Why keep IAEA text secret, asks Left

Highlights of a joint statement -- IAEA Text: Why Keep it Secret? -- issued by four Left parties: 

• The text of the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement needs to be made available to see whether any corrective action is possible on India's part, if the United States discontinues the fuel supplies. It is well-known that the International Atomic Energy Agency is not at all concerned with fuel supply but only with the imposition of safeguards on nuclear equipment and material.

• Therefore, it is important to know how the safeguards agreement provides for the fuel supply assurances in the case of India as claimed in the 123 agreement. 

Key concerns expressed by the Left parties regarding the IAEA Safeguards Agreement which have not been addressed by the UPA are:

• In case the US or other countries in the Nuclear Suppliers Group renege on fuel supply assurances for imported reactors, will we have the ability to withdraw these reactors from IAEA safeguards?

• If US or NSG countries renege on fuel supply assurances, can we withdraw our indigenous civilian reactors from IAEA Safeguards?

• If we have to bring nuclear fuel from the non-safeguarded part of our nuclear programme for these reactors in case of fuel supply assurances not being fulfilled, will we have the ability to take it back again? 

• What are the corrective steps that India can take if fuel supplies are interrupted by the US or NSG countries?

• What are the conditions that India will have to fulfill if the corrective steps are to be put into operation?

• Once the text of the Safeguards Agreement is approved by the IAEA Board of Governors, which is what the United Progressive Alliance government seeks to do now, the subsequent steps require no participation at all by the Government of India. 

• It is critical for the country that the IAEA Safeguards Agreement is discussed with full transparency and not kept secret. Why is the Manmohan Singh government keeping the draft of the IAEA Agreement secret from the people of India?