U.S.-INDIA NUCLEAR DEAL IN HOT WATER AFTER RELEASE OF MEMO

摘要

Though a waiver agreement proposed by the United States to allow nuclear trade with India continued to meet opposition from member nations of international Nuclear Suppliers Group last week, the controversial nuclear trade deal also began facing new obstacles. A State Department document submitted to Congress nine months ago that came to light last week reveals a harsher-than-publicized stance by the United States against India with regard to a potential Indian nuclear weapons test-information that has raised eyebrows in India and now threatens to jettison the deal. Of main concern in India last week was language in the memo indicating that the U.S. did not plan to sell reprocessing or enrichment technologies to India and that any nuclear testing by India would bring a quick response from the U.S. in the form of a cut-off of all trade of nuclear materials and services-a stipulation India has repeatedly said it would not agree to.