George W.Bush, United States President on the conclusion of his visit to India in March 2006 addressed the Indian Nation from old fort in Delhi with spectacular gesture. He declares, “U.S. is a ‘brother’ to India in the cause of human liberty. Announcing India as a natural partner of the United States Mr. Bush said, “The partnership between our free nations has the power to transform the world. As a global power India has a historic duty to support democracy around the world. India’s leadership is needed in a world that is hungry for freedom. Men and Women from North Korea to Myammar to Syria to Zimbabwe to Cuba Yern for their liberty. In Iran, a proud people is held hostage by a small clerical elite that denies basic liberties, sponsors terrorism and persues nuclear weapons”.
Ordinarily, one might have these expressions as merely rhetoric having nothing to do with realities of the situation but just the previous day the U.S. president had declared before the media people that he was anxious to take back to the history of three decades of nuclear non-proliferation policy just to reach an agreement with India on nuclear cooperation. And it is commendable that Indo-U.S. agreement on nuclear cooperation was materialized. Civilian and military parts of India’s nuclear programme have been separated. The integrity of India’s Civilian and Research development programme in nuclear field has been secured. Civil-military plan as proposed by Prime Minister Man Mohan Singh has been accepted by the U.S. The plan seeks to address all the concerns of the department of Atomic Energy that had been suggested on various occasions. It was held that the indigenous fast breeder programme, research reactors and the few power generating pressurized. Heavy water reactors could not be put under safeguards. Now the separation plan as accepted by the U.S. includes the following.
(i) Fourteen out of twenty two thermal reactors either in operation or under construction having sixty five percent of the installed thermal nuclear capacity would come under safeguards in a phased manner from the year 2006 to 2014.
(ii) Only 220 We thermal PHWRs would be placed under safeguards in the safeguards.
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(iii) All civilian thermal and breeders reactors of future plans would be placed under safeguards.
(iv) Some additional DAE facilities have been declared as civilian.
(v) The 40 MWt CIRCUS constructed with Canadian assistance as early as 1960 would be closed and the imported fissile core of 1 MWt reactor would be shifted out of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre complex and relocated under safeguards.
image Source: sites.miis.edu/criticalissuesforum/files/2012/11/NWFZ_Map_small.jpg
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Apart from the nuclear agreement the two Governments have signed the Maritime Cooperation Frame work and the Logistic Support Agreement. India is also going to join the proliferation Security Initiative which involves joint maritime patros with the navies of countries like Japan, Singapore and Australia.
The two sides have also agreed on the modeling for carrying on the National Aerauronautic and Space Administration (NASA) payload basically two instruments weighing a few kilograms on the Indian lunar mission. A naturally acceptable solution has been arrived at for Chandrayaan and an agreement for this was also formalized during the visit of U.S. president.
The concurrence on Indo-U.S. knowledge initiative in agriculture (KIL) programme is also of national interest in the field of agriculture and economic cooperation. Agreement has also been reached on Intellectual property Right (IPR). This agreement allows joint ownership of IPR and other associated commercial benefits arising out of collaborative research. This inter-government agreement will be in force for a period of ten years unless either withdraws on six month notice.
Washington’s desire to build a strong partnership with India centered around first nuclear and conventional military cooperation is not merely sentimental. International politics and India’s growing power are also contributing factors. The growing economic and strategic importance of India in a world which is passing through transition from one order to another compels the world powers and developed countries to join hands with India in order to strengthen their own position. Also in view of the changes in U.S. force development and basing patterns around the world and Asia in particular as also the foreseeable future offensive missions of relationship with India is a vital need for Washington.
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Then rise of India and China is also exerting tremendous pressure on the international market for natural oil resources so far as the U.S. and Western oil resources are concerned. Under the circumstances providing India a liable energy option makes eminent sense. Finally, the U.S. nuclear reactor construction industry is looking to China and India as major sources of demand for their products. American companies would certainly be looking forward to secure a greater share of the growing arms market.
Another important aspect of the visit of U.S. president is the declaration of Mr. Bush on his visit to Pakistan that there was no question of treating Pakistan on a par with India on nuclear issue U.S. officials told the journalist that Pakistan had no chance of making a deal similar to the Indo-U.S. agreement due to continuing concern about proliferation and terrorism.
Ultimately Iraq fell and a puppet government was formed to restore the so called democracy. After a hide out for several months Saddam Hussain was capture and tried for the murder of 140 Shias by an Iraqui court who awarded him death sentence. The judgment was pronounced hurriedly and his appeal against the judgment was dismissed in no time. He was brutally hanged on Saturday. The 30th of December 2006 in early hours at 6.05. This was the most tragic end meted out to any tyrants in world history. Even Beucto Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stolen had not been treated so brutally although each of them had been responsible for the massacre of million of people.