The Manmohan Singh government may be able to finalise the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation deal, but it will not be a cake walk for the country to get the deal cleared by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), whose key members — including the Netherlands — consider the much-hated Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) a guiding principle.

The NSG, which was recently briefed by the US about the deal, takes decisions only by unanimous agreement. As such, the Netherlands, which has uranium enrichment facilities and is protected under the US nuclear umbrella, considers the NPT “one of the cornerstones of the legally binding system of international treaties and legislation in the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction”.

In an interview with Deccan Herald, ahead of Dutch queen Beatrix’s state visit to India from October 24, Dutch foreign minister M J H Maxime Verhagen said the “civil nuclear cooperation deal between the US and India contains positive elements to answer India’s energy demands in the future.” “However, I find the agreement has implications that reach far beyond civilian nuclear cooperation... The possible impact on the military nuclear programme attracts attention and raises concern,” he said. Verhagen said his country is “prepared to consider a possible request from the US to look at changes in the NSG’s guidelines with regard to export of nuclear technology in a constructive manner”.

To emphasise the need for India to start negotiations with the IAEA on India-specific safeguards, to which Left parties are opposed, the Dutch minister made it clear that the NSG “will not discuss the issue before the IAEA Board of Governors has agreed upon the safeguards agreement between the Agency and India”. “Furthermore, I understood that the US will present a draft proposal to the NSG only after a positive decision from the IAEA board of governors,” he stated.

UNSC seat
On India’s efforts to secure permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Verhagen said his country “shares India’s view that the composition of the Security Council should reflect more accurately today’s geopolitical realities, but the Netherlands so far has not endorsed any particular claim to permanent membership.”

“More generally, in a globalising world no one country can afford to go it alone... The UN, NATO, the European Union and other international and regional organisations have crucial roles to play in this respect... The Netherlands therefore chooses to help shape policies at the multilateral level.”