India must meet conditions before trade restrictions are lifted

January 11, 2008

India should be required to meet certain conditions before restrictions on
nuclear trade with New Delhi are lifted, more than 100 individuals and
organizations said in a letter to members of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers
Group and the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors. The signers of the January 7
letter, which was released January 9, urged the governments to reject any
proposals for so-called India-specific safeguards that depart from the IAEA's
standard safeguards arrangements -- for example, by making New Delhi's
safeguards commitments contingent on assured fuel supplies for Indian
reactors. The letter also said that if the governments agree to lift the
current ban on major nuclear exports to India, they should at least "clarify
that nuclear trade by NSG member states shall immediately cease if India
resumes nuclear testing for any reason."

Before countries can sell nuclear goods to India, the IAEA board has to
approve an India-IAEA safeguards agreement and the NSG has to approve an
exception to its current guidelines. Those guidelines generally prohibit
nuclear trade with countries, such as India, that do not accept IAEA
safeguards on all their nuclear facilities. A sample letter is on the web site
of the Arms Control Association,