India to take up with US controversial letter on nuclear deal

New Delhi, Sept 7 (PTI) India and the US are elated that their nuclear deal has received endorsement from the N.S.G. but New Delhi is taking up with the Bush Administration the State Department's controversial letter to US Congress which stated that it would be denied fuel supplies if it conducted a nuclear test, highly placed sources said here Sunday.

The 26-page letter, released in Washington on the eve of the crucial N.S.G. meeting in Vienna, created a furore in India and led to complications in deliberations of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (N.S.G.) which, however, subsequently granted the coveted waiver to New Delhi.

BJP and Left parties seized on the letter and accused the
government of hiding "facts" and demanded an urgent session of
Parliament to discuss the issue.

In the controversial disclosures before the N.S.G.
meeting, the US had made it clear that it would stop fuel
supplies and other nuclear cooperation if India conducted a
nuclear test.
The US position in the letter appeared at variance with New
Delhi's interpretation of some key clauses of the Indo-US
nuclear deal.

The letter contained "certain" issues which India will
take up with the US, the sources said, adding New Delhi has
made it clear where it stands.

They said the 123 Agreement with the US is awaiting
signature and now that the NSG waiver is through "we will go
through the signature procedure."

The stoppage of nuclear cooperation in certain
circumstances if India conducts an atomic test figures in the
123 bilateral agreement but impression so far has been that
the US would ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies from other
countries.

However, the letter released by a well-known opponent of
the deal, Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, contained an assertion by the Bush Administration
that its assurances of nuclear supplies to India were not
meant to insulate it against the consequences of a nuclear
test.

Berman made public the State Department's responses to 45
questions on the deal posed by his predecessor Tom Lantos way
back in October last year. The answers were given on January
16 but for nearly nine months the document was kept under
wraps at the request of the State Department.

After the disclosures, the BJP attacked the government
accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of misleading the
country on the issue and demanded an immediate session of
Parliament to move a breach of privilege motion against him.

C.P.I.(M) too joined B.J.P. in attacking the government,
accusing Singh of "lying to people and Parliament" on Indo-US
nuclear deal and demanded his resignation. It said it would
join hands with other parties to bring a no-confidence motion
against his government. PTI KIM