India has right to test, others have right to react: Pranab

New Delhi, Oct 3 (PTI) India today said despite the nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S., the country still retains the right to conduct a nuclear test, while others have a right to react to it.

"...India has the right to test, others have the right
to react," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee when
asked to comment on India's options to conduct an atomic test
after signing the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal.

However, India had declared a voluntary moratorium on
future nuclear tests after the 1998 atomic tests at Pokhran in
Rajasthan, Mukherjee told CNN-IBN.

"In regard to testing, I have already stated we have
voluntarily declared moratorium on the further tests and we
will continue to bind ourselves by this book," he said.

However, the minister made it clear that New Delhi would
not like to convert the voluntary moratorium on testing into a
treaty-bound obligation.

"We would not like to convert this voluntary moratorium
into a treaty-bound obligation. That position has been
maintained," Mukherjee said.

The nuclear deal with the U.S. has opened nuclear trade
to those countries which are interested in having the commerce
with India, he said.

Mukherjee said India's nuclear trade will depend on the
type of bi-lateral, bi-party agreements which will have to be
entered into with the countries concerned.

The U.S. Senate passed the Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal
with an overwhelming majority and is expected to be signed by
Mukherjee and his American counterpart Condoleezza Rice
tomorrow. PTI SKU