U.S. and India Complete Nuclear Technology Pact

Eight years after India startled the United States government by resuming testing of nuclear weapons, Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed off on a pact requiring India to separate its civilian and military nuclear programs to gain U.S. expertise and fuel to satisfy its energy rising needs.

Under the deal, the United States offered India nuclear fuel and technology in return for India agreeing to put a wall between its civilian and military nuclear facilities and place its civilian program under international inspections.

More later.

UPDATE: Click here for a transcript of an interview with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh where he discusses the nuclear issue with Charlie Rose of PBS. And click here for more analysis from DNA India. Finally, take some time to read the thoughts of Vivek Reddy in Mumbai.

UPDATE: From the official joint statement issued by the two governments:

FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT

(1) Welcomed the successful completion of discussions on India's separation plan and looked forward to the full implementation of the commitments in the July 18, 2005 Joint Statement on nuclear cooperation. This historic accomplishment will permit our countries to move forward towards our common objective of full civil nuclear energy cooperation between India and the United States and between India and the international community as a whole.

(2) Welcomed the participation of India in the ITER initiative on fusion energy as an important further step towards the common goal of full nuclear energy cooperation.

(3) Agreed on India's participation in FutureGen, an international public-private partnership to develop new, commercially viable technology for a clean coal near-zero emission power project. India will contribute funding to the project and participate in the Government Steering Committee of this initiative.

(4) Welcomed the creation of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, which will enable India and the U.S. to work together with other countries in the region to pursue sustainable development and meet increased energy needs while addressing concerns of energy security and climate change. The Partnership will collaborate to promote the development, diffusion, deployment and transfer of cleaner, cost-effective and more efficient technologies and practices.

(5) Welcomed India's interest in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, an international marine research endeavor that will contribute to long-term energy solutions such as gas hydrates.

(6) Noting the positive cooperation under the Indo-U.S. Energy Dialogue, highlighted plans to hold joint conferences on topics such as energy efficiency and natural gas, to conduct study missions on renewable energy, to establish a clearing house in India for coal-bed methane/coal-mine methane, and to exchange energy market information.

Click here for a transcript of a New Dehli press briefing with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Nick Burns. And there are some important details in the transcript of a press briefing by National Security Advisor Steve Hadley.

UPDATE: French President Jacques Chirac praises the agreement. Meanwhile, Pakistan has signaled that it would like to complete a similar agreement with the U.S. However, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the timing isn't right.

UPDATE: Econopundit likes the deal:

[T]he potentially-next-huge-leading-sector that pushes us into the next ten year economic boom is nuclear energy -- especially a nuclear energy itself energized by globalization of trade and information. This new deal appears to recognize that vision.

FINAL UPDATE: The Cranky Liberal likes the deal too.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, India, Electricity

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