LS-MUKHERJEE 3

"These agreements and the India-specific safeguards
agreement also provide for India to take corrective measures
if necessary," Mukherjee said, adding "these are interlocking
provisions which protect our rights fully".

The minister, who tabled the statement amid din, said
that in the agreements, India has the right to reprocess spent
nuclear material that would be obtained from foreign partners.

For this, India will be setting up a new national
reprocessing facility and taking other steps necessary to
operationalise these agreements and realise the full potential
of the civil nuclear initiative, he said.

"When the enabling bilateral cooperation agreements are
brought into force, they will provide the legal framework to
negotiate and finalise commercial arrangements to source
nuclear fuel for our strategic fuel reserve as well as other
nuclear equipment and technologies covering the nuclear fuel
cycle," Mukherjee said.

"We will honour our commitments and implement these
agreements in good faith and in accordance with the principles
of international law and have no doubt that our partners will
similarly discharge their commitments and obligations," he
said.

"All these agreements are fully consistent with India's
national interest, with the assurances that the Prime Minister
had given to Parliament and that the government has made to
the people of India," Mukherjee maintained.

He said in achieving the agreements, the government has
ensured that these only relate to cooperation in civilian
nuclear energy and that the country's strategic programme and
indigenous research are not affected.

The bilateral cooperation agreements signed with the U.S.
and France as well as the I.A.E.A. Safeguards Agreement
"include specific provisions which ensure that there will be
no hindrance to our strategic programme and that we retain the
freedom to take action with regard to our strategic programme
even as we engage in international cooperation in civil
nuclear energy," Mukherjee said.

Describing it as a "historic initiative", he said it will
help the country achieve its development objectives by
substantially increasing the potential of clean power
generation.

"These developments are the beginning of a new chapter
for India -- of engagement as equal partners in civil nuclear
energy cooperation with other countries. As we move forward,
it will help us expand high technology trade with
technologically-advanced countries," he said. PTI AKK
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