anything,"
the country's top nuclear scientist said.

"I think it is clear that people have understood and
recognised the importance of this exemption for India from
India's track record, behaviour and energy needs," he said
when asked what he felt led to the waiver from the guidelines
of the cartel that controls international nuclear trade.

Kakodkar said India's three-stage nuclear programme will
continue.

Kakodkar said there was a good amount of urgency for
enlarging the share of nuclear power and the N.S.G. waiver
will enable bringing "additionalities to the domestic nuclear
programme."

He said India will talk to all countries engaged in
nuclear trade and "certainly with the U.S.

"We have been talking about use of nuclear technology
for national development and also meeting national
requirements while we have the strategic programme which will
go on.

"Our energy requirement is very large and the opening of
civil nuclear commerce will enable is to meet both
objectives," Kakodkar said.

On enrichment and reprocessing technologies, he said
"there are certain provisions in the N.S.G. guidelines and the
same will be applicable to us."