Hillary may allay fears over N-deal

Clinton’s assurance on full nuclear cooperation is crucial for New Delhi as it would allay concerns over the recent G8 statement that effectively blocked transfer of strategic Enrichment and Reprocessing (ENR) technology from any of the eight members in the grouping to a country that has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Her words are expected to provide New Delhi with a better understanding of the views of President Barack Obama’s administration at a time when India and United States of America are all set to start negotiations on reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in Vienna on Tuesday.

Nuclear commerce
Clinton and Krishna may also announce on Monday the beginning of the nuclear commerce between the two countries.

Sources said that the government had identified Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh and Methiverdi in Gujarat to set up nuclear reactors from the United States.
A formal announcement is expected on Monday.

Nuke trade and strategic cooperation are likely to dominate the agenda of the meet, which may also focus on bilateral ties in the field of agriculture, education, healthcare and space research.

However, another controversial military agreement that will give the United States of America legal rights to inspect every military hardware it sells to India at any point of time after the purchase to find out if the equipment are used for the purpose they were bought off, is unlikely to be inked during Clinton’s visit, sources told Deccan Herald.
Signing the end user verification agreement is a legal necessity for the United States in the arms trade, which is growing with India. But the Indian government is still not comfortable with the idea of United States inspectors in Indian military facility.

The Cabinet Committee on Security has not accorded its consent on signing the EUVA at the moment and negotiations are still to soften the terms and conditions, sources said.
Clinton’s visit to India is the first formal high-level contact between New Delhi and Washington after Obama stepped into the White House.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, however, met Barack President Obama twice – first during the G 20 summit in London last April and then on the sidelines of G8 and G5 meet in the Italian city L’Aquila earlier this month.

Clinton will try to dispel doubts over the new United States administration’s commitment to the nuclear deal, which was inked during the tenure of George W Bush.

‘No dilution’
Diplomatic sources said that the United States’ Secretary of State would make it clear that Washington’s commitment to nuclear cooperation agreement with New Delhi would not be diluted by the latter’s stand on Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty  and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

But, sources added, she might seek to know from Krishna how Indian government  could help the United States ensure that the rogue states and terrorists and other non-state actors did not get hold on nuclear materials.