India, Brazil, South Africa summit discusses nuclear energy
The joint declaration of the India, Brazil and South Africa (ibsa) summit held on September 13, 2006, in Brasilia underscores the importance of the peaceful use of nuclear energy. During talks with India's prime minister Manmohan Singh, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva indicated that Brazil would be willing to cooperate on fuel supplies as well as technology.
The 12-page declaration spoke of how peaceful use of nuclear energy was an inalienable right of all states, but also stressed that such uses had to be consistent with international obligations. "Any specific deal is some way off, though, and is in any case dependent on the outcome of the nuclear deal with the us and the easing of restrictions by the Nuclear Suppliers Group,' stated Silva.
According to experts, this goes to show that India may not get what it is hoping. "With this kind of cooperation, India is eager to get support from Brazil and South Africa to end the impasse with the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Though these countries have said they will support India, I don't think they are really committed to do so. The declaration is iffy,' asserts M V Ramana, a nuclear energy expert at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment and Development, Bangalore. Since India has not signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty, it is not supported by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
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According to Dipankar Banerjee of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, this is a step forward because India can get technological support and uranium supply if the Indo- us nuclear deal happens. But will this have any influence on the Indo- us nuclear deal? No, say experts. "That will take its own course, as it is a domestic decision of the us,' says Rajaraman.