BJP says U.S. nuclear bill "humiliating" (India)

[OhioChick]

Sun Dec 10, 2006 6:31 PM IST
By Mark Williams

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A bill that will allow the United States to sell nuclear technology to India compromises India's independence, its main opposition party said on Sunday, adding that the "humiliating" law should be rejected.

Legislation sailed through Congress early on Saturday, ending the isolation imposed after New Delhi developed nuclear weapons in contravention of international standards.

The deal, first agreed in July 2005, has caught the imagination of many in India and is seen as a major move towards becoming a regional power. But it has also attracted criticism after it was modified in the U.S. legislature.

In a sign of the battle the government faces, the Bharatiya Janata Party, which ruled the country between 1998 and 2004, said early fears the United States was only interested in capping India's nuclear weapons programme "stood confirmed".

http://in.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-12-10T182130Z_01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_India-279760-1.xml

[OhioChick]

1. Scientists concerned over Indo-US nuclear bill

Press Trust of India
New Delhi, December 10, 2006

Country's top nuclear scientists have expressed concern over the provision in the bill passed by the US Congress to implement Indo-US nuclear deal that seeks to cap India's right to conduct atomic tests.

However, they were of the view that the current legislation was meant only for the US lawmakers and the bilateral cooperation on sharing civil nuclear technology would be governed by the 123 agreement between the two countries.

"India need not worry about the legislation passed by the US Congress as it is meant for the US lawmakers. India is obliged only to the bilateral agreement (123 Agreement)," former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman MR Srinivasan said.

"We have to work for further negotiations on the 123 Agreement. If that is modified in favour of India then we will go ahead in signing the deal," he said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1864015,001301790001.htm

[bananas]

2. Great - they're telling us they will ignore the law

because it's not binding on them.

[w4rma]

3. Sounds like it. Like everything else the GOP does (except stealing money), it's all just PR. (nt)