RUSSIA RESPONDS TO INDIA'S NUCLEAR OVERTURES

India’s quest for energy security in the form of nuclear fuel continues unabated. After signing an expansive nuclear deal with US in July this year, India is seeking out Russia, which has reacted positively to Indian overtures during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the country this week. The Indian efforts with Russia come at a time when, in a far-reaching development, the US and other partners in International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project have decided to invite India as a full partner in the ambitious multi-billion energy venture.

This is by far the best news for India on the nuclear front after the meeting of the 45-nation Nuclear Supplier’s Group (NSG) in Vienna a couple of months back put off action on the US proposal to lift restraints on transferring nuclear technology to India. In the recent past, Washington too has been insisting on stringent compliance to what it considers to be established norms. In a blunt statement last month US Ambassador David Mulford said India must submit a plan for the separation of its civil and military nuclear industry to the United States, which would then judge whether or not it was credible and could be sold to Congress for amendments to domestic legislation to lift the nuclear curbs.

Reiterating Mulford, in remarks made before the Senate foreign relations committee Robert G Joseph, under secretary for arms control and international security, also said: "We expect and have indicated to the government of India that India's separation of its civil and military nuclear infrastructure must be conducted in a credible and transparent manner, and be defensible from a nonproliferation standpoint."

But, the good news for India has been ITER and the Russian response during Manmohan’s visit. ITER is the experimental step between the latest studies of plasma physics and future electricity-producing fusion power plants. The ambitious project, estimated to cost about 10 billion Euros, aims at producing nuclear energy equivalent to that of Sun. After the International Space Station, the ITER would be the largest international research and development collaboration. The Reactor, which works on controlled fusion reactions technology, will produce unlimited amount of energy in an environment-friendly manner.

"The US and its ITER partners -- the European Union, Russia, Japan, South Korea and China -- agreed at the ITER negotiations meeting in Jeju, South Korea, to invite India as a full partner,’’ a US Embassy release said. The ITER decision ``represents the first tangible and concrete step toward greater cooperation between the US and India in the nuclear field as envisioned by President George W Bush in the July 18 Joint Statement with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," it said.

The issue of expanding cooperation between Russia and India in the field of energy, most importantly civilian nuclear energy, figured prominently in the summit between Manmohan and President Vladimir Putin, though both sides were cautious not to air any new nuclear thoughts under discussion. Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar accompanied Manmohan.

The thinking in New Delhi is that India should take the initiative with Russia to prepare grounds for the important likely visits of French President Jacques Chirac and US President George W Bush in February next year. A firm development on civilian nuclear cooperation is expected during the visits adding to the urgency that Russia takes the step before other nuclear powers.

So far, Russia has provided two 1000 MW reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu but has not promised any commitment on India's request for two to four additional reactors for the same project, citing its obligations as a member of the NSG.

However, the deal between India and US has allowed an opportunity that New Delhi wants to en cash. Accordingly, while Manmohan and Putin did not discuss specific figures for additional reactors at Kudankulam, Indian officials said they agreed that there were ``good prospects for expanding cooperation in all sectors of civil nuclear cooperation.’’

At a joint press conference with Manmohan, Putin expressed his confidence that the moment for expanding the range of the nuclear interactions is quite possible. Asked whether Russia would be prepared to take the lead, if US-led efforts to amend the NSG's rules got delayed or derailed, the Russian President said he believed that India was ``taking all the necessary steps to build its relationship with the international community, including with the countries of the Nuclear Suppliers Group ... [It] is separating its military and peaceful nuclear programs, it [has adopted] the necessary legislation, and is actively working with the members of the NSG.’’

"The Prime Minister conveyed India's willingness to consider positively construction of additional reactors by Russia in view of our growing energy needs," a foreign ministry spokesperson told reporters after Manmohan’s meeting with Russia's Energy and Industry Minister Viktor Khristenko. Both sides also agreed to promote commercial cooperation among each other's oil companies through various measures including floating of joint ventures and equity participation. The Russian minister welcomed India's interest to invest in Sakhalin III oil and gas project and other areas.

Putin said Russia considered India its strategic partner, adding, "and we will actively work to be sure that India will cope with all its problems and tasks that it is addressing, including in the peaceful use of nuclear energy."

A comment in The Hindu reads: "Though emphasizing the need for India to work with the NSG, Putin's statement, and the promise to actively work to help India address its problems in the civil nuclear field, marked a departure from the recent Russian formulations on the prospects for nuclear commerce with India which tended to highlight the impossibility of cooperation given the existing NSG guidelines."

Asked about the prospects of Russia once again providing low-enriched uranium for Tarapur (where Indian atomic energy plants are located), Sergei Kirienko, head of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency, said in an interview that he did not wish to comment on the issue. However, Indian officials have been quoted to say that they were expecting that the Tarapur fuel matter would be resolved.

Indeed, most analysts agree that India’s quest for nuclear energy will come through given the lucrative market that India offers. Most experts say the hurdles will be overcome at the US Congress before May next year when the NSG is likely to look to change the rules. No country wants to lose out on the nuclear contracts that are likely to follow.

Russia sees India as a major market and has been keen on expanding nuclear links with India. Moscow also wants to keep New Delhi happy due to the defense purchases that India is likely to commit in the near future. Chirac has been the first international leader to speak of the need to accommodate India into the global nuclear order. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has endorsed the US decision while Canada’s move to renew civil nuclear energy cooperation following India’s vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in September has been a big bonus. India is closely watching the reaction of China that has recently become a member of the NSG. New Delhi’s fears are centered round the roles Beijing and Islamabad are likely to play in future.