Cautious Optimism

Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India: I welcome the decision of the US Senate to approve the bill. Before that, the House of Representatives has done a similar thing. But we still have a long way to go before nuclear cooperation between India and the US becomes a living reality. There are aspects in the two bills which are not identical and, as the US legislative process goes, therefore there will have to be a reconciliation process on the part of the concerns of the House and the Senate which I am told will take place in the next few weeks," the Prime Minister said. I sincerely hope in this process, ideas and areas where we are concerned with the structures of the bills as they stand will be taken into account and I have the assurance of President Bush that the US administration is aware of our concerns, and that they will work with us to ensure that the final outcome of the legislation is in line with our mutual commitments as set out in the July 18, 2005 joint statement and the separation plan which has the approval of both India and the US."

Pranab Mukherjee, External Affairs Minister, India: We welcome the passage of the Bill on Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation in the US Senate by an overwhelming majority. This, undoubtedly, reflects the very broad bipartisan support which this initiative enjoys. President Bush and Secretary of State Rice have worked personally to ensure the passage of the Bill and we express our sincere appreciation for their tireless efforts. We now expect that the final version of the legislation, which would emerge after the Joint Conference of the House and Senate, should adhere as closely as possible to the understandings incorporated in the July 18, 2005 Indo-US Joint Statement and the March 2006 Separation Plan, so that full civil nuclear cooperation between India and the US becomes a reality and contributes to India’s energy security. We understand that, as per present indications, the Joint Conference will convene after the passage of the Bill, and the final version will likely come up for a vote by both Houses when they reconvene after the Thanksgiving holidays, on December 4, 2006. We must await the final version before drawing any conclusions on the legislation. 

Sonia Gandhi, President, Congress Party, India: We welcome it. I believe that the government will study it and formulate a position. The bill will have to be reconciled by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Nothing will be accepted which is outside the July 18 agreement. We sincerely hope that both Houses (Senate and House of Representatives) will sit down and reconcile. All those areas that are not acceptable to us will be excluded and only then we will welcome the bill happily,

Rajnath Singh, President, BJP: India is not facing a very conducive security scenario in the region. India must have a sovereign right on its nuclear deterrent capability. India-specific safeguards should be the corner stone of the deal. Our nuclear autonomy should not come under the umbrella of any other country. This is a matter of prime concern for the BJP. The government must make these aspects clear to the country before moving ahead with the pact. The stated concerns of India as assured by the Prime Minister in Parliament must be protected and safeguarded,"

M R Srinivasan, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission: This is an important step in the entire process in getting on with the Indo-US nuclear deal but is not the end of the process. Today's process has shown a strong bipartisan support in cooperation regime with India in nuclear matters. But we have to wait and see if both House and Senate in its joint session in December would take up all the concerns expressed by India through various diplomatic channels.

A N Prasad, Former Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC): The passage of the Bill was expected. However, the bill, which has so many objectionable points in the current form, especially on supply of uranium, are not acceptable to India and requires lot of reconciliation and sanitation. President George W Bush had reportedly committed to India to provide a fail-safe methodology for uninterrupted fuel supply. In the current form the bill creates a hand-to-mouth situation with regard to stockpiling of uranium for the lifetime of a reactor. This would not be acceptable to India.

P K Iyengar, Former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC): They may have done little amendments in the bill but it does not mean it will favour India in all respects and before the finalisation, a lot of discussions and debate are required. Although the landmark Indo-US deal was cleared by the Senate after rejecting atleast the five killer amendments including one seeking a cap on India's fissile material production, we have to see the language of it. Even in the bilateral agreement '123', we have to see the language of the American lawyers. Hopefully, when Congress returns from its Thanksgiving Holiday recess on December 4 and before the lame-duck session ends two weeks later, we will come to know whether the Americans will take note of our concerns and how subsequently we can work together.

Placid Rodrigues, Former Director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam: The language of the bill cleared by the Senate would have to be seen before a proper could be made.